Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1920-01-16
CHAPTER XVII
The Trail 70 Ottawa.

L" H-i Ahe7a tAA Sueute as PROFOUND
as that Of my former Inconsistencies.
For the moment I felt no certainty
even that / was actually alive. yet
slowly little by little, reality con
quered, and became LeeuIy con
scious Of physical pain, while memory
also began to bludIy reassert itself.
I could see nothing, hear nothing.
All about was impencrable blaclnesy
and the silence Of the grave. I found
myself unable to move my body and
when I desperately attempted to do
SO, even the slightest motion brought
pain. I became conscious also of a
weight crushing down upon me. and
stttithg my breath One Of my arms
was free; could move it about within
narrow limits, although it ached as
from a serious burn. BY use of it 1
eadeavored through the black darkness
to learn the nature Of that heavy OBJ
ject lying across my chest, feeling at
It cautiously. My fingers touched cold,
dead flesh, from contact with which
they shrank % horror, only to en-
counter a strand Of co9rse hair. The
first terror of tuis discovery was over
Wnelming, YET I perseycred. satisfying
myself that It was the half-naked body
Of an IndiaQ-a very giant Of q fellow
which lay stretched across me, an
immovable weight. Something else.
perhaps another dead man. held my
feet as though Ia wise, and when ]
yentured to extend my one free arm
gropingly to one side, the fingers en-
countered a moocasined foot. Scarcely
daring to breathe, l lay staring up-
ward and, far above, looking out
through what might be a jagged, over
hanging mass Of timbers, although
scarcely discernible, my eyes caught
the silver glimmer Of a star.
/ was alive-alivel Whatever had
occurred In that fateful second to de
fleet that murdcrous tomahawk, its
Keen edge had failed to reach me. And
WhaI had occurred? Then it was that
the PROBABLE truth came to me-that
lash ana roar; that last impression
Imprinted on my brain before utter
darkness descended upon me, must
nave meant an explosion, an upheayal
shatterlng the cabin, bringing the roof
GOWN upon the struggling mob within,
Ihe heaVy liInoers crushing out their
ilFeS' ana the cause! But one was
poSSlole-lhe hal1-keg OF blasting
power hehneay mad placed in the cor
her us last resort. Had Tim reached
II IN hnaL mad effort to destroy or
nau some accidental flame wrought
tlle terrible destruction? Perhaps no
one couIu ever answer that-but was l
tiiere alone the sole survivor? Had
'noSo o'I.eI5 Oh our htue party dleu
anu tnelI Inulah enemies ana We're
,1ey lyin7 no" somewhere IN thls
ualhness' crushed ana mangled IN the
lllusl Oh Ine DEBRIS!
Kennedy klsie Clark, the half
Witteu boy Asa Hall--their faces
SEEMED 10 STARE at me out Of the black
ness Ihey must be dead! Why, l had
seen Kennedy fall, the needless feet
crunchln8 MS race, ana Asa Han
.osSeu INTO the ar and shot at as he
leh' ELolse ! ElolSe! l covered my
eyes win the Tree hand' conscious that
l was crying IKE child-hloise. My
Hod' Eioise 1 wonder II l tainted; l
kne" so little after that; so little eX-
cept tha5 l. suffered helplesSly' If
uld not rant then must have been
upo" 'ig Nelse u insanity lor tnere
N"' ,''''e-,'ou Auo"S no" long
"ilgH al was pihliA'
some silEnt' scarcely dISunguishaoIe
NOISE arouseu me- Yes 1t was actually
Il SOUND as though someone moved IN
Ihe room-moVed SJeaIthlly, as though
upon MINUS ana Knees seeking pas
S0Ee IN tD' uarhheSS, imagined
touIu ulsIlI'-ulsh nreathlhg' Nho' what
couiu IL De A man. proving WIG
uhin'ot Whlch had scented blood! BUT
Ior my urS parched lips would nave
crled out-yet even with the vain
ehueaVor, uouDt SHenced me, VINO
could De there-Whof Some sueaklng
coWaruIy th'el; some despoller OF the
dead! Some indian returned through
the night 70 take his toll Of scalps,
hoping TO mus proclaim himself
mighty WarrlorF More likely enemy
IMAM friend. 1t was better that l lie
ana surfer than appeal to such t1end