Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-06-20
CHAPTER x.

In obedience to the stronger will and
the additional fact that Captain Bran
don had rescued him from his pursuers,
Howard Blanchard submitted at once
On his control and followed where he
led Back into the hills they went un.
ill it was nearly daylight. when How
ard. who had been stumbling on behind
with feet rs heavy Is his heart, called
out:
Captain, do you think we are bet
tering ourselves by this flightT'
lyon arc deceived" replied the cap
tain. ''Thc man who gallops back for
endorsements when the battle In rag
ing can hardly be said to he rctrcating.
II Louis Kyle is living. expect to hear
from him before the sun goes down"
The captain resumed the lead, and
descending from the mountain side,
which they had been travcrsing, en-
tered n valley. This valley narrowed as
they went ON, the sloping sides rising
nj o sharper and sharper angle until
they became perpendicular and tho val
ley became n canyon. Through this can
yon thread Of clear water flowed, with
n splashing and waving that struck
Howard to be out Of all proportion to
its size. Even the fall Of his own feet
and the sound If his voice impressed
him rs painful cxaggcrations.
The high perpendicular walls Of the
canyon inagnified tho sound, the echoes
being dashed back and forth till lost in
hoarse murihur far overhead. As they
went ON ii seemed 10 Howard us il they
were descending into the bowels Of the
earth. The narrow strip Of blue sky
looked like an ethereal river in which
the stars were reflected, for be il known
that in the profound depths that char.
acterizc the mountains of the west the
stars can be distinctly seen even when
the cloudless sun shines with midsum.
mer fervor in the SKY Of the upper
world.
Can we ever get out Of this place,
captain" asked Howard Blanchard,
when the darkness became so dense that
he could hardly make out the form of
hjs guide few yards in the advance.
"Ycs. Trust to me and keep n good
heart" replied the captain, without
halting or looking back.
To pass from the narrow, black cell
Of q dungeon into the center Of an illu-
minated salon in Windsor palace, if
suddenly affected, would be q transfer.
nation that would blind the eyes for
the time and ovcrwhelm the senses. II
light like the sun were suddenly to
fash in the high heavens at midnight,
people would ignore the phenomenon for
shs, vv,ovv.cVS N, <hn r<T,<
upon the senses, yet something like this
happened to Howard Blanchard There
was short turn in the Canyons turn
that revealed what seemed to Howard
blanchard like the door Of mighty fur
mace filed with molten gold, and in
this door the black form Of Captain
Brandon stood out like statue against
tho stn.
Hold your hand to your eyes for .
setting the example, and Howard obeyed
him. After few minutes the captain
called out:
Now. open your eyes and come on Z"
This advice was 10 prepare the young
man for the sudden effect Of light that
was natural. but dazzling on account Of
the change AID the brilliancy Of the sur.
rounding snow peaks from which il was
reflected A few yards farther on How
ard blanchard discovered that the
canyon terminated in q. valley or de-
preston about . quarter Of mile in
diameter. Excepting At point directly
opposite TO that BY which they had en-.
tered this remarkable valley was shut
In By PERCEPTIONS walls that russ up fcE
5000 feet OF more. and heze md there
dstached DaDes in tie fos9 a pinnacles
I'D loekiDg liks tie UdaAv Ujps q