The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-02-25


tain my mental faculties aud yet be
unable TO move could not fathofn.
The noise of the approaching horses
had ceased, and l judged the Indians
were creeping stealthily upon me
along the little ledge which led to my
living tomb.
/ l had not long to wait before n
stealthy sound appraised me of their
4 nearness, and then a war-bonneted,
! paint-streaked face was thrust eau
tiously around the shoulder Of the
cliff. and savage eyes looked into
mine.
The fellow. instead of approaching.
merely stood and stared his eyes
/ bulging and his jaw dropped And
4 then another savage face appeared.
: and third and fourth and fifth.
craning their necks over the Shout
ders of their fellows whom they could
not pass upon the narrow ledge. Each
face was the picture of awe and fear,
but for what reason l did not know
nor did learn until ten years later.
Suddenly low but distant moan
ing sound issued from the recesses of
the cave behind me. and. as it reached
the ears of the Indians. they turned
and fled in terror. panic stricken.
Their wild cries echoed in the can
yon for short time and then all was
still once more.
The sound which had frightened
them was not repeated but it had
been sufficient as it was to start me
Specializing on the possible horror
which lurked in the shadows at my
back
Several times I thought | heard
faint sounds behind me as of some
body moving cautiously. but eventual
ly even these ceased. and l was left
to the contemplation of my position
without interruption.
Until possibly midnight all was ST.
lence. the silence of the dead; then
suddenly the awful moan of the morn
ing broke upon my startled ears. and
there came again from the black |
shadows the sound of moving thing, !
and faint rustling rs of dead leaves. |
The shock 10 my already overstrained |
nervous system was terrible in the |
extreme. and with superhuman eff |
fort I strove to break my awful bonds. |
Then something gave. there was mo- |
menrary feeling of nausea, a sharp |
click as of the swapping of a steel |
wire, and l stood with my back
against the wall of the cave, facing |
my unknown foe.
And then the moonlight flooded the
cave, and there before me lay my own
body as il had been lying all these
hours, with the eyes staring toward
the open ledge and the hands resting
Imply upon the ground l looked first
at my lifeleSs clay there upon the
floor of the cave and then down at
myself in utter bewilderment; for
there l lay clothed and yet here
Stood but naked as at the minute OF
my birth.
My first thought. was. Is this then
death Have / indeed passed over for
ever into that other life But could
not well believe this, as ! could feel
my heart pounding against my ribs
from the exertion of my efforts TO re-
lease myself from the anesthesis
which had held me.
Again was ! suddenly recalled to
my immediate surroundings by repe-
tition OF the weird moan from the
depths of the cave. Naked md un-
as l was. l had no desire to
face the unseen thing which menaced
me.
leaped quickly through the open
ing into the starlight of a clear Ari-
IONA night The crisp. fresh noun
tain air outside the cave acted as an
tonic and | felt new life
and new courage coursing through me.
Pausing upon the brink of the ledge I
uphraided myself for what now
seemed to me wholly unwarranted APP
prehension. My better Judgment. when
permitted the direction of clear and
logical reasoning, convinced me that
The noises | had heard must have re-
suited from purely natural and harm
less causes; probably the cOnforma-
ion of the cave was such that slight
breeze had caused the sounds heard
As / stood meditating. turned my
gaze 10 the heavens. where the myriad
stars formed a gorgeous and fitting
for the wonders Of the earthly
scene. My attention was quickly
riveted by a large red star close TO
he horizon. As | gazed upon il | felt
spell of overpowering fascination
It was Mars, the god of war. and for
ne the fighting man. it had always
held the power of irresistible enchant-
nent AS | gazed at II on that far
gone night ii seemed To call across
lie unthinkable void. to lure me 70 il.
o draw me as the lOdestone attracts
particle of iron.
My longing was beyond the power
of opposition; closed my eyes.
stretched out my arms toward the god
,f my vocation and felt myself drawn
With the Suddenness Of thought
through the trackless immensely of
space There was an instant of ex-
RENE cold and utter darkness.