PAGE TWELVE.
,MJ THE DAILY CAPITAL JOURNAL. RAT.BM, OREGON, SATURDAY. AIMTTSt 9, 191fl
PIECE
Eien
- i ,
KING THE AUTHENTIC NARRATIVE
rntnti inc rst c r-- ft ts r r lai -rtie Diiiiuii
I r.Lr.UKC Wl jv.WVIIlL inC DrtnAi ia. jf
OVEN TO THE PUBLIC -'. Pi
Q Richard Lc Gall
chapter v.
1 V V i ' 7M
- tO. A. JS I
Old Friend.
- Next morning I dij t the "king"
'"I " "if to do. The whole pro
gram hum carried out just a b had
planned It. I made my goodbye In
the settlement, as, we bad arranged,
not forfeiting to ay "Dleu et uiua
I'roit" (,, Sweeney, ami watching with
te humorous intent how tie would
take It. Ho took It quietly, is a man
i h signal loi take a signal, with
'i"iit ti much emotion and with ju-u.
1 i" necessary seriousness.
I ell tlif bss," he said of course
h meant the "klng"-J"that we are
looking after him. Kulhinif'U slip
iHTOHcn nerc, ir w ran help It. Good
! .
No I went down to th boatto old
Tout once more, and tbe rest of our
Hide crew, who had lon since t
bausted the attraction of their life
ashore and were glad, as I was. to
"t-i"3u t'n .1... 1,.,... ,. ..
. ..-. v hut jiftifi n. sail. . ,
Oown In my cahlu I looked over
some mall that had been wultlng f.,r
oie at the post olti.e. Amongst It was
crisp, ( hararterislle word from
Charlie Webster for whom the gun
will ever he mightier than the pen:
Tobias ewcsped-Juxt heard he la
on your Island watch out. Will fol.
lw In a day or two."
I came out' on deck about sunset.
We were running along wlih all our
hH drawing like a dream. I looked
buck at the captain, proud and auU.t
ana nappy there at the helm, and nod
ded a amlle to him, which he returnetl
ith a flaah of his teeth, Me loved
me lioat; he asked oolhlug betle
' "" nrr oeiiHvinp Jllst as
lie waa doing. And the other boys
feemed quiet and happy too, lying
out; tim awes or the house, ready
for the captain' order, but meanwhile
content to look up at the great Hulls
ami uowd again at the ea.
W.. - . ..1 i .... ...
nt vuip anq a amp crew
ail at pea. with one another, ami
.contented with ourselvea riiHliInu and
"njpnjr ana npnylng thtouuh the w
er. We were all friends eea and Mailt
and crew together. I couldn't help
M-MKiiiR mat a mullny would be hard
to arrange under u-h a combination
or iiKiuencea,
Tom was altilug forward plulilntr
roe. For all our experience to
gether ha never Implied that he wa
anything more thau the ship' cook,
with the privilege Of wailing Us,ii ine
m rne cnt.tn at my weals. Hut of
course Be knew that I had quite an
wiher valuation of hltu, and as our
eve met I beckoned to him tu draw
closer to me.
i I liliHll lifilfA
i mmm m
i ! i i vt mn y
I ' f ill I,,. 4 1
-e . is ' F
-i' i 'VN... . . S
if s
a.-r t .
a5 ;
v m i
mm
Kw
I
"Toin,' I said, "I hav found my
treasure."
"Toil don't say o, aar."
"Quite true, Tom," I continued;
"you mIihII aee my treasure tomorrow;
meanwhile read this note." Tom was
no much to uie that I wanted him to
know all about the detail of the en
terprise we shared together, and In
with h he risked his Ufa no leg than
1 risked mine.
Tihii took out hi spectacle from
some recess of his trouser and ap
plied himself to Charlie Webster'
note, a though It had been the lllble.
He read It as slowly, Indeed, as If It
bad been Sanscrit, and then folded It
and handed It back to tn without a
word. Hut there as quite ft young
smile In his old eyes.
"The wonderful work of God,'"
tie said presently, "I guess, ar, we
mml! fcoon be nlile to mW hltu what be
meant by that expression."
Soon the long, dark shore loomed
ahead of us, 1 bad reckoned It out
""' nsni. mil in captmg an-
u umiuced thai we were In shoal water.
Huw many f,vt?" i tad a
- li-iy threw out the lead.
