The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, August 07, 1919, Page 9, Image 9
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EPISODE SIX
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SYNOPSIS.
John Davis and Hawk Morgan, executors
of the estate of John Carr, miner,
disagree over the disposition of the profits
Of the mine. Morgan, seeking the gold
ad the girl for himself, and unsuspected
by Davis, whom Ethel really loves, makes
several attempts on the life of the latter,
assisted by an accomplice named Spider
Bellas. Suspicion is diverted to a mysterious
hermit. Davis, Hawk and the Spider
, leave for San Francisco to get machinery
to work the mine. Hawk and Spider
drag Davis and leave him in an abandoned
cabin in imminent danger of a ter~.v
rible death.
r * * John Davis, having rescued his mor
tal bnt unsuspected enemy, Hawk
< ^ Morgan, from the vultures and a living
death, and having hauled him to safety,
tripped and went over the cliff himself.
Hanging to the end of the frayed
rope and fighting his way foot by foot
back to the edge of the brink, he might
"have regained it despite his terrible
handicap had not the Spider coming
up and seeing his desperate plight,
ground the frayed section of the larl
ki beneath his heel. And at that dastardly
act the rope parted and John
* went shooting downward to the rocks
'? 9 below.
That he would have been crushed
,to death'upon them there is no doubt
4 bad not great good fortune come to his
rescue. Some distance in his fall,
John'? body crashed into a tree that
thrust itself out at a sharp angle from
" the face of the cliff, and the resilient
?% (branches of the pine, first bending be.
neath the shock, a moment later re^
sponded with a counter movement that
tossed the body aside as a powerful
wrestler does the form of a weaker
antagonist John, landing upon a nar,row
ledge that protruded from the
main wall of rock, lay there as insensate
as the stones themselves, one arm
dansiincr over SDace. It so happened
that this ledge, lying as it did on an incurve
of the cliff, was not visible to
* one who stood upon the npper brink
of the main descent.
Spider Bellas, having done this damnable
thing and for the moment disregarding
the body of his comrade,
threw himself upon his stomach and
% peered over the edge. Far below him
he could see a small avalanche of
i V atones and dnst going down in gigantic
leaps, bnt nothing more. Feeling certain
that the body of his foe was in
the midst of that roaring mass and
t ' even now was beaten out of all setaf.
jfc blance of humanity, he watched the
?? ^ avalanche grow in size each moment
until with a faint crash it was lost
In the pines far below which bordered
the Sweetwater river or creek.
He arose satisfied that they no longer
had to fear Davis in the game they
yT were playing and turned his attention
to his senseless friend. Dragging him
a little farther from the edge he drew
a flask from his pocket and poured a
small quantity of liquor down the other's
throat. Revived by the stimuv
' lant, Morgan sat up. He placed his
hands to his cheek, winced from the
pain of it and drew his palm away
: covered with bfood.
"My God!" he cried with a shudder.
.4 "I remember now. The vultures!
"What happened?"
Bellas, wiping the blood away from
i:'.V. his still terrified pal's face, was debat1ing
the words which should form his
.. ^ answer.
"Davis shot a couple of them and
then hauled you up."
"Where is he now?"
"He was bending over you and between
you and the edge. The ledge
-. broke and he fell. He caught the rope
- somewhere as he was going down, but
it was frayed out and?well, look for
? ? - ? ? i i? i 1
yourself." ?ie piCKea up ine uruiseu
fragment and held it before the other's
eyes. "It broke and he went to his
death in the valley. I think his body
must have plunged into the river and
been swept away." Solemnly Morgan
turned upon him.
"Spider, did you push nim over that
fedge?" The spider crossed his heart
"I did not, Hawk."
"And did you cut that rope?" The
other raised his right hand on high.
"So help me God I never laid hand
on it I was back yonder among the
trees when he slipped, and when I arrived
here he already Jad gone over."
"I'm glad you had no hand in it"
muttered the Hawk as he arose. "Let's
$>e going back." Pausing but long
enough to permit the Spider to rough>
ly bandage his wounds, Morgan led the
way to the cabin.
