The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-14

Salu LIE perpleAeu Su2ru.
Cant you get stretcher or an ambu-
lancef' some one asked.
1--WE amt got no SIGH things in Millen ez
l ever heard on" said the guard.
We had come to a halt, and meanwhile
the others had gone on twenty or thirty
yards, and the dim light from the swaying
lanterns was not sufficient to enable US
TO see each others forms. Since leaving
the station Bell and had walked holding
each others hands so as to be able to COM
municate without speaking when the time
for action came. Bell pressed my hand
and drew me away in the direction of the
line, but before he had gone five PAGES he
turned suddenly to The right. for in the dis
tant left there were few lights burning
that indicated inhabitants. A steady east
wind and the swish of the rain prevented
our being heard, if indeed the guard took
any notice Of our departure, which Is doubt
full. We crossed ditch, knee deep with
water, and were in the act of climbing the
fence that rose above it, when the old man
to the rear shouted OUT
"Oficer of the guard Officer of the
guardr'
What's up back therw came from the
front
"a prezners done give out back heah,"
was the reply.
! "Haltn came shout from the advance.
| Then followed torrent of oaths, both loud
tern made his way back through the
crowd.
Without waiting to see or hear more
/ Bell and myself started off on a line at
right angles to the approaching light The
wind and rain favored US, as well as the
/ loud talking Of the men at the rear of the
| line and the angry imprecations of the Of
fcer. In minute we came TO another
fence, over which we clambered, and look
ing back we could see that the lines were
still stationary. OF the points OF the com
pass we had only the faintest notion, but
we inferred from the position of the train,
which was headed west when we left il,
ana the direction taken since that we were
| travelling nigh bout moth, - as Bell put it.
We were in no condition to decide on a
plan. If not already missed from the line
our escape would certainly be detected
when the prisoners were counted again, as
they invariably were every time they en-
tered the prison, and then pursuit would
made. Our one object was to put as great
a distance as possible between ourselves
and Millen in the few hours left before day
light. With this understanding, we
started off again after few minutes halt
but all hope of rapid progress was checked
by finding ourselves in q dense wood with
a particularly thick and stubborn under
growth.
Soon the faint glow of the lanterns died
our hands extended that we could make
any Roadway. The woods were as dark as
the bottomless pit in the Mammoth cave,
and the opposing trees compelled so many
detours from what was intended to be q
straight line that we soon lost all idea OF
direction and were not at all sure that we
were not drifting back on our own trail.
Yet the intense impulse to be moving, the
overwhelming desire to get out of reach
and our determination TO die rather than
be recaptured gave us @ fictitious strength
and tireless energy.
AT length the woods fell away about Us
and the underground was less annoying.
We were evidently in q clearing, and the
deep baying of dog in the distance sug-
gested that we were near human habite-
ton. On this trip l learned how deceptive
the ears are and how difficult it is 10 tell OF
the direction from which sound comes II we
are not expecting it from certain quarter,
or if the eyes cannot supplement the hear
ing. I'VE uns amt got no use for no dog
we uns ain,t lost any," was Belts com
ment as the barking continued, without al
all indicating the direction from which it
came. After some minutes we decided
that the dog was off TO the left-what we
supposed was the West-So we kept
straight ahead, crossing fenceless field
and coming to another wood, which we en-
tered at once.
BY this time the rain had ceased, bit we
were thoroughly soaked and the trees still
dripped and the underground kept US in {
constant showerbuth, this did not make
much difference. The daylight for which
our eyes had been hungering, at length
came, enabling Us to avoid the trees, anC
revealing to each the lean anxious face o,
the other. Like all the Tennessee noun
taineers whom 1 had met, Bell had muct
of the stoicism, or it may be philosophy
which we attribute 10 the Indian. In the
most trying situations he never became ex
cited. though after an actual danger wa!
over he would become nervous in speaking
of it, and go back to it again and again like
child WHO has had an unusual expert
euce.