The Morris County chronicle., 1905-02-14

the ropes, and then from an adJacen1
cavity he brought out another coil Of
cord, in which cross pieces Of stoui
hickory were knotted at intervals Of
foot. He unfastened it and laid il
loose upon the rock, with the looped
end free.
ssThe ropes has been years exposed
to the damp and they're bound to sc
one day. Hef they should happen tc
go this day, this here knotted rope
may come in partic'lar handy. You
know how to use it, my gel. Here's
for q start"
With the torch in his hand he be.
gan the return along the rope.
He had got to the middle when he
stopped.
What's that?" he asked, sharply
holding the upper rope with one hand
while he raised the torch with the 9th.
er, and peered out into the darkness.
1t was fearful to see him standing
there with the upheld torch over the
awful chasm, the one luminous object
in the blackness.
did you hear anything, pardneri"
sNo."
Seemed to me heard a rife cooked
Blamed old foolr' he muttured in self
reproach, as he continued his course.
Without accident or other incident
he reached the ledge, and with gruni
of content seated himself on boulder,
letting the torch drop by his side
There was pool of water there; with
a hiss the light went ont.
The next instant there was fash
in the darkness beyond, followed by
the sharp crack of rifle shot.
We could see nothing, but from the
ledge opposite came groan, and Brace
called family:
''I'm hit, pardner; look out for your
SELF
The shot hSd been fired after the
light was put out, leaving him in OBJ
scurity. The faculty that had enabled
the assassin to descend that terrible
ledge in the dark had enabled him to
mark down poor Brace when he was
no longer visible to our eyes.
This reflection struck me, as. torch
in hand sprang upon the rope bridge
to cross to my fallen partner,
Back. pardner, back,' groaned
Brace; "he's got the Hesper, and he'll
have your life; back!'
/ raised my torch, and looking to-
ward the ledge, saw man kneeling
over Brace.
He raised his arm to silence Brace,
and the light fell on the bright blade
of the knife he held in his hand.
shouted Turning, he saw me midway
across the chasm, and sprang to his
feet. Then / recognized him. 1t was
Won Hoeck.
1t was he, but could I believe my
senses? His eyes were not the same
At that distance his sightless eyes
should have been hardly distinguish
able from his cadaverous face. but now
they shone out black and lustrous. Yet
in that instant, as he looked toward me
they seemed to fade away in the light
of my torch. And this was no decep.
tion of my sight.
With a savage cry of rage he held
up his arms to shield his eyes from the
light, and grasping his knife, he made
his way quickly toward the rock tc
which the rope on which stood was
attached.
In moment the whole mystery was
revealed. He was Nyctalops, and his
eyes, blind in the light, were gifted
with the extraordinary power Of seeing
in the dark-a power by which was
explained all that had hitherto beer
inscrutable in the robbery of the Great
Hesper and the attendant events al
Adonken Abbey.
With a perception that he intended
to cut the rope which sustained me,
hastened to reach the ledge on which
he stood. But my progress was neces
sarily slow, for the lower cord
stretched with the weight upon it
formed a deep bend, and my damI
boots slipped upon its wet surface.
Which would be cnt first? If it were
the upper one, l must trust to catching
the lower as, 1 fell. Wit. this view,
kept myself as perpendicular as cir
cumstances permitted, at the same
time grasping the upper one with al
my force, in case he cut the lower one
l was within yard of the rock whel
I felt the rope under my foot jerk al
Van Hoeck cut through the frs
strands; the next instant it went al
together, and l was left swinging by
my hands to the upper rope over th'
chasm.
.'Die, cursed dog, die!" shouted Val
Hoeck, with the frantic excitement O
a man achieving at last the object o
his life. as he attacked the upper rop'
with his knife. Die, and know tha
all you cherish in the world shall b
mine wealth and the woman you love
Diev'
And with that he severed the las
strand, and swept down through
space. Clinging with desperate energ,
to the rope in my hands, swung
cramping myself together in antici
patton of a violent shock against tn
side of the precipice. Happily, tn
rock above projected little. SO tha
the blow was less severe than ! ex
pected, rebounded, and swung to ant
fro like a pendulum in the pitchy dark
ness.
For, in order to get firmer grasl
upon the rope when / saw his inten
tion Of cutting it, had dropped th
torch which fell ike the spark of