White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-11-21
THE EXILE OF THE LARIAT
BY HoNoRE WlLLslE
Copyright 1923
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY
New York


pick to help fend me from the wall.
Come on, boys, lower away. Snub to
the wagon axle when l shout"
Hugh seated himself on the icy
edge of the brim which was still
slippery in spite Of Fred's efforts to
roughen it with his axe. Then he slid
slowly out into space, turning as he
did so to face the canyon wall. This
receded gently but decidedly, SO that
by the time he had been lowered 20
feet he was almost beyond arm reach
of it's smooth red face. He gave him
self gentle push, calling to the men
to let the rope out rapidly. By the
time he had reached a black opening
in the menacing red wall he was oscil-
lating gently back and forth.
"Snub her quick, Fred!" he shouted.
He worked his long body pendulum
like now until the gentle oscillation
had increased to wide stroke that
carried him far out above the sicken-
ing depths below, then well into the
door Of the cave. He flung his pick
axe into the opening and grasped the
side Of the oritice, slid for painful
moment, then, little white and
breathless, stood firmly within the
cave. He united the rope and Topped
it over a black cedar log that project
ed into the doorway, then he looked
about him.
The light of the rising sun flooded
the cave. First he saw level stone
floor, Uttered with human bones, with
arrow heads and stone axes; red
floor with bones CHASTITY white, and in
pathetically entangled heaps, telling
of death throes horrible to contem-
plate. From the embattled floor
Hugh's eyes lifted to the wall of the
cave, which was perhaps hundred
feet deep but which did not, at that,
stretch beyond the rays of the sun.
And when his eyes had fallen on the
rear wall, he gave low exclamation
and forgot the tragic story at his feet
as though it did not exist.
At the rear of the cave, ten feet
above the floor, was projecting mass
of stone that the merciless red light
of the sun pricked out in a horror of
detail that instantly accounted for
Red VOLTS tale Of fear and mystery.
A gigantic bony head-the head of a
horned toad magnified to the proper
lions of an elephane = head with
gaping, sagging lower jaw, armored
with enormous teeth, with horned
snout lifted as If it shifted perpetual
ly after an ever-present enemy, with
cavernous eye sockets, that glowered
with horrible stimulation of vision up
on the scene of ancient carnage.
Hugh paused beneath the terrible
skull long enough to observe the
broken remains of an ancient altar
that lay on the floor, then with infin.
tie care he clambered up to examine
!. the marvellous discovery. After few
|, moments Of ecstatic exploration, he
went back to fetch the pick. With in
finite care he then prospected the en-
I tire rear wall Of the cave and in g
[ short time had satisfied himself that
I just beneath the surface of the rock
lay the remains Of dinosaur whose
rarity and perfection surpassed any
Of his previous discoveries. Con
scious finally Of the increasing cold
as the sun deserted the cave, he re
turned to the entrance and knottet
the rope under his arms. Then only
did he note that skeleton, clad in ar
old overcoat, sat crouched within the
shadow Of the opening.
He knelt hastily, and with grea
care examined the clothing. His face
was troubled when he had finished
, and he stood for a time in anxiou!
thought before shouting to Fred ant
Red Wolf to pull him up. He wa.
entirely absent-minded as he spirale(
upward and made the difficult scram
8 BILE over the edge quite automatically
2 "My Gawd, Hughie," shouted Fred
r when the young man finally stool
painting beside him, II hope you dis
; covered free gold to pay for the scare
t you give me and Red Wolf"
tits wonder, Fred!" said Hugh
: seriously "a wonder! A triceratops
without doubt"
t II suppose that means something tt
you'll" snorted Fred. How about me
and the Injun?"
Hugh turned to Red Wolf. "Yo,
were right, old man. It's the same
, kind of a stone devil that we lost un
der the slide, only good deal bigger
and with perfect skull, which the
other didn't have. Well get him out
of there, all right"
Red Wolf scratched his head
thoughtfully. "You see many deat
Injuns down there? You see any
thing else?"
How do you mean, anything else?
demanded Hugh quickly. The Indian
shrugged his shoulders and turned
away.
whats the idea?" asked Fred, sus
piciously.
"The idea Is" replied Hugh that
it's not going to be SO hard to get
the specimen exhumed, but that it is
going to be the very devil to get him
out Of the cave. believe that the
best way will be to lower the cases
down to the river"
Fred nodded "All right, only you