The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-07-29
CHAPTER X-Continued

It came again, and for third
time, the agonized outcry of man,
somewhere deep to the right. Ham,
mond started along the trail anew,
only once more to halt. There was
the cry again, of someone in terrific
pain; Hammond instinctively turned
in its direction.
A short period of search followed;
at last he began to follow the filmy
outlines of game trail, winding IN
rambling fashion through the bush.
He shouted; a groan answered him
from only a short distance ahead.
Hammond obeyed the call, and
rounding tAngle of sapling spruce,
stood staring.
Lew shade lay there. writing In
agony on the ground. He shrank at
the sight of Hammond.
"You got out?" he gasped.
Eyes, I got outi' Temptation told
him to 90 on, to leave this man
where he LAYOUT it was only temp
tation. "Come on-get out of herel'
he commanded ierkily. THAT fires
coming fasti'
The mans tongue protruded. His
eyes were set with pain.
Get this thing off my legsI" he
begged. Before | bleed to death.
Hammond moved swiftly forward.
In the red light of the forest fire,
The blood-smeared underbrush where
shade had threshed about seemed
painted, as with purple ink. Shade
wa. holding himself off the ground
by his hands, both legs were use
less, queerly, loosely twisted; his
ankles were caught, one behind the
other, in the heavy jaws Of an i'm
mense, bookkeeping bear trap. A
chain clinked under Hammond's
feet, leading to a heavy log, which
some prospector-trapper had fast
ened to the trap as deadfan. Even
in spite OF its weight, Jack saw
that Shade, in his desper alton, had
dragged it few feet.
Get me out of it, the wounded
man pleaded. MY legs have gone
dead on me-I'm bleeding my life
out
For a moment, Hammond forgot
enrnity. shade was only weak,
trapped animal, without enough
courage to snarl.
How'd you get off the trail?'
He had seized the trap and was
Strengthening it, steeling himself
against the mans outcries, that he
might gain sufficient leverage to ex-
ert his muscles ON the heavy, dou-
Bile springs. shade gasped the an
EWer:
'.Kenning led me over here. He
said we could get down to the
lake this way and circle the town.
Then people wouldn't know we d
been at my cabin"
He knew better than that"
An agonized cry came from the
trapped man as Jack attempted
to press open the trap. The pros
pector desisted. At last shade went
on.
Sure he knew better. He knew
this trap was here. He must have
he the same as said SO, after he d
walked me into it.
HAS he gone crazy-complete-
ly?"
HE talked like a wild man
about how everything he'd worked
for was gone. He kept cursing
3 himself for doing a dumb thing like
lighting that fire-kept asking me
why I let him do it.
II guessed you fellows pulled
that" Hammond now was stralnine
at the deadfal to move it forward
and thus relieve the strain ON ths
trapped man. Didn't the idiot know
he'd set the bush afire as well a:
that cabfn?"
That's what set him so crazy
He was awfully groggy there in tn
cabin, almost knocked out. he KEEP
telling me it was my fault he did
fool thing like that. After he's
walked me into this thing, ne tritt
to find the CUTS to knock me out
butt guess he's pretty well shot
All he could do was just stand Their
and stare and yell at me that some
body had to take the fall-you know
they'd find me here and blame m
for having set that cabin afire AM
firing the brush" The man shud
dered with pain as Hammond agaI
bent over the trap. Suddenly, He
have his wish, all right"
Easy nows" the prospector n
sisted through swollen lips. II
get you out of this. You'll have 7
stand this. When | give the wore
pull an hard as you can-try 7
walk away on your hands-waIt
necond-now COL"
Screaming, the man escaped
dragging his useless legs grotesque
Nv behind him. Then limp, sweai
ing, he sank to the ground. Ham
rnond leaped swiftly beside him
ripping off his shirt and tearing
into wide strips. He twisted these
Then with quick, sure movements
he tied tourniquet around cac
leg.
The heat of the fire momentaril
grew more intense. A deer JacF
knitted along the trail, halted as