The Elk Mountain pilot., 1919-11-20
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NUy3s sSsSs - vsV
1t was severe work even for q lzAn -
powerful af was John yet foot by fest
the senselese one was hauled alnft %
til the nngers Of the rescuei- sank n
his collar. Then bracinR himself fer
final effort. Davis dragged him hD1l-
ly oven the edge and stretched him 81,
beyond the reach Of danger. Cutting
the rope free from the Others body,
John tossed the loose end hack ever
the edge. then turned to make . e3eser
inspection Of the injured man. 9ho
eyes of Morgan were closed, his c1eth-
jng torn to rags and his cheeks laess-
ated and bloody.
From distance the Spider. who had
witnessed It all, came running toward
the pair at top speed. Arriving witl,ss
haillng distance he raised his voice
In a shout. Hearing the voice Of the
approaching one and not knowing wh0
was coming or what new dangsS
threatened. John sprang to his fest saA
made a grab for his rife. A stoae ress-
ing from beneath him at that moment,
ne lost his balance and went over the
cliff.
Instinctively his hand few ont. ~
fingers clutching the edge of the cDs4.
he hung suspended over the rocks far
below. Desperately he tried to Fsise
himself above the edge Of the ciiR an4
might have succeeded had his hAs6-
hold not proven false. But ~ ne ess-
waited his head to aspOint where he
could see over tn. tpp. the rock beEaH
to crumble in his Krarp and slowly bst
surely he felt his fingers begin to sip.
Realizing the folly Of attempting -
draw himself further up with -
treacherous ha1c hold to depend ur-
on, he again lowered himself to full
arms length and hung Imply. 80
He turned his head over his shou3-
der and looked. Below him was the
dizzy height through which he nust
fall before he would land a niangIed
Afar above him In the sky dim speeks
were circling. and ne shuddered o. he
thought Of himself lying beneath their
tnlOns and beaks, even though death
had robbed him Of all consciousness,
The thought gave him new strength.
Casting his eye . little further along
the edge Of the cliff. he raw the ropo
dangling over its edge where h6sha0
earelessly tossed II after ressAalaG
MOrgan's body from one end. TIE ~
per end was still fastened to the r8ck
as It had been attached by the Spider
when he lowered the Hawk over, and
could he reach II, frayed though II
was, there was q chance that II would
support him and that by means u Il
he could hoist himself up over tie NJ.
Slowly he began working himseaf 49,
ways toward II. 81,
ITe reached II and ciutched Il vatb
the grasp with which . drowning nAQ
clings to q straw. Had he bse0 fyeab
he would have been able to psll MD-
self up without any particular df0-
Guilty, but he had been haAsing 20 log
and 30 desperately to the edge Of the
rock with the tips q his Aneess tint
those members had become cfanpe6
and stifRened. and instead Of cluteA3ng
the swaying rope with GRIP thee
would sustain HIS weight ~ e1aDe9
around 1t but loosely. S,sw0. sPsly.
gaining speed with each insonnf - -.
gan to slip down the FsDs-1sUD -
its lose swinging cod fFea WA)gA ~
must make his last drop to IT, Toe3o
now lay. s~e
Faster and faster GreW his Aeses09
until the frIctisa of the reueA fS1re -
which the rope was made scorche0 -
bllstered his hands. Yet mindless -
the pain Of II he ciung on as ~ -
could. knowing that the end was noW
but few seconds away. And that -
did not give way to despair and lessso
his hold served for the moasent -
save his life. for the rspe In falo1g1
over the edge had formed . loose h11
at its lower end. and ~ The aeseso0
mans hands struck thla ~ m -
checked and he hung at fuN leu0o
from the tip Of the ropa.
For q moment he sWaysa tA1re, ~
dead with the nervous stsuaa ~ ~
ribly shaken from It an 1A6 naU>t
ing he must regain ths lsngtA - -
rope quickly II at all ~ beonA 49,
ing and clutsAing a. he stxUye - nl1eq
himself hand over hanA - ~ 49,
Of the rocks DO many fee< abovA 12sUo
though he was from his spog1A ~
knowledge that bis life wea AahG1G
BY hair gave him renewed
and foot by foot he fought ~ waU
upward. Already he had ha1f raoaAN
ed the lost ground when there ayDsaFs
Cd upon the scene a malignenA NegDo
which rendered all his trenea1soD ~
forts Of the last several minutes ws1e
than wasted.
The Spider, running up to IT, ~
cast one glance at the prostrats fo1O
Of his confederate. then pesse9 eso