Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-08-18


| he's turned out to be one of those fel.
lows whose hands aren't particle
| broader than their wrists. What do
| you suppose they care about things
like these?' he added, r ttling the
handouts viciously ''Whi e we were
sleeping here, like the gentle lambs
we are, he slipped his hands out, un-
tied the rope from his ankles and left,
taking the broncos along as mementos
of pleasant trip with foos.''
"Then let's follow himn'I exclaimed,
leaping up; but the sheriff gripped me
by the trousers.
I'm thankful" he said, earnestly,
"that I'm not the only idiot in this
camp. Why. you dummy, can't
you comprehend the difference be-
tween people on horses and people on
| foot, and don't
Fro zen Pete had been quietly but
rapidly pulling on his boots, button
ing his jacket and tightening his belt.
His manner was generally so deliber-
ate that now we both stared at him in
surprise. Ny view embraced the
mouth Of our camping ground, and
between the black walls I saw, with
horror, long, unbroken line of leap
ing flame. Extending the entire
width of the bottom, it's dancing vel
low crest was just visible as it rose
over long knoll lying in its path.
How the fire started 1 10 not know to
| this day. Perhaps campers on the
prairie had set it going accidentally.
1t could not have been burning
long, for else we should have noticed
the glare in the night sky. Complete
ly hidden by our walls until within
the last few moments, the terrible
danger had crept upon us unobserved.
The fire was already within 800
yards Of us, and the rough wind was
sweeping it nearer with frightful IA
pidity There was no time to start
counter fire. The sheer walls on three
sides of us blocked our retreat. A death
OF torture was rushing straight at us.
Pete and l stared at Colonel Bailey,
while in that awful moment the sheriff
stood, with bent head, thinking how
to save us.
This way, boys" he cried, sudden
ly, and ran straight across the canon
toward the creek. We followed and
quickly reached the narrow bluff op-
posite. The sheriff glanced rapidly
along its base He had seen such
formations before and hoped to find
hole through the wall
| was by his side when we reached
a spot where the tall grass had been
worn down. He stopped, dropped on
one knee and then pulled me bodily
to the ground. To my astonishment
l found myself looking into wolf
barrow, perhaps IS inches in diam
eter. At its other end, scarcely Is
feet away, l could see light. Some
enterprising coyote had dug passage
through the narrow wall to the creek
beyond.
''See if it's wide enough for YOU,
boy" cried the colonel; "maybe we
can get through, maybe not. II We
can't -"
with both arms extended in front of
me thrust my head and shoulders
into the opening, and digging my toes
violently into the ground l showed
myself forward almost my length.
There stuck fast. With no room to
bend my arms or use my knees, l was
helpless. Writhe>and squirm as
would, I could make no progress. In
despair l struggled back into the
basin.
81 feared it," said the sheriff, husk-
lily. IF we could use our elbows we
could make it, but as it is. God help
u.s."
For some seconds we stood motion
less. The fire had advanced full so
yards, and the internal roar was buzz
ing in my ears when Pete suddenly
| thrust out his hand toward the west.
Opposite us, on the verg of the bluff,
was the rascally bandit, Oche. We
could see him distinctly in the in
creasing light. There he sat astride
the colonel's pony, stolidly watching
US and apparently finding ferocious
joy in our approaching destruction.
We had hardly time for thought,
however, before Oche dropped to the
ground. Holding the lariat coiled in
his hand, he cut it from the bronco's
neck and sprang to the edge of the
bluff at. q point where the wall was
slightly less steep. Instantly he
squatted down, lurched his weight for
ward and slid down the bank into the
basin below. The descent was almost
| as rapid as a fall, but Oche reached
the bottom unharmed, and springing
to his feet he came bounding toward
us, his lank, wiry body shooting far
through the air at every leap.
The act of the bandit in dropping
from safety to apparent death utterly
bewildered us. In the nature OF
things it would not be to attack us.
The roaring of the flames grew louder,
we could hear the cracking of the
tall, crisp grass, yet we could only
stand and stare.
The Indian presently reached us.
Throw away guns - hats |" he
| oriad