The San Francisco call., 1895-05-19

to rock the world-a storm illuminated
with vivid flashes of lightning and pune
tuated with terrific peals of thunder. 1t
was the first big storm of the California
winter season, then a little overdue. A
dozen of US, prospectors, miners and
teamsters, all men of the mountains, had
taken shelter early in the evening from
the impending storm at huge barn-lke
wayside station or tavern few miles be-
low the Calaveras Big-tree Grove, on the
- road leading down to Murphys, then a
considerable mining town.
We were all glad to be comfortably
housed, for the storm was terror The
thunder seemed to shake the solid
mountains; the wind roared in the sur
rounding pine forest like an angry sea; the
rain came down in torrents, and frequent
flashes of lightning came in at the un-
curtalned windows that paed the in
etfectual light of the oil lamps
After an excellent mountain supper we
had assem- bled in the great barroom, and
In the enjoyment of pipes and cigars all
congratulated ourselves upon our safe har-
Dor, as the rain dashed in sheets against
the wlndow-panes. Soon we were chatting
like old friends about the big snow that
must be falling above US in the high Sierra;
about the outlook in the several camps
In general, though only two or three of us
had ever met before that evening
Presently, as this talk about the noun
talns and the mines began to lag, man
who"was one of the last to reach the shell
ter OF the station-a prospector who was
travelling on foot with blankets on his
back-said, addressing his nearest neigh
Dor: Rather strange thing happened
me this evening about mile below this as
= was hurrylng to get up here to the sta
tlon. I'm no believer in ghosts and COB
Inns, damned or otherwise, but this even
: ing for the ilrst time in my life, had an
experience that was rather spookv"
AT once all eyes were turned upon the
speaker; the hum of scattering conversa-
. ton ceased, and every man in the room
pricked up his ears.
''WhatF' cried the man addressed. "do
you mean to say you've had the luck to see
g. genuine, undoubted and undoubtable
ghost? II so, YOU are the man I've always
wanted to find"
'"When you've heard what happened me
this evening you may Judge for yourself,
sir, said the prospector. "But what I saw
was not ghost of the ordinary regulation
KIND. 1t was spoOk of a different breed"
Thechalrs of the men scattered about
the big barroom at once began to hitch
= toward the prospector, and soon nearly all
were gathered about him in a gaping circle.
l.: Only one man sat aloof unmoved. He was
a man ofmiddle age, and in appearance a
miner. He sat and smoked his pipe at
= ease in corner with half-closed eyes
"As L said, continued the prospector, 81
- was about mile down the road Some big
drops OF rain were beginning to fall and it
was growing quite dark out among the
pines, though in the roadway there was
still light enough to make every object
distinctly visible. l was walking rapidly
for the lightning seemed to hiss directly
over my head and there were some
startling peals of thunder-when suddenly,
at a sharp bend In the road, came face to
face with big black dog. 1t was an i'm
mense brute of some short-haired breed
mastiff probably; at all events not a New
foundland.
The huge beast showed his teeth and
looked dangerous, though he neither
growled nor snarled. He stood stock still
before me, with every bristle on his back
erect and eyes that glared red and fiery.
Finding the big brute so ugly and so little
inclined to give way, turned toward the
other side of the road, thinking to pass
round him. But as l moved he followed,
with sort OF sldewise glide-was always
before me, only two steps away, his bristles
Up, his white teeth cleaning and his saw
age eyes watching my every move.
- Every moment l looked for the dog to
spring at my throat 1 drew and held my
revolver cooked in my hand, ready to
shoot Ill case it should become absolutely
necessary. 1 would have shot at once had
1t not occurred to me that the dog had a
master near who would probably soon
come up. l thought perhaps the dog had
been trotting along ahead of his master
and was taken by surprise when be ran up
against me at the bend of the rOad-prob-
ably he did not like the look of the roll of
blankets on my back. ] felt it would be a
pity to shoot SO fine an animal.
"N o master appearing, and the rain COM
ing down faster, / crossed back to the
upper side of the road. hoping to get by
the dog that way. But the fery-eyed
beast faced me every step of the way back
across the road until was up against the
high bank alongside big rock that stands
.. on the point of the bend.
There was obliged to halt, and the
dog still holding me at bay, l lost all pa
thence. leveled my pistol at the head of
the Dig brute and blazed away. At the in
slant OF my hiring there was a binding
lash OF lightning and a fearful crash of
thunder A big pine, not fifty wards away
was struck and shivered.
"Instead of finding the big Dog stretched
dead at my feet, as l expected, | saw moth
ing In the Iwinkllng OF an eye he had
vanished. Had the thing been real live
dog | must have lain him dead, for / am a
crack. shot and the muZZle of the pistol
was not three feet from the creatures
head.
"At first thought my pistol might have
InlocCQ tilC, % l. Itfu uOL utdIQ the report
of it in the clap of thunder that came lust
as pulled the trigger. but glance at the
weapon showed one chamber empty, there
fore l had fired right enough. can assure
you the business made me feel rather
creepy. One moment there stood before
! me a big, threatening brute OF dog, the
.next--in the snap of finger, in the wink
of am eye-there was no dog. He was
J.: gone-vanished into thin airp'
:. But couldn't the dog have lodged out
of sight somehow, behind the big rock you
=. speak of, while your eyes were blinded by
, the fash of lightning?" asked a doubling
listener.
No" said the prospector, ''it was for
but single wink that my eyes were blind
ed could see every object up and down
the road for a hundred yards by the day
light that remained, and for the dog to
have got behind the rock it would have
been necessary for him to have bounded
up the perpendicular bank-a bank as
high as my head-close against which he
: stood broadside not head to- Besides,
" what you call behind the rock was the
lighted side cf It. A cat could not have
Hem. ~ beo9n Tho douh4a- ro+,,o;rr 70