The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-08-11


the canteen cork and damned the
mouthpiece firmly to Jose's lips. Clos
ing the fellows nostrils with his free
hand, he forced him TO drink.
Jose clenched his teeth, ne tried to
roll his head, he held his breath until
his face grew purple and his eyes
bu1ged. He strained like a man upon
the rack The bench creaked to his
muscular cOntortions; the rope tight
ened- 1t was terribly cruel, this crush
ing of strong will bent on resistance
to the uttermOst; but never was an
executioner more piiless, never did a
prisoners agony receive less consid-
Grafton The warm water spilled over
Jose's face, il drenched his neck and
chest; his joints creaked as he strOve
for freedom and tried to twist his head
out Of Laws iron grasp. The seconds
dragged. until finally nature asserted
herself. The imprisoned breath burst
forth; there sounded a loud gurgling
cry and choking inhalation. JOSe's
body writhed with the commissions of
drowning as the water and air were
sucked into his lungs. Law was kneel-
ing over his victim now, his weight and
strength so applied that Jose had no
liberty of action and could only drink,
coughing and fighting for air Some
how ne managed to revive himself
briefly and again shut his teeth; but
moment more and he was again
retched with the furious battle for air,
more desperate now than before. After
while Law freed his victims nostriIS
and allowed him partial breath, then
once more crushed the mouthpiece
against his lips. By and by, to relieve
his torture, Jose began to drink in
great noisy gulps, striving to empty
the vessel.
But the stomach's capacity is lin
tied. In time Jose felt himself burst
ing; the liquid began to regurgitate
This was not mere pain that he suf-
fered, but the ultimate nightmare hOr-
rOr of death more awful than anything
he had ever imagined. Jose would
have met bullet, q knife, lash, with
out fiinching; flames would not have
served to weaken his resolve; but this
slow drowning was infinitely worse
than the worst he had thought pos
sible; he was suffocating by long,
black, agonizing minutes. Every nerve
and muscle of his body, every cell in
his bursting lungs. fought against the
outrage in purely physical frenzy
over which his will power had no con-
troll. Nor would insensibility come to
his relief-Law watched him too care
fully for that. He could not even voice
his sufferings by shrieks he could only
writhe and reich and gurgle while the
ropes bit into his flesh and his captor
knelt upon him like a monstrous stone
weight
But Jose had made a better fight
than he knew. The canteen ran dry at
last, and Law was forced to release his
hold.
"Will you speak?" he demanded.
Thinking that he had come safely
through the ordeal, Jose shook his
head; he rolled his bullying, bloodshot
eyes and vOmited, then managed to call
God to witness his innocence.
Dave went into the next room and
refilled the canteen. When he re-
appeared with the dripping vessel in
his hand, Jose tried to scream. But
his throat was torn and strained; the
sound of his own voice frightened him.
Once more the torment began. The
tortured man was weaker now, and in
consequence he resisted more feebly
but not until he was less than half con-
sciOus did Law spare him to recover.
Jose lay sick, frightened, inert. Dave
watched him without pity. The fell
lows wrists were black and swollen.
n &c IL
stretched like dumb animal upon the
vivisectiOnist's table, and no surgeon
with lance and scaIpeI could have
shown less emotion than did his in
quisitor. Having no intention of de-
feating his own ends, Dave allowed his
victim ample time in which to regain
his ability TO suffer.
Alaire Austin had been right when
she said that Dave might be ruthless
and yet the man was by no means in
capable of compassion. At the present
moment, however, he considered him
self simply as the instrument by which
Alaire was to be saved. His own feel
ings had nothing to do with the mat
ter; neither had the sufferings of this
Mexican. Therefore he steeled himself
to prolong the agony until the murder
er's stubborn spirit was worn down.
Once again he put his question, and.
again receiving defiance, damned the
canteen between Jose's teeth.
But human nature is weak. For the
first time in his life Jose Sanchez felt
terror-a terror too awful to be en-
dured-and he made the sign.
He was no longer the insolent defer,
the challenger, but an imploring
wretch, whose last powers Of resist
ance had been completely shattered.
His frightened eyes were glued to that
devilish vessel in which his manhood
had dissolved, the fear OF it made a
woman of him.
Slowly, in signs and whimpers, in
agonies of reluctance, his story came;
his words were rendered almost fncom-
prehensible by his abysmal fright
When he had purged himself OF his
secret Dave promptly unbound him
then leaving him more than half dead,
he went to the telephone which con-
nected the pumping station with Las
Palmas and called up the ranch
He was surprised when Blaze Jones
answered Blaze, it seemed, had just