Yellowstone Jack: Trappers of the Enchanted Ground — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ed his horse and: weaned to the his Ss Devel one from the danger that threater ed. ee Phe a ‘tet i ele the very edge of tho ipice, rearing, pawing the empty air with its fore-feet, as though “to o retreat from a ‘danger just €. 5 J 4h * 2 Pee x Ap vib, a ” , =. # Resnik ohoa hoof slipped. The frost- “eaten rock cracked and crumbled beneath 4 the strong pressure. A wild, almost human shriek of horror end fear broke from the 3 yf ungs of the animal, as it felt itself over- é has sd ad. And then, with a mighty leap, 4 ng from the crumbling rock, far out ver the eanyon’s depths, draggi ng with the dead horse, and the waggon. One ye me eo ‘scream—blood curdling, intensely é horrible—and then came a dull, crashing sound as pine b branches of the tres below ‘ pave way beneath their weight re of sees very verge of the abyss stood ohne ue tithe figure, one arm supporting z topping form, the other clasping a bright - knife, , Aung back to restore his balance. — vf vas ‘the : :horse leaped to its feet, a man - -dashe od out from behind the boulder, _ dropping his still smoking rifle, drawing a kee n knife from his belt. Hereached the insensiblo maiden, just as the mad animal ph nged into the abyss, and with a swift str -oke severed the reins that bound her oss ists as his left arm passed round her “waist. But it seemed as though his bold aclr roitness would be allin vain. — ‘The terrible strain upon the reins had agged the maiden to the escarpment, j, though he managed to check his | Just in time to avoid instantly fol- BA a4 e. Ww: ad dr am | he | ifcless weight upon his left arm was the xing him down, was surely destroy- _ a vain he strove to leap back ‘f fen the yawning abyss. An invisible : power seemed restraining him,to be draw- ng | nim, slowly, surely down to death. Yi jit ‘every muscle strained to the utmost ~ tensi ion, ‘ho could not. take the single iret t would carry him back to life, to form was slowly bowing, bendin fur sh er over the dizzy depth, dragged lown | y the helpless body that hung ‘BO uietly up on his arr. WwW i out that, he could ‘have easily a nsclf, ‘& "y simply Bie tenine ashe is _* Migs ee ' J / ~ ‘ Aa 4 a we « « aE: FRIENDLY ENEMY, a . But he was too late to rescue al gave one terrific bound, OW. ite the horse, the stranger found that is balance, despite his utmost exer- oe Instead he was giving way. His form. 18 out his arm, all would be well. And per- haps she was dead. It might be a corpse a that he held. She was so pale, so quiet. | Not a muscle moved. Surely she could not be alive? Should he give his young life for a stranger—and that stranger one whom his sacrifice could not save? | That these thoughts should have flashed across the stranger’s mind atsuch a& moment is no stain upon his manhood, Life is sweet to all—even to him who had braved death a hundred times, who lived only for revenge. death-hunter, to do with saving lives? Yet he it seemed as though they would be ground to powder, he continued his silent, horrible struggle. banished the momentary | temptation, and clinching his teeth until Then he was suddenly drawn back from the abyss, and sank breathless upon the ground. A dark figure seized the droop- ing maiden from his arm, quickly, almost rudely. Frank Maynard had reached =the | stranger Just in time to drag him back | from death. The stranger gripped his knife more firmly, and seemed about to leap upon Maynard, but then the fire died out of — his eyes, as ho heard the soft caressing | words that fell from the young man’s © lips. He saw that this man was her friend, and said, coldly : us Take this, it is good whisky. if the lady i is only in a faint, thatis the best medicine, I will see what can be done for the other.” Maynard accepted the proffered flask, without so much as glancing up at the He had no thoughts for other | conor. than the maiden who lay so white and -eold upon his Jap. - Vernon Campbell—for it was the young scout who had so opportunely appeared upon the scene—glided over to where Ada Dixon was lying. He stooped suddenly and tenderly wiped away the blood that slowly oozed from an ugly bruise upon her forehead. As though the touch of his hand had restored the spark of life, her eyes opened, resting wonderingly upon his faca. | “You need not fear, lailv,” said Camp- bell, in a soft, reass: wing tone. “You are safe; the danger i IS. % "sb * But Minnie—oh ! { 1 remember now !” and a shudder of horror agitated her What had he, tho — AON NIE DOOKS a (©)