Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-02-09

had 10 use the long, Spanish blade 10
help hin in walking. AT last even that
became an cmcumbrance aud he would
have east it away, only the knot had be-
come twisted and would only take lit
tic time 10 undo. so he kept it out of in
dolence and ebbing wits. Here and there
came harder surface which was restful
10 the feet, and then he would sink for
space and try TO hope he might get
across this place; then he went on and
on. with the glare in his eyes from below
and hot, gray sky overhead.
The sun heated his wet rags; they be-
came burning moist; they blistered his
back, sore already from the payment of
yesterdays forced labor in the fortress
he had 90 turn round at times and give
his back relief by being roasted in
front.
At last the whole place swan round
him, there came moments when he
seemed treading over q crimson waste
under vermilion sky and with the first
pains of thirst deadening the ache of
hunger he lay down in the shadow of the
first rock he reached There he stayed
till no shraow was left, shrinking away
from the hot, encroaching yellow till he
was at last covered by it, then rose again
and piodded along through the scorch-
ing hours with burnt feet in his cracking
old shoes.
His wits were oil ablur, but his bodily
senses felt that the whole la | lay on a
vast upward slope, continual gentle
pressure back, as it were, to each toll
some step he took. In the late afternoon
he felt IA slight pulling tendency, sign
that he was on an imperceptible descent;
then came delicate long pleat in the
sand, the ascent began again, and he
fell stupidity down, with some indistinct
fancy Of staying there till nothing was
left of him but bones-baked, dusty
bones. But when his face touched the
hot sand he got up again and trod on.
He had no fear of pursuit now, for he
was in'the Thirst Land no man catered
to return. The Spaniards had spoken of
it, and they had let him 90 into il,
knowing it was but taking the labor of
his destruction off their own hands. He
could imagine them consoling them
selves for the loss Of the horse and officer
by telling again the tales Of the desert
how to go into it for an hour was to be
lost, and to be lost was to wander round
on ones steps, which meant death fiaally
Then he resolved to lie down and bear
his pains rs a valiant man might, till
night should come and he could follow
one of the stars. BY this time little
shadow lay at his feet, there was n rock
not far away, and he went and lay down
there, trying to be sensible and steady
headed. He was glad he kept the sword
now, because il his miserics became too
sore he had with il q way to cut them
sleep was denied him by the keen thirst
that baked his tongue into wood, but it
was much to escape the redhot fingers
of the sun.
AS he lay there with his battered old
hat over his face the stiffness came terri
} bly, on him at times. He thought he
heard distant voices calling, and fancied
some foe had crept up to the other side
of the stone and was stealing round on
J hm-then it seemed to him as if he was
lying on English sand and the sea was
: foaming round Plymouth breakwater
} hard by-then he raised his hat for the
} fortieth time to think for the fortieth
time of this great Thirst Land, before his
ightheadedness began once more, to-
gether with the burning ache for water
in every fiesh-atom.
!. The shadow heightened, the sand in it
cooled, the relief was grateful, though
small Later on the sun went down, q
red globe in purple haze; the stars APP
peared, and he followed one for long
time till he got among rocks and bruised
} his body against them in the dark. 1t
was of no use going on till moonrise; he
lay there on the stony floor, and his thirst
kept him from feeling the hardness of ii
for a while.
At last he could bear it no longer, but
rose and ran on, then presently struck
against one of the stones and fell,
} stunned, as he had fallen before out in
, the sand tracks. Still the man was not
; beaten. When he had recovered he
wiped his heavy eyes with the back
, of his hand and felt his way
along through that rocky maze,
tapping his sword on each side
and following the passages, holding on
to his star with all the bulldog instinct
! of his race. At last the moon came out
and lit the plain, showing it mounting
, up and up in long, slow slope till the
: eye lost il in darkness, but covered so
far with stones, stones, stones, like the
| RfaVcydTu Oh Jnc WuOlt IdCC. cO
he went on, rafting his tongue about in
his arid mouth, wondering why he did
not lie down and die at once, why he
did not at once fall down on his blade
and end his portion of life. yet persever-
!, ing all the time no unworthy man of his
countryside and yoeman name. He had
no visions now, in the night; they were
reserved for the treacherous day, when
, the guiding stars should be hidden.
So through the long hours he travelled,
and at last shhffled out into places where
the stones, that dreadful multitude all
exactly alike, stood in groups only. The
moon sped on her course, and the ground
uuderfoot sent ring from his steel-statf
1t was rock.
Then the stones ceased altogether and
a series of low ridges came; they taxed
his shaky legs and arms to their full, low
though they were, so that he lay down to
rest on each as he got upon it. Then he
came to the long ridge, highest of all
this huge inclined land, and saw its edge
winding away to right, to left, for miles
in the hard moonlight, and the rock floor
sloping downward far below him, for
miles and miles more.
II Looking behind, the sight of the fear
ful maze of wilderness he had wonder
fully come through filled him with terror,
and he fed away from it, down and on,
only to fall again like child. Then for
awhile his tortured frame could carry
him M morp. there he Law Ccliriouslv