The Elbert County tribune., 1907-01-03

his companions and the soldiers caus-
ed Gideon to turn his head in that
direction. The two officers involuntar-
lily turned in their saddles. Suddenly,
the giant. taking advantage of this
diversion, had dragged them from
their horses with such violence as to
cause the frightened animals to
plunge madly away toward the dismal
forest beyond, leaving the terror
stricken masters in the grip of the
Red Colossus. as they had called Gid
con. Penguilly, who has written an
account of this affair describes the
scene in a most graphic way. Valdez
mere had received two wounds OF
such a nature as to render him uncon-
scious. and he lay bleeding upon the
snow. Penguilly, thinking 1t was all
over with his friends, had sought the
shelter of "A great stone, expecting
every moment to be his last, when
peeping cautiously from his shelter,
he saw two horsemen fleeing In the
distance, and the Giant coming toward
him, dragging in either hand the
form of a man, cursing, believing, and
defiant, his red hair bristling, and his
great eyes blazing with the fire of a
demon. Ah. Rodin, he had been
rightly named Red Colossus, for he
looked the part. The eight dead min
ions of the Gar, whose blood had
crim3oned the snow, and the uncon-
scious form of Valdermere, whose
hand still clutched the empty revolver,
presented a ghastly sight, as they lay
where they had fallen In the gloom of
the fading. wintry day. Gideon search
ed among the bodies, cursing the Gar.
cursing the world, but when he saw
Penguilly creep from his shelter. he
laughed-he shouted-then his eys
fell upon the still form of Valdermere.
whom he loved as brother. His hands
still clutched the throat of the sol.
diers. whose eyes bulged from their
sockets. then in an ecstasy OF fury
diabolical to behold he dashed his
victims together like cymbals still
cursing and believing. until their
bones were broken. and their bodies
bruised beyond recognition. then seiz-
ing them by their legs he dashed thin
to pieces against the great stone, where
the terrified Penguilly had sought shell
ter. The sight was terrible to be-
hold. All, Rodin, 1t was revolving, but
when his excess of fury had spent IT.
self, he seized the hand of Penguilly-
he patted the little fellow on the shoul
der and called him brave Bantam
Then his great eyes filled with tears
his fury was spent, and his huge
form was trembling with emotion. He
knelt at the side of his bleeding com
rade and wept like child, chaflng
the hands of the unconscious man
and sp' .othing back his hair. He wep,
for Joy. for he had thought Valdez
mere dead. He made a pallet In the
snow. bandaged the wounds, sucking
away the foul blood with his cwn lips,
and his great rough hands, bleeding
and bruised with toll and battle.
bathed with melted snow the painful,
called the Gar a crowned Devil,
and Siberia "a frozen hell He arose
and walked among the corpses, un.
mindful of where he trod. He knelt
again at Valdermere's eide, weeping
laughing and cursing, until poor Pen.
gully could bear II no longer. The
latter, who had now recovered hig
presAnce of mind. had started off in
pursuit of their horses, which he had
little difficulty in securing. as the poor
beasts were worn out with travel
under their now dead masters. When
he returned. he still found Gideon at
va,dermeres side The latter he'd
opened his eyes. had smiled, had seiz-
ed the giants hand.
GRO RE coNTINuED)