Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-01-14

to avoid distractions, and when he had
covered half the distance he suddenly
found himself on the brink of a canyon.
It was a wild, gloomy chasm in the
hills, and so dark at the bottom that he
could make out nothing. He kicked q
loose stone at his feet into the gulf, and
it went sheer down seventy-five feet be-
fore it struck with a dull thud.
The lakes and rivers and mountains
and valleys are wonderful things in ma
lures handiwork. but the canyons are
more wonderful still. Think of the
mighty power required to split great
mountain in twain for miles and miles,
beginning where it rises from the plain
and continuing back until the walls of
the chasm are Il thousand feet high!
Think of the mighty wrath let loose
upon the earth that day-the sun hang
ing blood red in the murky heavens, the
awful roar of the hurricane sweeping a
continent, the crash and explosion, the
trembling Of a world!
And deep down in these awful riffs
there is ever darkness-ever midnight
The water drips and drips and drips
with sound so monotonous that human
being would be driven insane in day.
No serpents crawl there-no living
thing can endure that grimness and sol
itude The grizzly Lear-the king of
terrors- stunned and dreaded by all
and hating ALL makes his lair in these
drifts, but goes back only to the edge of
the shadow cast by the sun. He fears
nothing living. but he fears that dark
ness and silence.
Harkins followed down to the edge of
the canyon, and after half an hours
walk he came to the spot where it began,
and this permitted him to make de-
scent to the more level ground AS he
stood for q moment looking up the rift
it seemed to him as if he had seen the
place before. This was, as he reflected.
but a sudden idea made him
almost gasp for breath.
81 am about five miles to the right Of
Clusters peak he whispered to himself,
land this must be the canyon the old
hunter told lis Of in his dying hour"
Had it been earlier in the day he
would have investigated, for he had not
the least fear of indians, but the rapidly
declining sun warned him that he must
be on the move If he would reach the
wagons before dark His wav TO the
south was almost blocked by a huge
mass of rock, and he was about to flank
this when he heard the sound of human
voices. Some one was speaking on the
other side of the rock.
For moment Harkins was filed with
such alarm that he was ready to bolt up
the ravine. Then came the thought that
he had been standing very quiet for some
time past, and that had his movements
been heard the owners of the voices
would have attacked him, if enemies, or
hailed him, if friends. He argued that
his presence was entirely unsupported
and this being the case his curiosity
was aroused to know who was so near
him. He crept forward on hands and
knees, hearing the voices more distinctly
each moment, and at length he reached |
4 spot from which he could see what |
was goin0 on on the south side of the /
rock
There was Il campfire burning very
ow, and on either side of it srt white
nan-twO of the wickedest looking fell I
ows he had ever put eyes on; on a heap
IF brush near at hand lay two more
fast asleep
Outlaws and renegades!' whispered |
Iarkins as he drew back little
So they were-men more to be dreaded /
han the dusky savages, because having .
more reckless bravery and being en-
lowed with keener intelligence.