'Wlileen and a half," be said.
"(In aheiid." t called out.
run v.nnt to go agrguod?" ftsked
the i-apuin.
lor answer I puxhed him aside and
took the wheel. I had caught tho
smallest glimmer, Ilka night light.
noaung n ttie water,
"prop the anchor," I called.
me tifiit iusiMir was clear and
car t band, almiu one hundred yarl
ava.r, mid there whs the big murmur
and commotion of the long breakers
"rrr I"? lHtsI, The tide was
niniiitig out very fan, BI the white
saort coining ever nearer to our eye
in the ui.sinllglit ; gn, Samson' light,
there, ag ke-pliig white and steady.
With the thought of tny treasure and
She -king" o ii, ,,r by It w hard
rcsl-t the lernpisiloQ to plunge In
Mini follow my heart ashore, l;ut J
.-.e..k.-, to otimd U.e boytsh lm
I 'i: -. a-o I,r,..r!v e w,.re ( Hug
ml o-,ie f,f ,h en-i-mg -IW $.kn
' 'it III ine loillf Stl'fin f ih eI,.,o.1
'"""'I '-:'U!y His 8n
'"ne tu .-r the star
''"'I Ifli t IliS fefT jot
"C ! if
rmt-d Ihi
"Orop th Anchor!" I Cried,
I woke Just a drwn wa waklua
too, very still and windless: for th
threatening nor'easler had ( hanged Its
minu. ana the world was as quiet a
though thire weren't a human being
in It. A the light grew I scutmed the
shore to aee whether I could detect
the entrance of the hidden creek; but,
though I swept It up mid down again
aud again. It continued to justify the
"king'" boast. There wa no sign
of an opening anywhere. Nothing but
straight line of brush, with man
groves here and there stepping down
In their fantastic way into the water.
And yet we were but a hundred yards!
itoiii me snore. vr u n v -Riaeir.
beard" if the haunt hud really been
his had known Ids business; for an
enemy could have nought hint all duy
aloug this coast and found no clue
to ins hiding place.
nui presently, a my eve kent
on seeking, a figure rose, tall and
black, near the waier' edge, a little
to our len, and shot uo a ion in..
by way of signal. It was Samson : and
evidently the moulh of the creek was
right there la front of us under our
very noses, go to aay and vet it w
Impossible to uiuke it out, However,
at this signal, I stirred ud the sllli
sleeping crew, and presently we had
the anchor up, and the engine started
at the slowest possible speed.
The tide wus beginning to run In.
m we needed very little way on us.
I pointed out Sntuaon to the captain,
and, following- the "klin-'s" !.,.,.,.
Ions, told blm to steer stralirht for
the negro. Samson Mood there and I
aueu : '
"All right, aar. Keen rlahf on
You'll aee your way In a minute."
And, sure enough, when we wera
liarely fifty feet away from the shore.
uu mere seemed nothing for It but to
run dead aground, low down throuirh
the floating mangrove branches wa
caught sight of a narrow gleam alart-
lug Inland, and In another moment or
two our decks wera awept with foliage
a ine flamingo rustled In, like a
bird to cover, through nn opening y
the hushes barely twice her beam;
and there before us, snaking throng'
the brush, was a lane of water which
Immediately began to broaden between
palmetto frlngvd bunks, aud was evb
iMnly deep enough fvr a nim h lurga
vessel.
I lemy of water, aar," hallooed
SHiitson from the bank, grinning a
hu,' welcome. "Keep a going after
m,M and he etarted trotting along ttsa
creea sine.
Samson weut trotting along th
twlstlug banks, we cautiously feeling
our way aft-r blm. for something like
quarter of a mile; aud then, com
lug round a sudden bend, Ilia creek
opene.1 )M,t iutu a sort of basin. On
the left bank stood two large palmetto
shanties. Samson iuiil.ated that
there wa our anchorage; and then,
as we were almost alongside of them!'
lb cheery halloo of a Well-known
voir hailed us. It was the "king;"
and as I answered bis welcome the
morning suddenly sang for me for
there, too. wa Calypso at hi aide.
The water ran o deep at the
creek's side that w were able to moor
(he f lamingo right up against the
bank, and when I bad limiDcd ashore'
and greeted my friends, and the "king"
ns'i exeeireu a brief characteristic
faulasia on the manifest advantages
Of luring a hidden plratrS creek la
tin family, he unfolded his plan, or
rthr that purtioa of then that was
aeceaxarir at the moment
CHAPTER VI.
