The L'Anse sentinel., 1917-06-16


The mutterings above the noun
tains now grew rapidly louder. and
whlls the two lowered over the fire.
thunder squall. rolling wildly down
the eastern slope. burst over the gap.
Nan knew even better than her COM
panion the fickle nature OF range
storm, and understood uncomfortably
well how a sudden shift might. at any
moment, lay their entire path open to
Its fierceness. She warned De Spain
they must be moving. and, freshened
by The brief rest, they set out toward
El Captain.
They had covered more than half
the distance that separated them from
the cliff, when second thunderstorm
seeming to rush In from the desert
burst above their heads. Drenchet
with rain, they were forced to draw
back under projecting rock. In an,
other moment the two storms, meet
ing in the gap, rushed together. As IL
an unseen hand had touched a thou.
sand granite springs above the gap.
every slender crevice sp0uted
stream that shot foamlng out from
the mountainsides. The sound Of NOV.
ing waters rose In dull. vast roar,
broken by the unseen boom of distant
falls, launching huge masses Of water
into caverns far below. The storm
laden wind tore and swirled among
the crowded peaks, and above all the
angry sky moaned and Quivered in the
rage of the elements.
| 1t was only the lulls between the
sharp squalls that enabled them to
cover the trail before daylight. When
they paused before FL Captain the
fury of the night seemed largely 10
have exhausted itself, but the over
charged air hung above the noun
tains, trembling and moaning like
bruised and stricken thing. Light
ming, playing across the inky heavens,
blazed In constant sheets from end
to end of the horizon. Under 1t all
the two refugees. high on the noun.
tainside, looked down on the flooding
gap.
Their flight was almost ended. Only
the sheer cliff ahead blocked their
descent to the aspen grove. Hardly
a moment passed after they had
started until the eastern sky llghtencd
before the retreating storm. and with
the first gimmer of daylight the two
were at the beginning of the narrow
foothold which lay for half mile bs
tween them and safety.
The face of Ell Captain presents,
midway, sharp convex. Just where
1t Is thrown forward in this keen
angle, the trail runs out almost to
nearly vertical that II appears to
overhang the floor of the valley.
They made half the stretch of this
angle with hardly a misstep, but the
advance for part Of the way was
a climb, and De Spain, turning once
to speak to Nan. asked her for her
rifle, that he might carry it with his
own. What their story might have
been had she given 1t to him. none
can tell. But Nan, holding back. re-
fused to let him relieve her. The
dreaded angle which had haunted De
Spain all night was safely turned on
hands and knees, and. as they round
ed it toward the east, clouds scudding
over the open desert broke and shot
the light of dawn against the beetling
arete.
De Spain turned In some relief to
point to the coming day. AS he did
so gust of wind, sweeping against
| ch him ciIatuiGa
and he threw himself on his knees to
avoid the dizzy edge. His rifle, which
lay under his hand on the rock,
slipped from reach. In the next In
stant he heard 1t bouncing from rock
to rock, five hundred feet below.
Greatly annoyed and Inundated, he
regained his feet and spoke with
laugh to reassure Nan. Just as she
answered not to worry, little sing
Ing scream struck their ears; some
thing splashed suddenly close ut hand
against the rock wall; chips scattered
between them. From below. the
sound Of rifle report cracked against
the face Of the cliff. They were SO
startled, so completely amazed. that
they stood motionless.
De Spain looked down and over the
uneven floor of the gap. The ranch-
houses, spread like toys In the long
perspective, lay peacefully revealed In
the gray Of the morning. He could
discover no sign Of life around any Of
the houses. But In another moment
the little singing scream came again,
the blow Of the heavy slug against the
splintering rock was repeated. the dis
tant report of the rifle followed.
"Under fire." muttered De Spain.
He looked at Nan. "We,d better keep
moving" he said. "Come! whoever Ii
shooting can follow us hundred
yards either way" In front of De
Spain fourth bullet struck the rock.
man." he muttered, "Tve got you into
a fix. II we can't stop that fellow.
he Is liable to stop us. Can you see
anythingf" he asked. waiting for her
to come up.
"Henry!" She was looking straight
down into the valley, and laid her hand
on De Spain's shoulder. ''Is there any.
| thin0 rnovinp on tho ridOo--ovar fharo