Marble Hill press., 1894-06-21
The Great Hesper.
BY FRANK BARRETT
CHAPTER XVIII-CoNrINUE

"Die! cursed dog. die" shouted
Van Hoeck, with the frantic excite
ment of a man achieving at last the
object of his life. as he attacked the
upper rope with his knife. '.Die,
and know that all you cherish in the
world shall be mine-wealth, and
the woman you love, Die!'
Aud with that he severed the last
strand, and | swept down through
space. Clinging with desperate en-
ergy to the rope in my hands, |
swung, cramping myself together in
anticipation of violent shock
against the side of the precipice.
Happily, the rock above projected
little, so that the blow was less Sc
we're than l expected. | rebounded,
and swung to and fro like pendu-
lum in the pitchy darkness. For in
order to get a firmer grasp upon the
rope when | saw his intention of
cutting it. l had dropped the torch,
which fell like a spark of rocket
into the depths below.
What was l to doo Idared not try
to pull myself hand over hand up the
wet rope, for the slightest relaxation
on my hold might allow the rope to
slip, and l should be lost assuredly.
Dear, are you still there9" Lola
called from above.
"Yes," | replied.
"Here is the rope-when call you
can trust yourself to it
At the same time | felt the knotted
rope dangling against my shoulders.
'.Now,'' she called.
1t was not an instant too soon. |
felt the wet rope slipping through
my hands. Leaving go with one
hand. clutched out wildly for the
knotted rope. and by the happiest
| chance succeeded in seizing it.
| got a cross-piece between my
feet and l was comparatively safe. if
Lola had strength to hold on for a
few moments. But that | might not
tax her too greatly, | still grasped
the wet rope.
Saved" called out to her.
.sNot for long" shouted Van Hoeck
from the opposite side, and | heard
the snap of the spring as he closed
the breech-loader, and then the
''click" as he cooked the piece.
Would he shoot me or the girl? /
asked myself in that moment
He fired, and the ringing shot was
followed by sharp cry OF pain from
| above, and the cross piece on which
l stood gave a little jerk, but no
more. She must have escaped, de-
spite that cry, or she could not still
have held on to the rope.
But terrible as these thoughts that
passed through my mind in those
brief moments were. they were ban
ished from my mind by yet more
terrific appeal to my senses.
Following almost Immediately
upon the crack of the rifle and Lola's
cry, mass of rock, probably dis
integrated by the frost, and started
from its place by the reverberation
of the shot, slid down the face of the
precipice, hurled against rock, and
some moments after fell with deep
"pong" into the water below.
But as if this had been the key
stone of the fabric thst upheld the
mighty weight of the enormous rock
that covered the chasm, its fall was
followed by the crumbling away and
precipitation of others at intervals
rapidly decreasing, their fall eventu-
ally becoming a continual downpour,
marked now and then by louder
crash as some larger block gave way.
The roar OF artillery, the pea
of thunder, was not to be compared
with the awful din as the great rock
ie ked downward as the quartz
splintered and gave way under it,
shattering and grinding the oppos
Ing rocks, and bursting away huge
fragments that struck from side tc
side as they hurtled down, tearing
and splitting the very heart Of the
mountain as 1t seemed
This fall was most violent at som,
distance away from US further dowr
the ravine; only Nm occasional block
ground under the great mass as /
ierked down. was altered to pieces
end fell In dust and rubble about us
The awful eruption had continued
tor some moments scarcely so lonl
n e ons might taxs 10 read this do