An Old Enemy,
('ha HI Webster' laconic note was
naturally our chief topic over break
fast, "Tobiaa escaped Just beard he
is on your island. Watch out. Will
follow In a day or two." The "king"
read It out, when I handed him the
i note aero the table.
"Tour friend writes like a true nan
or action," be added, "like Caesar
aud also the electric telegraph. We
aiuit. sena word to Sweeney to be od
the lookout for bias. I wilt send Sa bi
son the Hedoubtable with a message
to kiia this Morning. Meanwhile we
will smoke and think."
Then for the next hair the "king"
thought aloud ; while Calypso and I
sal aad Ikteued, occasionally throw
ing In a parenthesis of comment or
suggestion, it wa evident, we all
agreed, that Calypso had been rlirht.
It had been Tobias and none other
whoae evil eye had sent her so breath
less back to me. wailing In the shadow
of the woods; and It waa the same
evil eye that had fallen vulture-Hke
oa her golden doubloon exposed on
Sweeuey' couuter.
It was clear that there were such
colas on the Islaud In somebody" pos
session. Then, when he had watched
Calypso on her way home and with
out any doubt been the spectator of
our meeting at the edge of the wood I
though we bad been uuable to catch
sight of him there would of course
be a suspldou in hi mind that my
quest might at least be approaching
success, and thut hi ancestral mil
lions might be almost in my hands.
That there might be some other
treasure on the island with which nel
I.- ,i- . .... .
uirr ne nor ins gruuiuailier had auy
I'witt-iu woutn not occur to him, nor
wouia It be likely to trouble him If It
did. My presence was enough to
prove that the treasure was his for
was It not bis treasure that I was
aflert Logic ltTelulablet How was
lie to know that alt the treasure bo
fur discovered was that modest hoard
unearthed, as I heard, In the gar-
uen tne present whereabout of
which was kuown ouly to Calypso. The
"king" hud interrupted himself at thia
pomt of argument.
"By the way, Culypso, where I It?"
he asked imexix-etedly, to the sudden
confusion of both of us, "Isn't It time
you revealed your mysterious Alad
din's cave?"
At the word "cave" the submerged
rose In Calypso's cheeks utmost came
to the surface of their beautiful olive.
"Cave!" she countered manfully,
"who said It was a cave?"
It was merely a figure of speech.
which If I may nay no, my dear
fill
s
ln't It Tim You Revealed Your
Mystertout Aladdin' Cavtf"
might apply with equal fitness, nay
lo a silk stocking."
And Calypso laughed through an
other tide of rose-color,
"No, dad, not that, either. Never
mind where It Is. It la perfectly aafe,
I assure you."
"Hut are you mire, my dear?
Wouldn't It be safer, after all, here In
the house? How can you be certain
that bo one but yourself will acciden
tally discover It?"
"I am absolutely certalu that no
one will," nIib answered, with an em
phasis on the last three words which
sent a thrill through me, for I knew
that It was meaut for me. "Of course,
dad," she added, "if ou Insist von!
shall have It. But aeriousiy 1 think
It is safer where It Is, and If I were
to fetch It, bow can I he aure that no
one sue paused, with a meaning
which I, of course, nmlerstood To
bias, for lust unco, would sea roe go
ing and follow me."
"To be sure to be ure," a.ild th
"king." "What do yon think, Friend
Llysses?"
"I think It mure than likelv that
one might he followed," I answered,
"and I quite agree with Miss dlvnan
I certainly wouldn't advise her to visit
her treasure jut now with the woods
pr.iiiai.iy full of eye. In fact." I
added, smiling frankly at her. "I
could scurcely answer fur myself even
for I confess that h ha filled me
wllh in oviTpuerinf curiosity."
'So be It then," said the "king;"
"and now to consider what mir friend
here graphically pek of a those
eyes in i,a woods."
The "king" then made a determined
deseeat Into the practical. The wood.
oi'M prv.i,y, w-re full of eves. In
plain prose, we were almost certainly
being watched. I' rile-. unless, in
deed, my bogus departure for Nusssn
had fooled Tobiaa a we had hoped.
But. even so, with that lure- of Ca
!.no doubloon ever before hint. It
wit too probable that lie would norj
rB ine neignoornood without some
further Investigation "an Investiga
tion," the "king" explained, -which
might well take the form of a mid
night raid; murdered la our beds, aud
so rtwtn.
