The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-19

who. crashing through a thicket, did
rot hear. "Ho-o-ol Dyeri" the first
repeated. Here's that Internal conner;
over here!'
"Yop!" assented the other. Com
ing"
Thorpe recognized the voice instant
ly as that of Railways scaler. His
hand crisped in a gesture of disgust.
The man had always been obnoxious
to him.
Two days later he stumbled on their
camp. He paused in wonder at what
he saw.
The packs lay open, their contents
scattered in everv direction. The fire
had been hastily extinguished with a
bucket of water, and a frying pan lay
where 1t had been overturned. If the
thing had been possible, Thorpe would
have guessed at hasty and unpremed-
itated flight.
He was about to withdraw carefully
lest he be discovered, when he was
startled by a touch on his elbow. 1t
was injun Charley.
"Dey 20 UP river" he said. 81 come
see what de row"
The Indian examined rapidly the con-
dition of the little camp.
"Dey look for somethin'." said he,
making his hand revolve as though
rummaging, and indicating the packs.
II t'ink dey see you in de woods"
he concluded. "Dey go camp gettum
boss. Boss he gone on river trail two
tree hour"
You're right, Charley replied
Thorpe. who had been drawing his own
conclusions. lone of them knows me.
They've been looking in their packs
for their notebooks with the descrip-
tons of these sections in them. Then
they piled out for the boss. If I know
anything at all, the bossn make
tracks for Detroit"
'W'ot you do?" asked Injun Charley
curiously
Il got to get to Detroit before they
do! that's ALL
Instantly the Indian became all ac-
tion.
You come" he ordered, and set out
at rapid pace for camp.
There, with incredible dizziness, he
packed together about twelve pounds
of the jerked vension and a pair of
blankets, thrust Thorpe's waterproof
match safe in his pocket, and turned
eagerly to the young man.
You come" he repeated.
Thorpe hastily unearthed his de
scriptions" and wrapped them up. The
Indian, in silence, rearranged the mis-
placed articles in such manner as to
relieve the camp of it's abandoned air.
1t was nearly shutdown. Without a
word the two men struck off into the
forest, the Indian in the lead. Their
course was southeast, but Thorpe ask
ed no questions. He followed blindly.
Soon he found that If he did even that
| adequately, he would have little at
tention left for anything else. The
Indian walked with long, swift strides,
his knees always slightly bent, even
at the finish of the step, his back hol-
lowed. his shoulders and head thrust
forward. His gait had a queer sag in
1T. up and down in a long curve from
one rise to the other. After time
| Thorpe became fascinated in watching
before him this easy, untiring, lope,
hour after hour. without the variation
| of a seconds fraction in speed nor an
inch in length.
At first Thorpe followed him with
comparative ease, but at the end of
three hours he was compelled to put
forth decided efforts to keep pace. His
walking was no longer mechanical but
| conscious. When it becomes so. a man
soon tires. Thorpe resented the in
equalities the stones, the roots, the
patches of soft ground which lay in
his way. He felt DULY that they were
not fair. He could negotiate the dis
lance; but anything else was a gratu-
ltOuS insult.
Then suddenly he gained his second
wind. He felt better and stronger and
moved freer.
At midnight Injun Charley called
halt He spread his blanket, leaned on
one elbow long enough to eat a strip
of dried meat, and fell asleep. Thorpe
initiated his example. Three hours la
ter the Indian reused his companion,
and the two set out again.
From 3 O'Clock until they walked
continually without a pause. without
an instant's breathing spell Then they
rested half an hour. ate a little veni-
son, and smoked a pipe.
An hour after noon they repeated the.
rest. Thorpe rose with a certain phys
ical reluctance. The Indian seemed as
fresh as when he started At sunset
they took an hour. Then forward again
by the dim intermittent light of the
moon and stars through the ghostIy
haunts of forest, until Thorpe thought
he would drop with WEAKNESS, and
was mentally incapable of contemplat-
ing more than a hundred steps in adj
vance.
when get to that square patch of
light I'll quit" he would say to him
self and struggle painfully the re-
quired twenty yards.
mo, 1 won't quit here" he would
continue, TN make it that birch.
Then I'll lie down and die"
And so on. To the actual phvsicaI
exhaustion of Thorpe's muscles was
added that immense mental WEAKNESS
which uncertainty of time and dis
lance inflicts on man. The Journey
might last week, for all he knew In
the presence of an emergency these
men OF action had actually not ex
changed dozen words. The Indian
led; Thorpe followed
When the halt was called. Tborna
fell into his blanket too weary even n
eat. Next morning sharp, shooting
pains, like the stabs of swords ran
through his groin
NYou come" repeated the Indian
stolid as ever
Then the sun was an hour biob tho
travellers suddenly ran into trail
which as suddenly dived into a. snruce
thicket. On the other side of if Thorne
unexpectedly found himself in an ax
tensive clearing, dotted with the hIacL-
ened stumps of pines. Athwart the
distance he could perceive the wtde
Dlue horizon of Lake Michigan He
foot 0A
Boat come By to-day" said Iniun
Chariey. indicating the tall stacks Of
mill. Him no stop. You max him
STOP take you with him. You get train
Macklhaw city tonight. Dose men.
dey on dat train"
Thorpe calculated rapidly. The enc
my would require, even with their
teams, day to cover the thirty miles
20 the hshing village of Munising.