With an exclamation of dismay at
Signt or nis wreicnea appearuuw,
Ethel came hurrying forward to meet
him, Bridget Wegan close at her heels.
Bainface was dispatched for hot water
and medicaments, and Ethel rolling up
her sleeves began ministering to the
P wounded one.
'Tell me all about it," she demanded
as her deft fingers flew on. The
Hawk answered in a weak voice.
"Naturally deeply hurt that you
folks suspected me of not playing fair,
I wandered off alone. The Hermit, who
for some reason unknown to me has
been doing all this mischief, attacked
me when I was not looking. I was
stricken down from behind, and when
I came to my senses I found myself
' V bound hand and foot and hanging over
'
isLr^lfs
NOV
a cliff. Then the vultures?" he gave
a real shudder of horror at the thought
?"attacked me. God. It was terl
rible. I must have fainted again, for
I remember nothing until I saw SpiI
der's houest face bending over me."
"And you did what?" cried the girl
j as she turned upon Bellas. The Spider
took up the tale.
"Mr. Davis shot the vnltures from
| across the valley. Then he ran to the
top of the clHf with me following at
some distance. I saw him haul Mr.
j Morgan up, then just before I got to
him he stumbled or slipped and went
over the edge. And that's the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the
: truth, so help me."
Horror distorting her face, the girl
sat staring at the speaker.
"And his body?"
] "I didn't see his body, Miss Ethel,
j after that. Mebby It is at the bot!
torn of the valley, and mebby It was
| swept away by the stream."
j Slowly the old Indian turned upon
' the Spider. His roughly hewn face
was as impassive as though it had been
carved from living rock, but a baleful
glow was deep in his black eyes. With
-slow gutturals he addressed the Spider.
"I believe dam lie."
With a leap Bellas was upon his
feet, but quick as he was the ancient
one was quicker. Before the leveled
gun that the other had whipped from
somewhere, the hands of the Spider
rose ceilingward, and slowly he began
backing away from the glaring one
who covered him. From behind them
1 % *? j* r*
arose tne angry voice oi uriugei.
"Good for ye, Injun. Yer brains are
workin' right wanst more."
Removing the pistols from the Spidei
and Morgan, Ralnface pointed to
the door of Bridget's room.
"Go In there and stay there," he
commanded them. He turned to the
others. "Me go and find out what happened."
"Curse you?" broke* from the Spider,
but Morgan cut him short.
"Let him go," he sneered. "We will
wait here until he finds out that we
have told the truth."
Without further protest they entered
the room of the Irish woman, while
that lady vanishing in the kitchen reappeared
a moment later with a murderous
double-barreled shotgun, the
tubes of which had been sawed off
BUf
iMMMsmm*#.-**
j
Never Before Had John Been in Such
Peril of His Life.
Bhort before the chambers. Drawing
np a chair she planted herself before
the door, great determination resting
upon her round face.
"Til guard the spalpeens," she announced
grimly.
"Big Irish squaw some good sometime,"
grunted Rainface as he went
without.
On the narrow ledge on which ho
lay John first stirred slightly, then
opened his eyes and sat up. Having
rested his head in his hands for a few
moments in order to collect his
thoughts, he arose and went creeping
along the ledge. Finally coming to a
niche that seemed to be of some depth,
and with no other way of escape visible,
he began crowding himself into it
Some yards farther on he could tell
by his sense of feeling that he had
entered a room of rock, and lighting a
match glanced about. Above him, glowing
dully in the flickering light, yet
plain to be seen against the matrix of
dark rock which composed the rock of
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tne cave, ne saw veins 01 iree gum ui
undeniable richness.
"Great heavens! The mine! At
last!"
Striking another match he again cast
his eyes about. Upon a small boulder
In a corner stood a discolored and battered
lantern, and lighting it he followed
the vein, until of a sudden it "petered
out." Continuing his way, a moment
later he bent and picked up a
dully glittering object and held it close
beside the lantern. It was an ingot
such as had filled the caskets, and he
thrust it into his pocket.
