Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-01-02

y
two being like brothers, except that they
were in love with the same girl down
in Ell Paso. The two had been sent down
to Archuletta on courier duty by them
selves, though oldColonel Douglass knew
the Indians were restless, and Rich
came back alone, nearly dead and look
ing like a ghost, to tell how, on the
way back to the fort, they had had
two days chase with war party, and
how Lon had been shot out of his sad
die near the top of the Archuletta pass,
and Rich himself had only got back
after having his horse killed and wan
dering for two days in the 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 the spot where Rich had seen the
body go tumbling down the cliff into
the river down the stream nearly to
where the, stream came out by the cave
cliffs they could find no trace of it.
This experience soured Rich on the serv
ice, and when his time was out he did
not re-enlist, but married the girl he
and Corelli had been jointly in love
with and joined our outfit as packer.
The storm got worse instead of bet
ter, but that did not trouble us, and the
boys finally rolled up in their blankets.
Rich, who was evidently uncomfortably
stirred up by the recollection of Salts
story, but who had not said a word
the whole time. got up and spread his
blankets on the far side of the fire from
the door, and though it was really not
cold wrapped himself up, head and
ears, and lay there like log. The other
fellows were smoking cigarettes, Mexi-
can fashion, inside their blankets, but
gradually the puffs of smoke died down,
and the fire fiickered and waned.
must have been asleep, for I had a
sort of half nightmare sensation of there
being some one besides ourselves in the
cave There seemed to be cold, damp
draft directly off the water, and the
embers of the fire shone pale blue
phosphorescentt tint. There was not light
enough for shadows, but I was dimly
conscious that something, not some one,
was moving and searching among us
for something that it could not find. /
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 con-
troll. I could feel the skin draw tight
around my forehead, and there was that
pricking sensation about the scalp, a
lifting of the hair, that legacy Of some
faroff savage ancestor when man had
more traits in common with the brutes.
I could no more move than if a great
weight had been OH my chest, and there
was rumbling sound as of water in
my ears.
Then, witlN aeling Of indefnablo hor-
ror, / saw thEs &. iss a about Rich be-
Sin to nn,essaSs ss.a;Esssgh he were
throwing them off, but with creep
ing, am9boid motion, as though en-
dowed with life of their own. Then
Rich himself began to RISE sort Of
motion like figure COM
ing up through the trap Of theater.
The pale light Of the embers threw his
face into CHASTITY lines and wrinkles, and
on it there was stamped the same dumb
terror that could feel upon my own.
And still there persisted that feeling
of another presence in the cave, though
there was nothing definite in the NOV
ing shadows On Rich's face there was
a look Of piteous appeal as he seemed
to be dragged to his feet and drawn,
mutely resisting. across the cave toward
the door. felt that he was being drawn
to his death, as though some horrible
fate awaited him on the threshold, but
for the life of me / could not move a
finger to save him, and the other Sleep
ing figures lay still as death, all un-
mindful of what was going on.
The wind howled and the thunder
doomed down the hollows of the cliff,
and still Rich was dragged slowly, re-
sisting, but scarcely struggling, toward
the door, The lightning flashes lit up
his agonized face like that Of a prisoner
on the rack, and his shadow writhed in
the bright flashes against the wall. I
could almost have sworn there were two
shadows, but the dumb helplessness of
half sleep confused me. There was
something unreal and unnatural in it
all, and yet, back of the terror of the
moment, there seemed to hang deeper
horror of some tragedy that I could
feel, but could not understand.
1t was second "Damnation of
Faust and I a helpless spectator on
the edge of the Brocken, gazing in fas-
cinated terror at the abyss into which
at any moment might myself be
drawn. But it could not last. The strain
was too intense. The shrinking figure
reached the doorway, and was almost
prepared to see him struck down by an
avenging blast Of lightning, like the
terrific stage effect in some great trag-
edy. But instead of that the lightning,
which, though fitful, had been almost
unceasing, died out into silent black
ness. Only in tho center Of the cave the
blue light Of the embers seemed to float,
like a death fire over an open grave,
buS gave neither light nor shadows. I
lost sight of Rich, there was the sound
of struggle i'll the darkness, and then
there broke out all agonized yell of pure
animal terror.
The spell was broken. The half light
of the Sce-red, warm and grateful
filled the cave again. The boys started
from their blankets, guns in hand, and
I found myself bending over Rich, who
was lying insensible in the doorway. l
was dripping with cold sweat, and he
was white and cold as corpse, with
the blood running from big cut in his
forehead, where he had fallen against
the rock doorway.
The storm had passed over, and the
thunder was growing off on the far
side of the Rio Grande, while the rocks
outside were still wet and dripping with
the rain. But the moon was breaking
through the clouds, and the air smelled
fresh and cool The boys wanted to
know what was the matter, but I hardly
knew whether my part in the uncanny
scene had been more than a dream, SO
told them I did not know, except that l
had had the nightmare, and Rich SEEM