The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, July 31, 1919, Page 7, Image 7
4
Novelized frc
j EPISODE 5.
.-w ' SYNOPSIS.
John Davis and Hawk Morgan, execu- j
tors of the estate of John Carr, miner j
t and joint guardians of his adopted daughter,
Ethel, disagree over the dispositior! ^
of the profits of the mine. Morgan, seek.
,lng the gold and the girl for himself,
and unsuspected by Davis, makes several;
attempts on the life of the latter, with
the assistance of an accomplice named
j Spider Bellas. Suspicion is diverted t^
a mysterious hermit Ethel is seized and 1 ;
hidden in a barn where she overhear*
j part of a plot to trap Davis. She escape!!,
1 and goes to his rescue. Davis is buried ; ,
by a giant boulder. j,
Ethel Carr, rushing Into the Devil'i j!
'Pocket in which the Spider at the di- |
rection of Hawk Morgan had planted i
> the explosive with a set trigger, trip- ;
iped over the rope and exploded the i
'dynamite. Struck on the head by a j
| flying stone, she fell beneath the fol- j
^lowing shower of dirt and rock.
.. , John Davis, rushing to her rescue, ;
|8aw a great boulder, which, loosened i
by the blast, was slowly descending |1
iand about to crush the life out of '
iher. Bracing himself as a pillar be- ,{
! neath it, for a minute he managed tc i j
i stay its descent, then as his strength j,
I -fVnm Vlf m Via bpnt I ,
; auuauv? UUUIU 11 vm U1U4 UV ~ |
beneath the terrific weight and gave j
*'. r way, falling backward and being cov<
ered by the loosened mass until he ;
was buried from sight.
From a short distance away the
Hawk and the Spider, seeing the girl
, and Davis rush into the cave and i
'hearing the roar of the explosion, ]
'knew what must have happened tc 1
4 the pair. For a second they stared into
each other's face, then with an oath '
... - 'Morgan leaped forward with his con* !
'federate close at his heels. The In* j
dian, Rainface, followed in their
tracks. Reaching the rock pile which j
now covered the floor of the cave, the
? two white men stood before it as ,
though paralyzed until the Hawk,
arousing himself to action, began tugging
frantically at a big boulder. The
, Spider laid a hand upon his shoulder.
"It's no use. He's done for." With*
out ceasing his efforts Morgan made
answer.
"I am not thinking of him, but Oi
|| her."
"She's a goner too, and there is no
use of wasting your strength.! Come
on. We still have the mine and thafs
"the most important thing."
For a moment the Hawk hesitated,
then permitting himself to be per*
; 1 ^ suaded by the other, reluctantly desisted
from his efforts and the two
mounted their horses. Rainface still
staring at the pile.
"Coming?" asked Morgan. The In;
dian shook his head.
"No. Me stay here." Making vno
farther effort to persuade him, the
two ruffians went riding away.
Barely giving them time to get ont
,Ay. ; - of sight Rainfaee went to a small
sapling, qniekly trimmed it into a lever
and began to pry at a boulder.
Working furiously and with despair in
his heart he had soon rolled it to
one side and thus cleared the way to
' ? further effort
Displaying great strength and en
* ergy despite his age, the old Indian
, worked with such vigor and success
that in a short time he had cleared
away a great mass of rocks, disclosing
a great boulder resting upon a
v ? smaller one, and beneath the arch
thus providentially formed Ihy the
body of Davis. Instantly grabbing
him by his legs the rescuer drew him
y / forth, the movement unbalancing the
illy peised rocks so that they crashed
into the opening his body the mo*
ment before had occupied. Securing
cold water from a nearby stream, the
ancient Indian dashed it into the face
of the unconscious one, who, saved
from being crushed by the accident of
the arch, presently sat up, little worse
for his strenuous experience.
"Ethel !" he cried, his first thought
being for the girl.. He staggered to
^ his feet and approached the wall at
the cave's mouth. Laying his hand upon
his arm, Rainfaee pointed his
finger.
"After you rest, then me show you
' another way in there."
"Show me now," commanded John,
and with a nod the Indian led the way.
