The Emmett index., 1911-09-14
The d
Dy ,JAffES OLIVER
CUEWQ CD
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
CHAPTER XIV.

into damp earth as he made an effort
to raise himself. and with that effort 1t
seemed as though a redhot knife had
cleft him from the top of his skull TO
his chest. The agony of that instant's
pain drew sharp cry from him, and
he clutcbed both hands to his head.
The fingers of Howland's right hand
were sticky when he drew them away
from his head. and he shivered. The
tongue of flame leaping out of the
night, the thunderous report. the del
uge of fire that had flied his brain, all
bore their meaning for him now. II
had been a close call, so close that
shivering chills ran up and down his
spine as he struggled little by little to
lift himself to his knees. His enemy's
shot had grazed his head.
1t seemed an intprminable time be
fore he could rise and stand on his feet
and reach the candle. Slowly he felt
his way along the wall until he came
to low. heavy door barred from the
outside, and just beyond this door he
found a narrow aperture cut through
the dpcaying logs. II was a yard in
length and barely wide enough for him
to thrust through an arm. Three more
of these narrow slits in his prison walls
he found before he came back again TO
the door.
Near the table on which he replaced
the candle was stool, and he sat
down. Carefully he went through his
pockets. His belt and revolver were
gone He had been stripped of letters
and papers Not so much as a match
had been left him by his captors.
He stopped in his search and listened.
Family there came to him the ticking
of his watch. He felt in his watch
pocket. 1t was empty. Again he lis
tened. This time he was sure that the
sound came from his feet. and he low
cred the candle until the light of it
glistened on something yellow an arms
distance away. 1t was his watch. and
close beside it lay his leather wallet.
What money he had carried in the
pocketbook was untouched but his per-
sonal cards and half a dozen papers
that it had contained were gone.
He looked at the time. The hour
hand pointed TO A. Was It possible
that he had been unconscious for more
than six hours? He had left lean on
the mountain top soon after nightfall-
it was not later than O'Clock when
he had seen Meleese. Seven hours!
Again be lifted his hands to his head.
His hair was stiff and matted with
blood. 1t had congealed thickly on his
cheek and neck and had soaked the
top of his coat. He had bled a great
deal. so much that he wondered he was
alive, and yet during those hours his
captors had given him no assistance,
had not even bound a cloth about his
head
Did they believe that the shot had
killed him. that he was already dead
when they flung him into the dungeon?
Or was this only one other instance OF
the barbaric brutishnesS of those who
so insistently sought his life? The
fighting blood rose in him with return
ing strength. If they had left him
weapon. even the small knife they had
taken from his pocket. he would still
make an effort to settle last score or
two. But now he was helpless.
There was. however. ray of hope
IN the possibility that they believed
hirp dead. If they who had flung him
into the dungeon believed this. then he
was safe for several hours. No one
would come for his body until broad
day and possibly not until the follow
ing night. when a grave could be dug
and he could be carried out with some
secrecy. In that time. if he could es-
cape from his prison. he would be well
on his way to the Wekusko He had
no doubt that Jean was still prisoner
on the mountain top. The dogs and
sledge were there and both rifles were
where he had concealed them. 1t would
be hard race-a running fight per
haps-but he would win. and after q
time Meleese would come to him,
awav down at the little hotel on the
Saskatchewan.
He rose to his feet. his blood grow
ing warm. his eyes shining in the can
delight. The thought of the girl as
she had come to him out in the night |
put back into him all of his old fight |
ing strength. all of his unconquerable !
hope and confidence. She had follow
ed him when the dog yelped at his |
heels. as the first shots had been fired. |
She had knelt beside him in the snow |
as he lay bleeding at the feet of his |
enemies. He had heard her voice call
ing to him: had felt the thrilling touch
of her arms. the terror and love of her
lips as she thought him dying. She
had given herself to him, and she
would come TO him-his lady of the
he could escape.
He went to the door and showed
against it with his shoulder. 1t was
lmmovable Again he thrust his hand
and arm through the first of the mar
row ventilating apertures. The wood
with which his fingers came in contact
was rotting from moisture and age.
and he found that he could tear out
of It. He fell to work, dig
ging with the fierce eagerness of an
animal. At the rate the soft pulpy
wood gave way he could win his free