Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1891-10-28

a bowlder that completely filled the creek
bed. The trail ended right there. 1t
appeared as il the rock had recently
rolled down to where it lay.
~ thought that if | could climb over
ID l could continue on up the water
course. So | started to climb. The
bowlder was rough enough for me to
gain holds for my hands and feet, and
though IL was slow, hard work and l
often slipped back. at last managed to
surmount it and stood on top. To my
intense surprise found myself within
dozen feet of the floor Of the mesa, and
j, above me one arm of the giant cac-
tus had seen from the other mountain
Then determined, instead of continu-
ing in tho dry creek bed, to scale this
wall and so reach the mesa, where i ex-
pected to find the silver mine.
THE sandstone was soft and had
strong knife. Besides, at the edge saw
some vines hanging over that looked
strong enough 10 bear my weight if
succeeded in reaching them. So l began
to climb the wall.
AT last grasped the hanging vines.
The stems were covered with fino
points, like prickly pear, but | could
not let go without falling. reached
my other hand higher and grasped an
other vine
"In an instant its tendrils were around
my wrist, other stems fell over the edge
of the cliff. They curled around my
arms and waist like snakes. Then they
began to draw me up, and almost before
realized it was dragged over the edge
OF the chasm almost TO the foot Of the
cactus.
"The vines dragged me on, other
stems curled about my legs and drew
tighter and tighter.
"Then realized that the Indian story
was no fable. The idea OF being in the
power of this constructing thing that
covered acres Of land paralyzed me for
an instant. The hand that had just
touched the vines was being crushed in
the devilish tendons. My little finger
was broken backward by the power Of
the vine. The pain brought me to my
senses, and began to fight for my life.
One hand was free, and in it was my
knife. began to hack at the snakelike
coils Of the devilish vegetable. AS fast
as could cut away one running stem
another would coil around me. Fight
as would, the vines was stronger, and
on and on it dragged me-.
my foot struck something, and felt
it crush and crumble beneath my heel. l
looked down. 1t was a human head,
one Of those white spots l had seen
through my glass. The body, fearfully
shrunken and emaciated, lay there
among the coiling, twisting vines. Near
1t was another.
81 realized it all while l hacked and
struggled. These two had been caught
in the tolls of the awful monster like
myself and strangled.
~ was getting weak. The pressure
about my limbs was unbearable. had
cut myself badly in cutting the strsn-
Cling bonds. | looked over the mesa
with wild hope Of seeing some one or
something to help me.
"The mesa was all in motion. The
vines were twisting, curling, falling, ris
ing, trembling. 1t was moving mass,
like the ocean, and the waves were
reaching anl falling toward me.
at was not the wind blowing the
snakeweed. The fendish plant had life
and motion and every fiber Of it was
straining to reach me. knew that if
those advancing waves Of black ever
reached me was lost. would be like
those shriveled bodies by tho giant cac-
tus.
Il made final effort to escape. |
could hear the muscles crack and strain
as pulled cut the thickest stem that
enveloped me, and for the first time
since the struggle began was able to
make O step backward. But the fight
was not ovef yet. A dozen smaller ten
drills, like SO many whipcords, were tan
gled about ne, cutting into my flesh
with terrible power. had kept my
throat free, though the vegetable SER
pents seemed to strive TO coil about it.
So l cut and struggled backward. A
final slash, n jump, ard was over the
edge and on the bowlder in the dry
creek. But the demons arms followed
me. knew that they would seize me
again before | could get dowl, SO
dashed to the other side Of the water
course and clambered up there.
"How l thanked God when | found
nothing there but greasewood and cactus.
I saw the vines swing and sway over
where had escaped, and then | tainted.
when came to the mesa was quiet
again. The vines had receded, and if it
had not been for my aching, swollen
limbs would have sworn it was all a
nightmare. But there lay two dried ont
bodies. While lay there l recognized
one Of them. 1t was the half breed mer-
chant from Merida. The other was
doubtless the Indian who betrayed the
secret Of the silver mine. San Fran
cisco Examiner.
TIA Eye IL tho Mirror OF the Soul.
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