The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-02-19

4
and legs. As soon as this was done they
heard scranlbling, wild and terrible. in.
| side the little cavity The terazula was
| thrashing about in way that showed an
appreciation of the use of his long impris-
oned members They left the cave and
Monty paid the red men for the reptile
and for their services They started at
once for their homes far over the noun
/ tains
! Now came the problem of how to induce
! his enemy to enter the cave and how to
turn the terazula upon him. The iendish
| Clark knew that some plot would be sus
pected if he was seen TO have a hand in the
matter. But there were ways and ways.
If he caused Jed to believe that he had
found gold mine in the cavern it might
be an easy task TO get him in there. He
| began to set the plan and saw that it had
the desired effect at the very outset. Now
to so arrange the rock at the mouth of the
teraZula's den SO as TO make 1t slip back
easily and block the entrance to the main
cavern, This he would do by tying astrong
RATA to the rock Ii his horse were handy
outside he could take a turn around the
horn of the saddle and easily swing the
doorway to the den as he wanted it to be
/
the rope as he had planned.
Then be covered it with earth and small
stones so that it could not be seen trailing
out of the entrance While at this work
he looked toward the roof of the cave and
saw faint streak of light. 1t descended
through some upper opening that he had
not noticed before. He looked more care
fully and saw that the newly discovered
opening WAS crooked passage up into the
mass of rocks, the rude piling up of which
had formed the cave. Here might be
chance for his enemy's escape when at
tackled by the monster. That would not
do. He went outside and, climbing the
rocks, found the cleft and heaped upon it
many large stones.
"No way OF escape nowp' he muttered, as
he stood inside the cavern again and looked
carefully about him in the dim light that
came from the main entrance. He sat
down upon a rock and gloated over the
vengeance that was to be his, that seemed
already his in fact
"He will stand here and of sudden will
be plunged into darkness by the rock being
moved from the mouth of the monsters
den into the caves entrance" he thought
"Then there will be few streaks showing
through, and as his eyes become accus-
toned to the darkness he will see in the
dim light the form of the great reptile
rushing toward him." His eyes danced as
he pictured the horrible scene in his mind.
''Then there will be sight that would
give much to see By no possible means
can he save himself"
He ran his mind over the dangers Of the
desert and could think of none more ter
rible than to be within reach of the terra
zula. Escape from rattlesnake, he knew
was an easy matter The reptile gave
warning and one could Stay him wit a
whip or cane. Escape from tarantula
was matter of taking step aside. And
then one could crunch him under his foot
if he desired, as he was only big black
spider. Escape from scorpion was sim
ply the brushing of the reptile from ones
body, and his sting could be received with
impunity, as only slight swelling would
result Escape from centipede was merely
the turning over in ones blankets The
worm could be crushed by the heel or, az
he had seen it done. by the fiat of the hand
But escape from the terazula, who rushed
upon his prey as swiftly as any of the little
lizards on the rocks darted at Il fiy-that
was quite another affair. He was quick,
WIDE OF range, terrible OF execution.
AS he thought over these things smile
of triumph came upon his bronzed face.
He arose from his seat upon the rock and
took step forward to leave the horrible
place. AS he did SO he saw two living Goals
of fire near the entrance of the cavern.
They were set in a dark form that crOuched
in the shadow, and near that form was the
rock in front of the monsters den. under
which there was a large hole, newly dug.
The form sprang aside little, darling
into the sharp light that streamed in
through the cavern's entrance. But the
eyes lost none of their awful luster. The
form was more horrible in light than in
shadow. 1t gained in size and ugliness
Try as the man would to fancy it some
thing else, there was no mistaking the
creature 1t was the terazula.-Frank b
Willard in San Francisco Chronicle.