The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1886-01-23

ness had made the poor brutes nervous.
When | was under shelter again / Sc
cured candle from the pack and light
ed it. While the gale screamed over
head like a mad beast there was scarce
ly enough movement down there to flare
the light. Plotting the animals, both of
which seemed very grateful for the light,
l went up the valley about hundred
feet further than before. Here | dis
covered much to my amazemont,a a great
pile of firewood and place where cook
ing had been done. Without stopping
to wonder who had been there, or how
long ago, built fire on the backened
stones, feeling sure that its blaze could
not be seen outside in such storm as
that. There was thick growth of
grass underfoot, and | unsaddled the
animals and let them turn to. Then
set about cooking bite TO eat, and at I
O'Clock by my watch l was ready to
wrap my blanket around me and turn
in. l gave the Danites no further thought
for the night. They would be compelled
to seek shelter somewhere from the
dreadful storm, and in the morning
might seek to pick up the trail anew. l
should let circumstances guide me.
noticed several times while smoking
my after supper pipe that the animals
seemed i'll at ease. They frequently
raised their heads from the grass to
look, and always in one direction--up
the valley. What was beyond? My fire
only threw its glare a few feet away.
For all knew, this rift in the mighty
hill might extend for half mile furth-
er. Had some animal been driven to
this shelter in advance of me? picked
up blazing brand, and rising to my
feet, hurled it into the darkness.
The result was astonishing. There
was n chorus of fierce growls, and three
great mountain lions came leaping out
of the pitch dark and skurried down
the valley, one of them making flying
leap clear over the mule. SO that was
what allied the brutes. The poor ami
mails ceased eating entirely, and crowd
ed as close to me and the fire as they
could get.
now got my revolvers out, not know
ing what else might confront me. 1t
wasn't five minutes before a snort of
alarm from the horse proved that some
danger was at hand. had just replen-
ished the fire when the three lions re-
| turned. Their tails dragged on the
ground, and could see that they were
broken up over something They start
ed to bolt past the fire up the valley, but
| killed the first one stone dead with a
bullet through the head, and the other
| two ran off with dismal howls. l wait
ed and watched for their return a whole
hour, and then, seeing the horses begin
to feed again, / reasoned that the lions
had left the valley for some other shell
ter. put the fire well together, and
dropped off to sleep, and | was not
awakened until an hour after daylight
the next morning. The horses were
lying down near by, and the fire was all
right.
While it was daylight outside of the
valley it was deep twilight down there,
and my ears told me that the storm still
ragged. After hasty breakfast | went
down the valley, but only few hundred
feet. One glance showed me that was
a captive. The snow was piled up in
the ravine higher than my head. was
not within two hundred feet of the
mouth of the raYine, and yet the snow
had drifted in until man on horseback
could not have looked over it. Not
only this, but the storm still howled and
raved.
Well, ] was prisoner, and must
make the best of it. ! returned to the
fire and dragged the body of the dead
lion away, and determined to explore
the upper end of the rayine. Beyond
the fire the width of the ravine was not
more than twenty feet. ] lighted a
couple of candles and started off, both
animals winnying after me as IL afraid
to be left behind, but neither making
any attempt to follow. In walk of
one hundred feet reached the end OF
my journey The ravine suddenly
opened out in an almost circular
chamber, perhaps one hundred feet
across. Overhead was intense darkness
beneath my feet was sands, gravel, and
isolated buncles of grass. The first
thing noticed was that miners had
been at work on the sides of the cham,
ber, and as followed the wall around
| was amazed at the richness of the
indications. IL was veritahle chamber
of silver
When half way round, or opposite
the entrance, my feet struck something
which sent forth an ominous clatter, and
, l looked down to discover a bundle OF
rotten cloth and human bones. A few
, feet away was another,and then another.
and in the middle of the chamber bones
} were scattered all about in wild dis
order. The storm had not driven the
, lions into this ravine. They had entered
, it to gnaw the bones of the dead.
was amazed, but not alarmed. at
the discovery. l noticed the entire
absence of skulls among the bones, and
was wondering why this was so, when
my eyes happened to glance up at the
wall, and the puzzle was solved. On a
rocky shelf were six grinning heads.
The flesh had not yet entirely decayed,
nor had all the hair fallen off. 1t was
sickening, horrible sight, and one
from which soon turned 10 see ii !
could CLEAN any clue to the indentity OF
the victims. | hunted the chamber