The morning call., 1893-01-24
THE ESCAPE.

IL LoSTAA LIZ
The last palisade-oYer! and limbs long
stifened felt lissom once more with the life
Of twenty-five. Now fer slow and cautious
creep along the gully by which water came
into the township; later on he would be
think him Of that narrow escape at the third
doorway Whistl a mans head in the road,
and be bent down once more behind the
cartridge and pushed his way upstream
with difficulty, showing as little Of himself
as possible. Il was an officer coming into
the town late. probably been at some Indian
hut in one OF their villages near By. TOO near
the fort 10 dare vengeance on Spanish gal
laBtres. John Tisden had often heard the
SDsniards talk OF the Indian girls while he
worked in the forts plaza.
Very silently; he moonlight was trouble
some to one Just escaping, bat. praise the
Lord " no watches over bold EBGllShmen,
the guard had not yet discovered their loss
ana the water WAS terribly cold. Never
return thanks too soon. The officer felt
a romantic wish 10 look back on the
spot where lately he had satisfied bis hearts
latest desire. He refined his horse on q
ris>ng slope and, turning in his saddle,
glanced back over the shadOw-dappled land
so that his eye, running I'D the shiny ribbon
of stream, suddenly saw the black dot Ia
DOTlnG aW dy against us current.
Instincts OF destruction ran along the
nerves of his hand; he drew a pistol and
fired, sending a splash OF water over Johns
head then the echoes smOte the fortress
walls and lost themselves ID the woodland
behind. a low ciamOr rose out Of san Jag0.
John rose ont of the stream and ran to the
e0pses. The SpantaTd spurred after him
with drawn sword. eager for the pleasure
Of slicing him when caught up. IL few
moments lie was alongside, put this being
Swallowed spot he STAYED lis hand overhead
till the stroke should be sure. Ia that mo-
menL JOHN doubled Ike hare and rushed
desperately at the soldier, who rened up all
at once and brought down bis blade-y ainly.
For the cunning Englishman ducked under
the horses BODY, then popped out, seized his
foes leg and foot. ami, with a sudden fierce
heavp shot the soldier sideways cut of his
saddle and on to his head There he lay
brOken-necaed, while the victor grasped
the bride, bent to earth and snatcbed the
sword. mounted the animal and stuck the
weapons point into It's iaunch. OF shot
the horse with a snort Of pain. while the
CHATTER OF pursueTs arose behind. finally
sinking away as the pine trees few by.
Then, as the moon entered q thick cloud
bank, they came to an open prairie, and GU
ward into darkness they went without more
than the slightest of stumbies. Several
mile, the horse began 10 breathe hard and
sob, then settled into a slow trot.
More miles. The tr0t became q walk, and
the walk more difficult. More miles yet,
very long ones, and tie earth went up and
down as the darkness became gray-there
were low hills and shallow rayines then
cane rocks. and lodges. and cliffs. The gray
speedily thlnned-the horse stopped at a
cliff wall
To the right. to the left John looked for
an opening. There was none. lie raised
his hands, licked a finger Of the cleanest
thought lie felt faint freshness on the left
eide az H. and q turQPQ that dfrapfion
After some hundred yards he came to
crack In the wall. He pushed into it, There
was hardly loom at first. but II widened
into a chasm, and wound along in darkness
with band of light at the top. Then came
a sudden descent, aud the wearled creature
he rode stumbled and threw him into pool
OF water.
The shock Of the plunge brought him to-
gether again. de struggled beneath the
water, came up ct last, half choked, and
pulled himself upon rocky ledge with the
sword still hanging upon his wrist. Look
ing for the horse he saw nothing but viO-
lent commOtiOn on the water surface, which
presently ceased. A few aiT-Dubbles came
TO the top and broke-thnt was all His
rescuer had ended its life in the depths from
which he had escaped.
Then he sat Tor q space and thought He
could not stay there. They would track
him to the rock wall and cleft Was there
another way 10 the other side? The cold,
shut-ln lake was quite still now, the cleft
by which be had come in was dimly visible
across the dark level. He stood up and
looked behind him. The cleft continued
there ike narrow road upward. Then he
knew that be had come to the hidden
source OF the stream that passed mystic
TI0usly underground and came to daylight ia
the country where the SpaDiaTds had placed
Fort San Jago. lie went along the chasm,
and after an hour or two stood on the plat
fOrm-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 pima
Giles, casting yellow shadows as queerly
shaped as they, and saw vast upward
pam, with an Orange-tinted rim. Here and
there gray twists, where a slight valley
cane, aud few lonely stones-TealY great
bow lders OF prlmeval sea. He looked be-
nind ana only faint green tinge on that
horizon indicated the grass country Of San
Jago, but be felt that even now they might
DC at the cleft IN the rOck-wall, those Span
iards who treated caDtives so hardly. so
there was 10 course but forward
Forward then lie went, and the sand be-
came thick and soft underfoot so that he
had to use the long Spanish blade to helm
him in walking. a last even that became
an incumbrance and he would have cast it
away, only the knot had become twisted
and would take little time TO undo, so he
kept II out of Incidence aud ebbing wits
Here and there came a harder surface which
was restful to the feet, and then he would
sink for a space and try TO hope he might
across this place; then he went On and on.
with the glare in his eyes from below and a
hot, gray sky overhead.
The sun heated his wet rags; they became
burning moist; they blistered bis back, sore
already frou tie payment oil yesterdays
forced labor in the fortress; ne had to 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 tread
ing over crimson waste under vermllion
sky. and with the first pains OF thirst dead
ening the ache Of hunger he lay down IN the
shadow of the first rock be reached. Ihere
he STAYED till no shadow was left, shrinking
away from the hot, encroacbing yellow till
he was at last covered by it, then rose again
and plodded along through the screening
hours with burnt feet In his cracking oId
His wits were all ablur. but his bodily