The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1892-11-19
on his male and troubled face. YOU MAY

and came upOn the wall, out, 10, no eAlI
was visible! Now it was concealed by
a small pool with swift maelstrom that
swallowed, with evident gusto, those bits
of wood and leaf which came near its
hungry gullet. Weak and overcome
with excitement, we sat down on a little
knoll, and with the protruding eyes of
doomed men watched the steady up
crawling Of the stream, SO different from
the song whispering brook OF an hour ago.
The awful silence was oppressive, while
the heavy darkness gathered on every
side as If to cTtinguish our feeble lights.
Both Of our heads were hatless, and a
small stream of crimson trickled from
Dud's f~oronead--a wound hat he had
received from a jutting rock or some
obstacle overhead.
The situation was terrifying.
was almost certain that death wa
inevitable, but singularly enough my
whole attention was centered on my
miserable companion. | gaZed steadily
at him, wondering what his thoughts
must be, and if all his past life was hur-
rying before him in review, as l had
often heard it said mems lives would do
when death seemed inevitable. Silently
and steadily, like some great yellow SER
pent, the brook crawled into the mar
row chamber and cooled fold On fold,
We had already moved back to higher
ground once, and nov it was inching up
about our feet again. Our heads were
against the highest part of the rock
roof, so it would be better to keep our
places than TO move back to d more
trying position which would be no safer.
To my dying day | shall never forget
the feelings tina crept over me at the
water stole up along my body cold and
Shiny. 1t seemed that | was being grad
ually swallowed by some foul mon
ster. The submerged portions of my
body seemed severed from the trunk.
while sure death enveloped ME. A sem
sation of insufferable closeness almost
choked me, while the very helplessness
of the situation added a thousand terrors.
Dudley sat as one in Il profound stu
Dor, one hand grasping the two inches
of tallow yet left, his other scraping pit
eously along the rough wall, as though
seeking an exit for its petrified owner.
For my part ! became strangely quiet
after q time, while d sense of inditfer-
ence possessed me. A sort of resigna-
ton to the inevitable, | suppose, for the
floods continued to press upward. Our
shoulders were now just above the
waters, while my hand grew so weary
of holding the candle that it seemed as
if about to sink below the surface de-
spite my every effort.
Neither Of US had spoken for some
time, when Dudley suddenly turned to
me. Il can't stand it any longer" lie
said simply. TELL them goodby at home
for me if you ever get out and he rose
as If to launch himself forward. saw
his object at once and reached out to
grasp him. Hold on, Dud.' | said; 81
| don't believe it is going TO get any high
or" at doesn't make any difference
he repeated. 1--WE both can't live long
in thi. small space anyhow" and he
sank from view. / felt him touch me
as he rolled over, and ] clutched at hi
/ M51H lO lllG blhl " Bbo ttIIuCCs ~ IL
escaped my grasp and q succession OF
bubbles told me that further effort wa:
useless-he was drowned. His candle
had Of course gone with him, and
questioned whether it would not be best
for me to extinguish my own. since il
was fast e~xi1austing the oxygen thai
was an absolute necessity to my life
But [ could not decide to snuff out that
feeble light. 1t was almost like life itself
| cannot describe to you my feeling;
az | sat a hundred feet underground
with only a breathing space OF five Oh
six feet about my head, the water at any
chin and the cold form OF my dea(
companion at my feet. 1t seemed as i
this mental torture lasted for hours
when, 10, d great joy seized me-the foo(
had ceased to rise. But its abatemen'
must be far swifter or | would perish mis-
erably from mere exhaustion. In hal
an hour the water sank 90 low that
managed 10 got under the rock, an(
with loudly beating heart saw one
more the bright, sweet light Of day. l
WAS about 4 o'clock ia the afternoon
and | found that a tremendous rain hat
fallen, which accounted for the torren
in the cave,
! hurried OF 70 the village as fast a
my stiff limbs could carry me and toll
my story. i score Of men went bacl
with me and recovered the body Of m,
comrade.
In that fearful race for life he ha,
saved mine at the cost of his own.-A
B. D. in Short Stories.