Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-01-20

Suddenly the wood cracked, the
limb broke, and he felt his feet slip.
H. grasped nt the trunk, hut there
was nothing to hold. He knew he was
falling into the opening below. Some
thing struck him on the shoulder =
some OF the wood from the edge Of the
cavity Instinctivelv he threw up his
hands. But his fall WAS not stopped.
Another instant and he was in dark
ness, and he sank into some soft
sponey substance, which broke his de-
scent Ee came to stop standing up
rl1ht
strong. pungent. woody odor
filled his nostrils. 4 cloud OF sitting
powder almost choked him. He felt
the sides Of the tree pressing on him.
He tried to bring his hands down t.
.ecl about, Bnt there was no. suffi
cient room. more than Just 10 crook
his elbows. He couldn't get his hands
below the level of his ears. Again and
4gni4 b. .riel. Then he remained still
and stopped his struggles III order tc
think.
He knew that he had fallen into The
nollox trunk of the buttonwood. The
-of. stuff under his fee+ must be the
ro1,cD pith and punF Of the walls
which baG -allen down 20 tnc bottom
Lonnins up he could zee an irrogular
rircuiar patch o. he sky partly blot
tel on, by 4 mass ol tvies and leaves
on the uppe branches. The opening,
as near as HE could fell, was Sly OF
eight feet at.ov- his head. Ii was Dcl
greet distance, but, with his hands
above him aIl& nothing to catch hold
upon. it might as well have been q
hundred
He felt all around the inside surface
Of the hollow with his fingers; but he
oIiI Sduh iiIS itIECI6 lAto SOtU DUNN,
which broke off when he put any strain
npondt.
There was nothing substantial to
rest his feet upon either, rs he soon
found out by running his feet around
as far as he could.
He began to be somewhat fright.
ened. It really was bad business
He could not stand in his present
cramped position long and retain the
use Of his muscles. Already he felt a
numbncss IN his fingers as the blood
left them. He couldn't climb up with
ont something to grasp; he couldn'
get out below
The sides of his prison? They vero
too thick to dig through with his
mills; for outside of the lining Of rot
ten wood he knew there was hen.,
rinl of live tough fiber and bark, how
thick he could only imagine. H.
might cut through 1t If he had an Ak,
but with nothing else.
The thought of cutting suggested to
him that he had knife with him; but
where WAS it2 At last he recalled that
t was IN the upper breast pocket o1
his flannel shirt he had on no coat
But it woul Int do him any good
The blade would be broken or dulled
long before he could cut al opening
through the walls Even apposlng,
what was we'll nigh impossible, that in
his crampei position he could keep a,
the task that long.
He began toNgrow desperate. vhcr
there came sndden idea to him
which made h7m rack his mind fol-
someplan to get at his knife.
Hlhe upper pocket of his shirt was
considerably below his shoulders The
:;:-tae.t :onn II could y, his hands
Va = ii" evei = ii .a..e
NeE ,rth rs. h tr.e r>te.t IL /.
tw-@t h. arms - as - rrsa /.
aoc&.t .orc;n- hi:a"'f luro al k.a.l
q positions AMI getting tlore lceper-
are every mlnUts But Il IL atsemrt
were 4 vain
H!4 head hoeaa - -ytn4 v..a i.