The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-05-05

air arter us hotter'n demnition blazes.
They air done cross the dead line.
Hyar the moosic, kurncl?"
81 hope they'll give you all You
deserve, you cold-blooded murderer"
said, wishing that ! could throttle
the william.
"Now, kurncl, don't git out O. sorts.
1t air mighty comf'table in hyer-
board an lodgin' free. Boys, air We
ready? Them hounds air pickin' us
up. ALight the fire, Cobe. kurnel,
hyer air knife ter cut yer loose arter
we leave We. Don't git skeered O. the
ghosts, an member yc air mighty
conf 'table-board an lodgin' free; an
yer epertaph air down on the big pop
lar. Gocdsby Kurnel."
The outlaws we're already placing
the bowlder in position, and when Cap
Hawkins had squeezed his way out
the rock was rolled into the opening.
With q crunching sound it settled into
place, and | was prisoner in Smoky
Hole.
l listened for the baying Of the
hounds, hoping that they had tracked
me to the cave, bnt not sound pene-
trated the door of my prison. The
fire burned brisklv, and Smoky Hole
glowed in the light of the pine knots.
1t was the work Of few minutes to
cut my bonds with the knife the out
law had given me, and then | took an
inventory of the contents ofthe cavern.
The place had evidently been fitted up
for the Illicit manufacture of ''moun-
tain dew" and "tanglefoot" and cred
rye," for there were the wornout
copper still, the worm, the mash tub,
jugs and TASKS and other apparatus of
the moonshiner. The cave was about
the size of q railroad box car, except
that the roof was higher and more
arched. iabbed my knife into every
square foot of the walls. They were
solid rock. In vain, mad effort to
roll the bowldcr from the entrance, |
drew the blood from my shoulder. 1t
was all of no use. Unless help came
to me from without my doom was
sealed.
A dull, heavy feeling came over nc
and l sat down near the fire. Thc
confined air was getting close. Sud
denly, Oh looking up, was appalled,
at the discovery of a new danger. The
roof of the cavern was no longer
visible. The dense, black smoke OF
the pitch pine, unable to escape, was
banked above me like an ominous
cloud, ever growing denser and black
ce and descending steadily, renorse-
lessIy, upon me like veritable
shadow of Death.
Already the asphyxiating gases
were causing my brain to whirl. ]
crawled to the fire and stamped upon
the blazing knots until every spark
was extinguished, but they continued to
send up their sitting smoke. l could
feel it ascending, hot and pitilesS.
Falling flat upon the ground l satu
rated my coat sleeve with the water
the outlaws had left me, and placing
it against my mouth secured full
breath of strained gas But it gave
me little respite. The high pressure
of the atmosphere made my veins
swell almost to bursting, my hands
and feet were benumbed, and l YVES
unable to move muscle. Then l
longed for death.
Suddenly there was lond explo-
sion, followed by falling of loose
earth and rock and rush Of air. n
fant ray Of light appeared in the cor
ner of the cavern over the still, grow
ing broader and stronger as the smoke
cleared away. With life and strength
renewed, l made my way to the
opening, where | drank in the fresh
air vi Il swelling lear; and lighter
conscience than l had ever hoped to
possess. The explosion had torn
away some rough masonry with which
the noonshiners had stopped up a
fssure in the rock. 1t never occurred
TO me in my investigation OF the cave
that there ought to be some way Of
exit for the smoke of the still. But
everything was plain enough now.
| had found the chimney. and it was my
| determination TO use it to advantage:
In moment, forgetful of pains and
bruises, l was climbing for freedom.
1t was tight squeeze now and then,
but I made rapid progress, and telt
so good over my prospects OF escape
| that wanted to shout. But prudence
restrained me.
Soon the rocky sides of the chimney
gave place to wood, and the opening
chang ed from flat to rouhd. Still L
climbed on, my spirits rising with my
Z h1-
lively easy by the imitation OF Brer
Rabbits method of climbing stump
hollow-that is, BY bracing my back
against one side Of the chimney and
nv feet and hands against the other.
But the opening grew tighter and
tighter, like an inverted funnel, ana
still the top seemed long way otf. l
must have climbed some thirty feet IN
all when I stopped to rest, propplng
nv foot against knot-hole projection,
which suddenly breaking of left hole
through which the daylight streamed.
Then, for the first time, it flashed upon
me that was in hollow tree. y
glance through the knothole proved
this to be the case, for there was the
ground ten feet below me-the, bench
of earth | had noticed when the out
laws were making ready for my IN
generation.
Escape now seemed certain. The
wall of my prison was only two inches
thick, and though the wood was dry
and hard from age and exposure to
smoke and heat, my knife was soon at
work enlarging the knothole. AS this