The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-10-29
FOR
THE DANGER TRAIL
JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD
(Continued.)
Copyright 1910. The BobbsMerril Company

(Continued.)
Madly he struggled at the thongs
that bound him until he sank ex-
hausted against the row Of powder
sacks at his back. Like words Of
fire the last warming of Meleese
burned in his brain You must go,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS they will
kill you!" And this was the way
in which he was to die! There
famed before his eyes the terrible
spectacle hich he had witnessed q
few hours before-the holocaust of
fire and smoke and thunder lat
had disrupted q mountain, q chaos
of writhing, twisting fury, and in
that moment his heart seemed to
cease its beating. He closed his
eyes and tried to calm himsen. Was
1t possible that there lived men 30
fiendish as to condemn him to this
sort of death? Why had not his
enemies killea him out among the
rocks?, That would have been cas-
ier-quicker = less troublesome.
Why did they wish to torture I'm?
What terrible thing had he d0ne?'
Was he mad-mad--and this all q
terrible nightmare, raving and
unreal contortion Of things In his
brain? In this hour of death Ques-
ton after question raced through
his head, and he answered no one
OF them. He sat still for a time,
scarcely breathing. There was no
sound, save the beating of his own
heart. Then there came another,
almost unheard at first, faint, thrill
ing, maddening. 4
Tick-tick-tick!
1t was the beating of his watch.
A spasm of horror seized him. y
What time was it?
The coyote was to be fired at 8
O'Clock. 1t was four when he left
his cabin, How long had he been
unconscious? Was 1t time now
now? Was MacDonald's finger al
ready reaching out to that little
white button which would send him
into eternity? ~
He struggled again, gnashing
,furiouslX at the thing which Gov.
cred his mouth, tearing the flesh
of his wrists as he twisted at the
ropes which bound him, choking
himself with his efforts to loosen
the thong about his neck Exhaust
ed again, he sank. back, spantirE,I
half dead. As he lay, with closed
eyes a little of his reason asserted
itself. After all was he such d
coward as to 60 mad?
Tick-tick-tick! -
His watch was beating ut q fur1-
GUS. rate. Was something wrong
with It? Was It going too fast? He
tried to count the second, but they
raced away from him. When he
looked again his gaze fell on the
little yellow tongue of flame in the
lantern globe. 1t was not the
steady. unwinking eye of a few
minutes before. There was a sput-
tering weakness about 1t now, and
as he watched the light grew
fainter and fainter.
The flame was going out A few
minutes more and he would be in
darkness. At first the significance
of 1t did not come to him. then he
Strengthened himself with a jerk
that frightened the thong about his
neck until it choked him. Hours
must have passed since the Ian
tern had been placed on that rock.
else the oil would not be burned
out of 1t now!
For the first time Rowland real
lied that 1t was becoming more
and more difficult for him to get
breath. The thing about his neck
was tightening clowly. inexorably,
Ike a band of steel, and suddenly,
because of this tightening. he found
that he had recovered his voice.
This damned rawhide--is pinch
ing-my Adams apple"
Whatever had been about his
mouth had slipped down and his
words sounded hollow and choking
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 ef-
fort choked him more. His suffer
Ing was becoming excruciating.
Sharp pains darted like red-hot
needles through his limbs. his back
tortured him, and his head ached
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 painSl