The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-08-04

"This was problem, for we did not care to
share the secret In order to secure help, and
| the getting of the gold above the ground was
not the only difficulty, for we would then have
to convey it from the spot. One breath OF our
secret and we would have been mobbed.
II was thinking of this when, without
| warning. l was thrown down on my face.
| staggered to my feet and looked about me:
Bellew lay near me, insensible; for, falling as
had done, he had struck his head against a
| rock, and caught him by the arm, screaming
"tGet up, man, and run for your life! The
mountain is coming in two. l believed For a
| horrible rending, grinding sound was to be
heard deep down in the bowels of the earth,
the rocks about US shook, and rs shouted to
my companion l saw an awe-striking sight.
"The bed Of the ancient river split like q
pine shingle right down the middle and saw
a mighty gush of water thrown fully 20 feet
into the air. Bellew staggered to his feet, and
| as he did so the torrent caught us, whirled US,
still cinging together, down the slope to the
other stream. The canoe swung round on the
crest of the wave but | caught at it ere it
could be swept away and steadied it and my
self against big rock. Bellew seized it also,
and together we succeeded in getting out OF
the torrent sweeping down to join the river,
that seemed as if it, too, were lashed by an
unseen hand.
"Then came another shock, and for a mo-
ment the stream actually appeared to be tilted
up on one end and to flow backward. This
settled it. Isprang into the canoe and Bellew
followed. The current was against us, but l
padded with might and main. l had horri-
BILE sensation of being caught like a rat in a
trap, and that the rocky roof above us was
descending.
"When we reached the dip in the roof Bellew
lay down, but by means of pushing against the
wall i sent the canoe flying along. There was
a constant pesing as Of thunder in the air, and
every now and then would come crash, as of
enormous rocks being thrown down, but in
sheer desperation l showed on.
"When at last we saw the blessed light shin
ing in at our entrance / gave shout of joy and
fairly hauled Bellew through it into the wei.
come day. AS for my poor companion. he
seemed crushed. Some inkling of the truth
had come to him even then, though / was so
full of escaping that gave no thought as to
the probable consequence of the earthquake.
We spent the night at the mining camp and
next morning Bellew proposed our return to
the cavern. / was still too shaken to go, but
he insisted that he must go, so he did, while
waited for him at the entrance. In about two
hours he returned, and l saw at once that he
was nearly out Of bis mind.
as l can't find it, he said. 4 can't find it.
Oh, the gold, the pretty, yellow god Oh, l
must find it! / am rich, rich, rich :! Do you
near I. am INC IlCneSt III Lue WUIlu.
/ tried to get out of him what he had seen, but
he could not compose himself sufficiently to
tell me- and soon saw that he was insane.
After some days I ventured into the cavern.
but as soon as l saw the river that had borne
US to the submerged city knew that we had
set foot in it for the last time. The river was
completely choked up by heaps of rocks and
from a stream Of 90 feet wide had become shall
low lake. extending some distance and with a
small rivulet making its way at one end into
the bowels of the earth by some impenetrable
shaft. The entire aspect Of that subterranean
country had been altered, and by subsequent
measurement 1 ascertaned that where the
ruined city had been now rested thousands OF
tons Of earth and rocks.
Perhaps the disappointment of losing so
fabulous fortune would have sunk deeper
with me had it not been for the warning poor
Bellows despair was. He went quite mad, and
took to lingering about the entrance to his lost
Eldorado, guarding it as fercely as starving
dog bone, until one day he disappeared. What
his fate was never learned, but in all pr0ba-
bilty he lost his life in some mad endeavor to
reach the buried Philadelphia Times.