Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-01-14


ror a Jew SECONDS 1 swung 10 ana rro,
while he gathered himself for the effort,
and then | heard his sinews cracking above
me. and felt myself lifted up rs though i
were a little child, till | got MY left arm
round the rock, and my chest was resting
oli il. The rest was easy: in two or three
more seconds | was IN. and we were lying
wanting side by side, trembling like leaves.
and with the cold perspiration Of terror
pouring from skins.
And then, rs before, the light wenC out
like II lamp.
For some half hour we lay thus without
speaking IA word. and then at length began
to creep along the great spur rs best we
might in the dense gloom. As we got to-
ward the face Of the clitf, however, from
which the spur sprung out like u spike
IRON a wall, the light increased. though
only a very little, for it vas night over
head. Atter that the gusts of wind de-
creased, and we got along rather better,
and at last reached the mout Of the first
cave or tunnel. But now "A fresh trouble
stared us in the face; our oil was gone. and
the lamps were, no doubt. crushed To pow
der beneath the fallen rocking-stone. We
were even without Il drop OF water TO stay
oar thirst, Tor we had drunk the last III
the chamber Of Moot. How were we To
see 10 MAKE our way through this last
OoWlder-s:rewn tunnel;
Clearly all That we could do was to trust
TO Il SENSE OF feeling, and attempt the
paSsGgr in the dark, 50 in we crept, fearing
tnat IA We delayed To do 80 our exhaustion
would overcome Us, and we should proba-
Dly lie down and uie where we We're.
GA, the horrors of that last tunnel! The
place was Strewn with ROCKS, and we fell
over them and knocked ourselves up
against them I'LL we were bleeding from II
score o. wounds. Our only guide was the
side OF the cavern, which we Kept touching
and 80 bewildered did we grow in the dark
ness that we were several times seized with
this terrifying thought That we had turned
and were travelling the wrong way. On
we went, feebly, aad still more tvpbly, for
hour ufter hour, stopping every few min
utes to rest, Tor our strength was spent.
Once we fell asleep, and, ! think. must
have slept for some hours, for. when we
WOKE, our limbs Were quite stiff, and the
blood from our blows and scratches had
calted, and was hard and dry non Il
skin. Then we dragged ourselves on
again, till at lost, when despair was enter
Ing into orr hearts, we once more beheld
the light of the day, and found ourselves
outside the tunnel in the rocky fold IN the
outer surface Of the cliH that, it will he re-
membered, led into il.
1t was early morninG-that we could tell
by the feel of the sweet air ami the look OF
the blessed sky. which We had never hoped
TO see again. 1t had, 50 near as we knew,
been an hour after sunset when we entered
the tunnel, so il followed that it had taken
us tLc entire night to crawl through that
dreadful place.
zone more effort. Leo" I casppd, "and
we shall reach the slope where Billali is.
= he hasn't gone. Come, don't give way
for he had east himself upon bis face. He
got up. and. leaning ON each other, we got
down that fifty feet or 50 Of cliif-SOme-
how. have not the least notion how. |
only remember tina we found ourselves
/ lri,y II, 4, hno,, M fin 1hIsnrNt Dnl .hnD
once more began 10 drag ourselves along
on our hands and knees toward the grove
where she had toll Billali 20 wait her ar
rival, for we could not walk another foot.
We had not gone fifty yards in this fashion
when suddenly one OF the muteS emerged
from some trees on our left, through Whlcn.
presume, he had been taking n morning
stroll. and came running up to see what
sort or strange animal we were. lie stared,
and stared, and then held up his hands in
horror, and nearly fell to the ground.
Next, he started off "a hard as he could
for the grove some tWO hundred wards
away. No wonder that he was Mortified ut
our appearance, for we mast have been Il
shocking sight. To begin. Leo with his
golden curls turned Il snowy white, his
clothes nearly rent from his body, his worn
face and his hands "A mass of bruises. cuts,
and bloo1-incruStedfilt h-was a sufficient
" alarming spectacle, as he painfully
dragged himself along the ground, d"u !
have no doubt That | was little better, l
know that two days afterward when |
looked ut my face in some water ! scarcely
knew myself. | have never been famous
for beauty, but there was something beside
uglincsS stamped upon my features that |
have never got rid of until this day, some
thing rescmbllngtha t wild look with which
a startled person wakes from deep sleep
more than anything that | can think of.
And really il j, not TO be wondered at.
/ What do NrnD- lpr M il fhlt we pSelnpI n.
all with our reason.
Presently to my intense relief | saw old
Biilali hurrying toward us. and even then
| could scarcely help smiling at the eX-
preston of CONSERVATION on his digniled
countenanCe.
"O1, my Blboon. my Baboon!" he cried;
my dear son, is it indeed thee and the
Lion, Why, his name that was as rip rs
corn is white like the snow. Whence come
ve2 and where is the Pig, ana where too
Shc-ichO-u -bc-Obcvcdl'
Dead, both dead" | answered, "but ask
no questions; help us, and give US food and
water, or we too shall die before thine
eyes. Ssest thou not that our tongues are
black for want of water? How can we
talk them"
Dead he gasped, "impossible! SIC
who never dies-dead, how can it beg" AID
then perceiving, think, that his face was
being watched 10y the mutes who had come
running up, he checked himself. and mo
toned 10 them 10 carry us to the camp,
which they did.
Fortunately when we arrived some broth
was boiling on the fire, and with this Bill
lali fed us, for we were too weak to feed
ourselves, thereby, ! firmly believe, saving
rs from death by exhaustion. Then ne
babe the mutes wash the blood and CRIME
from us WITH wet cloths, and after that VIC
were laid down upon piles Of aromatic
grass, ana instantly fell into the dead
sleep or absolute exhaustion OF mind and
boJv.
CHAPTER XXvIlI.-OvEH THE MOUNTAIN.
n ,NeN,AN%W o. roV III T. next thing
III M ~ pncpll.nt IL a taal-