Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-03-10
THE ESCAPE.

The last pallSade-ONerl ana nmDS long
stiffened felt lissom once more with the life
of 25 Now for a slow and cautious creep
along the gully by which water came into
the township; later on he would bethink
him of that narrow escape at the third
doorway Whist mans head in the road
and he bent down once more behind the
earth ridge and pushed his way up stream
with difficulty, showing as little of himself
as possible. 1t was an officer coming into
the town late, probably been at some In
dian hut in one of their villages near by,
too near the fort to dare vengeance on Span
ish gallantries John Tisden had often
heard the Spaniards talk of the Indian
girls while he worked in the forts plaza
Very silently; the moonlight was trouble
some to one just escaping; but, praise the
Lord who watches over bold men, the guard
had not yet discovered their loss, and the
water was bearahly cold. Never return
thanks too soonl The officer felt romantic
wish to look back ON the spot where lately
he had satisfied his hearts latest desire
He refined his horse on rising slope, and
turning in his saddle glanced back over
the shadow dappled land so that his eye
running up the shiny ribbon of stream, sud
denly saw the black dot laboring away
against its current
Instincts Of destruction ran along the
nerves of his hand. He drew pistol and
fired, sending a splash of water over Johns
head, while the echoes smote the fortress
walls and lost themselves in the woodland
behind. A loud clamor rose out Of San
Jago. John rose out Of thestream and ran
TO the copses. The Spaniard spurred after
him with drawn sword, eager for the pleas
ure of slicing him when caught up. In
few minutes he was alongside, but this
being Swallowed spot he staid his hand
overhead till the stroke should be sure.
In that moment John doubled like a hare
and rushed desperately at the soldier, who
refined up all at once and brought down his
blade-vainly, for the cunning English
man ducked under the horses body, then
popped out, seized his foes leg and foot.
and with sudden fierce heaye shot the
soldier sideways out of his saddle and onto
his head. There he lay broken necked,
while the victor grasped the bride, bent to
earth and snatched the sword, mounted the
animal and stuck the weapons point into
its haunch. of shot the horse with snort
of pain, while the clatter of pursuers arose
behind, finally sinking away as the pine
trees flew by. Then, as the moon entered a
thick cloud bank, they came to an open
prairie, and onward into the darkness they
went without more than the slightest of
stumbles. Several miles. The horse began
to breathe hard and sob, then settled into
slow trot.
More miles. The trot became walk, and
the walk more difficult. More miles yet,
very long ones and the earth went up and
down as the darkness became gray. There
were low hills and shallow ravines, then
came rocks and lodges and cliffs The gray
speedily thinned; the horse stopped at
cliff wall.
To the right, to the left, John looked for
an opening. There was none He raised his
hands, licked finger OF the cleaner,
thought he felt a faint freshness on the left
side of it and so turned in that direction.
After some hundred yards he came to
crack in the wall He pushed into it. There
was hardly room at first, but it widened
into chasm and wound along in darkness
with band of light at the top. Then
came a sudden descent, and the wearied
creature he rode stumbled and threw him
into pool Of water
The shock of the plunge brought him to-
gether again. He struggled beneath the
water, came up at last, half choked, and
pulled himself upon rocky ledge with the
sword still hanging from his wrist Look
ing for the horse, he saw nothing but vjo-
lent commotionon the water surface, which
presently ceased A few air bubbles came
to the top and broke-that was all His
rescuer had ended his life in the depths
from which he had escaped.
Then he sat for a space and thought. He
could not stay there They would track him
to the rock wall aud cleft. Was there an
other way to the other side' The cold,
shut in lake was quite still now, the cleft
by which he had come in was dimiy visible
across the dark level He stood up and
looked behind him. The cleft continued
there like narrow road upward. Then he
knew that he had come to the hidden source
of the stream that passed mysteriously un-
derground and came to daylight In the
country where the Spaniards had placed
Fort San Jago.
He went along the chasm and after an
hour or two stood on the platform-bare
rock and nothing else. He went on higher
still, with hunger asserting itself, miles
and more miles yet. The sun came out and
sent yellow rays across the pinnacles, cast
ing purple shadows as queerly shaped as
they. He climbed the highest of these
rock teeth and saw a vast upward plain
with an orange tinted rim; here and there
gray twists, where a slight valley came,
and a few lonely stones-really great bowl
ders Of primeval sea. He looked behind
and only faint green tinge on that hori-
zon indicated the grass country Of San
Jago, but he felt that even now they might
be at the cleft in the rock wall, those Span
iards who treated captives so hardly, so
there was no course but forward.
Forward, then, he went, and the sand be-
came thick and soft under foot, so that he
had to use the long, Spanish blade to help
him in walking. At last even that became
an incumbrance, and be would have cast it
away only the knot had become twisted
and would take little time TO undo so he
kept 1t out OF Incidence and ebbing wits.
Here and there came harder surface, which
was restful to the feet, and then he would
sink for space aud try to hope he might
get across this place Then he went on and
on, with the glare Ia bis eyes from below
and hot, gray sky overhead.