The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-03-21
could hear the dull pounding of
unshod boots close behind.

CHANGING back as he reached the
covert, he saw q score Of ugly
wretches almost upon him. 1t was
like q flash of fiends in some horrid
vision, for the next moment he found
himself dashed violently to the
earth over the head of his struggling
tumbling horse. The animal had
caught his foot in q little bow-like
hollow. bordered with grass and filled
with effervescing spring of water that
flowed away in little rill.
The shock was tremendous, but it
did not stun him. The horror of that
last glimpse brought him almost
invoIuntarily to his feet, rifle in
hand. One confused glance showed
him the gray woods at his back, the
dimly lighted stretch of prairie, the
gorgeous light dying out in the cloudy
west, the exulting demons near by.
and the calm. mystic twilight that
settled like brooding spirit over all.
The wierd horrors of the Inferno
seemed grated upon the spiritual
beauty of the evening landscapes
such was the scene.
The thought glanced through his
mind that it might be the last he
would ever view. Then he leveled
and fired somewhat at random, and
in another instant he was thrown
down, stretched at full length beside
the spring unhurt, but spell-bound aud
trembling.
Equally afirightened, his exhausted
horse Law beside him.
A shrill clamor of neighing brutes
and savage jargon rose on every side.
Horses and riders reeled. reared aud
tumbled, dashed at widest speed out
upon the prairie. or stood powerless
like statuary, not three spears length
from their victim.
High over Macdonald leaped, and
flickered. and fared, a column of
yellow flame. Jet upon jet shot up
one above another from the main
pillar. and the whole mass waved
gracefully with every breath of air
lust as YOU have seen the weird splen-
doris of the North when the aurora is
out in Winter. But strangest Of all
land this is TRUTH, the base of that
wondrous blaze rested directly upon
the little bow-like we'll which / have
mentioned. 1t seemed to issue
indeed it issued-from the heart of
the bubbling waters The spring itself
appeared to have taken fire.
Before long the last of the afrighted
savages drew of to 4 safe distance,
and Macdonald was left to his
reflections. 1t was some time before
he could bring himself to realize his
extraordinary situation, and become
satisfied that he was not in . trance
produced by his fall. Yet the flame
beside him, strange as it was, was
undoubtedly real. and altogether too
real were the dusky figures in the
background.
What could have caused the
phenomena
He speculated, and guessed again
and again, but all to no purpose.
The mystery, though SO near, seemed
utterly eyond his ken. Suddenly a
light flashed upon his mind, just as
this had startled his eve. He had
formerly lived in cities, and was well
with the gas used in
lighting them. That very fame was
beside him now and the very odOr
offended his nosirils.
The well was powerfully charged
with hydrogen gas, which escaped in
an enormous volume. 1t had taken
fire from the fash of the gun. The
secret was solved. But the display
still remained supernatural to the
Indians, and he meant that it should
continue so. Moving to a slight
distance for relief from the heat and
noxious fumes, he waited calmly.
holding his horse by the bride, and
secure against molestation.
He knew the superstition which is
ALWAYS inherent i'm the savage mind
would lead them to regard the spectacle
as the work of magic, and to ascribe
to him superhuman powers. They
were not likely to pass that flaming
we'll. The sword of the angel that
waved over Eden's gate had not
greater terrors to our first parents.
Little by little. as the darkness
he moved of into the
shadow of the wood and soon his
horse, somewhat rested, was once more
bearing him over the prairie beyond
the timber belt. At the distance OF a
mile he halted upon swell and looked
back. There yet above the tree-tops
leaped the yellow flashes.
OF course. when he repeated the