The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1906-06-21

CHAPTER xII.-{Contlnusd.)


CHAPTER xII.-(Continued-l
~ aud by. having eaten Of this mir
aculous provender. the poor creature be
ran 10 understand what had taken place
Ihs coal workings were abandoned; tn
new eonmandant had probably othe
work for bis beasts of burden to exc
cute. and an sbsconder would be SAT-
here tor a few hours at least. But b.
must not stay. For him there was nj
rest II he thought to escape. it be
hooved him to commence his journey al
once Here was provision for his needs
The food before him represented the
rations of six men. Was it not possible
to cross the desert that lay between him
and freedom on such faref The very
superstition made his heart beat faster.
It surely was possible. Twenty miles a
dxy was very easy walking Taking a
piece OF stick from the ground. he made
the calculation in the sand Eighteen
days, and twenty miles a day--three
hundred and sixty miles. More than
enough to take him TO freedom. 1t could
Be dons' With prudence. ID could be
dones He must be careful and ahstesn-
ious-
Having come to this resolution. the
next thing was to disencumher himself
OF his irons This was more easily done
than he expected. He found in the shed
an iron CAD, and with that and stone
he drove out the rivets-
Before dawn the next morning he had
Travelled ten miles, and By outstanding
his food he succeeded. by the night OF
the fourth day, in accomplishing forty
more. Foot-sore and weary, he lay in
thieket. and felt at last that he was be-
yond pursuit The next day he ad-
vanced more slowly The path termin-
sfed In glade, and at the bottom of
this glade was something that futrered.
Rufus Dawes pressed forward. and
stumbled over a corpse,
He recognized the number imprinted
on the coarse cloth at that which had
designated the younger of the two men
who had escaped with Gabhett. He was
standing on the place where a murder
had been committed A murderl-and
what else? Thank God. the food be
carried was not yet exhausted, He
turned and fed, looking back fearfuIly |
as he went.
Crashing through scrub and brake. |
torn. bleeding and wild with terror. be /
reached spur of the range, and looked /
around him. He raised his eyes, and /
ragnt against him. like a long dull sword. |
lay the narrow sreel-biue reach of the Il
aarbor from which he had escaped. One
darker speck moved on the dark water.
Ii was the Osprey making for the
Yates 1t seemed that he could throw a
stone upon her deck A faint cry Of rage
escaped him During the last three days
n thu bush he must have retraceti his
steps, end returned upon his own track
% the settlement More than half his
11sotted time had passed. and be was not
ret thirty miles from his prison
For four days he wandered afmIessly
through the bush At last, on the twelfth
lay from his departure from the Coal
Head. he found himself at the foot Of
Mount Direction, at the head Of the
'eninsula which makes the western side
# the harbor- His terrible wandering
'ad but led him to make a complete
lreuif OF the settlement. and the next
light brought him round the shores Of
sirehes Inlet 10 the landing place oppo- ,
tie Sarah Island. His stock Of pro-
isions had been exhausted for two days,
nd be was savage with hunger He no =
'nger thought Of suicide. His dom
asnf idea was now to get food He =
Touid do as many others had done be- :
're him-give himself up TO be fogsed :
nd fed When he reached the landing
lace, however. the guard house was
npfy. He looked across at the island :
rison, and saw no sign Of life. The
was deserted,
The shock Of this discovery almost de-
lived him Of reason. For days. that
Id seemed centuries, be had kept life =
bis jaded and lacerafsd body solely
r the strength of his fierce determine
IN to reach the settlement; and now :,
at he had reached IL. after a journey -
unparalleled horror, he found ii de- :,
rtsd- He struck himself TO see IL he
- not dreaming He refused to be-
We bis eye-sighf- He shouted. screamed !,
d waved his tattered garments in the =
At last the dreadful truth forced itself
on him. He retired a few PAGES. and ~
IN with horrible cry Of furious des- "a
ir, stumbled forward toward the edge =
the little reef that fringed the shore. ~
st as he was about to fling himself
the second time Into the dark water. OF
eyes, sweeping in a last long look
'und the bay, caught sight Of q strange W
pssrance on the left horn of the seq hi
sch- A thin blue streak. uprising tn
IN behind the western arm. of the little Ike
ct, hung in the still air. 1t was the
oke of fire. do
The dying wretch felt inspired with
Y hope. God had sent him a direct VIZ
n from heaven. The tiny column Of ak
ish vapor seemed to him as glorious
the pillar of fire that led the Israel Sol
/ There were yet human beings near die
II And turning bis face from the Of
,gry sea, he tottered, with the last his
'rt OF his falling strength. toward the flu
ssed token Of their presence. tbs
sof
CHAPTER XIII. sui
Frere had gone on brief fishing cry tn
ftion- At last a perernptory signal air
med him. 1t was the sound of mus rec
dred on board the brig. Mr.. Bates hja
getting impatient. and with a seovf ~
re drew up bis lines, and ordered the Tn
soldiers to pull for the vessel her
he Osprey yet sat motionless on the En-