Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1896-04-09
snow.whitc car, MS bloom that s7es

He climbed to the place and stretched
out his hand to cut the flower. when Of
a sudden heard him utter an exclauia
ton and saw him start back.
what is it?' | said. "IIave you
pricked yourself, or cut your baud?'
He made no answer, but his eyes grew
wide with horror and lac pointed al
something gray that was gliding away
among the stones, and as he pointed
| saw a spot of blood appear u'0;: his
wrist. Maya saw 1t also.
"A snake has bitten youl" she cried.
in a voice of agony; then she sprang ut
/ him, and before guessed what she was
about to do, seized his arm with both
hands ard applied her Ira 20 The
wound. lie tried to wrench i. free, but
she chung To it ficrcely, then calling to
me to bring n stick she tore s strip of
/ her robe and made il fast around his
wrist above the puncture. By now
was there with the stick, and setting IL
I in the loop of linen, twisted il till the
hand turned blue from the pressure.
What snake was it?" ! asked.
THE deadly gray sort, ;" he answered,
adding: Don't look SO frightened,
Maya l know a cure. Come to the
camp, quick" In two minutes we were
there, and the senior had snatchcd a
sharp knife and n powder flask.
Now, friend, The said handing me the
knife, ECU. deep, since il is life or death
: to me, and there are no arteries on top
of the wrist"
! Seeing what had come about, Zilbal.
bay held the senor's hand. and | cut
twice. lie never WINGED, but ut each
cut Maya grnaned. Then. having let
! the blood fall till il would run no more,
s,,s..
much as would lie ON n twenty-ccni
of white smoke, leaving the flesh be
meath black and charrcd
Now, rs we have no spirits, there Is
nothing more to be done except &c
wait" said the senior, with an attempt
at a smile
Zilbalbay went to n bag and pro-
duced from IL some cuca paste.
Eat this" he said; lit is better than
any firewatcr."
The senior took the stuff and began to
swallow it till presently saw he could
force no more down, for a paralysis
seemed TO be creeping over him; his
throat contracted. and his cyclids fell
as though weighed down by Irresistible
sleep. Now, seeing that notwithstand-
ing our remedies the poison had got
hold of him, we seized him by the arms
and began to walk him to and fro. en-
couraging him at the same time to keep
n brave heart and fight against death
Il am doing my best, he answered.
feebly; then his mind began to wander
and at length he fell down aad his eyes
shut.
Unless we can rouse him the white
man will die" said Zilbalbay.
"Oh, awake!" cried MAYA dcspairing-
ly, placing her lips close To the scnor's
ear.
lie seemed to hear her, for though his
eyes did not open, he smiled family and
murmured, iii try"
Then, with our help, he struggled
from the ground and began to- walk
again like a man who Is drunk. Then
he fell again, and putting our hands upon
his breast we could feel the contrac-
tions of his heart growing weaker every
moment, till at last they seemed to die
away. But of sudden, when we had
already abandoned hope, it bounded
violently in his breast, and from every
pore of his skin, which till now had
been parched and dry. there burst so
profuse perspiration that in the light
of the rising moon we could see it run
ming down his face.
81 think that the white man will live
now; he has conquered the poison, 9"
said Zilbalbay quietly, and hearing his
words, returned thanks TO God in nv
heart.
Then we laid him in hammock, pill
ing blankets and serapes over him till
Mt length the pcrspiration ceased, all
the fluid in his body having eve ->'-Gtet,
taking the venom with it.
For an hour or more he slept, then
awolSe and asked for water IN a faint
, voice. We, who were watching, looked
at him in dismay, for we had not a sin
| gle drop to give, and this we were
Obliged to tell him. He groancd and
was silent for awhile, and then said:
I lit would have been kinder to let me
die of the poison, for this torment of
thirst is more than can bear"
Can we try the cucva?" faltered
Maya.
lit is impossible" answered her
father. I'VE should all be killed"
"Yes, yes" repeated the senior, lit is
! impossible. Better that one should die
than all four"
"Fcar not" / said to the senior, sit is
the poison that has dried you up, but
thirst will not kill you so soon, and
/ presently you will feel H. less. OH.
sleepr"
/ he lay silent for awhile, making no
answer, but from the workings of his
. hands and face we could sec that he
suffered much.
Maya" he said at length, lean you
find me a cool stone to put in my
mouth?"
She searched and found pebble
| which he sucked. but after n time il fell
from his lips, and we saw that 1t was as
, dry as when it entered them. Then his
brain gave way, and he began to rave
| huslxily in many languages.
Are You devil?" hc asked, "that you
suffer me to die in torment for the want
of drink of water? Why do you stand
there and mock me? oh, have pity and
! give me water"
For awhile we bore it, though per-
haps our agonies were greater than his
own-then Maya rose and looked Mt his
! face. II was sunlen as though with q
/ heavy Illness, thick black rings had APP
peared beneath his blue eyes, and his
I lips were flecked with blood.
81 can endure this no MORE" she said
I in n dry voice. watch your friend,
| Don Ignatio."
"You are right" | answered; "this is
yonGer, so that can wake you if there
| Is need"
She looked at me reproachfully, but
went without answering and sat down
behind bush about thirty yards away
Here, it seems-for all this story she
/ told me afterward, and for the most
part do but repeat her words-shc be-
gan to think.
Only one thing could save him
water. In the depths of yonder hill.
within few PAGES of her, doubtless Ii
lay in plenty, but who would dare to
seek it there? And yet the descent OF
the cueva must be possible, since tie,
ancicnts used it daily. and why could
she not do what they had done? Yes,
she would try It'll When once she had
made up her mind, Maya set about the
task swiftly.
She provided hcr2clf with flint, steel,
timber. n rope, and n small water-slsin
of Unframed hide, which she strapped
upon her shoulder. In another minute
she was running across the desert like
deer. At the entrance to the cueva
she paused to gather up the aloe torches
which had been thrown down there
and also to look for one moment at the
familiar face of night-the night that
! she might never see again. Then she