That being o. being In fact almost
certainty th "king" apoke as
though be would be a much dlsaa-
poiniea man otherwise we arast look
t our garrlaon. After all. beside our
selves, we had but Sanson aad Mre
bu aad their dark brethren as, daukt.
fut courage, while Tobia prebablyf
bad command of a room! dw-fi
doughty desperadoe. On the whole,
peruana, it might be best t avail
ourselve of th crew f the Fl at le
go "under cover of the dark," a re
peated with a smile.
While we had been talking Saiasea
had long since been on hi wav with
the word to Sweeney to look out far
Webster, and a he had been admon
ished to hurry back It wa aeareely
noon when he returned, bringing In
exennnge a verbal message from
Sweeney.
The pockmarked party," ran the'
message a delivered by Samson, "had
ten the harbor In his sloop that morn
ing, xes. gar!"
"Ha ! ha !" laughed he "king." turn
ing to me. "So two can play at that
game, nay Henry P. Tobias, Jr. But
If we haven't fooled him let' make
sure that he hasn't fooled us. We'll
bring up your crew all the same what
uo you think?"
, "Under cover of the dark," I as
sented.
The "king'" Instruction to me were
that I waa not to show my nose out
side the house, I must regard myself
as a prisoner with the entire freedom
or his study a large, airy room on
the second floor, well furnished with
all manner of books, old prints,
strange fishes In glass cases, rods,
guns, pipe racks, curiosities of every
kind from various parts of the world.
And then I came upon a photograph
hanging over the writing desk a tall,
Spanish-looking young woman of re
fnnrkable beauty. It needed but one
glance to realise that here was Ca
lypso' mother, and as waa natural I
stood a long time scanning the coun
tenance that was so like the face
which, from my first sight of It, had
seemed the loveliest in the world. This
was a flower that had been the mother
or a flower. It wns a face more nrtml.
tlve In Its beatfty, a little less touched
wun race tnan the one I loved, but
the sume fearless natural nobility
was In It, and the figure had the same
wild Krace of pose, the same lithe
strength of carriage.
Two or three day went by. hut as
yot there was no new of either Char
He Webster or Tobias. Nothing fur
ther had been heard of the latter In
the settlement, and a careful patrol
ling of the neighborhood revealed no
signs of him. Klther his sailing away
was a bona fide performance or he
was lying low In some other part of
tne island which of course would not
be a difficult thing for him to do, as
most of It waa wHdrnes and a,
also, thure were one or two cove oa
the deserted northern side where he
oould easily bide his time. Between
that coast aud us, however, lay some
ten miles of scrub anil nunirrn,.
swamp, and it was manifestly out
or tna nuestion to patrol them too,
mere was nothing to do but watch
and wait.
At last there came a message from
Charlie Webster, another of hi Caesa
rian notes: "Sorry delays few days
longer. Any newr
That seemed to decide the "king."
What do you say, TJlyge,M he
said, "If we begin digging tomorrow?
mere are ten of us with as many
guns, four revolvers and plenty of
machetes not counting Cnlypso, who
Is an excellent shot herself."
I agreed that nothing would please
me better o an early hour the fol
lowing morning found us with the
Whole garrison excepting Samson.
whom it had been thought wise to
leave at home as a bodyguard for
i aiypso lined up at the old ruined
mansion with picks and ahovel and
machetes, reudy to commence opera-'ons.
'-' ;WV's
t
-aaai an anasr
i
so nerved me up that I ran on through
th brash like a madman, my clothe
clutched at by the devilish vine and
torn at every yard.
I fled past the scene of our excava
tions, looking more haunted than ever
In the flashing gleam of th lantern.
With an oath I left them behind, a
the accursed cause of an this evil ; but
I cannot have gone by theia many
yard when suddenly I felt the ground
giving way beneath me with a violent
Jerk. My arm went np In a wild ef-
lon w save myself, and then. In a
panic of fright, I felt myself shooting
downward as on might fall down the
haft of a mine. Tainly I clutched at
recsy wan as I sped down in the
earth-smelling darkness, I seemed to
be falling forever, and for a moment
my neau cleared aad I had time to
think of the crash that wa oaaiinf
at the end of my fall crash whkjti,
I said to myself, must mean death.
