THE WHITE DEATH.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11394, 3 October 1902, Page 3

THE WHITE DEATH.

Br Dos Mi*x Lsmok. Bβ was an American. He had come to tbe country in search of gold. He should have remained on hie estate at home in Virginia. But no, he must come to Sooth America and prospect in Tarantula Valley. He propo&ed it first to his Mexican guide, Low. Lozo grew white about the lips, despite his tawny colour, and shook his bead. "Why not?" tbe American questioned. The White Death, senof; it is there!" "Where—in Tarantula Valley?** , "Ye, eenor." *Wlat is tbe White Death?" Loio drew his lips firmly together and *giin ihook his bead. Evidently the White Death was something to be silent about, as well as to fenr. "Iβ H a pest4l*nce of some kind?" the American questioned. **No, eenor." "Iβ it a enake?" "No, tenor." "A wild be*«t? w "No, tenor." / , Is it death from poisonous gases?" "No. wow. ,, "Is it death by 'the 'hand of men—bant : 4Hti, for instance? ,, , "No, aeuor." •., "Hunger? Thirst?" "No, senor." "Then what the devil is the White Tba American spoke angrily, but Lozo [ uade no reply. He only drew hie lips * tighter together, and looked more fright- ; «ned. This fellow—half savage as he was —feared be might draw the anger of the White Death upon himself should be de- : wribe its nature. "Queer , " the American muttered, greatly perplexed. Then he tried policy. "Cony, 111 double your pay if you'll act as guide." 1 "No, senor." 'Treble it." M No, senor." ' "Give you ten dollars a day—American fdd. , ' ' '« "No, senor."' The American considered awhile. Then Vβ mid, "That decide mc; I'll prospect fwantula Valley, and see if I can't stack Mnortgage on this White Death—and Til go H alone." The Mexican was a Catholic. He crosstd himself and looked unhappy. There ••e no reason he shouldn't look unhappy. Bβ liked tfhe American, in his rough jvay; kerides, the American's pay was good— •nd certain. And now the American was foing to meet the White Death!" Having made up his mind to prospect • lirantula Valley at any cost, the Virginian looked about for aajotlver guide thjMi Lozo. fcttthis labour was wasted. XaaD© would •tcompany him on hie proposed prospectlee tour, nor explain what was meant by *c White Death Waa it eoinetlrng so strange, so far ■ t fMnoved from common nature, that human ' jPeech could frame no description cf it? i 'Or did the superstitious villagers fear that {£•7 might draw the anger of the White Death—whatever it was—upon themselves «ooM thoy go into particulaff £* j,,/ , The nest dny the American set out. alone *or Tarantula Vall« y, very curious and not *t all nervou-v. He was well provisioned L *—one burni r>ni<> his supply of food, anther his blankets n.nd mining outfit—nnd *dl arnv-ri. He didn't reason that there -; Blight he lurking in the Valley ■* before him arainat ..which his V&udiesfcer

would be no protection—some Shape such i< s might haunt the Infernal pool and make it more hideous than even a diseased poet could imagine. Xo; he didn't reason at all.

Tarantula Valley, in appearance, was a pleasant place, with a wooded river flowing through it, and a wcoded lake, or large pool, in its centre. The American thought what a paradise it would be in which to dream away the rest of this life with One by his side who was waiting lor him in Virginia. Yet. despite the sylvan charm of the Valley, the American soon grew lonely, for there really wasn't much society about. To be sure, there were the two burros, an occasional snake, a few ■horned toads, and some buzzards; but, apart from these, the dumb creatures to be seen were not at all sociable. Not sociable, at least, like the buzzards. They, in one particular, were almoet as good as human so ciety, taking, as they did, a very eviden interest in the American's state o health.

Then, too, there was a half-wild burr in the Valley. At leaet a half-wild bum passed through the vale one day, and for ; few minutes fell in with the pack animal of the American. Of course, dumb beast can't talk with one another, yet, some how, after that talf-wild burro had ioo' cd awhile around the ears of the tw tame burros, as a man fools around tb* ear cf a friend to whom he is giving i tip, those two tame burroe, in companj with the half-wild one, made such quit* tracks from Tarantula Valley that to th* astonished American the animals seemed like three dirty streaks of light making ft» the hills ten miles beyond. Evidently t)ht creatures were frightened at something— not at something they saw, but at something they feared they might see. And what was still more curious, there wasn't an animal in Tarantula Valley that didn't appear half-dead from fright. Actually the American came to the conclusion that the dumb inhabitants of the Valley were all so subdued by fear that they hadn't the sense left with which to misrate. "

