The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-05-08

When by reason Of the steepness o.
roughness of their path he got SO muci
as half a mile ahead, he would prompt
! ~ stop and refresh himself until they
had come up within few hundred
yards, whereupon he would founder uI
with difficulty and resume his flight
with heavily beating wings Noon with
it's horizontal sun found both pursueri
suffering acutely. Despite the cool
ness of the mountain air their clothing
was drenched with perspiration, their
limbs racked their heads swan, their
feet tortured their breath came in
wheeling gasps. Yet without pause
and without a word uttered they Strug
gled on, first one forging to the lead
and then the other, passing and being
passed alternately as the footing ia
vored or retarded, sliding down sharp
inclines to the rattle of following
stones, scrambling up painful ascents
where they left the blood of their
hands and knees upon the sharp rock
edges, sometimes stumbling into fall
that tore ragged gaps in their clothing
and raked the skin from their limbs,
their mouths half open, their limbs
shaking, their breath whistling, their
eyes forever glued upon the retreating
one who. with brief rest for every
mile. still bafIled them as maddeningiy
as during the first hour. And ab
all was the incessant torment Of
thirst. ...... ~
One O'Clock found them upon the
edge of ravine, deep and p-ecipitoGs.
It's bottom 8 jnmb!ed mass of hugo
bo,l.lera that through the untold ecu
turtles Of the past had gone crashing
to its bottom from the mountains top.
Just ahead of them the winged one
was Tapping in direct flight for the
other side. while they travelling upon
their hlistcred feet must first descend
| its dizzy slope to its lowest depth,
| Chamber across its chaotic bottom and
struggle painfully up the other side
z good mile Of heart-breaking struggle
against half miles nnimpeded fight.
But pausing not at all they went plung.
Ing down with the recklessness of
despair. stumbled across the boulder
Uttered bottom. dragged themselves
weak with exhaustion up the opposite
slope and staggered to the summit
as their foe, invigorated by half
hours rest. arose just ahead and con
tinued his flight apparently as fresh
as when he had started hours before.
Keeling Of brain and hopeless Of heart,
their breath coming in sobs, they fol-
lowed
At two o'clock March, suddenly
arousing himself, found that lie had
been struggling on in daze, a semi
conscious state wherein he had STUN
bled along as in a dream as he clam
bered over jagged. upheaved masses
and dragged himself painfully up
steep ascents that led ever up and up
towards distant and towering peaks
that receded as steadily as he APP
preached: bis eyes ever fastened up
on. a grotesQue flying thing that alter
nately tapped onward like nam.
moth bat or roasted vuturelike upon
Eome emineuce as it cutched form
which it was hearing closely and peer
rd with huge. inscrutible eyes ut linn
self toiling on with infinite WEAKNESS
below. Ahead Of him the Flying Man
was just in the act of rising once more
with his burden. On one side of him
lowered the smooth shoulder OF the
mountain that doomed up another
thousand feet, upon the other a steep
| slide that led down equally as far to a
torrent, the thunder OF whose voice
came family to his ears. Some miles
ahead and rising dizzlly was the fiat
surface OF a table mountain with pre-
cipto,s cliffs surrounding it, wild and
desolate. the haunt OF no living thing
except mountain sheep and wandering
eagles. Was 1t to this inaccessible
place, this very heart OF desolation,
that the enemy was leading them!
March could but vaguely wonder:
Where was Clay? He looked behind
, iust in time to see the other 90 down
upon his bleeding knees in a stumbling
TALL and lie motionless. For the first
time since the start he halted, hesi-
tated. then with an exclamation OF
despair hurried back to the fallen ono
and turned him over The eyes were
half closed. the mouth gasping like
that OF suffocating fish and the head
rolling Imply Despair seized him.
Each breath that he drew pierced his
bosom like q dagger and his head
swan giddily. His own hands and
knees were torn and blood caked and
bis throat like old parchment II
seemed hopeless, worSe than hopelesA
to 30 on alone, yet 90 On he must to
his last breath, his last step, his last
crawl. and Clay must take care OF him;
self. He turned to pursue his way and
saw that the creature beyond had al;
ready settled to the rocks and vas
quietly watching them. March ran hic
| hand across his eyes to clear them
from the sweat Since the other was
not increasing the distance between
them. perhaps It would be wise upon
his part to rest also. Should he con-
tinue on in his present condition It
would be but short time before he