I Wa th Pirat' Win Ctllar.
"kin; observed, that If a roan should
start to dig for gold In the center of
Sahara, with no possible means of
communicating with bis fellows, on
the third day there wonld not fall to
De someone to drop In and remark
on the fineness of the weather. So It
was with tig. As a general thing not
on in a twetvemonth did a human
being; wander Into that wilderness
wnere the "king" had made hi home.
There wa nothing to bring them
there, and, ai I have made clear, the
way wa not easy. Yet we had hardly
begun work when one and another Idle
nigger strolled In from the settlement
.and stood grinning hi curiosity at our
labors.
Toward evening of the third day we
came upon a passage leading out of
on of tbe cellars; It had such a prom
ising appearance that we kept at work
later than usual, and the sun had set
and night was rapidly falling as we
lurnea oomeward.
As wa came In sight of the house
we were struck by the peculiar hush
aoout It, and there were no light in
tne window.
"No nghis!" the "king" and I ex
claimed together, Involuntarily hurrv.
Ing our ateps, with a forebodimr of we
knew not what In our hearts. As we
crossed the lawn theliouse loomed up
dark and still and the door opening
mo me loggia was a square of black
ness In a gloom of shadow hardly
less profound." Not a sound, not a
sign of llfel
"Calypso!" we both cried out. as w
Tushed across the loggia. "Calypso 1
where are you" hut there was no an
swer; and then I. being ahead of the
"king," stumbled over something dark
lying across the doorway.
"Good heaven! what Is this?" I
cried, and bending down I saw that It
was Samson.
The "king" struck a match. Yes!
It was Samson, poor fellow, with
aaggec armly planted In hla heart
Near by something white caught my
eye aitncned to the lintel of the door-
way. It wns a piece of paper held
mere wun a sanora knife. I tore
it orr In a frenzv. and Hia Hni
triklna; another match we read It to
gether. It bore but a few words, writ
ten all In capital letter with a coarse
pencil :
"WIU, RETURN THE LADY IN
EXCHANGE FOR THE TREASURE,"
ana it wns signed "II. P, T."
V
V.
IP' '
mm
?
7
Vainly I Clutched at Rocky Walla.
We had worked for a week before
we made a clearance of the ground
noor. Then at last we came anon a
olldly built stone talrca,se, winding
downward. After clearing away the
debri with which It wa choked to a
depth of some twenty or thirty steps,
we came to a stout wooden door stud
ded with nails.
The dungeon at last," said the
"king." - -
The kitchen. I bet." said I.
After some battering tbe door gave
way wttn a crash, a moldering breath
of the grave met our nostrils, and
''""d of bat flew In our face and
set th negroes screaming. A huge
cavernous blackness wa before u.
The "king" called for lantern.
A we raised these above our heads!
and peered Into the darkness, we both
gave a laugh.
lo ho ho and a bottle of
rum, " sang the "king,
For all along the wall stood or lay
prone on trestles, a silent company
of hogsheads, festooned with cobwebs
IlUe huge black wings. It wa the
pirates' win cellar!
Such wa oar discovery for that
day, but there 1 Knottier tua'ter which
I must mention the fact that some
how the news of our excavation
seeiui-d to hate got down to the set-
CHAPTER VII.
In Which I Lose My Way.
The audacity of the fellow!" ex-
eiaimed the "king," who wa th first
to recover.
"But Calypso!" I cried.
The "king" laid hi hand on my
snoumer reassuringly.
"Don't be afraid for her," he said.
"I Know my daughter."
tiut i lov her I" I cried, tho
Diurrtng out In my anguish what I had
deslgueil.to reveul In some tranquil
cnoscn nour.
"I have loved her for twenty year,"
srki tne "King." exasperating? calm.
."'Jack Harkaway can take car of
himself.
I wa not even astonished at the
urn.
"But something must be done," I
cried. "I will go to the commander
at once and rouse the settlement. Give
me a lantern," I called to on of the
negroes, who by tbis bid com op to
os, and were standing around In a
terrified group. I waited only for It
to be Jit, and then, without a word.
dashed wildly Into the forest.
"Hadn't you better take someone
with yon?" I heard the "king'' call
after tne, but I wa too distraught to
reply, plunging headforemost through
the tangled darkness my brain boil
ing Ilka cauldron wllh anger and a
thousand fears, and my heart stung,
1 too with wild, unreasoning remorse.
