Hanging To A Bridle

During tliH fall of. 187 T, justafter tin ex)i riitioii which had resultad iu thf running dowu and captnring of Chiei Joseph and his baud of warriors, mj troop was detached to jiiake a scoul from Camp Brown down througb the Rattlesnake range to the Platte rivei aud i there to the Yellowstono by way of the Goose Creek trail. When we oamped on Clear orock, a comrade named Lee and I started off for a day's hunting among tho higll peaks of the Big Horn mountains, oxpecting to get a few sheep. Leo was a man of extraordinary strength and was noted in the regiment lor his feats of muscular ability. We ascended the monntain by a deer trail, Lee riding m advauco. The trail led up a "hogbook" nntil it ran ont against the sitio of the mountaiD, wben wo had to piek our way over the sido hill until we struek another trail winding in a zigzag marnier toward the summit. We disinounted and led our horses, for the trail ran dangerously elose toth edge of a cliflf that formed one side o an immense oanyon, whose depth we could oniy guush. Narrower and nar rower grew the trail as we advance until it seemwl to termínate at a poin only a shorr distance in front of ns. We moved forward cautiously, for on ono side the mountain appeared to rise from uuder our very feet iuto a wall of solic rook. On the other side we looked into the depths of the great canyou, which woulci prove au eternal grave to either of us shonld ho lose his footiug aud top ple into it. The. appareut termination of tho trail was dne to a curve at that point, to rou))d which roquired steady nerves. We passed it safely, but had not gono 20 yards wben both horses bent their ears forward, snorted and sbowed evidonces of tho greatest terror. Before I could ascertain the cause of it, being in rear of Lee's horse and unable to see beyond it. a shot was firnd that awoke ten thonsand echoes. What followed the sound of the shot happoned so quickiy that I did not realize dangor until I foundmyself hanging betweou life and death. My horse, unable to see what was in the path ahead of us, bnt whose instinct warned him of the presence of soine di-eaded wild beast, had stopped in terror, and, whon the shot was fired, suddenly threw up his head and began backing. I had pulled the reins over his head when I dismounred and held them in my right hand, to which fact I owed my escape from instant death. The rapid backward movement of the horse and the suelden tossing of his head threw me off my balance, and before I could recover I was falling over the cliff. Instinctively I tightened my hold on the reins and eudeavored to grasp the edge of the cliff vrith wy left haud as I was rolling over. I did snooeed in checking the shock of ruy fall somewhat, but could not secure a hold sufficient to sustain my weight. For a moment I huug suspended over the terrible abyss, my whole weight resting upon my right arm. Quiek as a flash I grasped the reius with my left also, and tuore I hnng, expecting death every instant, for I kuew that my horse wonld not stand long in tiie position he then held. I could see hún standing above me, and the beauty of his pose and the rigidify of his position, as ho stood braced against the weight dangling at the end of his bridle rein, made an impression upon my memory that will never be eradiciated. I asked myself how much longer it was possible to hang by so frail a support as a bit of leather. The grip of my hands was so tight that my fiuger ends were tingüng and burning as thougfa tonched with a hot iron. Suddenly another shot rang out, a waken ing a myriad of echoes that seemed to mock mewith shrill laughter. Again that backward inovement of my horse, and as I feit the reins drag aloiig the edge of the precipioe I thonght I must burely Jet go and fall Strange tboughts bflgan to flash through my braiii, mental pictures of loved ones long siuce dead appeared to whisper prayers for me, there was singing in ruy ears, and I realized that ruy strength was giving out. Just then I heard my uame spoken. At first I thought it was but the voice of one of the visions my excited brain had conjured up. Butno; there itsounded again. It was Lee's voice, calm, collected and iuspiring. He was whisper - ing words of caution. Opeuing my eyes, I saw bis face abovo me - what a white, scared face it was, I thought! Slowly, oh, so slowly, his hand stoledown the reins until itrested upon my wrist. ïhen there was a quick grip of powerful flngers, an exertion of womlerful átrength, and I was in safety. Leo fcold me afterward that I was unnousrious wlien )ie stretched me out on tbè trail. Tbe first shot had been rired at a mountain Hoji thatcrouehed in the trail a Short distance ahead and had sent it orasbiug into the depths of the panyon. Hearing my ory of fear as Itoppled over the brink of the oliff, he had shot his horse to clear a path to get baok to whero I was and had been in time to