Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-03-16

ua.sA.A
Then he drew his revolver again and
broke II. He found five empty shells
In the chambers and threw them away.
The Inst cartridge had not been fired.
lie could not even figure out how he
had happened to have six cartridges In
the cylinder, for he rarely loadrd more
than five. Indeed 1t was his fixed
hablt-to avoid accldcnts--ncvcr to
carry n cartridge under the hummer
of his gln--yct now there had been
one. Without trying to explain the
circumstance. he took fresh stock of
his chances and began to wonder
whether he might yet escape and live.
lie climbed again into the saddle,
and, riding to II ridge, looked carefully
over the desert 1t was with I'm effort
that he could steady himself, and the
extent of his weakness, surprised him.
What further pcrpleXed him rs he
crossed long divide got another good
view and saw no pursuit threatening
in any direction, was to identify the
country he was In. The only landmark
anywhere In sight that he could recog-
nize was Music mountain. This now
lay to the northwest, and he knew he
must be n long way from any country
he was familiar with. But there was
no galnsnylng, even In his confused
condition, Music mountain. After
looking ut 1t Il long time he headed
with some hesitation cautiously toward
1t, with intent to intercept the first
trail to the northeast. This would take
him toward Sleepy Cat.
As his eyes continued to sweep the
horizon he noted that the sun was
down and II was growing dark. He
was aware nj intervals that he was
steadying himself like II drunken man.
His efforts to guide the horse only be-
wildercd the beast, and the two tray
clrd on muudln curves and doubled
back on their truck until De Spain de-
cidcd that his sole chance of reaching
any known trail was to let 20 and give
the horse his head. A period Of uuron-
Sclousness, n blank In De Spuin's mind,
soon followed. How long he rode In
this way, or how far, he never knew.
He was reused to consciousness by the
unnccust0mcd sound Of running water
underneath his horses feet.
1t was pitch dark everywhere. The
horse after the hard experience of the
evening was drinking welcome draft.
De Spain had no conception of where
he could be- but the stream told him he
had somehow reached the range,
though Music mountain itself had been
swallowed up In the night. A sudden
and uncomfortable thirst seized the
wounded man. lie could hear the wa
ter falling over the stones and climbed
slowly and painfully out of the saddle
to the ground. With the lines In his
left hand he crawlcd toward the water
and, lying fiat on the ground beside the
horse, put his head down to drink. The
horse, meantime, satisfied, lifted his
head with gulp, rinsed his mouth,
and pulled backward. The lines
slipped from De SPANS hand. Alarmed.
the weakened man scrambled after
them. The horse, startled, SHE'D and
before his rider could get to his feet
scampered off In trot. While De
Spain listened in CONSERVATION, the es-
capped horse, falling into IN easy stride,
gullopcd away into the night.
Stunned by this new misfortune, and
listening gloomily to the rctreating
hoof-beats, De Spain pondcred the stu
alton In which the disaster left him.
1t was the worst possible blow that
could have fallen, but fallen 1t had.
and he turned with such philosophy rs
he could to complete the drink of water
that had probably cost him his hfc.
When he had slakcd seemingly IN
qucnchablp craving, he dashed the rua.
ming water, first With one hand anl
then the other, over his face. He trl !
feebly to wash away some Of the alki,'l
that had crusted over the wound in the
front of his head and was singing and
burning In 1t. There was now moth
Ing to do but to secrete himself until
daylight and wait till help should reach
hlm--it was munlfestly impossible for
him to seek it.
Meanwhile, the little stream BESIDE
him offered first aid He tried 1t with
his foot and found II slight and shall
low. albeit with Il rocky bed that made
wading In his condition difficult. Blu
he felt so much better he was able to
attempt this, and keeping near to one
side of tine current, he began to follow
1t slowly upstream. The ascent was
Mt times PERCEPTIONS which pleased
him, though it depleted his new
strength. II was easy in this way To
hide his trail. and the higher and fast
or the stream took him INTO the noun
tains the safer he would he from my
CalabasAS pursucrs. When he had re-
gained little strength and oricnted
himself he could quickly get down into
the hills.
Animated by these thoughts, he held
his way upstream, hoping mt every
step to reach the gorge from which
the flow issued He would have known
this by the sound of the falling water,
but, weakening soon, he found he must
abandon hope of getting up to it. How
ever, by resting and scramblng up
the rocks, he kept on longer than he
would have believed possible. Encoun-
terlng at length, rs he struggled up
ward, a ledge and clump of bushes,
he crawled weakly on hands and knees
into 1t, too spent to struggle farther,
stretched himself on the nattened
brambles and sank into II heavy sleep.
He woke in broad daylight. Con-
seriousness returned slowly and he