The Arvada enterprise., 1920-04-29
chAPrER XVII.
rhs Trail to Ottawa.

rhs Trail 70 Ottawa.
When my eyes again opened II VA
to darkness and silence AZ profound
az that Of my former Inconsistencies
For the moment I felt no certainty
even that I was actually alive. yei
slowly. little BY little. reality con
quered. and became keenly con
scious Of physical pain. while memory
also began to blindly reassert Itself.
I could see nothing. hear nothing
All about was impenetrable blackness
and the silence Of the grave. I found
myself unable to move my body and
when desperately attempted to dc
30. even the slightest motion brought
pain. became conscious also Of q
weight crushing down upon me. and
sitting my breath. One of my arms
was free; could move 1t about within
narrow limits. although 1t ached as
from a serious burn. by use Of 1t
endeavored through the black darkness
to learn the nature Of that heavy OBJ.
ject lying across my chest, feeling al
1t cautiously. Ny fingers touched cold
dead flesh, from contact with which
they shrank In horror. only to en-.
counter a strand Of coarse hair. The
FIRST terror Of this discovery was over.
whelming. yet I persevered. satisfying
myself that 1t was the half-naked body
Of an Indiana very giant Of fellow
which lay stretched across me, an
immovable weight Something else,
perhaps another dead man, held my
feet as though In a wise, and when !
ventured to extend my one free arm
gropingly to one side, the fingers en-.
countered a moccasined foot. Scarcely
daring to breathe. I lay staring up
ward and. far above, looking out
through what might be Jagged. over
hanging mass Of timbers, although
scarcely discernible. my eyes caught
the silver glimmer Of q star.
was alive--alive! Whatever had
occurred in that fateful second to de-
fleet that murderous tomahawk, Its
keen edge had failed to reach me. And
what had occurred2 Then 1t was that
tho probable truth came to me-that
nash and roar; that last impression
imprinted on my brain before utter
darkness descended upon me. must
have meant an explosion. an upheaval
shattering the cabin. bringing the roof
down upon the struggling mob within.
the heavy timbers crushing out their
lives. And the cause! But one was
possible-the half-keg Of blasting
powder Kennedy had placed In the cor
ner ~ last resort. Had Tim reached
1t in q nnal. mad effort to destroy, or
had some accidental flame wrought
the terrible destructioni Perhaps no
one could ever answer that-but was I
there alone. the sole SURVIVOR Had
those others Of our little party died
amid their Indian enemies, and were
they lying now somewhere in this
darkness. crushed and mangied In the
midst Of the debris1
Kennedy. Elsie Clark. the half.
witted boy Asa Hall-their faces
seemed to stare at me out Of the black
ness. They must be deadl Why. I had
seen Kennedy fall. the needless feet
crunching his face. and Asa Hall
tossed into the air and shot at as he
fell. Eloise! Eloise! covered my
eyes with the free hand. conscious that
I was crying like a child-Elolse. Ny
God. Eloise! I wonder II I tainted; I
knew 30 little after that: 70 little. ex-
cept that I suffered helplessly. II
did not faint. then I must have been
upon the verge Of insanity. for there
was Q time-God knows how long
when all was blank.
Some slight. scarcely distinGuishable
noise aroused me. Yes. II was actually
a sound. ~ though someone moved In
the room-moved stealthlly. as though
upon hands and knees. seeking q pas
sage In the darkness. imagined I
could distinguish breathing. Who. what
could 1t bel A man: 4 prowling wild
animal which had scented bloodl But
for my dry. parched lips would have
cried out-yet even with the vain
endeavor. doubt silenced me. Who
could be there-who1 Some sneaking,
cowardly thief: some despoiler of the
dead3 Some Indian returned through
the night to take his toll Of scalps.
hoping to thus proclaim himself q
miEnty warriori More likely enemy
than friend. It was better that lie
and suffer than appeal to such . aend
for mercy.
The slight sound shifted to the right
Of where I lay. no longer reminding
me Of the slow progress Of q moving
body. but rather a. though someone
were attempting blindly to scrape to-
Gether ashes 10 the fireplace. pressed
my one free hand beneath my neck.
and thus. BY an effort. lifted myself
30 a. to zee more clearly beyond the
shoulder Of the dead Indian. The first
tiny. pickering spark Of FIRE had caught
the dry wood. and was swiftly bursting
Into flame. In another moment this
had iliumined that STOPPING figure, and
rested In q blaze Of light upon the
lowered face. bringing out the features
"A though they were framed against
the black wall beyond-a woman's
face. the face Of Eloisei