Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-08-03
pulled it toward him and

the plank, he pulled it toward hin anu
lay upon it.
Without Il sound one end went slowly
under water n the farther end APP
lssared lightly hraced against the over
hanging Willows. Very carefully thell
Duane began to extricate his right 1907
from The sucking sand. 1t seemed as IL
his foot was incased in solid rock. BUY
there was a movement upward, ana
he pulled with all the power he dared
use. 1t came slowly and at length vas
free. The left one he released with less
difficulty. The next few moments he
put all his attention on the plank TO
ascertain il his weight would Sink IL
into the sand. The far end slipped OIL
the willow with u little splash and
gradually settled to rest upon the bot
tom. But it sank no further. However,
as it was II 2nifestly impossible for him
to keep his head UP for long he care
1uily out upon the plank until
he could rest an arm and shoulder upon
the willows.
When he looked up it was to find the
night strangely luminous with fires;
There was q bonfire on the extreme end
OF the bluff, another a hundred PAGES
Beyond. A great flare extended over
ne brake in that direction. Duane
heard a roaring on the wind, and
ne Enew his %pursuers had fired
the willows. He did not believe
mat would help them much. The
brake was dry enough, but too green to
Durn readily. And as for the bonfireS
ne discovered that the mon, probably
having run out of wood, were keeping
up the light With. oil and stuff from
the village. A dozen men kept watch
on the bluff scarcely so PAGES from
where Duane lay concealed by the will
lows. They talked, cracked jokes, sang
songs, and manifestly considered this
! la W or - ore. 1 n r-lE Ac An
as the bright light lasted Duane dared
not move. He had the patience n the,
endurance to wait for the breaking of
the storm, ana if that did not come.
then the early hour before dawn when,
the gray fog and gloom We're over the
river.
Escape was now in his grasp. He
felt it. And with that in his mind he
waited, strong as steel in his convic-
uon, capable of Wit~hstanding any strain
e%ndurable by he human frame.
The wind blew in puffs, grew wilder,
and roared through II willows, carry
ing bright sparks upward. Thunder
nlng began to flash. Then the ain
fell in heavy sheets. but not steadily.
The lashes of lightning and the broad
flares played SO necessarily that Duane
could not trust himself out on the open
river. Certainly the storm rather in
creased the watchfulness Of the men
on the bluff. He knew how to wait,
and he waited, grimly standing pain
and cramp and chill. The storm wore
away as desultorily as It had come, and
the long night set in. There were times
when uan thought he was paralyzed,
others when he grew sick, giddy, weak
from the strained posture. The first
a kind of wild JOY. He watched them
grow paler. DINNER, disappear one by
one. a shadow lowered down, rested
upon the river. and gradually thick
ened. The bonfire on the bluff showed
as through a foggy veil. The watchers
We're mere cropping dark figures.
Duane, aware of how cramped he had
become from long inaction, began to
move his legs and uninjured arm and
body, and at length overcame a par
alyzing stiffness. Then, digging. his
hand In the sand n holding the plank
with his knees, he edged it out into
the river. Inch by incl he advanced
until clear OF the willows. Looking up
ward. he saw the shadoWy figures of
The men on the bluff. He realized they
ought to see him, feared that they
would. But he kept On, cautiously,
noiselessly. with a heart numbing
slowness. From time to time his ell
DOW made a little gurgle and splash
in the water. Try as he might he
could not prevent this. 1t got to be
like the hollow roar of a rapid filling
his ears with hooking sound. There
was a perceptible current out in the
river, and it hindered straight ad-
vancement. Inch by inch he crept on,
expecting to hear the bang of rifles,
the scattering of bullets. He tried not
to look backward, but failed. The fire
appeared a little DINNER, the moving
shadows a little darker.
once the plank struck in the sand
ana he felt as if it We're settling. Bring
ing feet to aid his nard, he showed it
over the ~treacherous place. This way
he made faster progress. The obscure
1ty OF the river seemed to be envelop-
ing him. When he looked back again
the figures of the men We're coalescing
with the surrounding gloom, the fires
We're streaky, blurred patches of light.
But the Sky above was brighter. Dawn
was not far off.
TO the west all was dark. With in
finite care and implacable spirit and
waning strength Duane showed the
plank along, n when at last he dis
cerned the black border of bank it came
in time, he thought to save him. He
crawled' out, rested till the gray dawn
broke, and then headed north through
the willows.