The Argosy, Vol. 84 No. 2 — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

DARING THE DANGER ZONE. thoughts were not of himself but of Nancy. There resounded the ring of metal on metal, as with a clattering and bang an armful of “ drills”? was thrown into the skip. Then there came a terrific jerk upon his wrists and he felt himself being pulled rapidly upward as the skip was raised. Unnoticed he clung to the bottom of the thing and was drawn above the mouth of the drift unobserved by the men who had thrown in the drills. The shackle ring was small and cut his fingers till it seemed as if they would be severed from his hands, but he hung on desperately. His body swayed from side to side of the shaft like a pendulum with the least rocking of the great bucket. Half-way up the shaft the agony of the strain of holding on made death itself seem small beside it; but will conquered body, and he clung still. Just as his fingers stiffened and started to slip, unequal to further endurance at the almost superhuman strain, the skip shot above the earth’s surface into the night. Derby put his last ounce of strength into a swing that rolled him clear of the shaft mouth and down upon the side of the ore dump. Here he lay, weak and panting, until he could — gather his strength. Above him myriads of stars shone peacefully in the sky. He gazed above him in wild unbelief until he could force his consciousness into the realization that he was saved. Down in the valley twinkled the lights of the Esperanza camp, and the still night air carried clearly snatches of drunken song and the music from a dance-hall. Fortunately for Derby, the smelter and slag dump were at the other side of the hoist shed from the ore pile upon which he had fallen, and the shed and tramway trestle shielded him from the glowing flashes of light that lit up the entire valley whenever a load of molten slag was poured forth. 313 He remembered the night of his arrival watching the glow of the Esperanza in the sky from the steps of Nancy’s shack, and realized that in the course of his subterranean wanderings he must have come straight through the mountain which separated the Esperanza from the I.0.U. He knew that a steep path crossed this mountain, but, feeling the hopelessness of trying to follow it for the first time at night, he resolved to strike down into the valley for the main trail, although it made the distance around a good five miles. Selecting the moment when the flash from the slag dump was just subsiding, he slid down the ore pile and, making a wide detour to avoid the tents of Espe- ranza, struggled toward the valley and safety. Time and time again he tripped over some great rock. His clothes were torn to shreds by the cactus and mesquite thorns, but, sliding and struggling, he at last reached the main trail. Exhausted as he was, he broke into a dog trot, resolved to lose no time in getting back to the I. O. U. He was desperately worried as to what might have befallen Nancy during his absence and he forced his aching body to make all the speed it could. When he staggered up the last hill he saw to his relief the light burning clear in Nancy’s shack. As he drew nearer, the collie came bounding to meet him, barking joyously and waving a welcoming tail. Nancy greeted him with a sob of relief. ‘““T have prayed for your return,” she said simply. ‘‘ But I had given up hope. I feared that you too had paid with your life the penalty for trying-to help me.” “Not this time!” answered Derby, breathing hard but with.a struggle for cheerfulness. “Not this time!” echoed Nancy, and her thoughts ran back to the ominous message printed on the card tied around the neck of the collie when he came back to her from Esperanza. ‘““ Oh!” she cried, ‘‘ will there never be any end to this persecution—and when you spared his life?” COMMICLOOOLK (C@