Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1914-12-18
and said,

here in my own cage. And to live so
Is worse than death--iar worse"
Tear" replied, remember I have
you to I've for"
She understood. And--yes. kissed
her square on the lips.
Fer two long years we remained
thus. cellmates. all but for those in
tercepuns bars, Night and day We
would held each hers hands and
keep each ether from going mad. BY
day we would tell eech other stories OF
our past lives By night we would lie
close together by the bars, etill hold
ina hands Strangest ToolDg, s,ransest
lCvo under the strangest conditions
ever man experienced.
And so passed the two years-two
long years Q: torture.
noticed that frequently now the
old scientist and tie black man quar-
relied. Once, near cur cages, the two
madtneu cane to blows. What II they
were to Kill each other and leave us in
these cags--to sturYe' could see
that the same thought was in Joan's
mind. Blu. neither of us spoke, The
thought of what would happen to US
II those two maduen should destroy
each ether was too horrible.
Game then the great day when. al
most mad with desire for Liberty. |
tore franiicaily al the bars Of my
cage. And what htppened2 To my
amazement and Joy felt one Of the
bars yielding to my Juggling grasp
THE bars are worm,eaten" | cried
to Joan. by all the gods. the bars Of
this cage are worm eaten"
Pull" cried Joan. Pull hard.
There! There! Oh. God-you ars
free!"
Yes. was free. First one bar then
another had broken In the middle,
where worms had SO weakened them
that they readily yielded In the hands
Of the desperate man whom they had
imprisoned for two years.
And now yours!" ! cried to Joan.
running TO her cage Now to free
YOU"
You can't" she walled. They put
new bars to my cage only month ago.
While the bars Of your cage have
never been renewed In my memory"
We'll. then. III free you with club
as lever-same as | did before"
And l went In search Of a stout
stick
Fly. John! fly" cried Joan. her
voice ringing with fear. Run away
quick! They are coming. Don't stop
for me-"
I'm return with help, dear" was all
/ had time to say 10 my darling
Joan-and then heard the footsteps
CT the two madmen approaching
and / ran, ran for dear life.
How long ran nor how far | shall
never know For when awoke It WAS
to see the sun rising on new day
must have ran TIL fell exhausted and
unconscious. For ! remembered moth
ing Of this place In which | now found
myself 1t was place amid trees
yet sandy, Yes. there was white sand
under my feet.
Sand" | exclaimed. This means
that the sea Is near"
Onward fastened toward the
rising sun-for knew that the sea
coast lay directly east. All that day
| fastened eastward, stopping only
long enough ct streams to drink and
battle my tevered head.
Yes, fevorad. For now felt steal.
ing over me that terrible. all.gone feel.
ing that PROCEEDS tropical fever. But
t!l! must reach the coast. and reach
L before the fever made too great raw,
1g upon ny Physical strength.
And 20. teyer'stricken and exhaust.
ID. al last reached tho sea. Fisher.
mca found no end carried me to their
hc@o There they nuTsed me back to
h n.
tod them my story ard begged
hem to fern l!yte expedition and
2omo with me into tho forest to cave
ny Jean from her Imprisonment at
tho hands Of the Dadmen
The Observation-Disclosures FISH.
crmcn--well, ! could see that they b.
l,cycd, from nay strange and incredible
s.ory, that 1t Yves l who YVES mad
Ec. tha two men Of whom told them,
La result was that while they
p!ticd what they believed TO be my
metal inarmity, they would not raise
. hand to help me.
Then came a fishing smack into the
hr-bor. She would proceed thence,
with a cargo OF FISH, learned. to the
nearest large port determined that
my best plan to aid Joan would be to
work my way on this vessel to where
help could be had.
applied to the captain OF the ship
for a berth. He gladly accepted me
es a member of the crew. being short
handed. When the vessel reached the
Honduras port. ! again told my story
to the natives there. and again none
would believe my tale. Not a man
could find to volunteer to 60 into the
interior with me to rescue my darling
girl.
A ship was sailing for New York. |
at last induced the captain to ship
me as one of the crew. And sol
worked my passage to New York and
here ! am
Thus John Gaunt, the Fifth Man.
concluded his story.
He now turned with eager counter.
ance to his friends and said