Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-04-06

use of his muscles. Already he felt q
numbness in his fingers MS the blood
left them. He couldn't climb up with
out something to grasp; he couldn't
get out below.
The sides of his prison? They were
too thick to dig through with his
nails; for outside of she lining of rot
ten wood he knew there was heavy
rind of live tough fiber and bark, how
thick he could only imagine. He
might cut through it if he had On nx,
but with nothing else.
The thought of cutting suggested to
him that he hud n knife with him but
where was it? At last no recalled that
1T was i'll the upper breast pocket of
his flannel shirt-he had on no coat.
But it wouldn do him any good.
The blade would be broken or dulled
long before no could cut an opening
through the walls. Even supposing,
what was well nigh impossible, that in
his cramped position he could keep at
the task that long.
He began to grow desperate, when
there came sudden iden to him,
which made him rack his mind for
como plnn to get at his knife.
The upper pocket of his shirt wns
considerably below his shoulders. The
furthcst down he could get his hands
was to the level of his face.
Nevertheless he tried repeatedly to
twist his arms SO as to reach the
pocket, forcing himself into oil kinds
of positions and getting more dcsper-
ate every minute. But I'LL his attempts
were in vain.
His head began to swim with the
exertion and tho close, foul air, and
his body sank II little rs his knees
bent under him.
AS his shoulders dropped no felt his
shirt begin to rise about his neck; the
collar touched his enr. Instantly he
was filled with fresh hope
Ills shirt evidently must have cnught
on some roughness of the wood against
which his back was resting, and, as his
body sank, had been held fnst.
Would it not be possible to raise his
shirt sufficiently i'll this way for him to
rench his pocket?
He doubled himself up more, and
jammed himself further down into the
cavity. His shirt held fnst to tho
rough walls of the hollow and rose
above his ears He snnk moro and
moro.
When Mt last he could squeeze him
self down no further, he bent his elbow
and, after some wonderful contortions,
got his fingers into tho pocket and
pulled out the knife.
Than fDr q, ,,,an,n,1 -, 80 I,
quiet, resting and trying to recover
his strength. After few moment ho
strengthened up and, grasping the
knife firmly, began to dig i'll the wood
above.
In II short timo the knife was cut
ting the solid wood of the trunk. Flo
| kept on until lie Ind made quite little
cavity.
Changing the knife to tho other
hand, he did the snme to the opposite
wall. 1t was hard and tedious work,
and his hands and arms nched, and he
had to stop several times ind rest, but
kept ut it.
When he thought he had tho holes
deep enough, he contrived, after some
difficulty, to grasp the knife between
his teeth
Then, reaching mp, he caught the
fingers of each hand in The cavities on
tho opposite sides, and, exerting all
his strength, drew himself up n foot
or more
BY using all his muscle ho managed
to hold himself there, while he kicked
into the soft punk below with his toes.
In minute he had n couple of resting
places for his feet resting places
which took part of the strain off of
his arms, though they wouldn't have
supported his entire weight Ind he
trusted them to hold him.
Again ho attacked the wood above
him with tho knife, holding on with
one hand and braoing his bnck against
the wall of the hollow. He had to
change hands often, and once ho
nearly slipped down; but finally no
he had another pair OF holes for his
fingers, and could repeat his first per-
formance.
Each time that he began to cut fresh
resting places for climbing it seemed
to him that it grew harder work, but
he stuck to it, gritting his teeth and
measuring the distance to the top
every few minutes with his eyes.
At last he drew himself mp SO that
no could clasp his fingers over the
edge OF tho cavity, and in another
minute he had pulled himself entirely
ont of the hollow and was seated on
the big horizontal limb.
Hanging couple of feet above
him, from the broken branch, was tho
dead squirrel, jammed So tightly that
it had not fallen to the ground. Tom
looked around-how bright every
thing was and how dark it appeared
in the hollow rs he peered down it
He breathed n sigh of thanksgiving
and descended.
He was 30 weak he could not walk
and he sat down on log for awhile.
By and by he felt stronger, and
then he put the strap of his game bag
over his head, threw his rife over his
shoulder, picked up the big squirrel
which he had dropped to the ground
FRI, 4. L.