The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1899-11-11
his neck, as a sharp kink took him

his neck, as a sharp kink took him
there.
What scheme has occurred to yas?'
"'You see those vines hanging down?
Well, now, if there was a way of get
ting hold of them, a fellow might ITO
something. If he could grab a handfeI.
the roots would be strong enough .
help him climb to the top. But they're
20 feet above our heads, at the least cal
culation; and that's the end of that
matter.
I'VE spent the greater part of the day
in figuring upon it, and tried throwing
stones, and tossing up u broken
guns, in the vain hope that they would
lodge upon some of the vines. and bend
them down so that we could find a way
of reaching them. The day was an
other scorcher, and we drank often
from the spring. We were hungry. too;
but of course there wasn't anything to
be got in the way of food.
when the second night came and
found us there, we didn't laugh and
joke as much as on the preceding. 1t
looked too serious, altogether. We had
done considerable shouting, and had a
slight hope hat some of the boys
would take it into their heads to hunt
for us; but there was very little pros
pect, indeed, of that.
1T isn't worth while to describe the
incidents of each day and hour we spent
there; but we stayed down in that fis-
sure until the morning of the fourth
day. during which we had plenty to
drink, but not a mouthful to eat. and I
can tell you, when that last morning
came, we were pretty well used up"
How was it you managed to get out
at last?"
By the very means we might have
used the first hour we fell in. The plan
came upon us both at the same instant,
and we each gave the other a kick as
hard as we had the strength to give, for
our stupidity in not thinking of it be-
fore.
Il told you that at each end of the
fissure the sides came so closely to-
gether that an ordinary man couldn't
wedge himself through.
well, we picked out the right place,
and then damned the end of one of our
rifles in the side as high up as we could
reach, jerking the other down, so that
it caught in the opposite side. This
made. as you might say, the round of
a ladder that pore Max's weight.
with the other gun he did the same.
mounting the second, and then jerking
the first loose, and so on, until he got
TO the top, when he twisted some vines
together and helped me out.
Talk about hunger! Didn't IL
mouths water when we saw three
Glands grazing less than 100 yards
away?-though whether they were the
ones that got us into this scrape. | cam
not say.
I'VE counseled together. 1 recon-
mended that Max should try and run
one down: but he was sure he was too
weak. Then he hunted out the right
sized stone, and began stealing toward
them. while | watched it all with an
anxiety hat you can't understand.
He went along as steadily as a vet
eran until he was very close, and JUST
as he began rising to them. the three
started off on a gallop. Max made a
dash forward, suddenly halted, and
then. gathering all his strength, he let
drive at the nearest.
Hunger hadn't spoiled his skill. and
the stone struck the plumpest Gland on
the side of the head. stunning him so
that he stumbled and fell. Before he
could recover, Max was upon him with
his knife.
I'VE had the materials for a fire. and
we shook hands and vowed that we
wouldn't eat Il mouthful until we had
Gland steaks done TO Il turn. And we
didn't.
THE animal was in splendid condi.
ton, and when we took those crisp,
juicy slices-the lean portions as ten
der and mellow as n peach. and the ia
as luscious as the dream of an epicure
we both declared that. though we
might live a thousand years. we could
never find a meal so altogether good as
that,"-Golden DAYS.