Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-03-11
Danger Trail
Bv jaime. Oliver Curvvood ogaAsass
Copyright 1910 by
The Co.

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 deliverance.
After a time. with tedious slowness, he
worked a hand into his trousers pocket.
where he carried a penknife. It took
him a long time to saw through the
rawhide thong about his neck. After
hat 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 Ita
way through his choked veins again.
n with the change there came over
him a feeling of infinite restfulness.
He stretched himself out, with hts
face turned to the black wall abora
realizing only that he was saved, that
he had outwitted his mysterious enc
mics again, and that he was comforta-
BILE. He made no effort to think-to
scheme o MS further d~eliverance. He
was with the powder and the dyna-
-N~f AAA4 NA-( R'Wa0A oAAt III ~
could not be exploded until human
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-con-
seriousness there came to him but one
sound-that dreadful ticking of his
watch. He seemed TO have listened to
it for hours when there arose another
Snn9n-fhn fiplfno Of onnfhor x-a&ol,
He 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 MacDonald's men were at
work clearing the mouth OF the coyots.
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 frsf
at his watch.
"H~alf-past tent
He spoke the words aloud, thinking
of Meleese. In an hour n a half he
was to meet her on the trail. Would
he be released in time to keep the
tryst? How should he explain his i'm
hAASOAAACAb n LAC CcfOlt So tudl ne
could leave Macdonald without further
loss of time? AS the sound of the picks
came nearer his brain began work.
ing faster. If he could only evade ex-
plantations until morning-and then re-
veal the whole d~astardly business 10
Macdonald. There would be time then
for those explanations, for the running
down of his murderous assailants, and
in the while he would be able to keep
his appointment with Melesse.
He was not long in finding a way in
which this scheme could be worked.
and gathering up the severed ropes
and rawhide he concealed them be-
tween two of the powder sacks SO that
those who entered the coyote would
discover no signs of his terrible i'm
prisonment. Close to the mouth OF the
tunnel there was a black rent IN the
wall of rock. made by a bursting charge
Of dynamite, in which he could con-
ceal himself. When the men were busy
examining the broken fuse he would
step IL and join them. It would look
as though he had crawled through the
tunnel after them.