The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1903-12-06
twinkling stars shining down upon US
from a narrow breadth Of sky.
CHAPTER xXYII.
WA CTRET

Dick pressed closer to me, and 1 could
feel him drinking in deep dragghts OF
the grateful outer air.
What new wonder is this?' he would
ask, with something akin TO awe In his
voice; but we must needs grope this way
and that to feel out the answer with our
finger tips
When the answer was found, the mys-
terry of the lost trail was solved most
simply. As we made out, we were in q
deep crevice cut crosswise by the stream,
which, issuing from a yawning cavern
in the farther wall, was quickly engulfed
again by that lower archway we had just
traVersed. In some upheaval of the
earthquake age huge slice of the noun
tain's face had split off and settled away
from the parent cliff to leave a deep
cleIt open to the sky. One end of this
creVice chasm-that toward the upland
valley-was choked and filled by the de-
bris Of later landsldes, but the lower
END was open.
Through this lower end, as we made
no doubt, the powder train had come,
turning from the Indian path in the
gorge UP the bed of the barrier stream,
turning again al the outer cavern mouth
TO squeeze in single file between the
thickly matted underground and the
clits face, and so 10 pass around the
rift. ~ w
HOW the sharp eyes of the old hunter,
and those OF the Catawba as well, had
missed the finding OF this squeezing
place where the caYalcade had left the
stream bed, we could never guess; but
on the chance that we might yet need TO
know all the crooks and turnings OF TINS
outlet, we felt our way quite around the
masking cliff and down to the streams
edge ia the gorge.
That done we were ready for farther
advance, and clambering back into the
crevice We once more took the stream Tor
our guide and were presently deep IN the
natural tunnel piercing the mountain
proper. This extension Of the suOter-
ranean waterway proved to be a noble
cavern, wide ana high enough 10 pass a
loaded vain, as we determined by TOSS
ing PEBBLES against the arching roof. None
the less. twas full of crooks and wind
ings; and in the snarpest elbow of them
all, where we were like to lose our way
by laundering into one OF the man.
branching side passages, Richard Stopped
me with hand thrust back
'Softly!" he cautioned; here are their
vedettesi"
Just beyond the crooking elbow the
dull red glow from a tiny fire gone 20
Goals showed US two Indian sentries set
10 keep the pass. Dick drew his clay
more, but he was chilling again, and the
hand that grasped the great blade was
shaking as with a palsy. Yet he would
mutter, as the teeth-chattering suffered
him:
What say you. JACK? Shall we rush
them2 There's naught else for it And
then. with a Gritting oatn: 'Oh. damn
this cursed chilling."
/ whispered back that we would wait
till he was better fit. He was 10th to
admit the necessity. but, as it CHANGED
the momentary delay saved our lives in
that strait. While we paused. hugglng
the shadows in the crooking elbow, the
gloomy depths beyond the sentrieS were
suddenly starred with haring hambeauX
lighting the way for a hasting rabble or
savsges; and had we been entangled in
the struggle with the two SentinelS we
should have been taken red-handed.
AS Il was. we had to make the quick
est play to save ourselves In the same
breath we both remembered the narrow
side passage just behind In when we
were nigh to losing our way, and into
this we plunged, reckless of possible pit
falls. We were no more than safeiy out
Of the main corridor when the runners,
some score of them, as we guessed,
trooped past our covert in full cry. leav-
ing us half smothered in the smoky trail
Of their pitcn-pine famoeaux; 49, h.
nets nest Of theirs abuzz so suddenly!
I whispered. when the smoke-choke gave
US liberty to speak without coughing TO
betray ourselves.
"Our pony-riding Tuckaseges. doubt
less" was Richards ready answer. BY
all the chances. they should have met
the Great Bear and his peace-onering out
yonder Oh the trace-which same they
did not So when they bring this tale to
camp there is the devil TO pay and no
pitch hot. God help our tough old
hounds win out in time to oVertaKe
Aye" said 1; and then we crept out
of the dodge-hole and made ready to go
about our business with the sentries.
But when we came to peer again
around the crooking elbow it would seem
that the hurrying search party had
fought our battle for US. The watch IRE
was there to light a little circle in the
gloom. but the watchers were gomez We
CHANGED a guess that they had joined the
eaYa1 We
past the handful of enbers and into the
pit-black depths beyond.
Twenty paces further on it came to
playing blind mans buff with the rocky
pings and stumblings twas "A long Sao-
bath days journey TO that nnal turn IN
the great earth-burrow whence we could
see the glimmering OF the enemys camp
fires in the sunken valley
Now God be praisedl quoth Richard
most fervently. Another hour in this
cursed kennel with the FEVER on me ana d
I should be yammering loose-wit And
l. too. was glad enough to see the stars
again, and to be at large beneath them.
Emerging from the subterranean way,
we held to the camp side of the stream!
making an ample circuit to the left TO
come down upon the enemy position from
the wooded slope behind the encamp-
ment. We met no let or hindrances IN
this approach. Secure in their strong
held the Indians had no patrols out; ana
as for the Englishmen, every mother
son Of them, it seemed, was basking IN
the light of a great fire built before the
pine-bought shelters.
Favored by dense thicketing OF laurei,
we made a near-hand reconnaissance OF
the little wigwam which held our Gear
Iadv AS l have said. this was pltcheo
in the thinning of the forest when Gov
cred the steep slope behind the encamp
nent. and so was the farthest removed
from the stream. and from the lndian
lodges disposed in a half-moon at tne
waters edge. Here all was quiet as the
grave and the clamor of the lndlan
camp came softened by the distance 10
low rnonotonous humming like the ouz-
zinR of a beehive. The fiap OF the tepee
lodge was closely drawn and the oit OF
fire before il had burned out 10 heap
of whfte-ashed embers. -,
They are safe yet, thank Iou,
says Richard. heaving most paIpaple
sigh of relief Then. with the fever IN
hts veins to whip his natural ardor into
hasty action: twill be hours before
Eph and the Catawba can come IN by
YOUR upper ravine. Jack. and we snail
never have a better chance than TINS.
Hold you quiet here. whilst L
But / laid fast hold Of him and would
not hear to any such foolhardy mar
ring of Ephraim Yeate's plan
Heavens, boyi are you gone clean
mad?' / would say. Twill be risky