"Poor old Morgan. I did him an injustice
in thinking he stole the gold,"
he muttered.
He held the lantern on high that its
light might carry farther. Before him
he saw a rude ladder leading upward,
mhMC
EL1ZED FROM V1TA<
CoDprigtit lot?. 1
and mounting it stood within a narrow
tunnel. With no other course to pursue
he began carefully treading its
length, pausing not until he came to
its end. Here he found another short
S ladder above which was a trapdoor,
and climbing it cautiously shoved
j the trap and stepped into a small, dark
I room. Seeing a door upon one side he
i silently opened it, his heart giving a
! great leap at what he saw.
He was peering into Ethel's bedj
room, and the girl, sitting before a litj
tie table with her cheeks in her hands,
I was gazing at his own picture. Bat|
tered and dirty he sat his lantern
j down, and approaching her quietly;
I from behind, laid his hand upon her '
shoulder. Turning swiftly she looked
up?grew white? then with a low cry
threw herself into his arms.
For several minutes, oblivious that
In all the world there existed others
than themselves, they abandoned themselves
to the caresses and whispers j
which lovers know so well; then John,
holding her off at arm's length, smiled, j
"Come. We must go and tell the
pthers also." With Ethel clinging to !
| his arm they entered the room where ]
! Bridget sat on guard as formidable as ;
j old Cerberus himself before the gates j
! of Hades. Dropping her weapon on ;
j the floor the woman arose, mouth open I
i and eyes bulging at the sight of the!
! man.
"Merciful hivens! An' ye were not j
; kilt at all, at all!" she gasped as she
; Btumbled forward to greet him.
| "Hardly, Bridget," he grinned. She
I turned to the pair within the room.
| "Come out, both of ye." Heads erect
and wearing the look of men grossly
mistreated, the Hawk and Bellas entered
the living room. John thrust
! forth his hand.
! "I can only ask your forgiveness,
K/vrrc? TTfViol hqc tnlrl mo nil nnd ft"
| UVJ Ot JUWUV& AAMS/ VV/*V? MMV. *w ,
| happened just as you said it did, Bel- i
: las. Furthermore, I have found the j
1 real mine. Come on, all of you, and !
we'll inspect it."
i "I'll stick behind and see that all \
: goes well here. You can tell me about |
, It when you come back," said Morgan. !
As he determinedly refused to accom- j
pany them, they hurriedly made ready !
and took their departure.
Left alone, Morgan began to prowl.
"Davis must have got in by some se-j
! cret way," he muttered as he began j
j searching the floor. Presently coming 1
to the closet of the girl's room he |
raised its rug and at once saw the trap I
j cut in its floor. Quickly securing his;
Winchester he also thrust his pistol j
j Into his belt, raised the trap and wentj
! feeling his way down the ladder,
j Lighting his way by the lantern j
' which Davis had left behind, he fol- j
lowed the tunnel until it emptied him'
into the main cave. Above him he
saw the gold glowing dully, and gasped
as the other man had done as compre- j
hension of its great richness gradually
| forced itself upon him.
| "There are millions here, and I mean
; to have all. And the girl as well," he
! muttered. Setting the lantern down |
j he approached the growth which i
screened the outside entrance to the!
j room, peering into the open air. In the |
| distance he saw the party from the:
j cabin coming up the trail in single file,!
John in the lead, and he picked up his j
rifle with a cruel smile.
"Now I have him," he whispered as
| he ran his eye along the barrel. The
roar of his rifle went resounding
among the hills, buffeting back and
<crth like a shuttlecock. John, in the
act of leaping across a small rift,
plunged forward just as Ethel was
I about to grasp his proffered hand.
n/if fiivntnir fn flno
iUUrgUJU, ill IliC ULl VI lut UlLifj IV UW| j
i felt a crushing blow fronf behind, and
throwing up his hands, collapsed with
ft groan upon the floor.
Davis scrambled to his feet and
pointed to the moss-covered rock from
| which he had slipped at the instant
: the gun was discharged.