1*? S f>10
juurgtiu auu jot-nits, 1 cavmug ujj^
cabin, coolly told Bridget what tad
bappened, sitting unmoved > through
the first wild outburst of grief of the
heartbroken Irish woman. When at
* length her self command returned, she
arose silently and getting her crucifix,
took it into Ethel's room and hung
it at the head of her bed.
Meanwhile- Davis and Rainface had
reached a long tunnel which led down
into a cave, and stopping only long
enough to kindle pine porches pro<
ceeded on their way guided by their
flickering and variable light, eventually
reaching the main cave which
was of considerable extent. Quickly
they approached the wall of rock in
the mouth and there paused. For
Ethel was not there.
"My God!" cried John. "She fell
clear, yet she is gone. What does it
mean?" Tiainface shook his head in
mystification.
Anyway she is not here, so we
"*?. > -;<
_ J
?fc;
-Jjf ^
)M VITAGRAPH PHO
might as well begin searching for
her at once," went on John. Immediately
they started toward the back
entrance through the tunnel. . <
Bridget, having finished her prayers
at the side of Ethel's bed, got upon her
feet and drying her eyes with her
apron, sadly left the room. Scarcely '
had she closed the door behind her j
than the door of the large closet j
which the girl had used, opened softly,
while into the room stepped the
leather jerkined Hermit, bearing the .
unconscious girl in his arms. Carry- :
Ing her to the side of the bed, he laid j
her gently upon it, then with a tendei :
smile opened the door leading to the \
living room and peered into it. Find- j
ing it empty, he stole within and con- !
cealed himself just in time to escape
the eye of the returning Irish woman
So close had been his escape that the ,
door to Ethel's room was still mov- ;
ing slightly.
"The,door!" she cried, covering hei
faee with her hands. "By the blesslc
Saints 'tis moving. Tis her spirit/
Seeing his chance to escape, the hermit
was quick to avail himself of it |
Slipping back into the room of the girl <
he entered the closet, raised a trap in
the floor and disappeared through it. J
The Wolves of the Air Were Rapidly j
Gathering. - j
Aroused by Bridgets cry, MorgaE
and the Spider hurriedly entered the
chamber of the girl, Bridget following !
trembling at their heels. One glance i
at the bed halted them as though they i
had run into a wall, and rendered
speechless by the sight that met theii
eyes they stood staring. Throwing herself
upon the bed, Bridget clasped the
girl in her arms, her cry arising aloud
and shrill.
"Merciful hivens. 'Tis herself alive
and warrum."
"Lord! what a fright you gave us,
Ethel," cried Morgan, apparently over-'
joyed at seeing her #live. "Tell us
* ' -* --QO -> nV.no 1
aDOUE li." une suoe uu auu uuc oaiw ,
on, she sat up, smiling faintly.
"While I was in the loft I heard a
voice which I could not recognize say
that John' was in the Devil's Pocket
and I went to find out. I heard an i
explosion as I entered, and knew no
more until Just this moment Where
Is Mr. Davis?" Solemnly the Hawk re-1
plied.
"He followed you in?well, he is;
buried under half the mountain."
With a gasping cry her head fell forward
upon the matronly bosom of j
Bridget, and for some moments no
sound was heard save the sobs of the'
younger woman and the consoling!
[whispers of the one who hejd her. Sud-!
denly Ethel freed herself and sprang
.to her feet, her tears gone; deter-1
mination upon her face.
"I am going back to look for him."|
With a quick glance at his confederate j
the Hawk replied.
"Very well. You and Bridget get
your horse and Mr. Bellas and I wills
follow you with the tools and ropes." j
At once the women departed from the j
room, leaving the plotters alone once
more.
"Of course somebody carried her;
hprp. hut who ?" muttered Morgan.!
"Suppose we ride to the top of the'
hill and take a look about?" Together
they left the house.
From the crest of the hill they look
ed down upon the mouth of the Pocket;
where the two women were already |
working ineffectually at the pile. Sud- i
denly Morgan, glancing down a ra- j
vine in another direction, saw a cap j
with an eagle feather in it arising from j
a hole, and raising hi;; gun fired quick- j
ly. With a jerk the cap disappeared,
and with the Spider at his side the!
