Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-02-09
CHAPTER I.

across the HaccOOn Greek Nnlley. InOugn
Its elevation is hardly more than five hun
drcd feet. the abruptness with which 1t
rises out of the meadow lands, the
straightncss and length of the lofty line
Its summit makes against the sky and
the absence of near rival cmincnces
cause 1t to seem. when viewed from the
valley, real mountain. Its top, for
length of about two miles. Is level and
straight, and is travcrsed by a road, one
Of the most charming drives imaginable,
and not by any means so difficult of ac-
cess as might be expected, since the slope
at the end Of the hill is so gradual that
teams, drawing loaded wagons, ascend 1t
with little difficulty. Through an alley
Of tall trees 1t runs. their boughs arching
overhead and their dead leaves carpeting
II. Smaller trees and shrubs fill the
spaces between their great trunks. and
make wall of foliage on either side.
through riffs in which. here and there.
glimpses are afforded Of blue sky and
heecy-whitc clouds drifting across 1t. No
where Is the summit more than four or
FIVE rods in width.
One flank of the hill IL steep, but not
beyond skillful and daring climbers
scaling. The other, however. Is like a
stupentlous wall. Denudcd Of Its mask
Of foliage, that rocky face would be seen
SCARED, scanned and wrinkled by ages
Of passive resistance to the destroying
forces Of nature. Rain, frost, sunshine
and wind have graved deeply their traces
upon II. But. while the summer lasts at
least, 1t Is fresh and fair
During all the season OF foliage and
bloom, one looking up from the valley
can descry nothing Of that time -furrow.
cd face, but only Its vivid mask from the
summit down to the base; where the crys.
tai creek has undermined 1t and where
fishes, alarmed by the cattle FLASHING
among the gravel on the farther side Of
the pool, dart across the reflected sky and
through the inverted forest to find refuge
among the nevcr-lifting black shadows
Tar beneath the rocks. All the hooks and
crannies In that rugged wall are full OF
life, Foxes have their hiding places In
the caves; birds build their nests In safe
ty In spots accessible only to things with
wings; chipmunks and squirrels frolic
and bark among the branches; snakes
sun themselves on exposed points Of
rocks: owls blink and ponder In the deep.
est shadows; bees store their golden
sweets secure from all despoilers: myri-
ads Of Natures wild children here find
homes, safe from each other and from
the common enemy. man.
Late In the afternoon OF a short autum.
nal day, John Cameron, returning home
ward from hunting In the distant hills.
strobe along the Devils Backbone toward
the valley. A big bunch of gray SOUR.
rels upon his right shoulder showed that
he had had good success; but evidently
his hunt was not yet over. He moved
almost noisccssly, his rifle lay ready OH
his left forearm, and he was keenly alert
for any sight or sound betokcning the
presence Of game. To his ears came the
sigh Of the forest. that Is never hushcd,
and, through 1t the impudent barking OF
foolish squirrel that, having caught sight
Of him, must needs proclaim the fact to
the universe, instead OF prudently scam.
pering away In silence to a place OF safe
~. The crack OF Johns rifle sounding
strangely small and sharp away up there
where there was nothing to echo It, put
an abrupt stop 10 the barking, and a lit.
tic gray, furry lump tumbled from the
top OF hickory tree to the ground, ut the
very brink Of the precipicc, and lay mo.
tionless. In the very net of STOPPING ia
pick up his game, Johns keen eye caught
sight Of a thin, dirty-white, cotton string,
tied to little bush, close to the ground
1t had been covered by leaves, and would
have remained unseen. had not the SOUR.
rers body knocked them away and ex'
posed 1t.
Why should anybody have tied string
ehere? He laid down his gun and pro
ceeded to investigate, hauling In two O,
three yards Of the slack of the strinp
which dangled over the face Of the cliff
Then 1t broke.
what the mischief Is at the other end
Of it?" muttered John to himself.
He laid down, and, thrusting his bod,
out perilously far over the edge of Nh,
precipice, tried In vain to see, among III,
rocks and bushes below, what held IN,
other end Of the string. Fifty feet below
large hickory tree seemed to be firml,
rooted In n ledge Of earth among Nh,
rocks, and one Of Its strong branche,
was only few feet beyond his reach
He calculated that IL he could get hold O,
that branch he might safely swing dow,
by 1t to dogwood tree OF smaller size
on the ledge he wished to reach, o.
course, II his hold gave way, or tn,
branch broke, he would go on down I,
the bottom of the precipicc, and probabl,
break everything frangible In his anat
omy. But II he did not take that risl,
. he could not learn what was at the othe
end of the string. That settled the cues
tion Of his making the attempt. Hayin,
In view a possible shot at a fox or rat
tlesnailc when he got down there, he low
cred his rifle by the string, to the ledg
he purpOsed reaching. Then, by mean
Of long forked stick, he drew In to hin
the hickory branch, clutched 1t, swuni
of, and made the descent he had plannc,
In safety. But the calculation of the mys
terry had not yet been attained Tn
string continued on, still farther down
passing through crevice In the rock, in
to which it had doubtless been blown b.
the wind when dangling free-and he ha
to make second descent, even NOR
perilOus than the first, to reach a sti
lower ledge. This, too, he effected safe
ly, having first sent his gun down ahea
of him, as before, and at length he f0un
the other end of the string.
1t was tied to a small but heavy parce
closely wrapped in cloth that, as he ur
rolled 1t, seemed to bear blood stains
Eleven solid silver spoons and gol
watch We're in the package. CAREFUL
wound around the watch, to protect
from dampness, was strip Of oiled sill
two feet long and three inches wide, upo
which he made out the initials, Nv. g.,
nIl q ~, ,t,,A "a