Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-03-12
CHAPTER xI.-contlnued.

Psusing lot at al 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 a half
dour's rest, arose just ahead and con-
dnued 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 he had
been struggling on in a daze, a semi
conscious state wherein he had STUN
oied along as in a dream as he clam
,bered over Jagged. upheayed masses
and dragged himself painfully up
steep accents that led ever up and up
towards distant and towering peaks
that receded as steadily as he ap-
preached; his eyes eve fastened up
on a g~rotesque flying thing that alter
nstely tapped onward like a NAM
moth bat or roasted vulturelike upon
some emineuce as 1t clutched a form
which 1t was bearing closely and peer
ed with huge. inscrutible eyes at him
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 dizzily was the fiat
surface OF a table mountain with pre-
Cipitous cliffs surrounding it, wild and
~iesolate, the haunt of no living thing
except mountain sheep and wandering
eagles. Was it 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
lust in time TO see the other go down
upon his bleeding knees in a stumbling
fall and lie ~motionless. For the first
time since the start he halted, hesi-
tated, her with an exclamation OF
despair hurried back to the fallen one
and turned him over. The eyes were
half closed, the mouth gasping like
that Of a ~suffocating fish and the head
rolling Imply. Despair seized him.
Each breath that he drew pierced his
bosom like a dagger and his head
swan giddily. His own hands and
knees we're torn and blood caked and
mis- throat like old parchment. 1t
seemed hopeless, worse than hopeless.
10 20 on alone, yet go 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 was
quietly watching them. March ran his
hand across his eyes TO clear them
from the sweat. Since the other was
not increasing the distance between
them, perhaps 1t would be wise upon
his part to rest also. Should he con-
tinue on In his present condition It
would be but a short time before he
would collapse as Clay had done, and
then there would be no eye to mark
the direction OF the monsters flight.
on the other hand should he rest for
a while he would be able to take up
the pursuit with renewed yigor. and
perhaps by that time Clay would be
able to accompany him. He threw
himself upon the rocks.
The desire TO sleep fell upon his
eyelids as a dead weight. Fatigue
d~eadening as an anaesthetic, so be-
numblng as to require the utmost ef-
forts Of his will to keep II from stupe-
lying his enses possessed him from
brain to toe. The pain was gone from
his limbs, but In its place was the
numbness Of paralysis. His head. too,
had ceased 10 reel. but II was hum
ming like d hive. Fighting uncon-