The Jasper news., 1917-05-10

while the two lowered over the IRE,
a thunder squall, rolling wildly down !.
the enstern slope, burst over the CUP.
MN knew even better than her COM
panion the fickle nature Of range
storm, and understood uncomfortably
well how q 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 huff
the distance that separated them from
the cliff, when second thunderstorm
seeming to rush In from the desert.
burst above their heads. Drenched
with rain, they were forced to draw
back under projecting rock. 10 Gn-
other moment the two storms, meet
ing In the gap, rushed together. AS IL
an unseen hnnd had touched thou
sand granite springs above the gap.
every slender crevice spouted a
stream that shot foaming 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 Eel Captain the
fury Of the night seemed largely to
have exhausted itself, but the over
charged air hung above the noun
talns, 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. Cnder 1t all
the two refugees, high on the noun.
talnside, 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 utter they had
started until the eastern sky llghtened
before the retreating Storm. and with
the first glimmer of daylight the two
were at the beginning Of the nurrow
foothold which lay for half d mile be-
tween them and safety.
The face of 81 Captain presents,
midway, sharp convex. just where
1t is thrown forward In this keen
angle, the trail runs out almost to n
knife-edge, and the mountain is so
nearly vertical that II appears to
overhang the floor Of the valley.
They made half the stretch of this
angle with hurdly a lnisstep. but the
advance for part of the way was
climb, and De Spain. turning once
to speak to Nan. asked her for her
rife. that he might carry 1t with his
own. What their story might have
been had she given It 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 II toward the east, clouds scuddins
over the open desert broke aud shot
: the light of dawn against the beetl!ng
. arete.
De Spnin turned in some relter TO
point to the coming day. AS he did
/ so a gust of wind, sweeping against
the sheer wall. tipped him sidewise.
: and he threw himself on his knees to
avoid the dizzy edge. His rife. which
lay under his hand on the rock,
/ slipped from reach. In the next In
slant he heard II bouncing from rock
/, to rock, FIVE hundred feet below.
Z Greatly annoyed and humillated, he
r regained his feet and spoke with a
! laugh to reassure Nan. Just as she
, answered not to worry, q little sing
ing scream struck their ears; some
|, thing splashed suddenly close ut hand
against the rock wall; chips scnttered
!, between them. From below, the
: sound of rifle report cracked against
! the face of the cliff. They were 81
a startled, SO completely amazed. thai
\ they stood motionless.
n Under fire." muttered De Spain
= He looked at Nan. "We'd better keeI
q moving" he said. "Come whoever II
shooting can follow us hundred
A yards either way" In front OF d.
!, Spain q fourth bullet struck the rock
a "Nan," he muttered, Ave got you init
q a fix. II we can't stop that fellow
!. he Is liable to stop US. Gun you se'
A anythingf" he asked, waiting for he
d to come up.
| ri I..t.