After all. It was my doins.
To think! to think! to think V I
cried aloud leaving th rest nnspo
ken. '
I meant that It had srll come of my
Insensate pursuit of that filthy treas
ure, when at! th time the only tree,
are I coveted was Calypso herself.
Poor old Ignorant Tom had been right
after all. Nothing good came of such
enterprise. There was a curse upon
them from th beginning. And then,
a I thought of Tobias, my body shook
that I could hardly keep on wa!k-
It came with sudden crunching pain, a
swift tightening round my heart, as
though black rojtes were being lashed
tightly about it, squeezing out my
breath ; then entire blackness engulfed
me and I knew no more.
'..,,
How long I lay there In the darkness
I cannot, tell. All I remember is
suddenly opening my eye on Intense
blackness and vaguely wondering
where I was. My head seemed entire
ly detached from my body, of which
o far I wns unconscious. But pres
ently the realliatlon of It returned,
and Involuntarily I tried to move
to find with a ort of Indifferent mild
surprise that It wa Impossible.
bo there I lay, oddly content, in tho
dark the pungent smell of the earth
my only sensation, and my head use
lessly clear.
The remembrance of what had linn.
pened began to grow In fore .nrf
keenness and, of a sudden, the thought
or uaiypao smote roe Ilka sword!
Spurred to desperate effort, I stood '
up on the Instant and leaned ngalnst
a rocky wall. Miracle of miracles!
I could stand. I wa not dead, after
all. I wa not, ludecd, so far as I
could tell,' seriously hurt. Badly
bruised, of course but no bones hrn.
ken. It seemed Incredible, but It was
so. The realization made me feel
weak again, and I sat down with my
back propped np against the rock, and
waited for more strength.
Slowly my thoughts fumbled around
tho situation. Then, as bv force nf.
nunir, my naud went to my pocket.
God be praised! I had matches, and
I cried with thankfulness, oat of very
weakness. But X still sat on In ,
dark for a while. I felt very tired.
After thinking about It for a long time,
I took out my precious matrhhn-r"
which unconsciously I had been hug
ging wlh my hand, and struck a light,
looking about me In a dnied fashion'
The match burnt down to my fingers,
and I threw it away, as the flame
stung me. I had seen somellilmr nt
ny surroundings, enough to last mv
tired brain for a minute or two. I was
at the bottom of a sort of crevasse.
narrow cleft In the rocks which con
tinued on In a slanting downward
chasm Into the darkness. It was a
natural corridor, with a floor of white
aand. The sand bad accotinteo' rr
my coming off without any broken
bones.
After another minute or two
rather: "Don't be afraid for her. I
know my daughter.! Whatever hap
pened to me, she would com eut all
right. A her brave shape flashed bo
fore my' mind' eye. down there under
the earth, I could hav no doabt C
that. :
My Instinct had been right to giving
way to my drowsiness, for I woke aa
from my sleep a new man. How leng
I bad been there, of course, I had
means of knowing; bnt I fancy I mast
have slept a good while, for I fett ao
refreshed aad full of determination t
tackle my escape la good earaeat
I had hardly reiit my lantern wheat
it rays revealed something w diets It
seemed Impossible for anyone wit"
eye, however weary,, to have vew
looked.
In the right-hand . corner f ti
little cavern, five or the feet abov my
head, wa a dark hole, like the -.
trance to a tunnel, or, more property
sieaking a good-slxed barrow for 1t
waa aeareely more than a yard in di
ameter. It eemed to be aeutetfcia;
more than a mere cavity in the reck,
for, when I flashed my lantern np ta
it I could ee no end. To climb a
to It at first seemed illffl,-..!! - w
providentially, I had a stoat clasp
knife In my pocket, and with thte l
cut a step or two In tbe peroas nek,
and so managed It. Lying flat oa my
stomach, I looked in.
It was, as I bad thought, a aarrww
natural tunnel, snaking through tk
rock as often happen la those enrt
ous fantastic coral formations for
all the world. Indeed, as If It had been
made ages ago by some monstrona
primeval serpent, a giant wormhole,
no less, leading heaven alone knew
where.
There was Just room to crawl aloas;
It on ail fours, so I storied cautiously,
making . sura I bad my wertoaa
matches and my Jackknife all safe.
