The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1921-03-23

| out from the gloom into the sunlight
of the summit, with clear view
across the level plateau.
Shelby Stopped holding the horse
back below the summit and gaZed any-
and. with the naked eye, Shelby was
unable to distinguish sign of life
within the radius of vision. Every
thing had tile appearance of death
! the death of ages. He stood upright
! and swept the circle with his field
glasses. He was barely in time; for
/ far off there to the left, scarcely dis
cernible even then against the black.
| overhanging ridges of rock, he made
ont two slowly moving objects. They
| we're not distinct. he could not have
! sworn what they WERE hut there was
no doubt in his mind as to their den-
/ ,ity. lie studied them eagerly until
they disappeared down coulee, and
/ then carefully marked the course, his
/ point of guidance high pinnacle Of
rock standing out against the sky.
He was an hour reaching this OBJ
jective, but once there he found the
trail plainly traced along the edge of
the bank. 1t led in and out amid the
intricacies of the hills. taking, of nee
essty, so winding course as to give
Shelby no view ahead and soon con-
fused him in point of direction. He
could only move forward cautiously,
fearful lest they might have. halted for
some purpose. and watchful of every
trace CT .her passage. as other ravineS
were constantly uniting with this
through which he was blindly feeling
his way He came TO sand and lost
all signs of the trail instantly, search
4 ing for If in vain for nearly an hour
before confessing himself at fault.
. Then, leaving the horse below. he
climbed the nearest hill for a view Of
his surroundings.
1 The sun gave him the proper direc-
tons. but all about stretched the same
dreary, bare ridges of rock, offering
no guidance. There was no life WISH
bic anywhere and although he waited
/ for some time, sweeping his glasses
back and forth, he gained no glimpse
of the two he endeayored to follow.
They had vanished though swal-
lowed up by the earth. The sun was
already In the west and desperately he
determined to try the level. Even this,
amid the intricacies of those branch
ing passages between the round hills,
was difficult to achieve, yet he finally
discovered an exit and ventured to-
ward the north. confident that the
Cottonwood would surely lie some
where in that direction.
He came upon it SO suddenly and
unexpectedly as to almost daZe his
faculties. Almost without warning he
stood at the very edge of n yawning
hole and stared in amazement down
into those depths below. Again and
again he had heard this scene describ-
ed, yet had never before comprehended
its reality. A huge cut straight down,
fully mile wide. cleft the plain in
two, With no visible signs of its pres
ence until one stood at the very era
ters edge. At night he would have rid
den off without the slightest warning
VI uuiiSti. ANU HttoN tCiiuS SiNNs
dizzy. Shelby swung himself from the
saddle. crept cautiously TO the edge
and locked down. He had no cOncep-
ton of the depth. for it already was
haZy down there. as though he gazed
through blue fog hut how small
those trees appeared. mere toy trees.
and the silvery stream running through
the center seemed scarcely yard
wide. A yard. why, if it was actually
the Cottonwood. it must be hundred
feet from bank to, bank God! What
hole! What Il freak of nature.
What a wilderness hiding place!
He lay motionless With eyes search
Ing up and down the valley. To the
right he could not determine how far
1t extended. but to the left he could
discern the silver shield of water
where the Cottonwood came tumhling
over a precipce. One of the two pos
sible entrances was there: the other
must be along some one OF those nu-
merous side ravines. whose black en-
frances he could dimly perceive. 1t
was all so serene. so peaceful. the
truth seemed impossible--that he was
actual: gazing down into n veritable
hell on earth. rendezvous of white
thieves and Indian murderers. bor-.
der fortress for all the nameless devil
try of the frontier.
And he must invade the Eole, alone
If he would be of service 10 this woman
captive. BY sheer recklessness he
must pierce the thing to the heart. Yet
how was it 10 be done? Not even
mountain goat could find passage
down those rocks even by daylight and
in another hour all would be darkness.
He could not remain there; before
night made the search impossible he
must at least find water and place
in which to camp. He stared down
into those deepening mists below. al
ready beginning to blot out the fea-
lures of the valley.
God. what hole" he hreathed
ait is like looking straight Into hell.
The only way down must lie some