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Show lENGENCE AND THEWOMAN EPISODE 8 Synopsis Henry Blake, banker and railway milder, sends Black Jack Haines, lutlaw leader, to prison. He escapes ind carries Blake's young wife, Des-ile, Des-ile, away to his cabin. She escapes ind joins Blako and both are captur-d. captur-d. Bessie Is locked in a Btage coach rhlch plunges over a cliff. Blake fain rescues her and they escape n ,1 canoe, but are overtaken by Hack Jack. Blake fights him off and aey take reftige In a mine tunnel. Tie outlaws start to burn them out filh a huge fire. . Urged by Black Jack, the outlaws irew armsfull of green wood on tho Ire sending great volumes of dense moke pouring into the tunnel mouth i Intense heat driving the outlaws lack, where, circled about the enhance, en-hance, they watched for signs of life Mhln; Johnson questioned Haines 1 to how long they could last and Be latter replied with a savage grin: B"lf they don't come out, they will oke to death." Behind the barricade of rocks tho HjVatlon of Blake and Bessie was Bd desperate. The girl, with her He closely covered with a piece of HJm. had partially recovered con-HjHuaeu, con-HjHuaeu, but the Increasing vtnoke Kleat told Blake (hat to remain HW taejr ,were many minutes long-jjmeaat' long-jjmeaat' death for both, jwnelag p at the walls of their HJB,! Blake noticed the smoke pass-HVrapldly pass-HVrapldly Into the tunnel depths be-M.-He tuned to his wife and ex-"d: ex-"d: Where smoke goes, wT can go," UlBg her t o, her. feet, he picked the axe and rltle and they made BBr Wajr to -where another tunnel fljfced at rght angles, Down this, J smoke waa traveling to some es-J es-J further on. Pressing on for Btta fifty yards, they halted at flfoot of a shaft entering the tun-Hfldlagonally tun-Hfldlagonally from above and form-flfl form-flfl chimney up which the smoke HJ Vourlag. 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Working for their lives, they soon had" constructed a platform which closed three quarters of the shaft opening and from which they began their upward Might along treacherous treacher-ous sides of the shaft. Out of the top of the mountain peakthere Issued a tiny trail of amoke which Increased in volume until un-til It was noticed by Black Jack and his fellow outlaws, Curiosity as they watched changed to concern as the smoke trail lessened and became jerky, Indicating Interference with the draught within the shaft. Shortly, Short-ly, the smoke stopped issuing alto-gather alto-gather and a glance at the, entrance of the tunnel snowed that it no longer long-er passed the barricade of rocks, Black Jack realised that his prisoner! prison-er! must bare made their way back Into the tunnel ana" turning to John-MB John-MB uld: "The eftaft Is blooked. They are 1 trapped." Then after a second thought: "Blake can die, but I want the woman." He then ordered his men to clear the tunnel mouth into which they plunged with drawn pistols. Tho outlaws out-laws made their way quickly to the platform which explained to them the ceasing of the smoke trail. Part of the outlaws savagely attacked tho platform which was soon torn away, while the others were dispatched to climb up the mountain side to intercept inter-cept the captives. Blake and Bessie had by this tlm'e climbed half way to the top of the shaft, the opening to which could be seen through a net work of debrin. Pausing a moment to rest, they look-lown look-lown to see Black Jack thrust his "lead through the partially demolish-ed demolish-ed platform. They redoubled their efforts to reach the open, but wer 'talted by a shower of bullets, as the bandits swarmed after them up the lhaft. s Turning now and then to return shot' or hurl a plank or rock down in their pursuers, Blake desperately ought his way upwards with Bessie ilways within reach, until It last hey emerged Into the sunshine, exhausted ex-hausted but unharmed. It was a close race, for hardly had they 'gained their feet when two of the outlaws sprang after Blake. The three men struggled at the very edge of the shaft until Blake by sheer superior strength hurled one of them and then the other down the shaft, as Bessie, using a plank as a bar rolled after them a large rock which went crashing down, effectively closing clos-ing the shaft and ending any further furth-er attack 'from that direction. Ascendng the mountains from the tunnel mouth, Red Johnson and his party