Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-10-15

Would have skimped shares q bit.
Here goes! l may as well take G.
chance going after poor Denton as to
risk a shot in the backl'
He closed the door Of the shack and
went out to the o%yerhanging cliff. The
mountains lifted grim, dark shoulders
to the bright sunshine.
The four men were In consultation
at the brink Of the precipice. They
scattered a little at Blake's approach.
Il was saying" said Andrews craft
lily, shat l wish there was some other
way to get to the bottom of this here
hole. But l don't know howr'
There isn't any other way" said
Jack as he frightened his belt and Slip
ped the moose of the new rope under
his armpits.
when you reach the bottom you
yank the rope three times" said Peter
son. "Then we lower another rope for
Patsy or what's left of him."
"Goodby," said Jack, and without OF
fering to shake hands with them he
sat down on the edge of the cliff.
The other end of the long rope was
securely fastened to q tree.
Gently they eased the rope until
Blake swung In under the brow of the
cliff, out of their sight.
The rope quivered through their fin
gers, tautened and suddenly raced
~scorchfngly through, and the severed
end vanished into space.
There followed a crashing sound and
long afterward a faint thud, after that
the echo of a laugh.
The four breathed heavily and wiped
the sweat from their faces. Andrews,
who had bought his own life from Pc
t%erson, slipped the knife back into his
pocket. They went into the nearest
shack and drank heavily.
.
Jack Blake looked down at the jun
bled rocks far below as he dangled at
the ropes end.
Just then he swung under the cliff;
something grasped him firmly, and he
was drawn to a safe footing on q mar
row ledge thirty feet from the top of
the precipice.
He gasped when he gazed into the
grinning face of Patsy Denton.
"Whishtr' cautioned Patsy, finger on
lip. Come inside, Blake, and listen to
me yarn"
"Then you didn't fall down-you
were not hurt?" asked Jack In amaze
ment.
Patsy's face darkened.
mo thanks to them numbering vii
lains that I'm not dead" he said.
"'Twas Peterson himself pushed me
over. What are We dom down here?'
Game after your remains" laughed
Jack.
Meantime Patsy had tugged persist
emily at the rope.
Suddenly he chung tightly to the face
of the cliff, and as the length of the
severed rope hurtled down from above
Patsy Denton managed to kick out a
large stone.
When the stone struck the bottom of
the gorge Patsy laughed thinly.
"That's where we'd be, eh?"
"For all they know we are down
there said Jack significantly. But
what shall we do, Patsy?"
"Come along" said Denton, leading
the way along the six foot shelf.
when I was pushed owe yesterday
me hands went flynn out to catch hold
of somethin', and what should l grab
but that old granddaddy of a root,
'yonder, and 1 swung in until me
toes gripped the earth. l clawed hold
of 1t. It's thankful l am that I'm a
little whiffet of a Teller; the old root
would have busted sure If you'd caught
it, Blakel"
They walked along the ledge until
they reached a triangular opening in
the cliff wall. They squeezed through
and found themselves in a crevasse or
part of a natural ave.
Patsy scratched a match.
"Look!" he said tensely.
Jack Blake looked open mouthed.
There was a dull yellow glitter in the
rocky walls of the
"Goldl The lost veinr' muttered
Jack as he scanned the rich outcrop-
ping. 81 believe it's under your own
claim, PatsyT'
"No, 'tisn't. I've figured it's under
nobody's claim yet. You and me will
file against it, eh? Shure, didn't you
come down after me dead corpse?'
He grinned.
Then Jack told him about the draw
ing of lots and how he had drawn the
C of spades.
"'Twas a lucky card for you,
Blake" said Patsy. Nov, I'm most
starved. I'm thinkin' 'twould be a
good idea to steal along this passage
and-see, it slopes up-inally come out
on the other side of the hill behind a
furze bush. It's food I'm wantin'
ladr'
"If you can wait until dark" sug-
gested Jack, tive car help ourselves.
Meantime forget your hunger If you
81 ii