Hawk rushed toward the entrance j
where the cap ha" been, and rolling j
a great boulder over the mouth of the j
orifice, the Hawk mopped his brow j
as a grin spread over his face. -|
"Tha. will keep that cursed Indian j
there until he starves. Now let's go j.
down and help the girls get Davis' j
carcass out."
For an hour the two men and two j
women -vorked side by side, accom- j
plishing little and wholly unaware that j
within the other cave Davis and Rain-1
>ert E, Smi
TO PLAY
face were accomplishing herculean
work in their efforts to free themselves.
Suddenly the four ceased theii
efforts and stood looking at each other
Id wonderment, for apparently coming
from within the wall of rock they
heard a rhythmical tap, tap, tap that
could scarcely have been made by
other than human hands.
Tfs that Indian," whispered the
Hawk to his pal. "But where is Davis'
body." With a wild tide of hope rushing
to her heart, Etl;el picked up a
crowbar and began digging frenziedly,
while urged to effort by her importunities
Morgan and Bellas again fell to
laboring at her side. Five minutes
later they tore down a great rock, and
scarcely had it landed at their feet
than from out the opening It revealed
Davis came crawling. The next instant
Ethel was in his arms.
"Hell's hounds!" gritted Morgan.
"Did ever a man have such luck?"
The Spider gave him a vicious nudge.
"Shut up, you fool, or you'll give us
both away. "Join in the merrymaking
now, and take it out of his hide later."
Swallowing his anger Morgan seized
the escaped one's hand and wrung it
warmly as he congratulated him upon
his miraculous deliverance.
"More work of that Mysterious
Stranger, I suppose. But one of these
days we'll get him," said Davis.
"Ye must be starved nigh unto death,
and It needs a full stomach to keep
up with a divil like him. Come home,
all of ye, for I've the makin's of a
wonderful feast," urged the practical
Bridget. High of spirits, they began
their return.
Half way upon their journey, a peculiar
screen of vines attracted the attention
of John, and upon his calling
the attention of the others to it, all
dismounted. A moment's investigation
revealed the fact that the vines screened
the entrance to another cave, and
pushing them aside all entered. The
first thing that met their eyes was a
small, casket-shaped box labeled "John
Carr," and further exploration revealing
the fact that a number of similar
boxes labeled in the same way were
scattered about. Eagerly they gathered
about their find.
"Anyway we'll find out what is in
them," laughed Morgan, as inserting
the end of a pick beneath the cover
of one he tore the fastening off. With
low cries of wonderment the beholders
shrank back, clutching each other,
their eyes protruding, unable to believe
their sefises. For from bottom
to cover the box was filled with rudely
melted but solid ingots of pure gold.
The Hawk dropped upon his knees
before it, running his hands through
the yellow metal, clinking ingot against
ingot.. His face held the flush of a
drunkard and his eyes were aglow as
his voice arose in a hoarse whisper.
"The mine! The mine! At last we
have got it."
"And a good quarter of million yellow
boys must be in those boxes, too,"
croaked the Spider, no less avariciously
than his chief." Davis, putting his
arm around Ethel, spoke:
"It is great?wonderful?and I h^pe
with the finding of it our dangers have
come to an end. But we had best be
getting it out of here. The cabin is
the place for it tonight where we can
guard it."
"Right-o," sang Morgan, as he leaped
to his feet Hastily improvising
saddle bags from coat9, blankets and
whatever came handiest, they dumped
the precious metal into its new receptacles
and loaded it upon their
horses. Then walking at the heads of
their animals they continued their way
nHfVi onnnrflccod O'VpitpmDOt"
MtACU rr iui oupp vowv-u
That night, praying for peaceful
slumbers, they placed the treasure in
Ethel's room intending to decide upon
Its disposition in the morning.
With the Hawk and the Spider gone
to their rest in the harness rdom, Bridget
asleep and Rainface curled up before
the fireplace, Ethel raised her
lips to John's in a good night caress.
Softly her arm stole about his neck.
"God has been good to us, John,
dear. He has saved you and me from
many perils. I am going to thank
Him. Good night."
"Good night, dearest," he whispered,
kissing her many times.
