The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-06-07

asked, b To Ny of beginning oonver-
sotion.
"YO," was Tie simple Hejoinder.
"Have you heard Of any Of the troub-
les there between the squatters and
those who have recently purchased land
In that vicinity ?"
The man glanced up It me with .
more wicked expression than before.
That glance told me % plainly as words
could speak that should keep on my
guard.
'There will be trouble IL the govern
ment attempts to drive fr I'M their la1lds
those who have settled thereon" was
the reply, In more words than I had
heard him speak since had Get eyes on
him.
A little past noon We came upon lit
stream and gave the signal to halt to
my companion, who was still in adj
vance.
Dism0unting, we tethered our horses
80 that they might crop the rank grass
which grew In abundance, and then we
went to the bank If the stream, and
080tGVl OUJ0ClVG0 W U0tV8AS VI tl1e XuUCu
my knapsack contained.
"HOw far are we from WtnchtOwn? ?"
asked, when for full ten minutes we
had been trying to satisfy the inner
man.
"Ten miles,"
us the road better from here:''
"Worse."
chow long will it take Us to reach
there""
"Three hours"
Almost provoked at the answers had
received, l made up my mind that l
would question my lank companion no
more; and soon after l rose and walked
toward the cabin to get a look at the in
side. My companion still retained his
seat, with = quantity Of food before him,
not raising his eyes as left him, but
backward glance 40 l went round the
corner Of the cabin, showed them bent
full upon me with the same expression
had disliked 80 much before.
The door of the cabin was slightly
ajar, and pushing It open entered, and
strange scene Of desOlatiOn met my
gaze. The apartment had not been in
habited for perhaps year, but the 0ccu-
pants had left everything behind them.
The bed still stood in one corner, the
tables in another, and three or four rude
chairs were scattered about, while OPP
p0site from the entrance q small mirror
hung upon the wal. Everything, were
1t not for light green mold that had
overspread the surface, locked ~ though
the for 0er occu pants had merely gone
out, and might return 1T any moment.
Without, the sun was pouring down Its
rays with heat that was quite uncOnl-
Portable, and finding it cool and COM
Portable within the cabin I threw my.
self into one Of the chains, with my
hack to the door and facing the glass
that hung on the wall. Almost before
I was aware of It, L had fallen into q
sort of d0xe, and was half unconscious
Of my surroundings.
How long remained in this condition
do not know. 1t might have been ten
or fifteen minutes or more. Iaw0ke
with . start, and q sort Of underlined
feeling Of terror, % II some great dam
ger was menacing me. The 6rst thing
my eyes met was the glaes upon the wall,
arranged 1t such an angle that It showed
my whole peFD0n and the chair on
which I was sitting. My fiIst glance
revealed this, and the next IN object
that caused my heart to give Wild
throb Of alarm and almost perslyzed me
with terror.
Beneath the chair in which I was sit
ting lay coiled . monster rationale, its
head elevated about . foot, and waving
to and flo with the motion with which
they are said to charm their victims.
So horrorstricken was I ct the sight
that had It been to save my lie ! could
not have stirred from my seat; and to
have done 30 or to have moved . limb,
would have been . signal for the rep
tile to fayten bis fango into my Lex, now
not one foot from his sWaying head.
Should I move II ever % slightly /
knew that It would be only to receive
the deadly blow; and 10 fascinated was
l that I was incapable Of making the at
tempt. All had the power to do was
to gaze into the glass and watch each
motion Of my terrible enemy, and to
hope each moment that my guide,
wondering 1t my long absence, would
come to MY relief. Now, the CLEAN Of
his eyes that disliked 80 much, / would
have hailed with JOY, for It was far pre-
ferable to the glitter Of thoee eyes shin
ing out from the crested head beneath
my chair. TO cry out, tn call him to
nv assistance, l dare not do. There
was no alternative but to sit there mo-
tionless until my guide should come In
search Of me.
Never before did the moments seem
to drag 30 slowly; and never once In oil
these moments did take my eyes from
the glass where I saw reflected the
nevef-ceasing motion Of the reptile
beneath my feet
Suddenly the door opened . little way,
and saw reflected in the glass the face
of my guide. And l II thought 1t evil
looking once, it was now doubly 80, for
It accorded well with mur(1erOus-look-
ing knife he held in bis hand. One
glance assured me that I had another
enemy to contend with, % malignant
and ~ deadly ~ the one beneath my
feet. Noiselessly the villain stepped in:
to the room, and on tip-toe approached
where / was sitting. -
A moment more and the blow might
descend, still stirred not. Two deaths
stared ME IN the face, and I knew not
which to choose.
Suddenly the attention of the snake
az n tho annrnach Of the wretch