The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-03-27

1
treat for him. The ice-smooth granite
walls were all about him. The tun-
mel was q straight, narrow shaft. up
and down, from the rocking stone
above to that deadly drop below.
1t was impossible to rush the other,
impossible to do anything except to
Chamber stiff1y up those slippery rungs
of rock. expecting every instant to-
hear the roar of Pelly's pistol and to
receive the bullet in his breast. 1t
was absurdity. And once again Lee
tried:
"Pelly, you'd better give up. lean
shoot you from here. Surrender,
and"
| He did not end that sentence. For,
as he chung there. in moment the
thing above him had materialized into
| life, action fury. A below burst from
its throat, and the sound, compressed
within the shaft, and DETECTED from
wall to wall, sounded like the roar OF
some prehistoric monster.
And a heavy body was precipitated
against him with force that all but
dislodged him. For an instant Lee
struggled wildly to retain hts balance
and then there came blow over the
heart that knocked the wind out of
him.
Lees hand encountered an enormous
hand at his chest. Within that hand
he felt the hilt of knife. Reaching
back, Lees fingers closed upon the
last inch or two of wide blade.
The steel appeared to be buried al
most to the extremity within his body.
There was no sense of stab, but
for an instant Lee felt deadly faint
ness overcome him, and again he reeled
and clutched for foothold. Then he
had torn the hand away, plucked out
the knife, and hurled 1t down through
the darkness Of the tunnel into the
gorge below.
The next instant he was fighting
the most desperate battle Of his life
to win through the tunnel before he
bled into Inconsistencies.
He caught at two long, sinewy arms
that clutched his body in the endeavor
to fling him down and, holding on by
their knees and feet, the two wrestled
in complete silence.
1t was mantle thing that held
Lee, but 1t seemed more like mon
ster, for the naked arms were covered
with thick hair, underneath which the
Sinews moved over each other like
steel bands. Lee was no match in
wrestling; he could only cling on like
grim death, feeling his lungs construct
under that pressure, and expecting ev-
cry moment to feel his injured rib
crack in his side.
His left hand encountered groove
in the rocky rung above him. and,
gripping 1t, determined that nothing
should tear his hold away, with his
right fist he began hammering his as
sailant's face and body necessarily.
His blows rebounded from the great
chest as If it were of rubber, and each
blow sent the breath issuing hoarsely
from the lungs with raucous wheeling
that filled the tunnel.
If the other could have got Lees
left hand, he might have torn him
from his hold, but, as If unaware OF
his hold, his assailant put all his
strength into the endeavor to force
breath from his body and twist him
backward; while Lee, cllnging OH des-
perately, continued to batter the face
and body.
Although it was impossible to draw
back his arm far enough to deliver
blow with full force, Lees lower
| position gave him the advantage of
tand enabled him to administer fear
full punishment.
For minute or two 1t was profile
matte whether Lee could withstand the
strain long enough to conquer. The
great shoulders swung Lee from side
to side in the shaft like child, and
all the while Lee, believing hi nself
seriously lie not fatally wounded,
| fought on with the mechanical action
of piston. dashing his fists into his
opponents face until at last groans be-
gan to burst from the other
| X,
Lee let go his hold, and, standing
straight up on the rung, brought both
| fists into play. No human being could
have stood up against that fearful
punishment. Lees fists were wet with
blood The grasp about him relaxed
and suddenly found that he was ham
mering at the bare face of the rock.
His assailant was gone. Family
Lee heard the scraping of his feet on
the upper lodges of the rock ladder.
Then, feeling cautiously above him.
Lee continued his ascent, until at
length there came tiny glimmer of
light from above, changing into sud-
den glare as Of high noon.
The tunnel was empty.
The glare decreased to a glimmer.
Lee understood what it meant His as
sailant had tilted back the rocking
stone and fled.
| In another moment or two Lee was
beneath the stone. He f1attened him
self upon the ground and drew his au-
| tomato. He fired one shot, and, be-
! fore the echoes had died away, had
pushed the stone back and emerged,
pistol in hand.
The glare had been only in contrast
| to the dark of the tunnel. Outside 1t
was melancholy twilight. Lee emerged
into solitary, snowbound world
There was no sign of his antagonist,
who had evidently had enough for the
present.
Lee looked down at the fragments
of shirt that remained to him, expect
| ing to find himself soaked in blood
He was astonished to see only a thin