The moon had arisen and the stillness
of midnight hovered over the
place. The door of Ethel's closet opened
softly and the face of the Hermit
appeared, smiling as he saw her sleeping
peacefully. Crossing the room with
noiseless steps he raised two of the
gold-glutted bags in his arms and reentering
the closet disappeared through
the trap. Three times more he repeated
this, the last time bearing witji
him the final nugget, and with a fare;
well smile at the still sleeping girl he
closed the door and opened it no more.
Spnrrpiv had he taken his silent
farewell than the Hawk and the Spider.
sneaking from the harness room,
tools in hand, opened the cellar door
and crept within. Lighting a candle
they began digging at the earth walls
c the cellar, and in the course of a
half hour had made a tunnel several
yards in 'ength. The Hawk laid aside
his shovel and addressed his companion
in a whisper.
th and Cy
"We must be directly beneath her j
bed. Quiet now." With infinite care
f he pried aside one of the loosely naili
ed boards which constituted the flooring
of the girl's bed room and wriggled
up out of sight, while restraining
his impatience with difficulty the
other waited. Five minutes later Morgan
returned. Rage contorted his face
and his voice shook with passion as
he hoarsely whispered.
"Someone has beaten us to it. It is
.gone?every sinker of it. We will have
:to wait until morning." Like whipped
curs they crept out into the night, for'getting
iD their rage and disappointment
to close the cellar door behind
'them.
Early morning found all the members
of the household astir save Ethel,
As they were about to summon her to
breakfast she burst among them, her
;face white and her hair streaming
down her back, a Navajo blanket drawn
about her slender figure.
"The gold!" she cried excitedly, as
-she clutched John. "It is gone?vanished
as a mirage." With exclamations
of astonishment and unbelief all rushed
into her room. It was as bare of
the treasure as a garret
| Morgan turned upon Davis with an
ugly scowl.
"Seems to me that it is up to you
to explain this disappearance, Davis."
Hotly the other answered him.
"I know no more about it than do
you. And if you dare insinuate that
Ethel?"
An exclamation from the girl drew
their eyes from each other, and looking
at the floor at which she was pointing
they saw the loosened board
through which the Hawk had crept the
night before. With one accord they
rushed Into the cellar and stood gazing
at the freshly dug tunnel and other
signs of the thief's work. Davis,
whirling upon Morgan, addressed him
I coldly.
"You suspected me, Morgan, nut now
about yourself? Who opened that cellar
door, and who made that hole?"
"Do you mean?" burst forth the
Hawk as with simulated anger he
made a step toward the other. Davis
doubled his fists.
"No!" cred Ethel as she sprang beI
tween them. "We will have no fighting
! here. We have other things to do."
| With a last evil glance at his successj
ful rival, Morgan followed, by the
! Spider, left the room,
i "I believe you are upon the right
j track, John," said the girl as the pair
i disappeared. Slowly he shook his
: head.
. "No. I think I was in the wrong,
1 Ethel. As a matter of fact I lost my
temper and said what I had no right
! to. It is the work of that mad Hermit,
' no doubt
i "Then why does he attack only you,"
| she asked quickly."
"It does seem strange," was his
j thoughtful reply.
Within the harness room Morgan
whirled upon his follower,
j "They are beginning to suspect me
and we have got to disabuse theij lit|
tie minds. Davis has been the victim
j too many times, now I suppose I have
| got to be the goat to even things up.
! Come along." Gathering up two lariats
they started up the mountain side.
Shortly later they reached the brink
of a cliff that overlooked a valley, the
opposite side of which was a long
rifle shot away. Here Morgan threw
himself upon the ground while the
Spider, grinning over his task, bound
" * " lAAft
film witn one 01 rne ropes, uieu
ing one end of the other about his
chiefs body secured the other end to
a tree. Having made sure that everything
was secure he raised the Hawk
in his arms and carrying him to the
edge of the cliff lowered him over the
lip, and with a last chuckle at his companion's
plight went hurrying away.
Soon later he entered the living room
to confront Davis and Ethel. The former
arose.
"Where Is Morgan?" he asked solicitously,
seeing the Spider alone. "I
hope he did not take me seriously."
