The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-07-31
In THE QUICkSANDS.
BY III. IRVINE LYNDS.

hunting experiences The wind was
blowing outside with just enough force
to give the windows ghostly rattle,
and make the blaze roar up the Chin
ney in a way that lent an added charm
To stories into which the element of
danger largely entered
We had all dutifully told some old
time adventure-with certain additions
that seemed absolutely necessary un-
der the circumstances-all except. our
host, who had been given the last place
on the list, so that the series might cloSs
robed in the richest coloPing.
He was a hunter of wide and varied
experience and a man who had given
a great deal of intelligent thought Ia
the mysteries of woodcraft. CouSe-
quently, whatever ne said upon the sub
ject was always listened to with defer
ence.
We therefore settled down little
more comfortably in our chairs a. h,.
began:
I'm my younger days l spent morr
time in the woods than / do now Not
that l like hunting less. II has as great
attraction for me a. ever. the odor 81
the woods l. a. sweet 10 me a. the scent
of powder i TO the old war horSe: but
many things claim my time now and
keep me from wandering
The little adven>ure I am about 20
tell happened in Nova Scotia. - ycar>
ago. when | was quite "A Young man
1T il not generally known that GER
tain parts OF the province contain SOM
of the finest hunting grounds iEuariua-
bile. Miles and miles Of virgin for.--r
acres of spruce and pine averaging fully
60 feet in height. crowded together ou
moss-green groundwork. almost cIo>s
enough 20 shut out daylight Then
there are parts Overrun with high
naples, birch and beech.
MANY a day have I crept through
the deep. shady glades and over the
long. sloping hills. But / am rather
wandering from my story
III just show you where my adyen-
ture happened"
Raising. he took down an atlas from
a shelf.
Just here At the north" he con
tinued. See that headland2 That's
the place. Twice day all the water
in the basin seems Ia rush around that
point, and away up into the mainland
1T is marsh land along there. and the
very large tract of land, said To con
tain 5000 acres, shut in from the sea by
niIo miles Of dyke. II is perfectly level
dotted all over with barns and hay
stacks; and in the autumn also with
men and hOsses, busily at work cutting
broad leaf" or marsh hay.
"One not acquainted with the place
Gould easily become lost, for the barns
and haystacks, extending in every di-
rection, are all alike IN size. shape and
color. 1t was near this marsh that 1
had located myself for the hunting sea-
son, on account of the excellent sport
which it afforded in the shape OF almost
every kind of water fowl. and also be
cause not many miles away were woods
IN which moose and caribou were plen-
tiful.
The autumn that year had been very
dry, SO that there were. comparatively
speaking, no birds on The marsh. With
out knowing this, however, one day
set out for a few hours shooting
Il tramped the best part of the aft
ernoon, without success. and, is l did
not care TO go home without bagging
something. l determined to shoot
peep on the mud flats.
Il rolled up my trousers to the knee
and started. sinking fully six inches in
the soft mud at every step. 1 walked
about for some time. getting shot now
and then and wandering far out upon
the flats, until a rushing noise behind
made me turn quickly around.
The bore was coming bank of
tumbling, seething water. quite three
feet high. tearing about as fast man
could run. Time to he getting back
thought l. 1t Will not take long for the
tide to cover the flats l stood and
watched the tidal wave for a moment,
then started quite leisurely for the
dyke, shaping my course directly for
IL.
After having gone so yards OF 50,
1 came to a gully, between eight and
ten feet wide. at the bottom of which
flowed a little stream. 1t ran nearly
parallel with the dyke, and in order to
reach the marsh / had either to cross
it or go away up and around. Not. car
ing To lengthen my disagreeahle tramp
for it was no fun dragging ones feet
out of the mud at every step-I decided
to hold my original course. The sides
of the gully looked soft and treacher-
Gus, but by taking a running jump l
thought L could clear the dangerous
part.
Il stepped back a few PAGES. and.
firmly grasping the gun, started. I had
miscalculated the effect the bad footing
would have, and saw my mistake the
moment / sprang; but too late,
Il landed on the other side of the
stream, in what seemed TO me the soft
1st part of the mud. My weight and
the impetus of my jump drove me into
the mud knee-deep.
AT first / was inclined to laugh at
my plight, but that feeling speedily
gave way to one of anxiety. when real
ized that was swiftly sinking.
II endeavored To draw my feet out.
but when L tried TO lift one the other
went further down y cold sweat broke
out on my forehead. 1 was in a bed of
| quicksand,
Il struggled with all my strength.
but it was useless. There seemed to lie
an undercurrent of sand that was con-
tinually Slipping away from my feet.
Against that terrible power il was use
less 10 fight.
Il had heard and read of people dy-
ing in this horrible manner. but never
before had the chilling awfulness of
it struck me with any degree of force
Now. as / thought of being drawn slow
" down. down inch by inch. in imagi-
nation 1 could feel the cold, wet mud
creeping, like some gruesome reptile
about my neck, higher, higher-oyer
my chin; over my tightly-closed lips,
until nv breath. i tell YOU a mans