Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-07-02

waves, and setting me to coughing. l
realized at once what had happened.
Mademoiselle's word of warning COM
ing back to mind-they were, burning
the cabin, and through some orifice
the smoke was being swept down into
this underground passage. If there
were no outlet, no way by which 1t
could escape again to the open air, l
must die there in that black hole,
choked and %suffocated. / might lie
there forever beside this hideous ne
gro; lie there until our bones rotted.
and we also became earth. The hor-
ror of the thought brought me to my
knees. Already the air was sitting,
my lungs laboring heavily for breath
as the smoke clouds filled the passage.
Only as l bent my nostrils close
against the earthern floor could ! find
life.giving air.
Even in my terror I chung to the ne
gro's rifle desperately. The entrance
leading forth into the cave-cellar must
be closed, or the smoke cloud would
never be SO dense and suffocating. To
open it might require strength, the
blows of the gun stock. II retained
power to burst my way through l must
hurry. Already l felt my head reel
dizzily. my open lips gulping for air.
| crept forward recklessly in the dark,
bruising my body against the sides Of
the tunnel, actually feeling the thick
ening smoke swirl about me in dense
clouds. gasped for breath, and drew
a bit of cloth about nose and mouth in
slight protection. l was panic.strick-
en-, overcome by sudden horror, yet
some nature within compelled me to
struggle on. Suddenly | came to a body
lying lengthwise of the passage, the
head to the south. This new discovery
was a shock, yet seemed to affect me
little.
| crawled over him, as though he
was no more than a stone In the path.
yet as one hand came down in the
dark on the upturned face, | expert
enced a sudden thrill-the flesh was
warm, the man lived. Barely had my
numbed mind grasped this helplessly.
when my rife barrel, thrust before me.
struck the end of the passage. the faint
sound Of contact signifying wood. Not
three feet extended between the mans
head and this barrier which blocked
us from the outside air. Desperate,
half crazed indeed, not only by my
own situation, but also by the memory
of those bodies behind in the dark tun-
mel, I found scant knee-room In the
small space, and fumbled madly about
for some latch. The surface wal Of
wood, roughly faced, but smooth, save
for what might be a handle in the mid
die, a mere strip. bevelled to give fin
ger-hold. l pulled at this in vain; then
pushed with my shoulder against the
oak, but the wood held Arm. Weak as
| was, and in so crumpled a position. l
could bring to bear but small strength.
To batter the door down was the only
hope left; no matter what noise re-
suited, or the possibility Of capture by
the savages, | could not lie there and
choke to death in that place of horror.
Better any danger than such a fate. |
drew back and struck, the power OF
fear giving strength to my arms. Again
and. again l drove the iron-bould rifle
stock against the hard oak. l left the
center and attacked the sides, feeling
the wood give slightly. Encouraged
by this l %redoubled my efforts, central
izing my blows on n spot. until Ger.
tain the tightly jammed door was be-