The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-10-21

mouth had slipped down and his
words sounded hollow and chok-
Ing in the rock-bound chamber.
He tried to raise his voice in a
shout, though he knew how futile
his loudest shrieks would be. The
effort choked him more. His suf-
fering was becoming excruciating.
Sharp pains darted like red-hot
needles through his limbs, his
back tortured him, and his head
aehed as though a knife had cleft
the base of his skull. The strength
of his limbs was leaving him. He
no longer felt any sensation in
his cramped feet. He measured
the paralysis creeping up his legs
inch by inch, driving the sharp
pains before it-and then a groan
of horror rose to his lips.
The light had gone Quit!
As If the dying of the little yell
low flame were the signal for his
death, there came to his ears a
sharp hising sound, a spark leaped
up into the blackness before his
eyes, and a slow. creeping glow
came toward him over the rock at
his feet.
The hour-the minute-the sec
ond had come, and aMcDonald
had pressed the little white button
that was to send him into eternity!
He did not cry out now. He knew
that the end was very near, and in
its nearness he found new strength
Once he had seen a man walk to
his death on the scaffold, and as
the condemned had spoken his
last farewell, with the moose about
his neck, he had marveled at the
clearness of his voice, at the fear
lessness of this creature in his last
moment on earth.
Now he understood Inch by
inch the fuse burned toward him
"a fifth of the distance, a quarter
now a third. At last it reached
a half-was almost under his feet.
TWO minutes more of life. He put
his whole strength once again in
an attempt to free his hands. This
time his attempt was cool, steady,
masterful-with death one hun
dred seconds away. His heart gave
sudden bursting leap into his
throat when he felt something
give. Another effort-and in the
powder-choked vault thr rang out
thrilling cry of triumph. His
hands wre free! He reached for
ward to the fuse, and this time a
moaning, wordless sob fell from
him, faint, terrifying, with all the
horror that might fill a human
soul in its inarticulate note. He
could not reach the fuse because
OF the thong about his neck!
He felt for his knife. He had
left it in his room. Sixty seconds
Notwithstanding! He could
see the fiery end of the fuse al
most at his feet. Suddenly his
cropping fingers came in contact
with the cold steel of his pocket
revolver and with a last hope he
snatched it forth, stretching down
his pistol arm until the muzzle
of the weapon was within a dozen
inches of the deadly spark. At
his first shot the spark leaped,
but did noht go out. After the
second there was no longer the
fiery, creeping thing on the floor
and, crushing his head back
against the sacks. Rowland sat for
many minutes as If death had in
reality came to him in the mo-
ment of his deliverance. After a
time, with tedious slowness, he
worked a hand into his trousers
pocket, where he carried pen
knife. 1t took hi long time to,
saw through the rawhide thong
about his neck. After that he cut
the rope that bound his ankles.
ell made an effort to rise, but
no sooner had he gained his feet
than his paralyzed limbs gave way
under him and he dropped in a
heap on the floor. Very slowly
the blood began finding its way
through his choked veins again,
and with the change there came
over him a feeling of infinite rest
fulness. He stretched himself out,
with his face turned to the black
wall above, realizing only that he
was saved, that he had outwitted
MS mysterious enemies again, and
that he was comfortable. He made
no effort to think-to scheme out
his further deliverance. ell was
with the powder and the dynamite.
and the powder and the dynamite
could not be exploded until hu-
man hands came to attach a new
fuse. Macdonald would attend
to that very soon, so he went off
into a doze that was almost sleep.
In his half-consciousness there
came to him but one sound-that-
dreadful ticking of his watch. He
seemed to have listened to 1t for
hours when there arose another
sound-the ticking of another
watch.
ell sat up, startled, WONDERING,
and then he laughed happily as he
heard the sound more distinctly. It
was the beating of picks on the
rock outside. Already MaeDon-
aids men were at work clearing
the mouth of the coyote. In half
an hour he would be out in the
big, breathing world again.
The thought brought him to his
feet. The numbness was gone
from his limbs and he could walk
about. His first move was to
strike a match and look at his
watch.
''Hah-past teni"
He spoke the words aloud.
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