Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-12-08
GIANTS CASTLE.

The western sun was resting Tor a
single moment upon the shoulders of
the gray and hoary mountains, casting
a last bright glance behind him, ere he
sank to rest beyond the far away Pa
cifc; the purple shadows of the ridges
creeping slowly downward over bluff
and precipice vaveda silent greeting to
their graver sisters, as slowly uprising
from the canons and the gorges, the
distant cry ofa lonely bird foated softly
downward through the listening air, and
as it passed mighty stiffness fell over
all, while along the eastern horizon
black night began to frown.
Two solitary travellers nor vet
travellers, for both were frontiersmen
and miners who were slowly climbing
the rugged face of the ridge, paused
as they reached its verge, and without
speaking looked sharply about them
for several moments, examining all the
ground carefully. then one uttered a
low growl of satisfaction, and, pointing
through the cleaning toward the
south, he turned to his waiting compan-
ion and said:
''..Here's the trail, Tom, an the reds
III pass the Giants castle over there
afore moon-up tonight, if they're after
us. This yere war the way Black Jim
went, an he war a p'intin' for the
Apache country fast enough. Ef the
bloody cut-throat can git the Inguns to
help him they'll go for our ranch sure,
but eff they don't come we're safe, for
to morrer well ligh. over the range for
coed. The minin's good, but the
country's gettin' too hot for us. It's a
fhsme ye missed that dog to-day, fur
otherwise we'd been safe under cover
now, an the world rid of rascal, in
stead of lodging about hyar in the
shadders to save ourscalps. Howsom-
ever, ye missed him ;an' now my plans
to climb the Giants castle, an wait fur
mornin'. Eff the reds come, they
won't find US at home, an eff they don't
Come no great harms done an eff they
smell us ont on the castle we could kill
the entire party afore they could get at
u.s."
The speaker paused and drew long
breath, fairly astonished and wearied at
his own unusual loquacity, and his COM
panion, changing his Winchester from
one shoulder to the other, replied:
"Ye're right, Dick 1t war a pity
that ! missed the outlaw, but it war
only snap shot. I won't do SO ag'in.s
Yer plan fur the night is a good one.
Lead on r.
With rapid and almost silent steps
the two passed over the ridge into the
blackness of the gulph beyond.
And as they disappeared, there arose.
close to the very ground whereon they
had been standing, from behind a
gnarled and stunted cedar thicket, the
figure Of a man. Carefully he peered
about him, gazing sharply into the
darkness that had swollen up the others,
listening with waiting ear for any sound
that might indicate their return, and at
last rising to his full height he stepped
quietly forth and dropping his rife
stock to the earth. he chuckled softly,
and with wicked meaning to himself.
so ye'H hide from Black Jim an
. the Paches in Giant castle? Good I
Yfgthought Black Jim would be simple
enough when he failed yer swag once
to run away. Fools had chance at
yer geh to-day an lost it ye had q
crack at me an missed. We re even,
but it's my turn next; an the shinin'
dust that you fellers have in yer waist
belts shall be mine afore sun-up, or I'm
a half-breed. don't want no Injuns to
help. nor no cabins to burn neither.
What I'm after is the gold, my pards,
an eff 70 stay on Castle rock its
mine"
AS he ceased his soliloquy, the out
law, STOPPING almost to the earth, crept
rapidly away into the darkness, follow
ing the course taken by the others.
Tom Nutting and Dick Moore had