The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1909-01-26
-:-THROUGH LIMESTONE FALLS-:-
By FRANK LILLE POLLOCK.



I We ran the canoe ashore at the
head of the rapids, and landed to ex-
anime the condition of the trail. The
rocky banks of the river were over
grown with clumps of hemlock and
spruce, interspersed with larger trees,
and we were uncertain on which side
of the river it would be best to make
the portage.
We walked hurriedly down almost
to the foot of the rapid without en-
countering any serious obstacle. and
had come near the lower landing
place when Abbott suddenly gripped
my arm and pointed ahead and up
ward.
Looking where he pointed, 1 saw a
dead cedar leaning heavily over the
tail of the rapid, projecting it's top
into clear moonlight, and among the
skeleton branches perched a man We
could see him distinctly; he had no
gun, and seemed to be looking
earnestly in the opposite direction.
THAT'S one of the gang. I've seen
him beforel" muttered the ranger.
Il can't make out what he's doing
there, but I'll have him down and
find out"
Going little closer, Abbott hailed
the tree at the top of his voice.
"Hello!" he cried. "What-"
The words were cut from his lips
by a tremendous crash among the
thick underbrush, and with an ear
SCATTERING below, out of the darkness
| oh A
looked in the gloom almost as huge as
an elephant.
Abbott and I jumped away to right
and to left. My sole idea was to get
back to the canoe where we had left
the guns, and / ran desperately,
stumbling and tripping. Then heard
the brush crash behind me, and
fancying the brute was at my heels,
seized the low branch of a spruce
and swung myself up with desperate
agility of which l did not know that l
was capable.
1 had been deceived by my imag-
ination. The attention of the big
moose was directly entirely to Abbott
who was scrambling into another tree
close to the river. The bull charged
into the trunk with a force that
should have stunned him, and then
drew back and glared sullenly at
Abbott on his perch above. Then
after circlIng the tree three or four
times. he stall1ed back to the cedar
overhanging the stream, which was
perhaps thirty yards away.
l called to Abbott and succeeded In
attracting his attention, but the noise
of the water was too loud to permit
conversation. 1t occurred to me
however, that the bull did not seem
TO have observed my refuge, and thai
l might slip to the ground and get tc
the canoe unobserved.
/ made the attempt, but had not
reached the lower branches of the
tree before the wary old warrior es
pied my maneuvre, and came smash
ing through the shrubbery with 9
roar of defiance.
| / scrambled back to my original DO
sltion as he charged under the tree
his shovel-pointed antlers brushing
the leaves at my feet. He seemed tC
be monster there in the moonlight,
| could see his black name standing
erect. and his wicked eyes glitterinl
in the flashes of moonlight.
From time to time he threw bach
HIS head with an impatient movement
and licked a spot on his shoulder
where 1 could distinguish a darker
patch on the hide undoubtedly
bullet wound inflicted by the man A
the cedar tree.
He walked about, grunting. be
meath me for a few minutes, and theI
returned TO his first enemy, agains
whom, very Justly. his rancor SCENE,
to be chiefly directed / could no
help laughing at the queer predica
mcnt we were IN We formed thre
parties, each arrayed against tn
other two, but there was no doub
that the bull had the best OF the sit
uatlOn.
With the passage Of time, however
the AFFAIR grew less humorous. I
! was cold; I shivered I'm my crampe,
position, and Il seemed not unlikeI
that the brute would keep us Their
, TIL daylight. n we could have talke,
together we might have formed
, plan for circumventing him. but tn
! roar Of the water made this impossi
bic, and indeed felt sure that Abbot
! would refuse to enter into any Ieagu
I with the poacher which might I'm
volve letting him slip through INF
fingers again.
The moose was moving energetical
b ~ about the base OF the droopin
b cedar, and as watched him h
{ seemed TO be making a determine
e and systematic effort to uproot It. II
r stamped and butted and pushed, an
1 could see the tree waver violentl