"That was the luckiest misstep I ever
I made, for otherwise that bullet would
j have gone through my head," he cried
| is the others came rushing to the spot
| fife waved his hand^at them. "Take to
i cover everybody?quick."
From the boulders behind which they
; scuttled they watched the entrance
I Closely for several minutes. No sounds
came from within the cave, and conI
Vinced that whoever had fired the shot
! had fled, Davis rushed the opening, gun
i in hand, the others hot upon his heels.
; Before them and lying senseless upon
the floor was the body of the Hawk.
Ten minutes later Morgan was able
j to speak in faint tones.
; "After you left I stepped into Miss
: Ethel's room, and much to my astonI
ishment saw a trap door in the floor of
| her closet. Wondering what it could
mean, I descended through it, roiiow;
ing a tunnel which led me into this
room. As I entered I saw that cursed
Hermit in the very act of firing upon
: you as you approached, and made a
Jump for him. But in my weak state
| he was too much for me and knocked
me senseless. But thank God you arc
j <111 safe." Warmly John shook hh>
hand.
j "We are quits now, old man."
"I krsw you would come to believe
: to me at last," returned the Hawk an
j he responded to the other's grip.
TOWN
jRAPH PHOTO PLA
? Vtaffrjph
Together they inspected the cure
jvith its untold wealth, marveling over
Its richness; scarce able to believe
their senses. At last becoming conscious
that the day was rapidly fleeting,
they agreed that Rainface should
take Bridget back to the cabin by
means of the tunnel, while Davis
showed the others the way he had
found into the mine through the narrow
cleft. At the entrance to it, however,
Morgan, saying that he was too
badly done up to go farther, sat down
to await their return; whereupon the
Spider also decided to remain behind.
Left to themselves, Ethel and John
pursued their way.
Scarcely were the lovers out of sight
than the Hawk, with a grin or trmmpn
at his follower, pointed to a small box
which was half covered by debris In
one corner and upon the end of which
was the brand that signified that Its
contents was gaint powder.
"They overlooked that little package,
which must have been left here by old
Carr when he was working the mine,"
chuckled. Dragging it hurriedly to the
opening of the niche they attached the
fuse. Then lighting it, they scuttled
from the place as rats desert a sinking
ship.
Davis, chancing to glance back along
the narrow passage, saw the crawling
light of the fuse. Instantly scenting
danger, he picked the girl up bodily,
swinging her out upon the edge into
the open air, threw himself after her
In such haste that he fell headlong at
her feet. As he did so, a blast of gas
and flame came roaring from the crevice
like the discharge from a giant cannon,
streaming far out over the edge
of the cliff and spewing in its wake a
* - -1 tnfA
voney 01 tocks uiai ieu iziaauxue iulv
the treetops far below. They had escaped
being blown to eternity by a veritable,
belching volcano by the mere
matter of a second and a yard.
Waiting only long enough for the
narrow passage to free itself of the
poisonous fumes, Davis and the girl
ventured back. The entrance to the
cave was hopelessly blocked. Helplessly
they stood staring at each other.
"We're in a sweet fix," mused the
man as returning to the narrow ledge
they looked into the swimming depths
below. "Here we are marooned half'
way between earth and heaven, with
walls above and below us that it would
take a lizard to climb. It looks like
it was going to be a long time between
meals." A little cry from the girl interrupted
him.
"See!" she exclaimed, pointing down.
The man's glance followed her pointing
finger. Some few yards below
them, reposing where it had caught
on a slight obstruction upon the face
of the wall, was the rope which had
supported him before he fell upon this
ledge by' reason of the Spider's cowardly
grinding of the frayed strands
apart Could the lariat be obtained
they might well hope to descend from
cleft to cleft, but with it lying a dozen
feet below their reach it seemed that
It n^ight as well have reposed at the
bottom of the valley. The girl's quick
wit came to their rescue.
"Perhaps we can manage it," she
laughed as she sat down and began
removing the lacings of her high boots.
