The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-02-19

md mu,t have been held there pris.
,ner until I starved to death-never per. I
,ars 70 he discovered, or not until my Il
Oiiino and blesched bones had begun o
o look like the other bare skeleton n
orms surrounding them. Treachery !,
now seemed added to the other perils OF u
he place. and when at last began Il
slowly retracing my steps, struck my {,
stick on each piece Of ground ere ven. I!
Lured nv foot upon Il. =. Il
"As | turned back by the way had $
come. the first breath Of air that had I
been felt for an hour or more blew ]
across nv face; 1t was but q slight t
huff. but Il was sufficient to create q I
little stir among the boughs, and 70 send q
a dismal, wsiling sough through the
wood. Faint as ii was, 1t nevertheless
gave An additional melancholy to the !
place, and increased the fascination
with which it had beset me. I again I
stood still, now to listen. The wind
by degrees increased, rising and falling,
and creating with every breath more
And more sound. 1t seemed now ~ II
the weird forms OF the trees were
endowed with voices, and were moaning
and whispering sadly to each other.
One particular vail especially caught
my ear, and the longer l listened the
more definite It became. 1t might
easily have been mistaken for the voice
Of 4 human being in direst misery.
Presently, wrought up ~ my imAgina.
ton was, l began to. fancy could
almost hear the very words It uttered.
wait for NEE! Wait for
me-c!' it seemed 10 say, now family,
now quite audibly; and at length so
actual, 40 real did the utterance be.
come, that l turned back toward the
SPOT whence it appeared to proceed.
This was not far from where I had been
brought to standstill, but Is l advanced
the voice grew fainter, and when | had
got \ few more yards the wind died
away, and it ceased altogether.
"Eyening was coming on apace BY
this time, and l again began retracing
NV steps. No sooner did do 70, how.
ever. than the wailing whisper recon-.
menced: 'W.a.i.t for NEE! Wait
for meet y long.drawn.out wailing
whisper. Once more l turned back.
drawn on by sort OF supernatural
, power which, against my reason, moved
/ me to the belief that | was being en-
, treated to return. Such an implOring,
. hesrt.breskjng appeal, 50 inexpressibly
, pititul and .t9uching, l had never heard
3 before. BUTT stopped again as / neared
the particular spot whence 1t seemed to
arise. After listening over and over
q again, and going to and fro nearly q
|. dozen times, always with the same re-
I suit, q conviction stole over NE that thu
\ effect was merely due to an echo, and
I that the reverberation was only audible
Q in one especial spot. It was but m!
2 morbid fancy, said, which made m.
4 attribute it TO any other cause. and
Is Was recovering something like health!
d tone of mind, when, as l was taking
a last long look into deep recess OF tn
A. wood. ! beheld sight which half para
10 lived me, and instantly brought bac
N With renewed force that sense Of tn
4. weird and supernatural which wa
=. lust shaking OF. Yonder, within
IL narrow cleft in the rocks, mos!
Nv grown, and covered with the etern.
10 underground, there was . spectacl
te about which there could be no doubt
N. no tree could assume such shape
ma that. Evidently, positively, it was
nd human skeleton, jammed tightly lii
10. one OF the trees in 3 treacherOus fissur
~ such as that into which l had just late
he slipped.
". "Very indistinct are my recollection
ii. of what I did, or what my feelings, du
l ine tho next few minutes. l have
It'll hszy memory of remaining irresolute +
his a time, and then. of hurrying AVA
ar dazed, and then Of returning and plum
wn ing into the thicket, regardless of t
me thorny brambles and the uneven, sli
nv perry, crevioe.beset powders, for l
my member I was standing presently Gle
lew to these human remains, only lit
Zee above them, at the mouth, as it were,
be the cleft. Twas examining them intent
the peering at them between the ferns
ives grass, which, hanging in thick clust
em. and pendant wreaths, grew from eitl
mis-. side of the deep fissure In which
skeleton was immured, upright. q
ing with On arm outstretched, and eau
any by the elbow tight between smaller
this terstice of tho rock. I shuddered q
ere, looked into the eyeless sockets with Il
,e, I grim vet pittful expression, at the
awe rows Of glistening teeth, at the bleacl
70 Of bones with here and there shreds OF
ten clothing still adhering to them.
,sly, dank weeds and brushwood hid
thin form nearly up to the waist, but, As
king heritage was, down BY the roots, go
arge what thinner, I, With . tremor rum
my through my whole body, dragged tn
and little aside With my stick, which Str
mo- on . substance that resounded
y be metal.
amid ~ know not with what object, 1t
AL. not curiosity, certainly not cupidity,
crea- I knelt down, and, thrustiug my
Kinks elbow-deep into the wet and M
md I grass, followed the stick point will
8 il ! hands, and, after little cropping,
'evep hold Of q watch and chain-hardiy
ever, Ognizable q such, truly, but still
hot ously nothing else. ,5ri
. Yet "Then I pursued my search
. and further, for foresaw that It now n
'only lead to the Identification OF this unh'
0 my human being who had been buried q
, Is I heaven knows how long ago! by .
piece which l myself had only an hour By
fact, 20 narrowly escaped. Thencefortt