White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-12

AO NEAnE1 80
Fairly flying down the sharp de-
scent toward the lower fiume, .Blake's
straining eyes caught for the first
time the break which spelled their
doom. They now were flashing across
a canyon, so high that the trees be-
low looked mere shrubs. Their help
Iessness was appalling.
Black Jack and his men at the head
of the iume gazed a%nxiously down at
the fast retreating forms, too excited
to use their rifles. Directly beneath
the break, Johnson's party was wait
ing for the death leap. Every now
and then, Red, smiling. pointed up
at the break. over which the stream
poured in a high, ribbon-like water
fall.
Less than fifty feet from the gap
in the flume, a large spike protruded
through the side. Blake saw 1t and
in desperation seized 1t, his momen-
tum lifting him partly out OF the
water. The strain was terrific, but
he held on. Bessie, just behind and
still in the grasp of the current, was
swept almost under and past her hus-
band, but managed to seize his legs
and thus once again the hand of
Death was stayed.
Johnson's gang waited and wonder
ed beneath the break. Black Jack,
certain the pair had taken the leap,
had called his men and hurried down
the DEVILS Slide.
Blake. half drowned by the down.
pouring water, strained every muscle
to retain his hold on the spike. He
managed, at last, to half swing him
self over the edge of the fume, where
he held fast and helped Bessie to do
iikwise.
Their position still was one OF ex-
IRENE peril. Below, through the
trees, they could see the outlaws
WdItluk W SIOOLb " dOOf0F ONA~A
outlaws followed the course of the
fume. They must get somewhere at
once. One hundred feet above them
a trestling led down somewhere.
Slowly, for a slip meant death, they
climbed along the edge of the flume
to the trestle. Here, Blake had Bes-
ale fasten her belt firmly in his, and
taking her entire weight on his back,
he dropped down the side of the big
sluice box and began the hazardous
descent of the trestle over timbers
and crumbled by time.
The descent was made In safety,
but as Blake swung to the ground
he saw Johnson and his men, and,
selling Bessie. hurried away into the
woods.
IT was Commando Pete who first
saw their footprints, but he turned
from them without betraying his dis
covery. A moment later the outlaw
leaders saw the imprints and dashed
into the woods. the mounted men
spreading out so as practically to
sweep the entire side of the noun
tain.
'They won't get away this time"
was Haines' grim comment.
Blake and Bessie, exhausted al
most to the point of collapse, but
realizing the outlaws were close be-
hind them, and on their trail. push
ed on through the woods to the
banks of a large stream, just below
a high waterfall. On this bank, TWEEN
ty feet above the stream, a large tree
projected out ove the water, its
branches almost resting on a broad,
fat rock. Beyond this rock, smaller
ones formed natural stepping stones
through the swift but shallow water
to the opposite shore.
Blake instantly saw In the tree pos
sible escape and he leaped onto the
trunk, pulling Bessie up after him.
Concealed by the branches, they made
their way out over the water, the tree
bending lower and lowtr beneath
their weight. When they reached a
point above the rock, they hung and
dropped safely onto II.
One hundred yards below and from
the bank, Black Jack scanned the
shores and waters and his keen eye
caught the upward sweep of the tree
as IL was freed of the weight of Blake
and Bessie. He knew such a disturb-
ance must have been caused by hui
man effort and calling to his men
spurred In that direction.
Blake saw they had been discover
ed and realized that further flight