Evening star., 1901-09-21


at sunset the sun came out and showed
on the green and white of the crumbling
waves that moved from above past the is
lands in endless procession, and threw long
shadows down to the vortex. The SWIM
ming suit lay potionless upon the rocks.
and Westerman had disappeared. "0h.
he'll never dare" I-said to Bowers, and
turned to look after Skitters, but just then
the boy clutchd my arm and pointed. L
saw but indistinctly; 1T seemed to me as
though an empty suit had been pushed into
the current bxs its lnventor. but Curley
Bowers. with keener eyes. had dropped up
on one knee. straining -fiercely forward, and
he cried: He lltry it. He'll try it! BY G.,
he's coming down!
For moment thes clumsy. mis-shapen
form seemed to'4ie motionIeSS in the water
then 1t stirred and made a stroke or two
And with that the current caught it and
whirled it forward, pitching and stumbling
through the waves AS though in mockery
the river played with it awhile and drove
1t down against that reef of rocks which
snow above the water parallel with shore
When we saw the German clutch at these
and lie there it seemed to us that it was
not TOO late and that he might yet be
saved. For perhaps the space of two min
utes he rested against those rocks and he
may nave heard our shouts of encourage
ment. but who can guess what was going
on N his mind as he hung there over
Death He stirred again spasmodically at
last, rolled over on his side into deeper
water, and with reckless valor, which made
IL,
apex of the Horseshoe
Skltters the while was coming up be-
mind us; when he beheld that sight he
turned around and ran away, uttering
strange noises. But Bowers and l, we
saw the AlSatian take thus his one chance
Tor HE and victory, were seized with
new mad recklessness, so that we forgot
the stake, forgot the CHASTITY odds and be-
gan 10 shout encouragement again. "Oh,
good boy, good boy Pete" we cried. eve
must ourselves have been half crazy.) go
on tnere, you can do it,! The water
caught MIN again and shot him forward.
II IL all passed rapidly as an accident.
Ihat moment, when the black form hung
poised upon the brink of the abyss, was
not to be forgotten. He had swung him
sell around to go down feet foremost; he
seemed TO shoot out and to keep the crest
OF the water skillfully enough and fell with
IL through crashing space and clouds of
binding vapor to the bottom of the prec-
pice 100 feet below
Upon the place seemed suddenly to rest
a solemn hush and quiet for all the move
ment and the uproar. Curley Bowers and
! stood peering and watched the water go
ing over SO majestically, as though we
half expected that it might bring him back.
RAINBOW had appeared and hung across
the chasm; behind us the sun was shining
ana the world went on as usual. But from
out the misty, echoing gorge faint voices
and strange noises seemed to rise and Cur
ley Bowers was shivering and talking to
hlmsef. Hes gone the lad lamented;
poor Old Westerman, he's off the map!
Wouldn't that jar your" Then he puIIed
himself together and started to run down
toward the elevator. '-C'm on he shout
ed to me. Lets see this circus through
beslde the elevator we found Skitters,
his face pale pea green. Look a-here'
he cried, with a knowing air, this thing is
getting pretty close to risky. We'd better
look out for our scalps. and cut and run
But boWers, showing his teeth like wharf
rat, snarled: who cares about your
scalp! There's a game man gone down
there. You've got boat n you'll come
along n help get him out" So we hurried
down to the lower river where the boat
was, Skitters and his company We must
nave been curious collection. The inven-
tor had run down and joined us, his eyes
bulging and his mouth wide open. Even
then he seemed to be principally concerned
about the fate of the suit. From his some
What fraSm entary remarks 1 gathered that
after he had carefully inclosed Wester-
man In this, plain for all men to see, the
German had quietly rolled off into the
water. He had gone down to keep the ap-
polntment, indeed, but in his own fashion;
old Gill was stiH indignant at the trick
We crouched there, meanwhile, on the
stones ana watchedi the writhing water
come out from the shadow Of the precipice
with queer long streaks in it. Bowers and
Skltters and the man who had charge of
the boat pushed off in this they went a
long way out and asifar as they dared up
the stream. Yet it was close inshore and
very near us that we caught sight of the
object of our Search and the sight of it
gave us all a start. seSee, see; there it isv'
muttered old Gill, and pointed. We watch
ed it with kind of awe as though it had
been uncanny; and as we watched the fig
ure stirred and swan. srs.z
Alive" Skitters stood up in the boat,
reckless of the river and flushed with the
pride of victory. Napoleon at AusterIitz
Caesar on the striumphal car He bowed
as though to Invisible crowds; 1 believe
that for moment he thought he owned
fhn folk (Nnr -
Il didn't quite plan it this way, but we've
got here the biggest attraction that the
world has ever yet seen. Wen be known
all over America tomorrow
Help me to get him out Of this" cried
Bowers. They had towed the bulky figure
in toward land, and the arms kept swim
ming and convulsively clutching air. We
drew 1t up upon the beach and began to
open the pneumatic suit, wondering to see
how this had been bruised and strained.
One Of the legs hung Imply, smashed in
spite of all the armor.
What followed next find 1t not easy to
describe. We got the. helmet off at last
with nervous fingers. and we saw q smoth-
cred, distorted countenance, the eyes closed
tight as though to shut out fear. They
opened in moment with the strangest
blankest expression in them, and did not
see us. and a voice began to speak, or to
gibber rather, no matter what the words
were. What would the words be of one
whose reason has snapped suddenly and
left mind all blank or tipsy-turvy.
l suppose, In fact, that the Germans
brain. long dwelling upon that foolhardy
feat, may have become unsettled at the
last, and have given way rapidly during
those minutes in the upper rapids That
had been no sane man who swan at the
falls before us; and the mental wreck had
been completed at last by possibly the
greatest physical shock that a human be-
ing has ever yet survived. Life was there
still in that wrenched and battered form.
but not a spark of reason. But Skitters.
with an Ell Dorado of dazzling possibilities
still before his eyes, still refused to accent
the truth, and he stroye to revive the shat
tered man with words of glittering cheer.
Just think of It," he bawled above the
stunning uproar, that you're a made man
now. Think of the Midway up wonder:
think of them great big crowds a-streamine
in from all America, and you alive and the
biggest thing of all, the biggest inducemant
In all the bupch-the man who went over
Niagara-no fake about this show. and ma
your manager!" Thus he gabbled TO the
man before him, and the other was gab-
bling something about green girls who
swan in the water, and turned the lights
out when one fell off the world. Mean
while, the solemn cataract above thunderad
on increasingly, indifferent to us and cur
small tragedy. Once Curley Bowers turned
toward it and exclaimed with a touch Of
respect he rarely showed: 'T guess 1t