Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1922-11-03


His eyes dlscerned a thin filamen
OF cloud that had swept up from b,
hind the ridges, and the sight recalle
him 10 his own position with adde
force. The moonlight, soft as it was
had been a tremendous relief TO hin
AT least, II would have enabled hin
to keep watch, and now he dreaded tn
fall Of utter darkness more than h,
had ever dreaded anything in his life
1t was an ancient instinct, comm,
straight from the young days Of thu
world when nightfall brought the hunt
ing creatures to the mouth of the cave
but he had never really experienced II
before
He watched with growing horror the
slow extension of the clouds. Finally
the moon swept under them.
The shadow fell around Bruce. For
the first time he knew the age-old ter
ror of the darkness. He no longer
knew himself as one of dominant
breed, master of all the wild things In
the world. He was simply a living
creature in a grim and unconquered
world, alone and helpless in the terror
of the darkness.
The moonlight alternately grew and
died as the moon passed in and out
Of the heavier cloud patches. Winds
must have been blowing in the high
lanes of the air, but there was no
breath of them where Bruce lay. The
forests were silent, and the little rus
things and STRINGS that reached him
from time to time only seemed TO ac-
centuate the quiet.
He speculated on how many hours
had passed. He wondered if he could
dare to hope that midnight had al
ready gone by and through some di-
vergence from wilderness customs, the
grizzly had failed to return to his
feast. 1t seemed endless hours since
he had re-entered the empty rooms Of
Lindas home. A wave Of hope crept
through the whole hydraulic system Of
his veins. And then, as a sudden sound
reached him from the forests at one
side, that bright wave of hope turned |
black. receded and left only despair.
He heard the sound but dimly. In |
fact, except for his straining with ev-
cry nerve alert, he might not have |
heard 1t at all. Nevertheless. distance |
alone had dimmed 1t; it had been a |
large sound to start with. So far had
1t come that only a scratch on the
eardrums was left of 1t d; but there was
no chance to misunderstood it, 1t
cracked out to him through the unfath-
enable silence, and all the elements by
which he might recognise it were dis
tinct 1t was the noise of heavy
thicket being broken down and parted
before nm enormous body.
He listened, straining. Then he
heard the sound again Whoever came
toward him had passed the heavy
brush by now. The sounds that
reached him were just faint and inter-
nittent whispers-lirst OF twig
cracking beneath heavy foot, then
he rattle of two pebbles Knocked to-
sether Long moments of utter silence
would ensue between. in which he
,ould hear the steady drum OF his
leart In his breast. and the long roll
IT his blood in his veins.
The limbs OF a young fir tree rustled
md whispered as something brushed
against them. Leaves licked together.
md once a heavy limb popped like n
llstant smalI-calibered rifle as a great
weight broke Il In two. Then. as II
he gods of the wilderness were using
III their ingenuity to torture him. the
ilence closed down deeper than ever
'efore.
II lasted SO long that he began TO
.epe again. Perhaps the sounds had
een made by a deer stealing on its
'ay 10 feed IN the pastures. Yet he
new The step bud been too heavy for
nyihing but the largest deer, and
heir WAY was 10 encirclc thicket
atlier thnu crash through IL. II might
ave been The step Of one Of the small.
lack bcars-a harmless ana friendly
iiderness dweller Yet the impres. ;
.fn fingered ana strengthened that
nly some great hunter. beast who {
AIRED neither ofhor beasts nor men.
ad been steadily coming toward him /
trough fhe forest
Al fhaf instant fbe moon slipped +
nier a particularly heavy fragment 4
cloud and deep darkness settled q
yep him Even bis white face was 40 ,
niger disoeruihie in the dusk ile lny 7
'areely breathing. trying 10 6vhi q
lNp DIS gs0Hing terror i
fbis sllence could moaa bni one III q
'Q fNlpgs O0e ~ them nas fhaf ihs
eaiufe an0 bad made ihe sounds had \
rned or on one % ihe many Inter y
eI'ng xope nrolls ihsi Wind fbrough b
~ forrest yits eaF h|s hope. inc IN. n
fnAiiif Wa Dnf ~ drspalr u nus 3,
nfN( fpni flIf 'reaiuro lnl deifcied d
3 pressure pnf 800 fAll'nR h'm ln n
eorf iNfHuFl ilf annd0Ns Il
49, thought ilHl iNe llF'u r0uii nry +,
oowe az tllp|n0l aHaIn m lhc q
ne ihf apfl riuri sNfp o0 boa
y moonlight allf' Hua lf|shi hl4a l
ii' 4fnf