But, etranerest of, all—of w&ach fact there nodotibt, as the Virginian had tie witness , of his own eyes—were the collecticne of bones scattered over the Valley, and especiallyabout the lake.* On his first day in the. vale he had lighted on one of these ooUectione of bones. He Dxamined'it. 'It looked like a little openair cosmopolitan graveyard. Within a circle about thirty feet in diameter were collected the skeleton of a burro, the skeleton ofa buzzard, the skeleton of a large wild animal of the cat tribe", the skeleton of a cow, several skeletons the species of which the American couldn't determine, and last, but not least, the skeleton of a man. '

It was evident that some wild animfl! had lately ravened .in that • part of the country, gathering into one feedingrground the prey of a month, or so. The second day he spent in the Valley the American lighted on a collection of bones. It was much like tbe first., only the human skeleton Bleaching in the sun was that of a woman and not a man. At this the Virginian got very angry, though without especial reason. The woman, surely, couldn't have died any harder than the man. ~'..;■!•

Tbe third day he lighted on a third coUectiou of bones, and the skeleton of & man and woman lay side by side. With v ?ti to seriously what manner of thing it was fcnat had turned the Valley into a charpeL Was it a great panther of seme kind—or a huge enake? Or—but, no, it couldn't be a man. That was something too hideous to believe. And a man or band of men it wae not.

Then he struck gold. He slipped into the river one morning, scraping the bank in his fall, and there in the river-bank he found the gold. It was placer, and so rich that in less than a week he got enough to satisfy a woman, let alone a man. Then he laid off a day,, and went down the river in search of game, and, without, especially looking for it, he found a fourth collection of bones, which, from its condition, Deemed to be the lateet feed-ing-ground of the Thing—the White Death.

Now, wfoem a man has a cool million in sight—or thinks he has—he feels more secure from personal danger than when he has little or nothing, so tbe American decided to hang about that fourth collection of bones and try to bag something.

Straightway he found a suitable spot beside a rock, and, leaning hw , Winchester within eiisy. roach, proceeded to watch.. About thirty feet distant wae a huge collection of boulders; perhaps hidden in the wide fissures of these boulders was the thing he sought.

For a half-hour, or, rather, forty minutes, the American gave his whole attention to the business in hand, {Sen, nothing appearing, be got tired and began to scratch his sweetheart's name in the dirt at his feet. It wae a pleasant thing to do, though, to be sure, rather foolish for a man on watch—for Something—he didn't know exactly What.

When he had finished writing Her name in the dust, then his own naime^' and'then, had traced around both a rude figure more like spades than the human heart, lie looked up. At first he thought there was something rrong with his eyes, and he winked them everal times. Then he thought Ms brains vwe tangled, and so he multiplied several igures mentally, but, getting the right Hewers, for four times four is sixteen, six times three is eighteen, and eight times <even is fifty-six, he concluded it was something else than his season at fault, hen he reached out his hand for his Winhester, but desisted before touching the rifle, for he chose rather to watch the Fbing squatted upon the pile of rock than handle an uninteresting weapon. But'periaps be had no t&oioe in the mattei"—perhaps he couldn't do other than watch. The Thing was so very fascinating!. It was looking directly at him—the Thing on the rocks—and, tihough it made not the slightest noise to attract Ims attention, there was no reason, he should not see it. For it was as big as an ox lying down. But it wasn't an ox. Neither was it anything like an ox. It was a g%antic spider or tarantula, large as a full-grown tiger, with long wliite hair all over its huge and horrible body!

"tVhy," the American began. Evidently he was going to say, "Why, if I had known, of such a thing as that around here, I would have stayed away." But he got no further than "Why," for it was more fascinating watching the Thing than talking or thinking.

Then, again, the American tried to reach for' his Winchester, but the light that same out of*the eyes of the squat Thing upon tlhe rocks paralysed his arm. Or perhaps.it was only surprise that deprived him of the power of motion, for he well knew that there is no such thing as hypnotic power in the eye of man or beast.

Then suddenly the long white hair of the Thing began to tremble, and the American felt-as if his whole body were blistering from some intense heat, and, as the eyes of the White Death stood out farther from its (horrible head, aid its great legs dTew closer together for the thirty-foot, spring, the Virginian begpm to ciy—to whimper—and a single word dropped from his maudlin lips. That word, puerile enough for a strong man, was "Mother!" The face of the American's mother had suddenly flashed before his soul somewhere in the back of Ms head The face had the mouth of Ms sweetheart. He should have known, for he had kissed the mouth several times before leaving Virginia.' Then the squat Thing upon the rock began to tremble throughout, and ite long white hair to shiver, and its legs to collect closer and closer. Whereupon the American began to laugh foolishly, like a baby, and beat and paddle ids hands in the dust, and his body grew flaccid and flabby, and his breast sank do-vftf Into' his stomach. ' "' <Tr "-''.,\ , ... Then, like a flash of white light struck out of the rock, the squat Thing leapt thirty feet through the hot air, and, as it sunk its horrible fangs into the neck of the American, his lips were bowed down into his sweetheart's name in the dust, and he babbled, " 'Now—l lay mc to sleep.'" ;. .