The Sunday morning news., 1891-11-01

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every step. The walls of Tie watts
course were getting lower, and st tisa
point was not more than forty feet be
low the surface. As / tarned sharl
bend, however, came right Up agains
bowlder that completely filed the cfeel
bed. The trail ended right there II
appeared as If the rock he'd recenflJ
rolled down to where 1t lay
Il thought that if could climb oYeI
II could continue on up the wa<e5
course. So I started to climb Th1
bowlder was rough enough for me b
gain holds for my hands and feet. and
though it was SLOW, hard work ana
often slipped back. at last managed to
surmount it and stood on top. 10 ny
intense surprise found myself within
dozen feet Of the floor Of the MEGA, aaa
just above me one arm Of the giant csc-
tus had seen from the other 1nountzin.
Then | determined, instead of confiuyz-
ing in the dry creek bed, to scale th1z
wall and 80 reach the mesa, where ex
pected to find the silver mine
The sandstone was soft and Ihaa
strong knife. Besides, ct the edge sau
DHA-As ---s1 -A@s*E LIS ~ - eA-<t+
strong enough TO bear my weight + T
succeeded in reaching them. So began
to Climb the wall
AT last rasped the hanging vines
The stems were covered with fins
points, like prickly pear. but could
not let go without falling. reached
my other hand higher and graaped an
other vine e
Ia an instant its tendriIs were &rofin6
my wrist, other stems fell over tie edge
of the cliff They curled aroaz6 nv
arms and waist like snakes Then fIlex
began to draw me up. and alnaost before
| realized II / was dragged over the edge
OF the chasm almost to the foot pf The
cactus.
s'The vines dragged me on. other
stems curled about my legs asld drew
tighter and tighter
Then realized that the Indian story
was no fable. The idea 1T being u liz
power Of this constructing tiiine <bzt
covered acres OF Land paralyzed rri8 frx
an instant The hand that had 5ost
touched the vines was being crushed ia
the devilish tendons. Ny little finger
was broken backward by the power of
the vine. The pain brought n1e to my
senses, and began to fight for my life.
One hand was free, and in II WAS my
knife. began 10 hack at the sna1xellke
coils of the devllish vegetable As fast
as could cut away one Running stem
another would coil around me- Fight
as ] would. the vines was stronger, xxd
on and on it dragged me-
My foot struck something, 8ud fsIk
II tcrush and crumble beneath my heel
looked down E was human haaa.
one of those white spots had seen
through my glass The body, fearfnl1v
shrunken and emaciated, lay there
among the coiIing, twisting vines. Near
It was another.
II realized it all while I hacked znd
struggled. These two had been caught
in the tolls Of the awful monster Ike
myself and strang1ed.
II was getting weak. The pressure
about my limbs was unbszrsble. I had
cut myself badly in cutting tbs strau
Cling bonds. looked over th8 mesa
with wild hope Of seeing soxne ono a
something to help me.
The mesa was all IN motfou- xne
vines were twisting, curling. failing. IL
ing, trembling It was moving lz.ass.
Ike the ocean. and tho wares Wexc
reaching and falling toward me.
It was not the wind blowing the
snaksweed. The fsndish plant had lie
and motion and every 5bar o. II -
straining to reach me. I knew that =
those advancing waves Of black evex
reached me was lost would Be dke
those shriveled bodies By tho giant c.
tus.
II made q final effort 70 escape
could hear the muscles crack and strain
as / pulled cut the thiclxast stsz1 that
enveloped me, and for the fxyt tfxns
since the struggle bsgzr was able 81
was not over yet a dozen smaller tep-
drills, like 50 many whipcords, Rsre fazz-
g1ed about me, cutting into my 6esh
with terrible power. ! had kept ny
throat free, though the vegetable eer-
peuts seemed 10 sstfvs to coil about =
50 cut and struggled backwaxd s
final slash, jump, and was oscx the
edge and On ths bowldar in tho dry
creek. Bat the demons arms followed
ma. / knew that they would seiae NE
again before could get doBu. %
dashed to the either side Of the ~p<ex
course and clambered up there
How thanked God when fonnd
nothing there but greasewood and cactna
saw the vines swing and sway ovex
where had escaped, and then fa{nted
.sWhen came 10 the mesa was quiet
again. The vines had rscededs and Is a
had not been for my aching, swollen
limbs would have SWORN il was al i
nightmare. But there lay two dried out
bodies While lay There I recogaixez
one Of them. twas the half breed naer-
chant from Merida. Ths other wzs
doubtless the Indian who betrayed To
secret Of the silver mine. -
Bric-a- -Brac.
The person who is inclined te boasf 81
his valuable possessions Is likely 10 hexs
the lauxh turned upon him. on QcE E4t&Qu<