St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-04
LIKE Rider AAGGARD.
a Weird Tale Which Comes
From the Far North
west.
IN Indian Guides Fatal Jour-
ney Through the Earth's
Bowels.
Sucked Into Mountain Mael-
Strom and Found ESQ
Miles Away.

.S=zs $<[ 'NpfFEE Va Montana, tells a
SSS>AM ~ M wonderful story,
\SN = WM which is probd-
&zrSE ./CA WA bly, true. He
esTF--|< ER 9Wsays:
.zSgI ~ FG1 Two prospect
H<[<N llk nj orS. named re-
nv : 81: $;;; +: e;
Klikat, and myself. left Bonner's Ferry
on the 7th day of August, and struck
out in 4 northwesterly direction, headed
for the peaks and canyons in the ex-
IRENE northern range of the main divide
OF the Rockies. The purpose of my two
white companions was to prospect for
valuable minerals i'll section of coun-
try which few, if any. white men have
ever entered before. Ny own object
was to seek diversion and adventure,
and. being newspaper man, to gather
facts hitherto unknown, and make them
public at my leisure.
On the 2Sth day of August-according
to the observations taken by me-we
were within twenty-five or thirty miles
Of the Canadian line, and at an altitude
Of 1900 feet
1t was noon of the day mentioned
above. On our left was a craggy preci
pice about eighty feet high overhanging
roaring mountain stream and extend
ing fully two miles to the south. But
we heard more than the SWaSh of the
running stream. There came to our
ears deep, roaring sound, alternating
In force, stronger and weaker at inter
walls of few seconds. 1t came in jar
ring sounds, with volume like thun-
der. For some minutes we listened in
silence. Then suddenly Klikat spoke:
Me know what him is" he said, with
a pleased air of comprehension. Him
is Big Hole-in-the- Water. Him heap
water run 10 hell and put out DEVILS
camp fire.
big hole in the water" | echoed.
''What do you mean by that, Klikat?"
You come look" he said. advancing
to the edge of the precipice and throw
ing himself fiat on the rock with his
head and shoulders hanging over.
Ugh" he exclaimed. "Bg-Hole-in-
the-Water heap mad today. Him funny.
Water 20 in ground; never come out"
Following Klikat's example, l eau
tiously approached the edge Of the pro-
jecting rock, threw myself on the
ground, face downward, and peered
down from the dizzy height. Barnes
anu ASScI ulu lh6WiS6s
1t was a curious and awe inspiring
sight that we beheld. Straight down
below us there was a deep pool, or lake,
about quarter of an acre in area and
lnclOsed OH three sides by high walls of
eternal rock, thus forming a perpetual
and lnSnrmountable barrier to the pas
sage Of the water beyond this spot.
The noisy mountain stream poured
great volumes of sparkling water into
this natural basin and then lost itself.
The water in the pool swung rapidly
around rs on pivot, and constantly
drifted in a steadily accelerated tidal
current toward the center. And here
was the most startling feature of this
wonderful stream.
In the very center of the deep water
was a large circular cavity, or depreS-
sion, funnel shaped-a great suck
hole" in fact-fully eight feet across at
the surface, the water spinning round
with lightning speed. A tremend-
Gus force of gravity was at
work in that awful pit of dark
ness. In the center of this funnel was
a great mass of SnOw-white foam, dane
ing and Whirling and scattering fakes
of itself around the dark blue rim of the
vortex. At intervals of fifteen or
twenty seconds there would be greater
downward rush of water, the pillar of
foam would disappear with the in
creased speed of the current; then the
roar would increase in volume, another
pillar of foam would form, only to dis
appear few moments later as the prev
iOuS one had done. 1t was gran |,
terrible sight.
! glanced at my two friends, who. like
nj md h,rt
freak of nature.
"If l could find a ledge of quartz with
color in 1t anywhere near by" observed
Mir. Barnes, Il would erect stamp mill
right here and drop horiZonal wheel
into that boiling suck-hole. Great Scott!
but wouldn't it spin, thought"
l rather thought it would, but at that
moment my attention was suddenly and
shockingly attracted to Klikat, who
had been lying about eight feet away
on my left. There was low, crumb-
ling sound, and then mass of shelving
rock right under Klikat broke loose
with a fearful crash into the edge of
the WhirliDg pool. started to my feet
just as saw the Indian making frantic
efforts to cling to the edge of the cliff.
But his hold was too slight and the rock
crumbled under his grasp. Without
Klikat fell headlong into the mad
water beneath.
After few seconds he came to the
surface. Barnes rushed to one of the
pack mules for rope. but it was too
late. Three, four, five times did Klikat
swing around in spiral course that
gradually drew nearer to the center Of
the great funnel. at the same time max
ing frantic efforts 10 swim out Of 1t. But
it was labor lost. With a movement
that looked like a sudden twist he shot
into the very center of the vortex. For
one brief moment he spun around like
a top, and then-doWn he went like a
pillar of foam, out of sight into the
bowels of the earth and the darkness of
death.
We at last reached the south shore of
Lake KOotenai. Just before shutdown
we anchored on the west shore and
pulled the canoe out of the water. We
at once began preparations for a camp
fire, and it was while in the act of gath
ering dry drlftwoOd along the shore
that Leger discovered a very easily OBJ
ject lying in the water within six feet of
and.
1t was the corpse of a man-an In
dian.
Leger at once called us to him, and
together we dragged the body ashore
The face of the dead was badly bruised
and torn and utterly disfgured. The
body was very much bloated, too, and
all we could see for certainty was that
the corpse was the remains OF an In
dian.
Hold on!" suddenly exclaimed
Barnes, as he bent over the dead body
and cut something from the neck-a
piece of ragged cloth. by u" he
cried. as he raised himself erect and
held up the article mentioned. This is
the remnant of my silk handkerchief,
which l gave poor Klikat to cover the
cash he cut on his neck by that dead
limb one day-do you remember? And
see! Right here in this corner is my
monogram-'P. B.'-worked in sik.'
1t was SO. We all recognized the silk
en- rag, and we all knew that the corpse
before us was the dead body Of Klikat,
win had fallen into the funnel of that