I progressed, I should say, for corns
twenty or thirty yards, when, to aay
inexpressible relief, I came out, still
on all fours, onto a spreading floor;
then, standing up, I perceived that I
wa In a cave of considerable lofti
ness and some forty feet or so across.
It wa good to breathe again Bach
comparatively free air; yet, aa I
looked about and made the circuit of
the walls, I saw that I had bnt ex
changed one prison for another. Ther
was this difference, however: wbereaa
there bad only been one passageway
from the cave I had Jnst left, there
were several similar outlets from that
In which I now stood. . Two or three
of them proved to- be nothing bnt ad
coves that ran a few yards and the
stopped.
But there were two close by . each
other which seemed to continue
There wns not much choice between
them, but as both made in the same
direction, so far aa I could Judge the
uirecnon in wnich I bad so far pre-
uieivwu, i aeciaea to take th larger
one. It proved to be a passage mnch
like the tunnel I had already trav
ersed, only a little roomier, and there
fore It was easier going, and It, toe,
brought me out, as had the other, eta
another cavern but one considerably
larger In extent.
I had stumbled on something Ilka
Monte Crlsto suite of underground
apartment. And here for a moment
I released my imagination from her
blinder, and allowed her to play
around these strange halls. And la
one of her suggestions there waa com
comfort It was hardly likely that
caverns of such extent had waited for
me to discover them. They most sore
ly have been known to Teach, or what
ever buccaneer It was who had ocea-
pieu tne ruined mansion not so very
far above ground.
I set about the more carefully t
examine every nook and corner. Twa
Iron staples Imbedded in one of the
wall, with rusting chains and men
aclcs attached, were melancholy proof
of one of the uses to which the place
had once' been put. Melancholy for
certain nnhappy souls long since free
of all mortal chains, but for me need!
I ay It? exceedingly joyous. For
If there had been a way to bring pris
oners here It was none the less evi
dent that there had been a way to
take them out. But how and whereT
Again I searched every nook and cran
ny. There wa no sipn of entrance
anywhere.
Then a thought occurred to me.
What If the entrance were after thai
manner of a medieval oubliette
through the celling! There was
thought imbed to send one's hope
soaring. I mu In my eagerness)
through one cavern after another,
holding my lantern aloft. That moot
be the solution. There could be o
other way. I sought and sought, bat
alas! It wns a false hope, and I threw
atruck another match, and lo! another! 0 " n,rnpT despair,
miracle. There was my lantern lying flecid,n that the prisoner most hav
t lenient. It is a mI-os fa.-t, as the I ,nf' ad '-"It minute tny hatred of hint
beside me. The glass of It was bro
ken, but that was no matter. As I lit
the wick my hope leapt up with th
flame. At the worst I had llirht
I swung my lantern aloft, aeeklnr
he possibilities tt climb, but every
where It wa sheer, without a ledee
or protuberance of any kind to tat
dvantage of, and it wa utterly de
void of vegetation not a sign of a
friendly shrub or root to hold by.
i nau sense enough to know that I
oeen xorced to crawl in as 1 bad
though It was hardiv like hit. .
put themselves to nch inconvenience.
I leaned back against the wall and
gaied listlessly upward. Next a
ent I had bounded to my feet again,
Surely I had seen some short, regular
line rnuning up the face of the roe,
like a ladder. I raised my lantern.
Sure enough, they were Iron rounds)
et In the face of the rock, and they
mounted up till I lost them in the oh-
was too tired to think profitably, aad curr. for the cave here most bav
drowsiness coming over me told me
that aa boor or two' sleep would give
me the strength I needed to renew
with a will and more chance of suc
cess my effort to escape.
Light was too predou to waste, so
I b!ew out my lantern, and. curling up
on the sand, almost instantly fell
sleep. But before I lapsed into on
consciousnes I hd clutched hold of
one sustaining thought In the dark
he the assurance of Clypo' safe-
confl'tea'ly announced by her
been forty feet high. Blessed heaves I
i wa saved !
(Continued Next Satarday.) j
N'ew York Ci.arle, W.lwm, the
most married ataa in the warld," .
is being brought her from Waapaa. .
" o answer to the rbirse ef aurrv-
iag eight New York woman.
Cleveland Whea Mrs. Harry Wkite
!f tevtif rd that ter husband' "high,
temperature" caused him to beat her
rcg'iiariT, the jadw seat Harry tk
tow.er for tea Oav i