The National tribune., 1882-01-14

and ran ling among the low hills in that quarter,
succeeded about noon in shooting fine buck.
Salt and matches he had brought with him
from the cabin, as also a canteen of cold coffee
and half-dozen hard tack" In the course OF
an hour he had dressed his deer-after man
ner-kindled fire, and was dining with relish
off some of the choicest tidbits roasted ON the
Goals.
Later OH he secured one of the hind quarters,
bundled up in the skin for convenience in carry
ing and then set off to return to the creek.
But meantime the SUI N had become clouded in;
and after going on for ONE minutes, feeling of
uneasiness as to his course began to steal upon
him. Uneasily he cast his eyes about him for
some point of Observable ON which would enable
him to overlook the surrounding country.
Out to the east there extended a range of high
bluffs or rather long r,cky ridge; and for this
he at once directed his steps. AS the distance
was scarcely more than mile, he soon reached
the ridge
Scaling the crags in front, he saw upon gain
ing the summit, that the end of his journey, in
that direction at least, was reached For stretch
ing away on either side and in front, there ex-
tended a deep, black canon and the ridge on
which he stood proved to be, on the side next
the canon, a sheer precipice, from one hundred
to one hundred and fifty feet in height.
Bewildered and fairly out of his reckoning,
my friend turned to look in the direction from
whence he had just come, when almost the first
objects that met his eyes were fifteen or twenty
horsemen riding at gallop round the base OF a
hill, making directly towards him, and not more
than half a mile away.
1t hardly needed second glance to assure the
startled miner that they were Indians and that
they were after him-attracted no doubt by his
incautious camp fire.
At first the peril Of his position nearly over
came him with terror. There seemed positively
no avenue of escape. The savages could easily
separate at the foot Of the bluff and surround
him; while the only alternative left him was,
either to fight, or to fling himself into the yawn
ing depths of the canon.
Instantly the Indians perceived that he had
discovered them, and set up hideous yelling,
and began to spread out in a line to surround his
perch on the bluff.
The canon was his only chance of escape, and
he turned with desperate earnestness in that di-
rection-spurred by the yells of the Indians
which rang in his ears as he ran along the edge
of the precipice, eagerly scanning the rocks for
some fissure by which he might climb down.
Already he was nearly enclosed by semicircle
of the savages. In his rear several of them were
working their way up the bluff lodging from
rock to rock, to get shot at him without expos
ing their own bodies; and he well knew that
others would be ready to head him off before he
could get much farther
moment later two rife shots cracked from
among the boulders off to his right, and he heard
the whiz of the balls. But there seemed to be
neither break nor crevice in the solid ledge form
ing the wall of the along the verge Of which
he was running.
second or two after, however, he came where
the brink of the cliff shelved off somewhat, and
down over the sloping rock he caught sight of
the topmost boughs of pine tree reaching
slightly above the rocky wall Of the canon. 1t
flashed across his mind that there must be a
foothold at the root of this tree path perhaps
by which he might escape.
Creeping to the extreme edge Of the bluff, he
peered over. There was little there to encourage
him. About forty feet below some large rocks
iutted out slightly from the face of the cliff. A
crack between two of these had become filled
with earth, and in this the pine had its roots.
It was desperate venture; but Bently deter
mined to swing off into the tree, and trust to
finding place of concealment. He would
suridIy be killed if he remained many moments
longer in his present position, for the yels of his
approaching enemies were drawing nearer and
nearer. 1t could be no worse to be killed at the
foot of the tree than at the top, he thought.
With his earbine buttoned within his blouse
(his pack of venison he had already thrown
away, he lay hold of the pine boughs and
scrambled down it's trunk as fast as he could
But when about two-thirds of the way down
the pine, he noticed an irregular hole in the face
of the precipice, almost within reach from the
trunk An inspiration came to him. Here was
his chance of concealment Supporting himself
by limb, he contrived to back himself into the
hole, which he found to extend for twelve or if
teen feet backwards into the rocky wall of the
canon.
Once inside, his spirits rose. The Indians
surely would never seek him here; and even if
they did, no one of them would be hardy enough
to poke his head in at the hole, only to receive
bullet.
The only apprehension which now troubled
him was the prospect of siege, and as he had
still little coffee in his canteen and three hard
tacks" left in his sack, he felt that his chances
were good for at least couple of days