The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-08-17

, his waist, tied IL to the rope that
had been a halter, and having
fastened a stone to one end, low
cred Il into the black space. The
rock found Judgment at the bot
tom.
On making this discovery he
drew up the lariot, opened the
cloth containing the food. and be-
gan to eat rapidly and with evil
dent excitement. He did not fail
to watch on all sides as he en-
joyed his long delayed meal.
When the first cravings of appe-
title were partly satisfied, he tied
up the rest of the food in it's
cloth and lowered it by means of
| the lariat into the creyice. Then,
having tied the end of the rope
to the gun-barrel, he placed the
gun across the creviee and swung
himself down into the gloom.
The walls of the crevice were
so close together that he was able
to steady his knees against them,
but as he neared the bottom they
widened perceptibly. His first
act on setting foot to the stone
flooring was to take from his
| pocket a candle and a box of
matches and strike a light. The
Iehamber of granite in which he
stood was wide enough for Will
lock to stretch across the pas
sage.
Overhead the stars were seen
through the two feet of space, but
as he carried his candle forward,
this opening decreased, to be
succeeded presently by a roof.
The floor was the same every
where save at its extremities. At
the point of Willoek's descent, it
dipped away. At the other end,
where he now stood, it suddenly
gave way to empty space.
The eandlelight revealed the
skeleton of a man lying at the
margin of the unknown depths.
Mingled with the bones that had
fallen apart with the passing of
centuries, was a drawn sword of
old Spanish make-and in the
dust of a rotted purse lay small
heap of gold coins of strange de-
sign.
well, pard," said Brick Will
lock grlmly, you come here first
and much obliged to you. You've
told me two things: that once in
here, no getting out-unless you
bring along your ladder; and
what's better still, nobody has
been here since you come. or that
wouldn't be my money! And now
having told me al 1you got to say,
my cavalier, / guess we'd better
part. !" He raked the bones into
a heap and dashed them into the
black gulf.
He did not finger, but drew
himself up his dangling rope, and
in a short time was once more out
side the place of refuge. Always
on the lookout for possible watch
ers, he fastened over the outer
ridge and down the rugged side
toward the wagon. Here he filled
a box with provisions. With some
difficulty he hoisted the box to his
shoulder, and grasping a spade
and an ak in his disengaged hand,
toiled upward to his asylum.
All night long he toiled back
and forth between his refuge and
the wagon. He finally succeeded
in carrying everything to the
mountain-even a small sheet
iron stove, which had been only
| one Oh the great 5toios VI SoAh
forts and even some luxuries In
the wagon. Evidently Henry
| Gledware and his wife had ex-
pected to live in their wagon aft
er reaching their destination.
On his last trip his terrific
blows resolved the wagon-bed to
separated boards. By means of
| the wrench he removed the wheels
and separated the parts of the
wagon-frame.
| When Wilcox made his last
and slowest trip to the ridge, his
feet dragging like lead, there was
nothing to show that a covered
wagon had stood at the edge OF
the prairie.
| Letting himself down into the
crevice he threw himself on the
mattress and fell asleep.