Quickly grasping her thoughts. John
added the buckskin thongs whicluran
through his own footgear to hers, and
plucking a hatpin from her head, fashioned
it into a hook. Throwing himself
prone he lowered his line, finding to his
joy that it was of sufficient length.
Not much later he hoisted the lariat in
triumph.
Looping one end about her body, he
began lowering her to the ledge next
below, and she having safely landed
there, freed herself while he made the
upper end fast Then sliding down
he released the upper end with a deft
flip, repeating the operation from time
to time until at last they reached a
footing upon which they could proceed
without further use of the life-saving
line. Hurrying homeward with all
speed they entered the house together.
Briefly relating their experience
while the listeners sat in amazement
Morgan struck his open palm with his
clenched fist.
"That?Hermit again. After you and
Miss Ethel left us, Bellas and I restad
for a moment and then came back
here by the tunnel. We did not meet
him on the way, therefore there must
be still another entrance to the tunnel
as yet unknown to us." Davis,
acquiescing, changed the subject.
"Now that we have found the mine
we must go to Sail iTancisco ior men,
machinery and supplies in order to
ptart work upon It at once," said he.
Morgan at once assented.
"Right. We've a good half day before
us and I am feeling much stronger.
Suppose we start at once."
"But me?" protested Ethel. John's
hand stole over her own.
"We are going to make a flying
trip. There is no need of your going
through the inconvenience of the journey.
and you will be much more comfortable
here with Bridget and Rainface."
Still unconvinced but yielding
to his wishes she silently assented.
Approaching night found the three
still upon the trail. Drawing in his
horse the Spider spoke.
4
Y
Fastened the No<
"We will never get to the station before
dark. There is an old shack up
here that I know of, and I vote we
spend the night there and hit the trail
again at daylight. It's bad goin' along
this way after dark."
"Where is the shack?" asked Davis,
half convinced that the other was
speaking wisely. The Spider pointed
Indefinitely to one side.
"I think it's in there. You fellers
wait here till I go and make sure. I'll
be back in a few minutes." Easing
themselves in the saddles and rolling
cigarettes the remaining two settled
themselves down to wait.
Once out of sight the Spider slipped
from the saddle. Chosing a favorable
spot he drew an extra revolver from inside
his shirt and lashing it in the
fork of a tree carefully sighted it down
the trail. Then stringing a small vine
across the path tied it to the trigger,
I after which he returned to the waiting
| pair with the information that tne
I shack lay in that direction. At once
all three started along the way, Davis
in the lead.
Reaching the point where the spring
gup was set, the two following rascals
softly drew their horses to one side.
All unconscious of the Spider's treachery,
John rode on, his thoughts on
Ethel and the mine. From the brush
beside the way-came a sharp explosion,
and his horse falling upon its knees,
rolled over upon its side with a bullet
through the brain. Half dazed by the
fall, John sat up just in time to see
the Spider dismount and go rushing
through the trees, firing as he ran at
| some imaginary foe. Soon he reI
turned, gathering up the evidence of
his futile attempt as he came.
"Don't know for sure who he was, as
I couldn't get a good sight of him, but
it looks to me as though that cussed
Hermit is still camping on our trail,"
he explained.
"He won't follow us any farther on
this trip," said Morgan. Taking the
dazed John upon his horse they rode
to the cabin and retired for the night.
In the middle of the night Morgan
and Bellas silently lifted their heads.
A moment's listening told them that
Davis .was sleeping soundly, and at a
whisper from the Hawk the Spider
sneaked to the stove and brought him
the coffee pot, which, retaining for a
moment, the other handed back.
Just before dawn the Spider awakened
Davis, also shaking Morgan.
"Time to be stirring," he announced
and sleepily they got upon their feet.
Pouring the coffee which he already
had heated, into their tin cups, Bellas
tendered each of his companions one.
John, drinking his and thinking of
Ethel, did not observe that the other
men had secretly poured their portions
through a crack in the floor.
For a couple of minutes after he had
finished the draught Davis sat upon
the side of his bunk while the others
spoke briefly of the coming events of
the day as secretly they watched him.
