The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1916-05-05
get through the net we have spread

N'E'I '"' \ ]
II Will communicate with Warsaw.
ana meantime go where you will or
stay here if YOU prefer"
| mad succeeded in OBTAINING him
nearly a couple of hours. and by this |
time the count and his companion
ought to be out of the place, so | or |
dercd my horse, resolved to go for a
ride to test the truth of the little beg
CARS assurance that I was not TO be
watched.
chose the southern road, and as the
ground was very hard | went at a
leisully pace. | was not followed. and
as soon as | had satisfied myself of
this my thoughts slipped back to the
incident at the railway station and a
pair of blue eyes that had looked with
such desolate usefulness into mine.
l was Still following this train of
thought when | reached the hill known
locally as the "Deyils Staircase Bra
tlnsk stands on a plateau. and about
five miles to the south this hill, one of
the most dangerous | have ever seen
on account Of its fearful gradient and
deadly twists and turns, leads to the
plains below. From the top there is a
fine view over the Ratak levels, a
stretch OF fertile country extending for
miles to the foothills beyond. 1t was
a favorlte spot of mine, and on reach
ing it now ~dismounted. tethered my
horse near and StrOlled to smoke Il ci-
gar and continue my r~everie, when L
caught the grating of wheels. followed
I11JlHIV hv fhn fhro1,Iino cny,,,l az
horses feet.
Some one must be in a deuce of a
hurry. | thought as | looked back along
the road. Some II was surely enough.
Not a couple Of hundred yards from
the brink of the hill came a light ca
leche. with two occupants. drawn by a
pair OF horses at fun gallon. What
was the fool Of 4 driver about: no
dash down the Devils Staircase at that
mad pace meant death. No horses ever
foaled could make the sharp turns and
twists of that zigzac, t~reacherOus. dead
~ incline at a gallon.
shouted a warning at the top of my
voice. and then my heart seemed to
leap in my breast and every vein in
my body to chill like ice as the occ,1-
pants of the calerhe looked up. and T
recognized Count Peter Naluemar and
the girl who had been in my thoughts
all that day.
AS the rulaWays reached me | leap
cd down on to the road. and | made a
spring for the reins of the horse near
est me. ! missed them and WAS rolled
over and over. while the frightened
beasts dashed on. tho count tearing
and Juggling and straininc ut the reins
IN a futile effort to stop them.
jumped up and ran down the hill
in pursuit. .Iust below the road made
an : shaped curve. and the horses were
round this and out of sight like a
flash. and while l was racing after
them ound the first bend | heard a
shout in q mans voice and a girls
scream. and hen the crashing sound of
q smash.
| reached the scene in a few mo-
ments. The wreck had come at a point
where the road turned at less than a
right angle, and the sight of it sick
ened NE with fear.
One horse was down, lying against a
bank, bleeding profusely and kicking
~spasmodically in what + judged to be
a death struggle. The other was on it's
feet and was plunging and Juggling to
free itself from the reins and harness
which had got entangled in the wreck
of the calechc. Under the body of the
vehicle lay the count, and as | did not
for the moment see his companion |
I1h.., +1,+ .h, ,,,,t I, ~ i ,,-J -.
the Wrcckagc toe.
With a big effort ! hoistcu the vc-
hirle sufficiently to drag ont the count,
but the girl was not there.
Then | saw her lying behind Il bush
10y the roadside. | ran to her and laid
my finger OF her pulse. With intense
relief | found the beat. feeble ii is true.
but steady, and | poured some brandy
into the cup of my flask and managed
to get a little of it bet ween her lips.
\ trembling sigh escaped her, and
returned to the count.
The police agent was right. The
count would never cross the German
frontier-he had crossed a farther one.
l knew enough of first aid work to
ascertain the cause. His neck was
broken. and l guessed he had been
thrown sideways on to his head. snap
ping the vertebrate. | drew the body to
the side OF the road and threw one of
the rugs OVer il.
Next | freed the sound horSe-think-
ing he might be nceded-soothed him a
bit and tethered him to a tree.
HV this time the girl WAS fast racny-
cring, and | went back to her. | was
administering another dose of the
brandy when she opened her eyes.
"Wha has happened: Oh. l remem-
Der. The hill and then"-and she put !
her hands before her eyes.
You have had !; wonderful escape"
The word confused her. Did we
A:...iLA tlall. L. - aat fallal4:;a- -. !