Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-12-23
dly. They had a glow like that Of

II
A little peak Of green vapor showed
above the skyline. 1t loomed high as
we looked. 1t grew into lofty col
umn, reeling far above the forest Be-
low 1t we could see a mighy heaving
in the tree-tops. Something like an
immense bird was hurtling and pir-
ouetting in the air above them. The
tower of green looked now like great
faring bucket hooped with fire and
overflowing with darkness. Our ears
were full of mighy voice out Of the
heavens. A wind came roaring down
some tideway of the air like water In
fume. 1t seemed to tap the sky.
Before I could gather my thoughts we
were in q torrent of rushing air, and
the raft had begun to heave and toss.
felt D'ri take my hand In his. !
could just see his face, for the morning
had turned dark suddenly. His lips
were moving, but I could hear nothing
he said. Then he lay fiat, pulling me
! down. Above and around all the
noises that ever came to the ear Of
man-the beating Of drums, the below
ing of cattle, the crash Of falling trees,
the shrek Of women, the rattle OF ma
chinery, the roar Of waters, the crack
of rifles, the blowing Of trumpets, the
braying of asses, and sounds Of the
like Of which I had never heard and
pray God I may not hear again, one
and then another dominating the
mighty chorus. Behind us, In the
gloom, could see. or thought I could
see, the reeling mass Of green plough
ing the water, like ship with chains
Of gold flashing over bulwarks Of fire.
In a moment something happened Of
which I have never had any deflnite
notion. I felt the strong arm Of D'ri
clasping me tightly. heard the thump
and roll and rattle Of logs heaping
above US; felt the water washing over
me; but I could SEQ nothing. I knew
the raft had doubled; 1t would fall
and grind our bones: but made no
effort to save myself. And thinking
how helpless I felt Is the last I re-
member of the great windfall Of June
5, 1910, the path Of which may be seen
now, so years after that memorable
day, and l suppose 1t will be visible
long after my bones have crumbled.
l thought I had been sleeping when
I came to; at least, had dreamed.
I was in some place where 1t was dark
and still. 1 could hear nothing but the
drip Of water; I could feel the arm Of
D'ri about me, and l called to him,
and then l felt him stir.
"Thet you, .,ay?" said he, lifting his
head.
YES" answered. Where are we?'
Judas Priest! l ain no idee. Jes'
woke UP. Been a-layin' here tryin'
t think. Ye hurt?"
"Guess not" said I.
"Ain't ye got no pains or aches no.
where n yer body?"
Head aches a little" said I.
He rose to his elbow, and made q
light with his flint and tinder, and
looked at me.
Got o goose-egg on yer forard,' y
said he, and then I saw there was
blood on his face.
EFF it he'd mt been fer the withes
they d "a ground us t powder"
We were lying alongside the little
house, and the logs were leaning to 1t
above us.
"Je-ushy Jane Pepper!" D'ri ex-
claimed, rising to his kness. "S whut
I call a twister."
He began to whittle piece of the
splintered platform. Then he lit q
shaving.
"They 8 ground here" said he, as he
began to kindle fire, ground a-plenty
right under u.s."
The freight gave us good look
at our cave under the logs. 1t was
about 10 feet long and probably as
high. The logs had crashed through
the side of the house in one or two
places, and its roof was a wreck.
"IIungry?" said D'ri, as he broke a
piece of board on his knee.
"Yes," l answered.
$50 m l." said he, "hungrier n a
she-wolf. They's some bread n ven'-
son there n the house; we better try
t git EN-"
An opening under the logs let me
around the house corner to its door.
was able to work my way through
the latter, although it was choked with
heavy timbers. Inside l could hear
the wash of the river, and through
its shattered window on the farther
wall l could see between the heaped
logs a glow of sunlit water. l handed
our ak through break in the wall,
and then D'ri cut away some OF the
baseboards and joined me. We had
our meal cooking in a few minutes
our dinner, really, for D'ri said 1t was
near noon. Having eaten, we crawled
out of the window, and then Dri be-
gan to pry the logs apart
"Ain't much 'fraid O. their tumblln'
on US" said he. "They re wfthed so
they IL stick together"
We got to another cave under the
logs, at the waters edge, after an hour
of crawling and prying. A side OF the
raft was in the water
Got t. dive said D'ri, "an' swim
fer daylight"
A long swim 1t was, but we came up
in clear water badly out Of breath.
We swan around the timber, scram-
bling over a dead cow, and up-shore.
The ruined raft was torn and tumbled
into a very mountain Of logs at the
edge of the water. The sun was shin
ing clear, and the air was still. Limbs
of trees, bits of torn cloth, a broken
hay-rake, fragments of wool, wagon
wheel, and two dead sheep were scat
tered along the shore. Where We had
seen the whirlwind coming, the sky
was clear, and beneath 1t was a great
gap in the woods, with ragged walls OF
evergreen. Here and there in the gap
a stub was standing, trunk and limbs
naked.
"Jerushy Jane Pepper!" D'n ex-
claimed, with a pause after each word.
at 8 cut a swath wider n this river.