The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-05-13

less struggle, In which Lees disadval
II tage lay in the fact that he could NJ
II be the first to fire.
H Lee called: rs that you, Pelly7
II want to talk to you"
II No answer came He strained hi
II eyes upward through the darkness
H Colors and wheels of light flashed
II across his vision and went out.
II "Pelly, listen to me" Lee tried
H again. "You know what I've CONT
II for. You've got no chance. Surren-
II der, and you'll get fair treatment"
H Still no answer; and yet Lee could
\ feel that other human personality
| close to him. He waited, baffled.
| There was no way to move, save YER
| tically; and there was no possible re-
treat for him. The ice-smooth granite
walls were all about him. The tun-
mel was 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 stifly up those slippery rungs
Of rock. expecting every Instant to
hear the roar OF Pelly's pistol an6 to
receive the bullet in his breast. 1t
was absurdlty. And once again Lee
tried:
"Pelly you'd better give up. 1 can
shoot you from here. Surrender,
and"
He did not end that sentence For,
us he chung there, in a moment the
thing above him had materialized into
life, action, fury. A below burst from
It's throat, and the sound, compressed
within the shaft and detected from
wall to wall, sounded like the roar Of
some prehistoric monster.
And heavy body was precipItated
against him with d force that all but
dlslodged him. For an instant Lee :
struggled wildly to retain his balance ,,
and then there came blow over the
leart that knocked the wind out Of
lin.
Lees hand encountered an enormous
and at his chest Within that hand u
e felt the hit Of knife. Reaching
ack Lees fingers closed upon the u
list inch or two Of wide blade. Ill
The steel appeared to be buried al
lost to the extremity within his body.
There was no sense of stab, but
n an instant Lee felt deadly faint
ess overcome him, and again he reeled
Id clutched for foothold. Then he
I'd torn the hand away, plucked out
e knife, and hurled 1t down through
e darkness of the tunnel into the
rye below.
The next instant he was fighting
most desperate battle of his life \
win through the tunnel before he ~
I'd Into uncOnsciousness. w
He caught at two long, sinewy arms Y
1t clutched his body in the endeavor
fling him down; and, holding on by
'lr knees and feet, the two wrestled
complete silence.
I was mantle thing that held
:, but 1t seemed more like a mon N
r, for the naked arms were covered y
n thick hair, underneath which the
sws moved over each other like -
II bands. Lee was no match In
sitting; he could only cling on like VI
death, feeling his lungs construct Nv
er that pressure, and expecting ev- II
moment to feel his injured rib
* In his side
Is left hand encountered a groove
he rocky rung above him. and
ping 1t, determined that nothing
I'D tear his hold away, with his
fist he began hammering his as u.
nts face and body necessarily.
s blows rebounded from the great
as If 1t were of rubber, and each whicl
sent the breath issuing hoarsely snow
the lungs with raucous wheeling hims,
filled the tunnel girl.
the other could have got Lees and
hand, he might have torn him would
his hold, but, as If unaware of respo
hold his assailant put all his AnC
9Th into the endeavor to force to he
h from his body and twist him was 4
ward; while Lee. clinging on des. receiv
ely, continued to batter the face tence,
,ody. In the
Rough II was impossible to drow tion N
his arm far enough to deliver course
W with full force, Lees lower began
IN gave him the advantage of The
Use over his strange assailant standil
nabled him to administer fear wilderl
lnishment. Lees
a minute or two II was profile to the
whether Lee could withstand the answer
long enough to conquer. The By tn,
shoulders swung Lee from side kitchen
In the shaft like a child. and empty
while Lee. believing hi nsef And
ly, If not fatally wounded. room,
on with the mechanical action her, an
lston. dashing his fists into his tility O
nts face until at last groans be- house.
hurst from the other. She
feeling the clutch relaxing despera
go his hold, and, standing encount
up on the rung. brought both to take
o play. No human being could have go
TODD up against that fearful in sta
rent. Lees fists were wet with out into
The grasp about him relaxed. falling s
'ubled the fury of his blows liberated
denly found that he was ham, He m,
Of rho ha 20