Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-02-19

coyotes % hoWhnB mOurniully outside,
as though Fray Antonio and tho hell /
hounds were ont for q midnight foray
sure enough, Wo did not mind the
storm--rathor enjoyed it, IN fact-ate,
smoked and told stories and fiually,
when tho conversation had tagged, old
Salts. one Of tho packers, turned to the
other, o young man, with tho remark, I
'tSay, Rich. this must be pretty close
to the place where you aud Corelli had
your walk around with tho Navajoos last
spring. amt it?''
It was a good draw for a story, but
Rich only growlcd something about it
being 'too d---d close and then
curled down on his blankets again and
looked uncomfortable. Sclts tried TO
draw him a little further but, seeing no
would not talk and rs the boys wanted
tho story. himself told OF how Rich, tho
past spring. had como near getting
picked Off by rowing party Of Navajoes.
Rich was in tho cavalry at Wingato at
tho time and was close chums with
Lon Corelh, q young half breed, tho
two being like brothers, except that they
were in lOvo with the samo girl down
IN El Paso. Tho tw had boen sent down
to Archuletta on courier duty by thom-
selves, though old Colonel Douglass know
tho Indians were restless, and Rich
came back alone, nearly dead and look !
ing like q ghost, to tell how, ON the
way back TO tho fort, they had had q
two days chase with war party, and
how Lon had boen shot out Of his sad
do near the top of the Archulotta pass,
and Rich himself had only go6 back
after having his horse killed and wan
dering for two days in tho hills without
anything to cat A searching party had
been sent out after the body when tho
Indians had been rounded up, but
though they searched the Rio Chico
from tho spot whero Rich had seen the
body 20 tumbling down tho cliff into
tho river down tho stream nearly to
where tho stream came cut by the cave
cliffs they could find no trace Of IT,
This experience soured Rich on tho sorv-
ice, and when his timo was out he did
not ro-onlist but married tho girl no
and Coroll had been jointly in love
with and Joined our outfit Gs a packer.
Tho storm got worse instead Of bot
ter, but that did not trouble US, and tho
boys finally rolled up in their blankets
Rich, who was evidently uncomfortably
stirrcd up ly the recollection of salts
story, but who had not said q word
tho whole time. got up and spread his
blankets on tho far side Of tho fro from
the door, and though it was really not
cold wrapped himself up, head and
ears, and lay there like log. Tho other
fellows were smoking cigarettes, Moxi-
can fashion, inside their blankets, but
gradually tho puffs of smoke died down,
and the fro fiickcred and wancd.
must have been asleep, for / had
sort ofshalf nightmare sensation Of there
being some one besides ourselves in tho
cave. There seemed to be a cold, damp
draft directly of the water, aud tho
embers of tho fro shono pale bluo
phosphorescent tint There was not light
enough for shadows, but l was dimly
conscious that something, not somo one,
was moving and searching among "a
for something that it could not find. l
felt all the weak helplessness Of night
mare and the same oppressive terror Of
something that was going on within my
presence, but beyond my power to coll
troll l could feel tho skin draw tight
around my forehead, and there was that
pricking sensation about the scalp, d
lifting Of tho hair that legacy Of somo
faro3 savage ancestor when man had
more traits in common with the brutes.
I could no moro movo than If q great
weight had becn Oh my chest, and thero
was rumbling sound as Of water in
my cars.
Then, with q feeling of indefnablo hor-
TOR, saw the blankets about Rich be-
gin to unroll, not as though lac were
throwing them of, but with a creep
ing, ammboid motion, cs though en-
dowed with q life Of their own. Then
Rich himself began to rise, a sort Of
mechanical motion like a figure COM
ing up through the trap Of thcater
The pale light of the embers throw bis
faco into CHASTITY lines and wrinkles, and
on it there was stamped tho same dumb
terror that could feel upon my own.
And still there persisted that feeling
Of another presence in tho cove, though
thore was nothing definite in tho NOV
1 ing shadows On Rich's face there was
q look Of piteous appeal rs he seemed
/ TO bo dragged to his feet and drawn,
mutely resisting. across the cave toward
the door l felt that no was being drawn
to his death, as though some horrible
fate awaited him on the threshold, but
for the lifo Of mic l could not move a
finger to save him, and tho other sleep
ing figures lay still as death, all nm
mindful Of what was going on.
The wind howled and tho thunder
kOomod down tho hollows Of tho cliff,
and still Rich was dragged slowly, ro-
sisting, but scarcely struggling, toward
tho door. Tho lightning flashes nc up
his agonizod face like that Of a prisoner
on the rack, and his shadow writhed IN
tho bright flashes against the wall
could almost have sworn there woro two
shadows, but the dumb helplesness OF
half sleep confused NE. There was
something unreal and unnatural in Il
oil, and yet, back Of the terror Of the
moment, there seemed to hang q deepol
horror Of sono Z agcdy that ! could
feel, but could not understand.
Il was a second "Damnation o.
Faust" and I helpless spectator on
tho odgo of tho Brocken, gazing IN fas
cinated terror at tho abyss into which
at any moment ! might myself b
drawn. could dnot last. Tho strain
was too intense Tho shrinking figure
reached lhe doorway, and was al1nos
prep I'd to see him struck down by On
ayensing blast Of lightning, like Tho
terrific stage effect In some great trag
ody Bat instead of that tho lightning
which, though fitful, had been almos
unceasing, died out into silent black