The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-09-27
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The Gone Mount Captive.


with all the stones I could pick up o
tear loose, but this only made him an
grier, 30 / tried another plan. Per
, haps he would go away II vanished
Back Into the cave out OF sight
crawled and waited for perhaps tween
ty minutes, then quietly crept to tn,
mouth again. The lynx was gone
After waiting few minutes longer
started 10 let myself down at arms
length, meaning 10 hold on by the butt
OF my stick, which jammed upright
tightly into small crevice.
Just AZ l was In the act Of the first
part OF the drop / heard the fcnd
come bounding along the ledge.
IL was too late for me TO stay at the
cave level | fell at arms length.
How / feared the stick would give
way with my weight! But 10 held,
and scrambled back, the lynx jump
ing at me and screaming as / pulled
myself up into the cave.
/ tried the same plan several times,
although | did not again drop TO arms
! length, but the moment / made the
least noise the lynx came bounding
back. | suspected him Of deliberately
concealing himself In order TO tempt
me TO drop. but he had not enough
self-coDtrOl or else was too stupid to
wait long enough for his stratagcm
to succeed.
IL was getting clear TO me now that
| If intended to get out OF there before
| dark IL must be done In some other
way, and soon, for the sun was al.
ready low.
looked up and down the bare wall
Of rock. II offered no hope. But Just
as | turned away plaintivc little
meouw walled out from behind me,
| and like n flash new idea came.
! Why had / not thought Of II before?
| had merely to lower or toss the kit
ten to it's parent when Of course the
| ledge would be vacated.
But again | was doomed 10 disap-
! polntmcnt. The cave roof dropped in
ward rapidly, and ended In sort Of
crevlcc, and the cub had gone back
into that There IL CrOuched i'm
place barely six inches high, and the
little creature was foot beyond the
reach Of my moose. | tried TO dislOdge
1t by bombardmcnt of dust and
other refuse, hut there IL stayed, blink
ing and cringng in n frightened little
heap, until at last, having no longer
the heart TO worry II, | left II TO Itself
When | resumed my place at the
.f l.a q
but | could see new cause for fear
down on the ledge Instead of one
big lynx there were now two--the mate
Of the first had come home!
Certainly | had blundered into
neat trap. | could hope for no human
aid in that lonely spot, and there were
none at home to miss me and look me
up
However, | took out my pipe, say
ing TO myself, while we live, let ms
live Sooner or later the brutcs would
have to go away for food and water;
then would come my chance And as
night was their natural hunting time
this thought gave me comfort.
But hour after hour passed and
smoked pipe after pipe; and whenever
looked down at the ledge II was al
ways either to look into Il pair of
glowing spots and sometimes two
pairs, shining up through the darkness
or TO be greeted with low, threaten
ing growl from somewhere in the |
bushes below
l began to realize what II meant 10 |
be hungry and thirsty, and my horse |
was tied up down there alone. won
dercd where l should find him If he |
broke loose. Once. when the wolves |
were making fuss somewhere in the |
distance a sickenlng fear seized me
my six calves were shut up in the cor.
raj ut home
All the time the coarse rock under |
me grew harder and harder, until my |
legs and thighs were numb. AT last, |
could | have been certain of having |
hut one of the cats To face. believe |
| should have dropped down aud
taken my chance on the narrow ledge |
in the dark.
You can guess. then. how | felt |
when, just as the moon was rising | |
caught sight OF an object moving |
long yonder high ridge two or three |
hundred yards east of the hill !
then kept three large hounds, and In |
the dim light this objec; looked like |
one of them. | whistled shrilly at the |
chance, but when the creature became |
exactly outlined IL dropped on its |
launches and mocked me with the |
doleful howl of n coyote. Then all |
was still again.
Finally l firmly resolved 10 end my |
torture by hand-to- hand fight in the |
morning IL | should find the lynxes |
still on guard. Then stretched my. |
self along the rocky floor and fell |
asleep. IL never occurred TO me that |
the lynx kitten might attack my throat |
or that the parent beasts might find |
some means of helping one another up |
from the ledge TO the cave.
When l awoke the sun was an hour |
high. About the first thing l did was |
TO look for the cub. II was still crouch. |
ing in the crevice. Therefore was
yet n prsoner-prisoner 20 a pair of |
bobtailed catsl
But perhaps l was not glanced |
at the ledge. 1t was empty. My hopes |
had scarcely risen. however. before |
one OF the old lynxes appeared, bring
ing dead rabblt-the kittens break |
fast! When IL reached the spot where |