The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-03-20

leaning outward In order to carry the
wire around the jutting point The
men reeled the wire by it on the wa.
ter side, and proceeded out of sight
downward and around the rocky head,
fastening their handvises to the wire
and with pulling straps about their
shoulders. ready to take up the
slack" when ! should signal.
The pole was a peeled spruce set
solidly in a three.foot hole, which had
been literally drilled in the rock, and
had no thought Of It breaking, Catch.
ing the wire across my biceps and
chest, I mounted quickly. AS climbed
I noticed that the grain Of the pole
ran in a long spiral and that the sun
checks we're unusually open and eX-
tended. ! glanced down at Buckle. He
was standing between the base of the
pole and the edge of the precipiCe,
watchful uneasy look in his face. The
hollow roar of the Trinity cEmc up
seemingly from beneath my very feet
Reaching the top kicked the climber
spur Of my right foot into the wood,
threw my left leg around the pole,
and, mailing on the bracket, placed the
wire in the insulator groove. The
pol leaned strongly toward the preci.
pice, and ! slipped round on the land
side of it and lifted myself with my
breast above its top, so that might
the more easily make the tie" Slip.
ping the hatChet handle into my belt
and drawing pliers and tie.wire
from the strap, | shouted: Pull
ahead!' Apparently the unseen reel
men could not hear on account of the
noise of the river, so | shook the wire
and they began taking up the slack,
moving backward down the slope and
leaning against their pulling-straps. As
The wire came taut the pole began to
strnighten with the pressure, for the
men were around the point and were
pulling against the lean of the pole.
shouted for them to "let up" but they
ould not hear At that instant saw
not ten feet from me, a "kink" in the
wire, and a sudden thrill Of fear shot
through my heart Only a lineman
could appreciate what this meant, at
hat moment, for the long spruce pole
was being pulled back not unlike a
mighty bow ready to launch an ar
row. | was the arrow and the boiling
Trinity 100 feet below, was the target
It which ] was to be shot. The wire
was a number eight, galvanized, but a
perfect "kink" is simply a hoop drawn
iown to a point, which, when sufficient
pull is applied, sewers the wire like a
knife.
lnstinctiyely | clutched the top OF
he pole with my right hand ant
pulled the wire toward the kink with
my left to ease" It, shouting like mad
heard Red Buckle give a mighty yell
but at that instant the wire, drawn
| ike tense bow-string, snapped at tn,
Sink and the pole shot back towart
the prccipice, and under the shock o
rccoil and my weight, split at tn,
| base.
Red Buckle leaped against it will
his breast and shoulder and pinionet
1t in his arms, while /, thrown ovel
and around the top, found myself
hanging above the Trinity with lOC
ieet of air beneath me and my bel
'aught over the point of the bracket
{ heard Buckles bones crack and fel
l tremor come up the senseless wooC
from his mighty muscles.
Slide down! Slide down." I hearc
aim shout. But | could not, for wa
hanging from the bracket on the unde
side of the tip of the pole. A prom
Of the broken base of the pole re
mained in the hole in the ground
threw my glance about, and, remem
it, and saw Buckles knotted hands
white with pressure. his firm-set fee
grinding into the stones, his wild,
shoulders quivering, his dark, ben
head and purple, swelling neck, ant
heard sharp gasps OF breath COMING
through his grinding teeth. He wa
trying to straighten the pole, but coult
not. My body, hanging 20 feet ava.
at the tip of the mastlike piece o
timber, was a frightful burden. Dealt
for me was only a breath away saw
for his herculean strength. In tn
black terror that rushed upon me
threw my glance about and, | remem
ber, the tops of the mountains seeme
to fall toward me and the sky seeme
to turn dark and close down upon m
like falling tent of night. The gusf
ing roar of the river at the bottom q
the abyss arose to a wild clamor in m
ears, then suddenly fell TO train @
odd whisperings,
When | got my senses back | wa
lying on the rocky bench. The rec
men were standing beside me, Buckl
was dropping against the uprising
swell of the mOuntain.wall, white
faced and laboring for breath. w
looked at each other, and for the frs
time during our intercourse his power
full features rippled with a smile.
got up weakly and grasped his hand.
Red Buckle" said, TO me you ar
the greatest of all Indians and tn
greatest Of all white men. If | had
crown I'd put il on your head"
His lips trembled and he gripped m
hand a moment, then, wayering slight
| lts no mallEad aWav