Moment by moment his head sank lower
upon his chest, until with a long
6igh he fell backward upon the blankets,
instantly beginning to snore. The
rascally pair arose.
"He'll be dead to the world for a
couple of hours after that doping,"
laughed the Hawk, as the twain began
gathering the three lariats together.
"And that will give us time enough to
cook his goose for all time." Passing
out of the shack they approached
a good sized sapling which stood close
to the wall.
At the Hawk's direction the Spider
climbed the tree and fastened one end
of the stout lariats to it, after which
he threw the other end of the rope
cross the ridge pole of the shack, so
that it fell down and trailed upon the
far side. To the free end Morgan now
attached a second lasso, after which
he went to an old well from which he
1
Dse to His Neck.
brought a wheel and bucket By
means of an ax and spikes found within
the building he made the wheel secure
to a second trunk, reeving the lariat
through the wheel, and thus obtaining
the leverage of a one-sheaved pulley.
By means of this contrivance and
their combined strength they sprung
the sapling down until it became a
mighty bow, capable of hurling a horse
through the air. Then blocking the
pulley so that it could not run loose,
by means of the third lariat they fas
tened the tree nrmiy m ns Deiu pusition.
Next going within the shack
they securely bound the drugged victim
to the stationary bunk, and fastening
the noose of the first lariat to his
neck, left him there as they made
haste to take the last step necessary
to the completion of their fiendish plan.
Gathering a few handfuls of dry
leaves and bark, they scattered them
about the lariat that held the tree in
its bent position, after which they
sprinkled a quantity of loose powder
over the mass. Lighting the inflammaj
ble material at its outer edge and waiting
but long enough to make sure that
the blaze would spread quickly, they
threw themselves upon their horses
and went galloping off into the gray
light of morning, cursing the senseless
one they had left behind as they rode.
Nor ever before had John Davis been
in such mortal peril of a terrible death.
For when the oncreeping fire should
reach the rope which restrained- the
sprung tree, released from its fetter,
would leap to its upright position with
gigantic strength, tearing the man
apart as in days of old victims were
rended limb from limb by wild horses.
At almost the same moment that
Morgan was preparing the drugged coffee
in the dead hour of midnight Ethel
Carr suddenly awakened from her
sleep. Unaccountably restless from
some cause and unable to again resume
her slumbers, she lighted her lamp and
picking up a copy of Aesop's Fables
from the table read until she came to
the tale of the man who found an adnorfchinp1
from the cold, and hav
VJV.1 ? 0
ing warmed it at his bosom was stung
to death by It as his reward. Wanied
by some subtle presentiment that
John's life was in danger, she hurriedly
ran to Bridget's room.
"I have an awful feeling that something
terrible is happening to John,"
she cried. "We must go and learn
what it is." In an instant the good
Irish woman was fairly flying into her
clcthes.
"I'll get the Injun while ye dress.
He'll be more use to ye than I could
be." Off she rushed to summon Rainface,
while the girl dressed with frantic
haste.
Side by side she and the old Indian
went thundering along the trail of the
three men. Just as the first blush of
down came over the mountain tops,
Rainface, with a pull upon his bit,
brought his horse back upon its hocks.
As Ethel followed suit her companion
pointed at the ground.
"See tracks here where they turn off.
Old shack up that way and mebby we
find them there." Again spurring their ^
* ? ?att /lo o?Vi nn q mn.
norses lurwmu mcj uaon^u vu, u u?v
raent later coming to the carcass of the
dead animal which had been ridden by
John at the time of the exploding of
| the spring gun.
"Bad medicine," grunted Rainface.
"Better hurry heap fast." With a silent
prayer arising from her lips that
they might be in time, the girl once
more tightened her reins and leaned
forward in the saddle.
Already the fire had reached the
lariat that bound the death-dealing sap- .
ling down. Another minute more and
John Davis would be torn apart and
half bis body thrown afar among the
rocks for the vultures and wolves.
(END OF SIXTH EPISODE.)