were halted within fifty feet of the top by a sheer stretch of rock springing from a broad shelf and extending to the very crest of thi peak. Along the rock there rested an old pjne which had slipped over the brink years before. The top rested on the ledge, forming a natural nat-ural ladder of which the outlaws were quick to take advantage. Blake, seated near the mouth of the shaft was resting after his bat.tle with Black Jack's men and echero-lag echero-lag hw to escape from the trap Into which he apparently had climbed, when n violent slinking of tho pine. ( whoso trunk projected out the cliff n dozen foot awny brought him to his feet. At the same Instant I Bessie cried , out n warning and ho turned to see nn outlaw's hend and shoulders over the clirf, his rlfto resting along th trunk or the tree. I Dlako was on tho man before ho could fire, wienclui.t; the rlfb from I his grasp and hurling lilm bac'i , whence he came. A half dozen tun, were then In tho bruncho cllmblns upwards, urged on by Jyhnson whi stood on the ledge waiting for u shot nt Blake. The" latter pmced his 'shoulder against tho root and aided by Bessie slid It along the edgo of I cliff until It slipped over Into spacJ carrying a number of Haines' i.ion with it. Their leader, being v.ill down In tho tree, was able to le p safely onto tho shelf with tho remainder re-mainder of his companions. Black Jack and survivors or IiIr gnng, barred from ascending tlw shaft by the rock Bessie had hurled down Into It, retreated to the' tunnel mouth where they were shortly Join- iiiiinBBiit 9iiii i iiiiii lllIHIBBB3-y? bUIII I lillll 1 1 1 IBBBBBBBBBBBBBBk vBTI 1 1 1 1 1 'IlilnlUflBBBBjUiilli iiBbBx ed by Johnson. Thoroughly angered by their double defeat at tho hands of Blake and tho girl, the leaden determined on a divided assault nn the mountain peak, with orders to the men to kill Blake at any cost, but to spare the girl. "We've got em anyhow," growled Haines." There's only one way they can escape the Devil's Slide." He then Instructed Johnson to take his men up tho Slide side or the mountain, wh.'le ho would again attempt at-tempt to ascend by tho shelving rock. Starting from a point furthor up tho mountain than the shuft opening open-ing and passing not far from Its entrance en-trance was nn old flume, filled with water from a dammed up spring, despite de-spite tho decay from ago of Its boarded board-ed sides and bottom. For a distance down the mountain It rested on tho ground, then was carried on a trctlo until It curved from view. Blake and Bessie approached t'.i flume drinking tho cold, clear water and bathing their .faces. This done, she turned to her husband with tho inquiry in her eyes "whero now?" "Down tho Devil's Slldo to the lower level," answered Blake, ai together they scrambled over the flume and hastened to the head of the Slide. Toiling upwards fro-n th tunnel mouth, Johnson and his followers nasslr- l-n?lh tho trestle carrying the flume were drenched with water. wa-ter. They halted long enough to note a wide. 'break in the flume at one of Its highest points. -Meantime Black Jack ,bad led his men to the shelving rock( where by much exertion exer-tion they' succeeded In replacing the tree ladder, up, which they scrambled to the top of the peak. Blake stood at the head, of Devil's Dev-il's Slide, studying carefully the descent de-scent when he felt a clutch at his arm. Bessie was at his side, a fresh terror In her eyes. "Look," eho whispered. "The outlaws." Following the direction of her ex-'ended ex-'ended arm, he caught sight, far below be-low leaping from rock to rock, of Red Johnson and his men ascending the very path he had ploked for their escape. Drawing back quickly bo retreated with Ilesslo to tho flume gaining Its 'shelter nt tho very Instant In-stant Black Jack's gang, rifles In band, scrambled Into "sight over tho treo trunk. Caught between two forces of tho enemy, escape seemed Impossible. Blnko glanced at hla rifle, but a battle In tho open then would mean suicide for them both. There was quo chance and only one the flume. Already Black Jack's men were prepared to charge down on them while Hod Johnson's gang could b" hoard clattering up the Slide. Seizing Seiz-ing Bessie, ho lifted her over tho sldo of the flume Into the fast iip. Ing water, holding her tight whllo he climbed after and In front or her. Thus they began their wild ride for lire down tho mountain side. (To Bo Continued) |