The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-11-14

other foot into the mud between his
legs.
4 cannot think of 1t even now, long
years after, without the sweat running
down my spine. IT was frightful then.
II is so now. For soon bubbles crept up
to the surface and burst beneath my
nose, and a horrible gurgling sound
same up as If from the depths of hell
out Of the water. And still + held him
there, working my frenzied fingers 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 wa
ter, which I could not see but could feel
warm and soft under me! I car feel it
now, and have for thirty. years, and
shall for as long as I can feel anything
in this body Of mine-a horror I could
no more control than I 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!" '~
"And what think you, man, / care for
life" said ], as I saw dark figures
moving down the lane.
Then I gave the boat all the strength
I had, and sent her, far out into the
stream, calling: . =.@ ~.
Remember, Curtis, dead or alive!
dead or alivei he goes to Washington.
Remember, man! remember as you love
God, remember!"
And I was down in the shoal water
crawling along the shore with nothing
but my nose above the surface.
g. A ftaC q faUy yor1S T 1onlyo1 rp1,t an1
saw h boat far Off towards Paulus'
Hook and heard the crack of a dozen
rifles near by fired. by men who stood
knee deep in the water. So I crawled
on perhaps a hundred yards, and, then,
growing faint, and not caring much
what might come of it, I 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 I shriveled myself
up setting my head close to my knees
and holding my ankles as I lay there
IN one side. And. T shut my eyes f6r
fear I should see something and
opened them again for fear that the
unknown thing should clutch me.
Twas a terror Of something horrid, I'M
namable, ~unseeable, that gripped me,
and l 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 ram
through my bones. I lay still, looking
about SO far as I could without moving,
for it seemed as If I must not move
or stretch u a hand or. foot, lest T
touched that nameless something. So
I lay, when all over my body broke out
a sweat that burned me. I know not
how long it lasted. Time was moth
ing then, but there in the darkness !
thought long and decided to move but
the least atom. It took more courage
than I had ever used before to move
my arm and turn over, and then, when
I did attempt to do so, T could not, for
something gripped and bound me in
my side thai drew another cry of pain
and terror, until I discovered it was
the ugly wound his sword had made.
So Llay still-hours, 1t seemed-and
then, reason coming to me, T got up to
walk away in my drenched clothes,
and staggered up through a garden to
the street holding by a fence or a tree,
leaning for support against the side
of: a house, and so into the street.. lust
as a sign of the first light began to
appear. 4
The gate was open and I 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, 1t seemed from q hundred peo-
pie, who rushed at me and pulled my
legs from under me and picked me
up. And I cared not a whit what they
did nor heard word they said, for
there was not enough in life for me to
trouble at it.