The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-08-22
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the Spiders reply. I'm getting uneasy
about him. The Hermit may have
taken a shot AT him. Anxiety lest his
remark had caused the other man to
get into trouble, John reached for his
rifle.
"Stay here and entertain Ethel for
while. I'll take peek around and see
if l can locate him. But the Spider
would have none of it.
81 won't let you go alone. We will
Just have a look into Sweetwater Val
ley. You go around the mountain and
meet me below" With this understand
ing they hastily parted.
John. coming to the top of the bare
hill overlooking the valley on the op-
posite side of which Morgan was left
suspended to the cliff by his confed-
crate, paused to scan the broad scene.
As he did so the shadow of n great
bird fell at his feet. and gazing into
the sky he saw dozen mountain vul-
lures wheeling and swooping in the
air, their course ever narrowing to the
far side of the valley. And as he look
ed and wondered what prey they saw,
an object met his eyes that made him
utter a gasp of horror. For suspended
against the face of the opposite cliff,
| dangling In the air like a spider upon
| his thread. was the body of man
about which the wolves of the air were
| rapidly gathering. And even as he
| looked he saw one of the voracious
| creatures swoop upon the defenseless
one with curved beak drawn and great
claws curved
Stopping to witness no more he sank
upon one knee and leveled his rifle.
1t was a long shot and quick one-a
shot which might only be attempted
with hope of success by an expert
rf1eman, yet at the crack of the weap-
on the wings of the attacking creature
suddenly collapsed and the dark body
with its white trimmed wings went
plunging downward like a plummet
to the rocks below. A second shot
quickly followed with a second great
bird falling as had the first. and the
remainder of the circling crew, fright
ened by the fate which had befallen
their fellows, withdrew in rapid up
ward spirals until they became mere
specks in the clear sky.
Arising to his feet John stood gazing
in the clear sky.
| II wonder who on earth he can heT
he muttered Then seeing that tht
danger was past and the birds hat
been frightened into the reaches of the
sky, he threw the gun over his shoulder
and started on a brisk run to reach
the other side of the valley and rescue
the unfortunate who hung suspended
so perilously above the rocks that lay
at the foot of the cliff.
IT so happened that the land lay in
a conformation which enabled John to
reach the spot desired by making a
comparatively short turn around a
ridge which crced the end of the
valley like the rim of a bowl. Several
minutes of fast travelling brought him
to point above which the form of
Morgan hung suspended, and throwing
his rifle aside John prostrated himself
upon his stomach and peered down at
the hanging one. The sight that met
his gaze made him shiver with horror.
One side of Morgan's face was torn
and bloodcovered where the foul
brutes of the air had plucked at him !:
his head hung limp and he had tainted
through sheer terror at thought of be-
ing torn to pieces while alive. Cunning
though he and the Spider were, they
had failed to take into account the
fierce winged creatures who inhabit
the mountain tops, and the farce had
become a near tragedy.
As his gaze ran down the lariat upon
which his Cousins weight was suspend
ed. another thrill ran through the bo-
som of Davis Just below the edge of
the cliff a sharp fragment of rock jut-
ted. and against this the rope, sawed
back and forth by the convulsive jerks
of Morgan's body as he had tried to
escape his assailants, had become fray
ed so that but few thin strands still
remained intact. 1t took but a glance
to show that another conyulsive move
ment of the suspended one would cause
them to part, and seizing the lariat
firmly just below the abraided portion
John began to haul the other upward