, 1911-08-03

J ohh Us LIT
watched the light grew fainter and
FAINTER The fame was going out A
Jew minutes more and he would be in
At first the Significance Of
II aid o come to him. Then he
s!raighfened himself with a Jerk tina,
tigntened the thong about his neck nm,
I'll II choked him. Hours must hav va
passed since the lantern had been plac.
Gu on thai rock. else the oil would moi
De burned out of 1t now.
For the first time Rowland rea,izad
tnat IL was becoming more and more
uimcuit Tor him to get breath. The
thing about his neck was Tightening
SLOWLY. inexorably. like a hot band of
steel, and suddenly, because of this
tightening. he found that he had re-
covered his voice.
This rawhide is pinchine NV Al
ans APPLE
Whatever had been about his mouth
mad slipped down, and his words sound.
co hollow and choking in the rock
pound chamber. He tried to raise his
voice In a shout. though he knew how
futile his ioudest shrieks would he.
Ihe enort chOked him more. His suf-
Iering was becoming excruciating.
sharp pains darted like redhot needles
through his limbs. his back tortured
MIN. and his head ached as thought a
knife had cleft the base of his skull.
Inc strength of his limbs was leav-
Ing him He no longer felt any sepsa.
HON in his f.ramnad fant
ured 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 out.
As If that dying of the little yellow
flame were the signal for his death
there came TO his ears a sharp kissing
sound: a spark ieapeo 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 second.
lad come. and Macdonald had press
ed 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
ueck. he had marveled at the clearness
Of his voice. at the ~fearlessness 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 1t 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.
masterfui. with death 100 seconds
away. His heart gave a sudden burst
ing leap into his throat when he felt
something give. Another effort, and
in the powder choked vault there rang
out a thrilling cry of triumph. His
hands were free! BE reached forward
to the fuse. and this time a moaning.
wordless sob fell from him. faint. ter
rifying. with all the horror that might
ill a human soul in its i~narticulate
note. He could not each the fuse be-
cause of the thong about his neck.
He felt for his knife. BE had left it
In his room. Sixty seconds more
forty thirty. He could see the fiery
end of the fuse almost at his feet. Sud
denly his cropping fingers came in con-
tact with the cold steel Of his pocket
revolver. and with a last hope he
snatched 1t 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 ieaped. but did not 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 come to him
in the moment of his d~eliverance.
After a time. with tedious slowness,
be worked a hand into his trousers
pocket, where he carried a penknife.
1t took him a long time to saw through
the rawhide thong about his neck.
After that he cut the rope that bound
his ankles.
He 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
~restfulness. He stretched himself out,
with his face turned to the black wall
above. realizing only that he was
saved. that he had outwitted his mys-
terious enemies again and that he was
comfortable. He made no effort to
think-to scheme ont his further de-
l~iverance. He was with b powder
and the dynamite. and the powder and
dynamite could not be exploded Until