The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-07


WIZ attention of the bare-legged boy.
;nm so'aiiy unsuspicious of what was 90
horse peiow, was leaning against the
H. 90 Iuncning piece of black bread
ne TOOK 1t for the signal that the hssIs,
his horse s''i'eo up
;.He basket rose from the beach with a
.nd Aaoiple was not prepared for this.
- ..r lost ms balance. He was thrown
Naros. and his ankle was caught and
!amhed between the rome and the edua Of
.ne basket, as the latter shot upwards An
assioent so peculiar would not occur twice
IN mans lifetime.
- Went the basket, however, and m
Snt Adoiphe with it, dangling head
uI" hWards on one foot.
I'm where | lay I commanded the
har.s SITUATION: Above was the bony
..orse accompanied by the bare-legged how
.ussing at the rope. and doubtless wonder
Is what made II so uncommonly heavy.
IA inid-alr hung Adolphe, who, after max
nie or TWO frenZied efforts TO catch
:ioiu OF the rope with his hands, now let
na'4 nang motioniess, save for the in
b ed vibration which his struggles
hung, slowly ascending, vivid
relieved against the white.
summit background of the cliff; while on
ing? 'ippe w.
FOR the moment 1 have forgotten all
apout 1t. Now, when looked for him. I
Vas al a loss to understand his manifesto
lions. tie had thrown down his gun and
was running franticaily about, staring up
a. ,Asdoiphe all the while, tossing his arms
"Ho'y, and utterIng piercing shrieks which
came 10 me distinctly, borne on the same
WIND which had baff1ed my efforts to make
myself heard below.
What alled the fellow? Was he enraged
because his enemy was escaping him
Was it not enough that Adolphe's foot
would slip from its position and he come
neadiong to his death on the stones be-
iowf Or did he fear that he would be
dragged to safety over the brink? In that
case, why did he not shoot him as he
huhg, and thus make assurance doubly
SuTef Or. had he suddenly gone mad?
ms last hypothesis seemed the least
untimely of any, and it had ghastliness
Wnieh harmonized with the whole fearful
ana extraordinary business. But Philippe
Immediately gave evidence that, if he
were mad, he was mad with a method,
ana III direction quite unexpected by me.
Inc big wagon, with its load. had been
standing all this time two or three yards
beyond and to one side of the spot where
the basket had rested, the oxen leaning
one against the other, in the comfortable
stupor which seems to be their normal
condition.
Philippe ran to their heads, and with flu
rrlous efforts began TO pull and push them
IN such a manner that, reluctantly they
yanked and backed, causing the wagon to
shift its position until it rested, as nearly
as one could determine, directly
underneath the ascending basket
but all this took time; and
although, no doubt, Adolphe's up
ward journey seemed to him to be pro-
= =
Ily not more than twenty or thirty Sec
onds elapsed between the instant when
he was caught, and that of his arrival at
the top of the abyss.
On reaching this point the basket came
in contact with the chalk rock. and was
tipped partly to one side. This loosened
the rope by which Adolphe's foot was
caught; 1t slipped out, and down he fell.
The horror of that spectacle, after the
long suspense of the ascent, is never TO be
forgotten. Downward he shot. cleaving
the air. tried to cover my eyes, but |
could not. At first he fell head down
ward. Then his body turned so as to as
sumo horizontal position. He struck,
and bounded again upward. l heard
shrek. | saw no more. but was on my
feet, the spell broken. and was racing
along the path at my utmost speed, bound
for the ravine further along the coast. As
l passed the bare-legged boy, called to
him, and, as 1 afterward knew, he followed
me.
After an interval, knew not how long,
got TO the spot where the catastrophe &C.
Cured. Then | saw strange sight.
Adolphe, unframed, was sitting on the
beach with Phiippes head on his knee.
The latter was deadly pale and grooming
family. His right arm and three ribs
were broken.
There had been a curious reaction of
sentiment on Philippe's part when he
saw Adolphe's deadly pain. The in
stinctive desire to save had rushed over
him, expunging from his heart the MUIR
derous purpose of a moment previ-
Gus. He had hit upon the only expe-
dent that offered chance of success. By
moving the wagon he had brought an elias
tic cushion. nearly four feet in thickness,
directly underneath Adolphe. who, falling
fat on his back, rebounded into the air,
and falling again, had struck Philippe,
dashing him to the ground and falling on
him. Except that all the breath was
knocked out of the body, Adolphe had
sustained no hurt, but Philippe was Sc
verely injured.
He recovered. however. before the season
was over Adolphe married Siivie in the
autumn. He never knew that Philippe
had meant to kill him.