Putnam patriot., 1911-10-06
1T he h'::'| hw JAMES OLIVER y CURWOOD
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nr-tbirty. He could see the fiery
 iO If tbe fuse almost at his feet. Sud
 ,,~,v his groping fingers came in con
 uith the cold steel of his pocket
 ,,vsr and with a last hope he
 s,,cbed 1t forth, stretching down bis
 .-.o, arm until the muzzle of the
 poon was within a dozen inches oi
 =. sssdly spark. At his first shot the
 .Dsrk .D leaped. but did not go out After
 .t. second there was no longer the
 sa,, creeping thing on the floor. and
 ..rsb,ng his head back against the
 ..ss Rowland sat for many minutes
 ..Y death had in reality come to him = The moment of his deliyerance
 ...o, a time. with tedious slowness,
 "a worked hand into his trousers
 ..otot where he carried a penknife
 !. took him a dong time to saw through
 aa rawhide thong about his neck
 ,s,or that he cut the rope that bound his ankles.
 ue made an effort to rise. but DO
 ,.0ner had he gained his feet than ,,s naralyzed limbs gave way under him and he dropped in heap on the soOr Very slowly the blood began soding it's way through his choked r.ins again. and with the change there c.me over him feeling of infinite ,astfulness. He stretched himself out. rri-h his face turned to the black wall sbove. realizing only that he was saved that he had outwitted his mys- tsr,ous enemies again and that he was comfortable. He made no effort to tbink-to scheme out his further de- pveranee He was with the powder and the dynamite, and the powder and avnamite could not be exploded until hurnan hands came to attach a new .use Macdonald would attend to that very soon. so he went off into doze that was almost sleep. In his half consciousness there came to him hut one Sound-that dreadful ticking af his watch. He seemed to have lis tened to it for hours when there arose another sound-the ticking of another watch
 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 coyote. In half an hour he would be out in the big. f,reathing 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.
 Half past 10w
 He spoke the words aloud, thinking of Meleese. In ;an hour and a half he vas to meet her on the trail Would be be released in time to keep the uyst? How should he explain his i'm Misonment in the coyote so that he could leave Macdonald without further loss of time? As the sound of the picks came neaEer his brain began working faster Jf he, could only evade explanations uutil morning and then reveal the whole dastardly business to Mcdonald. There would be time then for those expla lanati6ns. for the running down of his murderous assailams, and meanwhile he would be able to keep his appointment with Meleese.
 He was not long in finding away in which this scheme could be worked and, gathering up the severed ropes ant 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 pFisonment. Close to the mouth of the tunnel there was black rent in the wall of rock made by a bursting, charge himself When the men were busy examining the broken fuse he would step out and join them. It would look as though he had crawled through the. ttunti dIteF til2tU.
 Half an hour later a mass of rock rolled down close to his feet, and a lew moments after he saw shadowy human form era wiling through the hole II had left. A second followed. and then third, and the first voice he heard was that of Macdonald
 "t,iFa ne hs. To = h-a .nlll- ed back. and a geam of light shot into me black chamber. The men walked cautiously toward the fuse. and How land saw the little superintendent faH on his knees. As quietly as a cat Rowland worked himself to the en- rance and made a clatter among the locks. It was he who responded to the voice
 Whats up. MacDonald?"
 lie coolly joined the little group. Mcdonald looked up. and when he saw the new chief bending over him ais eyes stared in unbounded wonder
 Howland" he gasped
 "0o 1ii ht csilds bdN HI NHN't word and in the strange excitement ID lne superintendent face Howland read that which made him turn quick y to the men. giving them his hrst 'ommand as general in chief Of the 'oao that was going to the bay.
 Get out of the coyote, boys ne Said. We won't do anything more lntil morning"
 To Macdonald as the men went out tad Of them he added in low voice
 Suard the entrance to this tunnei s'th half dozen of your best men to- iisht, Macdonald. l know things 8nieh will lead me to investigate thls omorrow. I'm going to leave you as 'oon as get outside. Spread the re- or that 1t was simply bad fuse' Onderstandr
 he erawled out ahead of the superln- ehdent, and before Macdonald haa 'uerged from the coyote he had ai'