The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1897-08-14
called to my own danger as l chung

|
with difficulty to the seat and braced
myself for leap the moment op-
portunity offered,
"Just then the driver rose to his
feet. His long whip described q
swift circle and fell across the backs
of the leaders. They sprang for
ward like a shot from a cannon,
dragging the wheel horses with the
coach. AS the lash struck the lead
ers the driver frightened the reins
and gave yell of encouragement to
his team, and then, leaning far
back, guided them with taut lines
directly down the narrow road. The
four horses at once leaped into a
wild run, and then l comprehended
that he intended to keep in the road
instead of abandoning the coach to
it's fate So far as can recall, there
was no sound uttered after the shout
of the driver. Within and without
the coach paralysis possessed all.
The only sound was the fierce
pounding of the iron hoofs on the
rock faced road, the roar of the
wheels and the frantic creaking of
the leather springed coach as it
rocked like tempest tossed vessel.
ION neither side did anything
take definite shape. We moved, as
it were, between two great walls
of darkness, somewhat as in a
swift railway train when passing
through narrow gorge. There was
no difference, between the wall of
rock on one side and the abyss on
the other. l continued standing,
clinging to the stanchions with a
deadly clasp, possessed by a vague
impression. that a jump must be
made at some approaching crisis. l
have an indistinct impression that
the woman in the drivers seat had
both her arms about the waist of
the Englishman and that he stood
with his face to the wall to the left
and chung to the railing of the seat
like a drowning man to storm
tossed spar.
II recall that we seemed scarcely
to touch the ground; that we flew;
that our movement was one of vast
leaps, in which we struck the ground
with resounding clash, like YES
sci in storm when it's bow is met
by a wave 1.-The air pushed against
my face as if it were some demoni-
acal energy trying to wrench me
from the coach. All the time, in
my hazy consciousness, lying appar-
emily across the road was impend
ing death. l felt it was the fate
which menaced us. It was black
wall against which we would break
and humiliation.
II have no idea of the time. It
might have been minute; it might
have been 20 for aught that l COM
pretended during our descent. l
only recall that we went rocking,
laundering down the steep grade
and observation-disclosures"
Here the dark man stopped his
narration, as if there were no more
to say.
'You were not killed evidently,
said one of the listeners. what
else happenedi''
Nothing much. When came to
myself, we were in front of a ranch
used for station The coach had
stopped, and several men were run
ming toward us from the stables
The four white horses stood with
dropping heads in front of the coach
and were hardly visible through the
dense cloud of steam which rose
from their heaving bodies. The
driver was sitting in his seat, his ell
bows on his knees, his chin resting
on his hands and himself as impas-
sive as if cut in marble.
'How about the rock you were
going to smash up against9 That's
what I'd like to know"
"That's what I'd like to know
myself" replied the dark man. II
believe, however, that just where
we rounded tho rock there was a
deep impression in the road on the
side next to the wall, and it was the
dip of the wheels in this hollow
which prevented the coach swinging
outward, so that as it righted we
had passed in the open place just a
few feet from the gulch. 1t was the
tremendous shock as the wheels
plunged into the depression and the
thought we had struck the rock and
I was killed which made me insen-
sible."
ANYBODY hurtf"
Mot hair of one of our heads.
The driver landed us in as good con-
.dition as we are this minute in this
room We made up purse for him
of 800, and the company gave him
as much more That's all I'm OFT.
Good nightl' Washington Star.