Arizona republican., 1911-07-01

prudence which sent him eastward
across the mouth OF the valley. He
would not enter that trap for TIC sec
ond time: he knew that in altitude lay
his salvation.
His flight now lay in some part along
the Italian frontier. He skirtel Monte
Rosa and Few straight across the Cor
ner Graf, kept to the right Of the Hor-
ner and henceforth found a kindlier
| country Had he persisted he would
have come to the lesser peaks which
defend the Simplon Pass. but he swung
again before he reached them, and 50.
with the wind at his back. he headed
at last straight for AudanL and the
goal Half an hour he thought would
bring the end if the weather held and
the mists were but local.
The latter was now his only doubt,
and he could not shake it off despite
the magnitude of mis- attainment. He
had reached a point where he should
have been able to look right up the val
ley Of the RhOne. but the view was
obscurcd by those banks of white cloud
which had drifted in the valley since
dawn and were still TO be rCCkoned
with He entered the first of them and
was subject once more To all the dread
and despair which had afflicted him at
Zermatt 4 sense of direction was lost
as heretofore; vast shadows appeared
to pursue him: he raced his engine
that he might escape them, hut they
pressed on the more. Then, in an in
slant. they would be clear. the sun
shining brightly. the valley below him
a smiling scene to summon him to vic
tory
1t was but such a little way. and vic
tory stood SO near When the cloud
cnvelcped him for the third time that
day he tried to soar above it end sue
cceded for a little while, but the vapor
was mounting also and it would inter
pose a curtain between him and the
earth so that direction was alternately
lost and found. while he himself be-
came soaked to the skin and began to
lose the use of his hands. Now. surely.
he thought that he was done for, but
still he headed for Andana and the
slopes, and said that all must he riskcd
in that final descent. Hcnceforth. ii
was a race between the endurance of
the man and the machine. and the mag
nitude Of the cloud. He heard an
omnibus misfire in his engine, and shiv-
cred as though cold hand had touched
him. The great white sea of vapor be
low forbade him to see whether he were
then above Visp or Sierra; nor did the
contour of the valley shape as he had
expected SO a woeful sense Of defeat
took possession of him anew; his
number hands permitted the ship to
rock horribly; he went down a hundred
feet, but feared the walls Of the valley
rose again, and reeled i'm his seat He
was beaten man by now. hardly able
to raise a hand to lever; the great
white sea had done for him. and he
knew it.
Here irony stepped in, and with
weird interposition which would have
delighted a cynic. While his machine
rolled and sagged in the mists a sound
of human voices came upto him from
below. He thought that he heard
cheers. the hoOting of horns and the
crack Of revolver shot As swiftly as
the sounds arose they died away, and
the stiffness became supreme. He felt
that he must come down whatever the
cost. The great prize was lost. and
with it the hope Of the years. And at
this. tears of bitter sorrow welled to
the mans eyes. Defeated Yes. that
was the truth, and the world would
know the story tomorrow. ami forget
him i'm a week. What mattered it that
he had done so much? Was victory his
all in all? And he was beat-dead
IL,
Almost with sob he made last eff
fort and began to come down The
ground below him, emerging suddenly.
showed a steep bank of snow with pine
woods above it, There he ran his ship.
and as she came to rest re buried his
face i'm as hands and wept aiOud.