"He felt terribly about it and went
off by himself an hour or so ago," was
The Next Instant Etl
rus Touii\s(
the Spider's reply. 'Tm getting uneasy
about hira. The Hermit may have
taken a shot at him." Anxiety lest his
remark had caused the other man to
get into trouble, John reached for his
rifle.
"Stay here and entertain Ethel for a
while. I'll take a peek around and see
if I can locate him." But the Spider
would have none of it.
.... ,
"l-won't let you go aione. we win
Just have a look into Sweetwater Valley.
You go around the mountain and
meet me below." With this understanding
they hastily parted.
John, coming to the top of the bare
hill overlooking the valley on the opposite
side of which Morgan was left
suspended to the cliff by his confederate,
paused to scan the broad scene.
As he did so the shadow of a great
bird fell at his feet, and gazing into
the sky he saw a dozen mountain vultures
wheeling and swooping in the
air, their course ever narrowing to the
far side of the valley. And as he looked
and wondered what prey they saw,
an object met his eyes that made him
utter a gasp of horror. For suspended
against the face of the opposite cliff,
dangling in the air like a spider upon
his thread, was the body of a man
about which the wolves of the air were
*-? r* And AtThn no hp
rupiuijr gauintug. nuu t
looked he saw one of the voracious
creatures swoop upon the defenseless
one with curved beak drawn and great
claws curved.
Stopping to witness no more he sank
upon one knee and leveled his rifle.
It was a long shot and a quick one?a
shot which might only be attempted
with hope of success by an expert
rifleman, yet at the crack of the weapon
the wings of the attacking creature
suddenly collapsed and the dark body
with Its wljtfte trimmed wings went
plunging downward like a plummet
to the rocks below. A second shot
quickly followed with a second great
bird falling as had the first, and the
remainder of the circling crew, frightened
by the fate which had befallen
their fellows, withdrew in rapid upward
spirals until they became mere
specks in the clear sky.
Arising to his feet John stood gazing
in the clear sky.
"I wonder who on earth he can be?"
he muttered. Then seeing that the
danger was past and the birds hac
been frightened into the reaches of the
sky, he threw the gun over his snouiaei
and started on a brisk run to react
the other side of the valley and rescue
the unfortunate who hung suspendec
so perilously above the rocks that laj
at the foot of the cliff.
It so happened that the land lay ir
a conformation which enabled John t<
reach the spot desired by making ?
comparatively short turn around i
ridge which circled the end of th<
valley like the rim of a bowl. Severa
minutes of fast traveling brought hin
to a point above which the form 01
Morgan hung suspended, and throwin$
his rifle aside John prostrated himsell
upon his stomach and peered down &
the hanging one. The sight that me
his gaze made him shiver with horror
One side of Morgan's face was tori
and bloodcovered where the fou
brutes of the air had plucked at him
his head hung limp and he had fainted
through sheer terror at thought of be
ing torn to pieces .while alive.'Cunninj
though he and the Spider were, the?
had failed to take into account tin
fierce winged creatures who inhabi
the mountain tops, and the farce hat
become a near tragedy.
As his gaze ran down the lariat upoi
which his cousin's weight was suspend
ed, another thrill ran through the bo
som of Davis. Just below the edge o:
the cliff a sharp fragment of rock jut
ted, and against this the rope, sawet
back and forth by the convulsive jerki
of Morgan's body as he had tried t<
escape his assailants, had become fray
ed so that but a few thin strands stil
remained intact. It took but a^glano
to show that another convulsive move
ment of the suspended one would caus<
' thera to part, and seizing the laria
: firmly just below the abraided portioE
; I John began to haul the other upward
lei Was in Hi* Arms.
r
? I v
?i\d Brady I
CopyHghl, !9t9, by VlUgr^0
It was severe work even for a man a3 c
powerful a? was John yet foot, by foot
; the senseless one1 was hauled aloft until
tht fingers of the rescue? sank in
: his collar. Then bracing himself for
| a final effort, Davis dragged him bodi|
ly ovei the edge and stretfhed him out
I beyond the reach of danger. Cutting
: the rope free from the other's body,
i John tossed the loose end back over ^
j the edge, then turned to make a closer
I inspection of the injured man. The
eyes of Morgan were closed, his clothing
torn to rags and his cheeks lacerated
and bloody.
