Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-11-10
Salem, we are even. The same rore
that hangs me will hang you,"
CHAPTER xviii.


bead like eyes, added to the rum he had
imbibed, p owed too much for Joe's brain.
He scarcely knew where he was. He stag
gerel on in a stupid. aimless way, en-
countering here a1d there a passer-by on
the road, and sometimes he accosted
trees and Btumps. Then he fell prone
upon tte ground.
1t was dark when be woke up lie
scrambled Q or the ground with his han Is
and feet, and thea stood upright and EN-
deavored to recall the events OF tie p 3!
night. -
Now he remembered his meeting with
Giles Ellis. He remembered how Giles
had spurred him into a r cital of the
scene he had witnessed, and reminded
him the crime was to be laid on Mart n
Lee. He tried to recall the number of
times he h I'd been given rum, then slowly
he recalled all the circumstances attend
ing his last visit to Globe Inn.
Where WIS he now? AS he looked, some-
thing approached him-a monster with
q great, glowing eye. 1t seemed TO Indian
Joe's eyes to be as large as cow-larger.
Ju- ee-mo rubbed his eyes, and looked
again. Yes, the animal was there, NOV
ing about slowly, with curious, swsying
steps. The one eye-it had but one-was
fixed full on Indian Joe. He could not
avoid it. Now That he observed the mon
ster closely it had half dozen of legs.
1t would be useless to attempt TO escape
it, even if 1t we're not looking at him with
its one great eye. Ju-ee-mo crouched
upon the ground in terror.
Still the moved, the creatures legs
novel, but it came no nearer. Indian
jos listened; he placed his hand to his
ear, and craned his neck forward in the
darkness. There was q curious sound.
Was it the monsters teeth? The thought
made the Indians heart throb. A deadly
fear overcame him. Such q sound as that
mortal had never heard until now. All
the witch stories Indian Joe had listened
to in the past month we're recalled. All
the hobgoblins and devils invented by the
gossips of Salem passed before his dis
ordered brain in resiew. This monster
WIS the devil he had heard Ct. Indian
Joe made noise that was neither cry
nor o grunt, but blending of both.
Suddenly the glowing eye disappeared.
The monster was nowhere to be seen.
Indian Joe rose slowly, cautiously, stood
upri BIT, and looked about him. The cool
night wind famed his cheek. An insect
whirring past struck him full in the face,
but the Indian had 70 eye, no ear for any,
thing but the monster that reappeared;
th It d fixed Its eye on him again.
Now he could see the monsters legs
plainly. He counted them. Eight legs.
They moved in the strangest way. Some
times they were punched together. Some
times they seemed to be but single leg.
Then they separated in twos and fours;
then they seemed TO walk off in pairs.
The perSpiration rolled down Ju- ee-mo's
face. He wiped his head with his hand,
and looked again. The great glowing eye
was swaying; the monster seemed to be
shaking his head at him. Suddenly Ju-
ee- mo- S mood changed. He laughed softly
to himself
The great glowing eye was lantern.
1t was swinging In m ms hand. The
monster with eight legs was four men.
Indian Joe could see their outlines quite
plainly now. But what were they doing
there, and where were they? They had a
spade and pick.
Ju-ee-mo crept forward slowly on his
hands and knees. The lantern showed
him four men plainly, but he could not
distinguish them. Now one was down
in the bowels of the earth. Indian Joe
could see the others holding the lantern
n ear him; could see the man in the earth
stoop and disappear altogether. Was
this, then, the opening to the intern !
regions? Were these men really men,
or witches, such as he had heard Of?
Now the man emerged from the bowels
of the earth and brought with him an
other, clad in white. Ju-ee-mo could see
the others reaching down, grasping the
figure in white, and lifting it out of tie
@ rth. Ju-ee-mo moved nearer lie
heard voices; his curiosity led him to
point where he could see and hear. If
these were really witches, what tale he
would have for Salem tomorrow He
was fascinated by the spectacle the men
and the Lantern and the cavity in the
earth presented He could not resist the
inclination 10 approach the actors in this
strange scene. He moved nearer His
foot caught twig, the twig snapped,
and an instant later Ju- ee-mo was
stunned by blow on the head. He was
buffeted and kicked and lifted bodily
from the ground A dozen b lnds seemed
70 throw him up in the air and strike
him as be fell. score Of feet kicked
and pressed upon him. He was rolled
over, clunched, and left for dead.
Wien he regane1 consciousness all
was silent. The events of the past hour
seemed dream, but Indian Joes arm,
ais head, and his b OK told him it was not
Ill dream. He got up with difficulty,
ooked about him in the dark, and seeing
what he conceived was the outline of
house near at hand, he walked slowly
md silently away.
When he related this strange expert
,nce to the people of Salem, they shook
heir heads, and some put their tongues
n their cheeks. Indian Joe's weakness
vas we'll known. Besides, he had been
t. en- half drunk the day before. What
more natural than that he should dream
10 beheld these thingsP What would the
nen be doing digging in the ground? If
t were the evil one, he did not need
antern; everybody knew he could p ovide
himself with as much light as he wanted
O. And who would be bent on such silly
york as digging holes in the earth?
SO Indian Joes story found few listen
rs, and no credence.
One effect produced was unnoticed at
he time. 1t weakened his narrative of
he ling of John Winslows horse and
heep. Even the gossips asked each
ther if man who told such prodigious
les, and stuck to them, as Joe did 10 his,
ould be believed.
CHAPTER XIX.
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