An hour after Telford became conscious. The horse was breathing painfully
and groaning beside him. With his unbroken arm he felt for his revolver.
It took him a long time.
"Poor beast!" he said, and pushed the hand out toward the horse's head.
In an instant the animal was dead.
He then drew the revolver to his own temple, but paused. "No, it wasn't to
be," he said. "I'm a dead man anyway," and fell back.
Day was breaking when the agony ceased. He felt the gray damp light on his
eyes, though he could not see He half raised his head. "God--bless--you,
dear!" he said. And that ended it.
He was found by the workers at the quarry. In Herridon to this day--it all
happened years ago--they speak of the Hudson Bay company's man who made
that terrible leap, and, broken all to pieces himself, had heart enough to
put his horse out of misery. The story went about so quickly, and so much
interest was excited because the Hudson Bay company sent an officer down
to bury him, and the new formed Aurora company was represented by two or
three titled directors, that Mark Telford's body was followed to its grave
by hundreds of people. It was never known to the public that he had
contemplated suicide. Only John Gladney and the Hudson Bay company knew
that for certain.
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