San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-02-07

| toms of the legs Win WlJneS made o.
twisted seagrass, they filled them full o.
potatoes and took them across theil
| shoulders, while they wound the string.
of dried pumpkins around their legs anC
bodies. Queerer objects never walked
and they felt very stiff and awkward, but
| laughed at each other. George tried t.
| buckle his cutlass outside the pumpkin
| and said at last:
"I'm going to throw away my cutlass
Max. II won't be needed on our way
back and is in the way; besides we have
got plenty more home.'
1--WE hadn't orter boiler till we're outer
the woods George. Keep a thing seven
years always afore you throw it away.
hain't skeery one, but you just listen to
me and keep your weepins alters 10 hand.
I'll carry it for you, if you can't
sob, pshaw, I'll take it," said George,
shortly, and then they went along toward
the hill to take their long and tedious
journey toward their "home.'
They partly slid and partly walked down
the steep incline on their way back, and
reached the cindery floor tired and pant
ing, and set out along that part which was
Illuminated with that strange incandes-
cent Light and they traversed that as
rapidly as they could, being anxious to
reach their habitation as quickly as pos
sible, as their loads grew heavier and
heavier as they walked along.
They had nearly reached the place where
that awful dark chasm had so nearly re-
ceived their bodies when they decided to
rest and shift their loads little, for the
strings of pumpkin would keep slipping
down, and they intended to hang it, as
Maxwell said, like coil of rope yarn
aro,r! their shoulders, and let the pota-
toes go on top of that.
They arranged the load to their better
satisfaction, and after good rest and
lunch and drink of the water, which was
now almost gone, they started on again,
and again George took hold of the heavy
cutlass to throw it away silently, as it
annoyed him greatly, and he took it in his
hand to drop it down to the ashy floor,
when it seemed as if his very heart stood
still and his blood froze in his veins as he
heard q sound like steam pipe giving a
hiss, and at The same time his light was
reflected from a pair Of fiery, scintillating
eyes, and he saw an enormous head, ap-
parently of a serpent, pounce forward
with distended jaws at him. As it Kissed
its breath enveloped the two and seemed
as if it would suffocate them, it was SO
fetid and venomous, and the expression of
those burning eyes was so dreadful that
it struck terror to both of them; but the
instinct of self preservation is very strong,
and George involuntarily threw his arm
up with the sharp cutlass, and with one
swinging blow its horrible head lay wink
ing on the floor Of the cavern and its huge
body, which lay in one of the lateral pas
sages, twisted and writhed until the place
trembled, while the whole passage was
soaked with blood.
Lets get along, George; maybe there's
nest of them critters, whatever they be,
and though you've finished him up, the
sooner we get out the better. Pm Jig
gercd if you ever get me into such another
scrape.n ......
Il don't want to, Max. All ask now
is to get out of here. AS to that head,
can't take that alongy"
"Do rs you like; T'm going er,' said
Max quietly, for he felt very uneasy.
George took good look at the head
and then concluding that it would do him
no good to preserve it, they went On. The
head had been Topped off, leaving about
foot of the neck attached, and this was
covered with a heavy name of dark col
Ored hair. The head was larger than
Georges own, and the jaws extended all
around, leaving exposed u frightful row
of sharp teeth, each about an inch and a
half long, though there were no fangs like
serpents teeth, so that George thought it
must have been some kind of sea SER
pent or monster unknown. ...
They had TO pass the place where the
body of the creature was writhing and
ouivering in its death agonies, and shud.
deringly they gazed at it, and saw that it
had feet armed with immense webbed
claws and a body far larger than an OK =
so large, indeed, that they could not see it
all, in the uncertain light. It had, how
ever, a neck some ten feet long aud this
had name all the way 20 where it met
the shoulders.
George was again tempted to go back
for the head, and he went; Ihrusting his
cutlass through the neck so that it was
firm, he fastened the belt to the cutlass
aid so dragged il along behind him, and
they then hurried away from the fright
ful place, and it is certain that they did
not sit down again so comfortably to rest
and eat during the remainder of their
journey. They filled and arranged their
lamps hastily and kept along, eating or
drinking as they went, until with the
long, steady climb they were nearly spent.
The blessed light of day never seemed Sc
beautiful to them as it did when they
emerged from the cave, just before the
sun sank in the sea.
George" said Maxwell, as he let the
potatoes and pumpkins fall TO the ground
and he sank on top of them, George, il
you git me into any more wild goose
scrapes like this you just let me know it.
that's ALL"
This was the first time that Maxwell
had ever lost his temper, but George felt