The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-04-29
THE KING OF THE DEAD.

Last August I was shooting prairie
chickens in Southern Kansas. A thun'
der storm came sweeping out ofthe north.
west. / took shelter in little roadside
inn. Time hanging heavily on me,
read and reread the county papers that
Uttered the table in the small bar-room
parlor. Reading the list of marriages
births and deaths, I found among the
latter the name John O. Zalmack, aged
thirty Big years. In another column was
this announcement:
Su1cIDE.-Last night John G. Zalmack
returned to his cattle ranch, taking with
him a bottle of poisoned whiskey. He
had tfswore off, and said that if he found
he conldnot resist the desire for alcohol
he would drink of the poisoned liquor
and die. In the morning his dead body
lay across his bed.
Sitting by window watching the
fierce storm I musingly repeated the name
John G.. Zalmack. It sounded very IA
miliar. Questioning the landlord of the
inn, I was soon in possession of the
little he knew of, the history of the dead
man, and learned that he was commonly
called Jack Zalmack. Instantly the
veil lifted from my memory, and brave
Jack. Zalmack, miner of the Northern
Rocky Mountains, stood fourth. 1 knew
him we'll. Years ago was among the
Ceur d'Alene Mountains of Northern
Idaho, searching for a mountain of iron
ore that common report located there.
One evening soon after sunset I rode up
to the brink of deep canon. By my
feet a tiny stream of cold water poured
over the edge of the rock, disappear
ing from my sight as it sank into the ut
ter blaekness beneath me, rope of wav..
ing, bubbling foam. / camped, and
having been unsuccessful in shooting and
fishing, I lay supperless in my blankets,
smoking my pipe. My horse grazed
about me, or, coming to the fire, stood
with hanging head, and looked at me
with mournfully lonesome eyes. Again
he would walk. to my blankets, and l
would caress him as; his head hung over
me. I was very lonely.
.The;isolation of my life was affecting
my nerves. heard strange sounds, and
as the night grew old fancied saw
uncanny objects lowering around my fire
or crouching under the bushes, waiting
fos a favorable opportunity to spring
upon me. T was neither asleep nor yet
awake. While was resting physically
my brain was amusing itself by creating
horrors to frighten my body: The days
had spent in the Blacksoot Indian coun-
try, where light sleep, wakeful sleep, was
the price of my life had tried my nerves
severely. I heard the light patter of
VOLTS feet, then quick, sharp sniff be-
hind me. My horse, with loud snorts,
ran toward me. Turning over on my
breast, my rifle came to my shoulder,
and an ounce ball crashed between the
glaring eyes of, the black midnight prowl.
or. I arose, rebuilt my fire, and sat
waiting for the early dawn of Northern
summer to break. Out from the black
abyss at my feet rolled up volume Of
cries so fieudish that my blood chilled
and little waves of icy coldness chased
each other up my spine. With great
ground swell ola chill rolling through me
from right to left, I recovered myself, say
ing "Curse those panthersl What start
they gave me! I have been alone too
long. This will not do"
With final shudder I drew pair of
heavy Oregon blankets around me and
sat motionless. Again the cries from the
chasm. This time heard the words:
"Help! help! helpl Oh, my Godw I
lay down, and with anxious eyes peered
into the gloom beneath me. l could see
nothing I heard a voice raised high in
piteous appeals, saying: "Do not strike
me. Don'tl don'tp Then louder, in
despair, shouting: "Helpl help! Oh my
Godp Then succession of screams as
though some mortal was enduring the
torments of the orthodox hell. lay lis
tening. My horse stood alongside of me,
peering down with wide.opened eyes, his
nervous ears cooked forward. At short
interyals,t the cries and appeals for help
were repeated. Faintdawn came. Look
ing into the canon I could see the line
of blackness descending lower and lower
until the tops of the mighty erergreens
at the bottom, could be seen, looking like
great black domes. Lighter, but still
otlight enough to clear away the shad-
ows from the bottom of the canon. The
pines behind me cast their shadows
across the chasm on the red wall of
ba.altic reck opposite me before could
zee plainly to the bottom of the rift in
the rocks. Fifteen hundred feet below
me lay narrow valley. A torrent pour
ed over its rocky bed looking like long,
undulating white serpent gliding in and
out among the pines. A glimse oft be-
low me, then lost to view, to flash out in
pure white through its partial screen of
evergreens far down the valley. Little
meadows of bunch grass and patches of
thorn bushes, with scarlet berries thick
" studded over them, checkered the bot
tom of the. canon in brown and green.
Two horses grazed on one of these gras-
sy lawns; one solid white, the other a
black with four white stockings and a
blazed face. A roll of blankets, little
pile of flour and bacon in sacks, some
cooking utensils, two saddles, one saw
buck pack saddle; and keg lay on the
ground by a: clump of pine-trees. Still
lying on The verge of the abyss, I Isearched
the valley with my glass to my eyes. By
rock on the river side I saw miners
prospect pan, SnOVel, dnu PICK. l
could not see the human being I had
heard crying so loudly in the night.
Walking back to my blankets, picked
up my rifle and started on hunt for my
breakfast.
Again heard, and the air seemed to
quiyer with the sound as it rolled up from
the canon the cries, "Help Help! Help
~ -. Hnd 10 uurry;no hocE fo fho
top of the cliff looked over and saw a
naked man standing in the shallow water
by the bank of the little river. Putting
INV glass on him, I stood waiting and
listening. His screams were incessant.
He soon rushed out of the water with
arms held above his head, as if TO protect
it from savage blow. Reaching the
meadow land, he suddenly turned on the
(by me unseen) object pursuing him, and
struct sayape blows in the air with bis