The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-05

IL AllS Ou my JACK uHQST the NdNEt liz
came a humping in my ears and my veins
began to swell. I had no thought nor fear
of death. nothing wen into my mind but a
sense that I must not open my mouth. and
then with a wrench and a struggle that l
knew must be the last 1 caught him under
one arm and over his neck. Twas an old
wrestler's hold, and with the strength OF
all my body and all the good years of
health and training I bent his head down
and his shoulders up till he weakened his
hold on me to save HIS neck.
Then in an instant over he rolled under
the water, struggling. kicking, gurgling.
and II opened my lips and took in a
prodigious gust of air and then closed my
fingers on his throat and put one knee on
his chest. digging the other foot into the
mud between his legs.
L cannot think OF IL even now, long years
after, without the sweat running down my
spine. Twas frightful then. 'Tis so now.
For soon bubbles crept up to the surface
and burst beneath my nose, and a horrible
gurgling sound came up as If from the
depths of hell out of the water. And still
l held him there, working my frenzied fn-
gers into his throat till his grip began TO
weaken and the bubbles came not so fast.
And still 1 thrust my fingers into his flesh
and held my knees hard upon his chest.
And his hold relaxed the more.
Then of a sudden a horror seized me OF
the thing lying there beneath the water,
which 1 could not see but could feel warm
and soft under me. I can feel IL now, and
have for thirty years, and shall for as long
as l can feel anything in this body of mine
"a horror L could no more control than 1
could the tides-and jumped TO my feet and
lifted the shapeless mass and pitched it
into the boat as she pushed her nose into
me and Curtis cried out:
Quick, man. the guard. quick for your
life"
IAN what think you, man. I care for
lfe?' said as / saw dark figures moving
down the lane.
Then 1 gave the boat all the strength 1
had and sent her far out into the stream.
calling:
Remember, Curtis, dead or alive. dead
or alive! he goes to Washington. Remem-
Der. man! remember as you love God, re-
member"
And L was down in the shoal water crawl
ing along the shore with nothing but my
nose above the surface.
After a few yards 1 looked out and saw
the boat far off towards Paulus's Hook
and heard the crack of a dozen rifles near
by fired by men who stood knee deep in
the water. So 1 crawled on perhaps a hum
dred yards, and then. growing faint and
not caring much what might come of 1t, L
crawled out on the shore and lay down in
the mud and tried to breathe again. But
the horror of something. I know not what,
was with me and / shriveled myself up.
setting my head close to my knees and
holding my ankles as l lay there on one
side. And 1 shut my eyes for fear I should
see something and opened them again for
fear that the unknown thing should clutch
me. Twas a terror of something horrid.
unnamable, unseeable that gripped me, and
1 cried out with it.
Twas but a moment when I was seized
again with terror at the sound of my own
voice. and a shiver ran through my bones.
1 lay still, locking about so far as I could
without moving, for ii seemed as if / must
not move or stretch out a hand or foot lest
I touched that nameless something. So 1
lay. when all over my body broke out a
sweat hat burned me. l know not how
long it lasted. Time was nothing then, but
there in the darkness / thought long and
decided to move but the least atom 1t
took more courage than l had ever used
before TO move my arm and turn over. and
then when 1 did attempt to do so 1 could
not, for something gripped and bound me
in my side that drew another cry of pain
and terror until l discovered it was the ugly
wound his sword had made.
So I lay ~still-hours 1t seemed-and then,
reason coming to me, l got up TO walk away
in my drenche clothes and staggered up
through a garden 10 the street, holding by
a fence or a tree, leaning for support
against the side of a house, and so into the
street just as a sign of the first light began
to appear.
The gate was open and 1 got into the
street and fell again into a heap; and then,
gripping the fence, lifted myself UP and
stood there as a shout came TO me. it
seemed. from a hundred people, who rushed
at me and pulled my legs from under me
and picked me up. And 1 cared not a whit
what they did nor heard a word they said,
for there was not enough in life for me to
trouble at it.
ITO Be Continued on tuesday,
copyright, 1901, by Frank A. Munsey as I'm the
Shadow OF War Copyright. 1902, by Dodd
Mead & Col
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