The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-05-19
THE JAWS OF DEATH.

eTn lakes. when we got to talking of towards
and of stories that men had been so badly
frightened that their hair turned white, and
Harry FLOYD expressed the opinion that nc
one, unless only terrible coward, could by
any possibility be frightened to that extent
Our guide. Ned Whitman, one of the
bravest men in danger I ever knew, laughed
as Harry gave his opinion.
''See here, Harry" he said, ''we've beer
on the plains and in the mountains together
great deal, and you ought to know me by
this time. Do you think am an awful cow
ard ?''
"You 20 cried Harry. "I should say not ,
Ned lifted his cap and displayed his hair
which was as white as the driven snow.
"Take good look at it boys" he said
THAT hair was turned white by fright
neither more nor less. Now, what have you
10 say about that, Harry ?"
"Pve only got this to sav-that the thing
that could frighten Ned Whitman in that
wav is worth telling so Just brace yourself
for the yarn, >" said Harry, as he crowded the
tobacco into his pipe bowl. and leaned back
to smoke and listen. Fire away, Ned-we
want to hear it,
"I should reckon it was fifteen years ago, "
said Ned. Quietly, ''that was in the noun
taiTs up north of here, having a hunt all bv
myself. I am great fellow for solitude.
ANYHOW. and it wasn't anything new for me
tn he off on a hunt alone. I Knocked over
three antelOpps and got sight Of old Eph
Grizzly but he was Ia company with his
mate. and I was no such fool AZ to draw a
bead on him. I know Just when to let a
grizzly hear have his own way, and that thev
won't touch man unless they are awfully
hungry. or no tries to drive them away from
a cuh with him.
ESQ Just tramned along one wav, and the
grizzlies took another, and when night came
on was near cave in the rocks, where I
meant to stay. 1t was small place that I
found one dav. and had made a sort of
camp of it whenever I passed the night ND
that way.
"There was fat rock outside. and when
lit fire and broiled some antelope steak.
and had made a square meal calculated to
smoke a pipe or two and then bunk IN.
"But before I did it I threw a firpbrand OF
two into the cave and looked around to see
that there was nothing in it, and then had
my smoke nut.
CATER that crawled in and hpaped up
stones before the hole, so that nothing could
follow me. and rolled myself up in nv bIan-
ket, and was soon in the land Of dreams.
'T told you the place was small one. but
forgot to tell YOU that in one corner there
was sort Of hole about three feet across
where a spring Of water ran down a sloping
rock and out Of sight.
az didn't know how deeD it was. and the
fact is never investigated very cIose-onIy
I knew the hole was there.
"But, as I say, got TO dreaming. and the
idea came into my head that was falling ;
and half woke, and then realized that I
was going down a greasy rock, fiat on nv
back, with cold water srlashing around me.
like a streak of lightning.
Before I got half way down I realized
that was really falling and by the time I
got to the bottom I knew what the trouble
was. Boys, had rolled around in nv sleep
and fallen into that cursed hole. feet first.
II reached bottom at last, not hurt in the
least, and managed to get on nv feet and ont
OF the water as badly demoralized an indi-
vidual as you ever saw in your life.
ut was darker than TOphet-in fact. it
seemed to me l could almost feel the dark
ness-and l was so completely turned round
that l didn't know how l had come and
what's more I didn't dare to move for fear
I would fall into another hole deeper than
this one.
''Was scared d? You may safely reckon
that was. I'd have given a thousand dol;
lars just then to know exactly where the
hole was | had come out of. But when T
found it, as might, perhaps. it didn'tfoIlow
that l could go back the same way had
came
but it wasn't easy to find by any means
In the first place, it was dark as pitch and
was afraid to 90 feeling around for the hole
ana could safely calculate that it couldn't
be far from hundred feet above me. bv the
time it had taken to come down.
so just crawled out of the water and sat
down on the cold stones, and l give you nv
word l could feel my hair bristle all over nv
head. was the worst scared community In
fourteen counties.
but it wouldn't do to fool, 50 I crawled
round and found that the water ran in a lit
tie gully it bad worn out in the rocks. and
after while found thehole where il came
pouring out. 1 stuck my head up in the hole
and tried to climb, but as soon as put nv
foot on the rock it went out from under me
as il it was creased, and 1 tumbled doom
again.
Il tried it dozen times, but soon found
that nobody could get up that way-it was
too slippery. l knew l was in a bad tran
and, finding dry place, 1 Law down and
thought l would wait until morning. and
then, maybe, with the light might do some
thing
That was the longest night I ever passed
| tried to sleep, but it couldn't be done for
if went off into a doze, I'd wake with a
start and think 1 was sliding down that shaft
again.
But at last judged it must be morning
and put my head up that shaft and couId
see little daylight, but not much. What
did see didn't refresh me a bit
1t WASH, less than a hundred feet tn the
top, and the slope was about sixty five de.
Rrees, and when l felt the bottom of the rock
with my hand it was like glass. ThenI laid
down on my back in the shaft and got nv
hands and feet braced on the upper part. and
began to work myself up.
Il got, maybe, twenty feet, and began to
think could fetch it, when my foot slipped
and went down again like shot out of a
gun, and slid out into the cave on NV back
1t was awful; but it was my only chance
and l went at it again; and this time got
up maybe sixty feet, and got brace Tor nv
toes and took rest Then 1 wriggled up