Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-09-01

around took a few steps 70 the r1gnt, then to the left returned to the tree to see if it con. cealed anything; then sought the track to begin my measurement afresh.
 '1 was starting again in very discomposed mood, when a thought struck me. heparch- ment said 'at right angle to the left-hand edge of the track had started from my left hand but I was descending the mountain, whereas the directions of cOi rse supposed the explorer to be ascending.
 Facing round, got the ne ,dle at an angle of ninety degrees and on gain began count ing, Beating down the creepers that swung across my face, twined around my legs, and caught at my cap, measured thirty-two paces as nearly as could, and then stopped.
 Before me was a patch of velvet grass, some twelve feet square and bare of the under growth that crowded elsewhere; but not trace of a stone, I looked right and left, crossed the tiny lawn, peered all about, but still saw nothing at all resembling what l sought.
 "As it began to dawn on me that all my hopes had been duped, my journey vain, and my fathers words an empty cheat, a sickening despair got hold of me. My knees shook together, and big drops of sweat gathered on my forehead. I reused myself and searched again; again was baffled. Distractedly I beat the bushes round and round the tiny lawn, then flung myself down on the turf and gave way to my despair.
 "I almost wept with wrath. tore the turf in my frenzy and felt as one who would fain curse God and die But after awhile my pas sion spent itself. I sat up and reflected that after all my first direction might have been the right one: at any rate, would try it again and explore it thoroughly. The instructions were precise, and had been confirmed in the matter of the tree. Evidently the person that wrote them had been upon the Peak, and what, if they were lies, was to be gained by the cheat?
 "I pulled out the parchment again and read it through; then started to my feet with fresh energy. was just leaving the little lawn and returning down my path, when it struck mo that the bush on my left hand was of curious shape It seemed a mere tangled knot of crecpers covered with large white blossom, and rose to about my own height. Carelessly thrust my stick into the mass, when its point jared upon-stone!
 Yes. stone! In q moment my knife was out and was down on hands and knees cut ting and tearing at the tendris. Some of them were full three inches thick, but slashed and tugged, with breath that came and went i'm moderately fast, with bleeding hands and humping heart, until little by little tue stone was barred and its outlines revealed them- selves
 But they grew distinct and I saw what 1 had uncovered, l fell back in terror. The stone was about five feet ten inches in height, and was roughly shaped to represent human head and neck. But the face it was that froze my heated blood in horror. Never until die shall forget that helish expression. It was the smoothly-shaven face of a man about fifty years, roughly carved after the fashion of many Of the ruins on this mountain. But whoever fashioned it, the artist must have been q tend, If eyer malignant hate was expressed ill form it stood before me- Even the blank pupils made the malevolence seem but the more undying. Every feature, every line was horrible, every touch of the ehisei had added fresh trace of deyilish spite It wi.s Evil petrifed
 ''-.s this awful face confronted me, feeling of such repulsion overcame me that for sey- eral minutes 1 could not touch it. The neck WaS loosely set ill a sort of socket fixed ill the earth ;this was all the monsters pedestal I suW 1I:At it barely needed a mans strength to send it toppii4y over. Yet for moment I could summon up none At length put my hands to it and with effort sent it crashing over amid the brushwood.
 The trough in which this colossal head had rested was about four feet in depth, and nar- 4GWtsd towards the bottom. It put down my hanI ana drew out-a human thigh-bone The touch Of tilis would have turned me sick again, had not the statues flGe already sur feited me with horror. As it was, 1 was nervcd for any sight. The passion of my dis covery was upon me- and tossed the mould ering bones out to right and left.
 RGt stay. There seemed a great many in the trough, Surely this was the third thigh bone that held now in my hand. Yes, and below, close to the bottom of the trough, lay two skulls side by side. There were two, then, buried there. The parchment had only spoken of one But I had no time to consider this. What I sought now was the Secret, and as I took up the second skull I caught gleam of metal underneath it. l put in my hand and drew cut Buckle of Gold
 This buckle is formed of two pieces, bound L. H&iSher GMi If q thin belt of rotten linen, and united by hoAh and socket. Its whole dimen- Si0ah are but three iin.hcs by two inches but inside its eufiously narVed border it il entirely covered with writing in rude English oharac- ter. The narrowing funnel of the trough had kept it from being crushed by the statue, which fitted into a rim running round the in- tericr. Beyond the buckle and the two skele- tons there was nothing in the trough; but I loQknd for nothing else. Here, in my hands, lay the aet2ret Of the Great Ruby of Ccylon my fingers elutch6q Ire wealth of princes My journey had ended and tl,h Flchas Qt the earth were in my grasp.
 "Forgetful of my guides, forgetfu of the flight of time, mindful of nothing but the Golden Buckle, I sat down by the rim of the ftf2ngh and began to decipher the writing Thc !nsp+tption, as far as I could gather, ran right across the clase, It could be read easily enough and contained accurate directions for searching in some spot, but where that spot waa it did not reveal. It might be close to the statue; an9d and I was about to start up and make the attemp WAsR ] thought again of the parchment. Pulling it from my pocket, 1 read: beneath this stone lies the se-
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