From a distance the Spider, who had
witnessed it all, came running toward ;*y
the pair at top speed. Arriving within *
hailing distance he raised his voice
in a shout Hearing the voice of the
approaching one and not knowing who
was coming or .what new danger
threatened, John sprang to his feet and
made a grab for his rifle. A stohe roll- <
ing from beneath him at that moment,
he lost his balance and went over the
cliff.
Instinctively his hand flew out, hig
fingers clutching the edge of the cliff,
| he hung suspended over the rocks far
below. Desperately he tried to raise
himself above the edge of the cliff and
might have succeeded had his handhold
not proven false. But as he ele!
vated his head to a point where he
could see over the top, the rock began
to crumble in his grasp and slowly but
surely he felt his fingers begin to slip.
Realizing the folly of attempting to
draw himself further- up with so
treacherous a hand hold to depend upon,
he again lowered himself to full
arms' length and hung limply.
He turned his head over his shoulf
*
der and looked. Below him was the
I dizzy height through which he must
I fall before he would land a mangled
' mass upon the granite teeth below.
1 Afar above him in the sky dim specks^
I ? ? m .1 .1 .1 i _ L ^ '
were circling, ana ne snuaaerea as ne
thought of himself lying beneath their
' talons and beaks, even though death
1 had robbed him of all consciousness.
The thought gave him new strength.
* Casting his eye a little further along *;
the edge of the cliff, he saw the rope
> dangling over its edge where he had
carelessly tossed it after releasing
Morgan's body from one end. The up
per end was still fastened to the rock
1 as it had been attached by the Spider
* when he lowered the Hawk over, and
could he reach it, frayed though it:
1 was, there was a chance that it would
J support him and that by means of it
' he could hoist himself up over the lip.
' Slowly he began working himself sideways
toward it.
1 He reached it and clutched It with
* the grasp with which a drowning man
clings to a straw. Had he been fresh
[ he would have been able to pull himJ
self up without any particular difficulty,
but he had been hanging so long
j and so desperately to the edge of the
rock with the tips of his fingers that
| those members had become cramped
, and stiffened, and instead of clutching
' I ?I ~ A 4-Vk A n 4" i
I | iue swayiiig rupe wim a guy mo.*.
would sustain his weight they closed
around it but loosely. Slowly, surely,
j gaining speed with each instant he began
to slip down the rope?down to
, its lose swinging end from which he
must make his last drop to the rocks
upon which the vultures he had slain
now lay.
j Faster and faster grew his descent
until the friction of the rough fibre of
: which the rope was made scorched and
blistered his hands. Yet mindless of
the pain of it he clung on as best he
could, knowing that the end was now
| but a few seconds away. And that he
, did not give way to despair and loosen
his hold served for the moment to
save his life, for the rope in falling
| over the edge had formed a loose knot
i at its lower end, and as the descending
man's hands struck this his fall was
, checked and he hung at full length
i from the tip of the rope.
, For a moment he swayed there, half
( dead with the nervous strain and ter
ribly shaken from it all. Then knowi
ing he must regain the length o^ the
I rope quickly if at all, he began jerking
and clutching as he strove to raise
1 himself hand over hand to the edge
of the rocks so many feet above. Tired
though he was from his efforts, the
i knowledge that his life was hanging
/ by a hair gave him renewed strength,
, and foot by foot he fought his way
upward. Already he had half regain-,
ed the lost ground when there appear
> ed upon the scene a malignant force
I which rendered all his tremendous efI
forts of the last several minutes worse
than wasted.
: The Spider, running up to the spot,
cast one glance at the prostrate form
I of his confederate, then peered cau:
tiouslv over the brink. Some yards
ji below he saw John fighting his way
!j desperately up the lariat, and with a
Si vicious curse the Spider arose. Then
| his eyes falling upon the thin frayed
I -trength of the rope which ran over
| i"he edge, he placed his heel upon it
and ground it savagely. And beneath
that dastardly act it parted with a
twang and Davis with *a cry went
shooting down.
(END OF FIFTH EPISODE.)
-i-..