The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-14

while the blue and yellow tongues OF lame
stealthily to flick at us like little vanishing
demon whips l saw and heard ana 1elt as
one remote from all the torture turmoil or
of sleeping sensibility the dancing savages
became as marionettes in some cunning
puppet show. and the blood stained figures
stiffening against their log took shapes less
horrifying.
Twas Dicks voice, coming. as it seemed.
from a mighty distance, that broke the
spell and brought me back to quickened
agonies. He spoke in painting gasps as the
smoke would let him.
"One word, Jack, before we go-go to
our own place. He said-he said she would
be free toto marry him. Tell me
o God in heaven."
His agony lash to cut me deeper
than any Ticking demon whip of flame,
yet / must needs add TO 1t.
AYE, Richard, / have wronged you,
wronged you desperately; can you hear me
yet? say have wronged you, and shall
Gle the easier If you'n forgive
Once more the smoke, rising again in
denser clouds, cut me of, and through the
binding blue haze of 1t saw the Indians
i It DOWN lest VII" It should a spoii their sport
| oversoon by smothering US out Of hand.
With the chance to gasp and breathe
Richard fSc JeDnifer and had him shrive me il
he would. But when l called he did not
answer. His head was rolling from side to
Srsx ana a nns IN the awful
grimaces Of the death throe.
You will not wonder that 1 could not look
at him; that 1 looked away for very PHYS
the flame. as l made sure he had. and so
| be the sooner past the anguish crisis.
There was good hope that the prayer
would have a speedy answer. The fires
| were burning clearer now, leaping up in
| broad dragons tongues Of flame from the
| outer edges of the fagot piles TO curtain of
| all that lay beyond. Through the luminous
| shapes the most weird and grotesque; and
when / had glimpse of the dead mems
| row each hideous face in ii seemed to wear
| a grin of leering triumph.
Thus far there had been never pun OF
| wind to fan the blaze. But now above the
shrilling Of the Indian chant and the
| thunder trembled in the upper air and a
gentle breeze swept through the treetops.
So now 1 would commend my soul to
God, making sure that the breath He gave
| would go out on the wings Of the first gust
that should come to drive the fiery veil in
1 ward. But when the gust came it was
| from behlnd-a sweeping bosom to beat
down the leaping dragons tongues. a pour
| ing flood of blessed GOODNESS to turn the
| ebbing lifetide and to set the dulied senses
once more keenly alert.
With the wind came the rain, a passing
| summer nights shower of great drops
| scattering on the leaves above and dripping
thence to fall kissing in the fires. Then
| the thunder growled again, and into the
| monotonous droning of the Indian chant,
| or rather rising sharp and clear above IL.
came a sudden rafting tire of musketry
| the sharp skirling of the troop captain s
whistle shrilling the assembly.
While yet the flames lay 1attened in the
| wind saw the Indians wheel and bound
| away to the rescue of their camp like a
| pack of hounds in full cry. In a trice they
were wallowing through the stream at the
foot of the powder bowlder; and then as
the flames leaDed up again dark form
burst through the fiery barrier, my bonds
| were cut and a strong hand plucked me
out of the scorching hell pit.
If 1. did aught to help it was all me-
| chanical. do remember dimly some fierce
struggle to free my legs from the blazing
at the sight of the faithful Catawba hack
ing at Dicks lashings and dragging him
| also free Of the fire. And you may believe
the welcome tears came to ease the pain of
thought him gone past human help-took
two staggering steps and flung his arms
about my neck.
Uncanoola gave US no time to come by
easy stages to full-wit sanity. In a twink
ling he had bounced upon us to crush us
| one upon the other behind the larger tree
| And now come upon another of those
fitting instants so crowded with happen
fngs that the swiftest pen must seem to
make them lag. Twas all in a heart beat
as 1t were-the Catawbas freeing of us
his flinging us to earth behind the tree a
| squirt of binding yellow flame from the
foot of the powder cliff and booming. lar
| Tlns STUCK IKE tHdt Oh an earthquake.
The mOmentary glare of the yellow fla sh
lit up scene most awe-inspiring. The
spouting fountain Of fire at the base of the
| great powder rock was thick with flying
! missiles, and on high the very cliff itself
was tottering and crumbling So much
saw; then the Catawba sprang up to haul
US afoot by main strength and to rush us
with an arm for each, headlong through
the wood toward the valley head
But Dick hung back and when the dull
| thunder of the falling rocks, the crash of
the tumbling cliff and the shrill death wells
| Of the doomed ones came to our ears he
! fought loose from the Indian and flung
himself down, crying as If his heart would
| break
| 20 Cod she's lost, she's losti-and
/ have missed the chance TO die with her or
for herr!
ITO Be Continued