Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-01-11
CHAPTER XYIX.

(Which way arc we to go now!" said Juanna. Must we climb down this great gulf"
 "No, Shepherdess," answered Otter. "See before you is n bridge" And he pointed to tho band of ice and rock which traversed the wide ravine.
 "A bridge:" gaSped Juanna. Why, it is slippery as a slide and steep as the side of the house. A fly could not keep its footing on it.
 Look here, Otter" put in Leonard, 'either you are joking, or you arc mad. How can we cross that place? We should be dashed to pieces before we had gone ten yards"
 ''Thus, baas, we must sit each of us on one of the fat stones that lie round here; then the stone will take us across of itself l know, for have tried it."
 Do you mean to tell me that you have been over thero on a rockf"
 ''No, baas, but have sent three stones over Two crossed safely. watched them go the whole way, and one vanished in the middle I think that there is a hole there, but we must risk that. If the stone is heavy enough, it will jump 1t; if not, thep we shall go down the hole and be no mcfe troubled"
 Great heavens!' said Leonard, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, 'This is practical tobogganing with Q vengeance. Is there no other wayi"
 II can see none, baas, except for the birds, and I think WIG had better stop talk ing and mako ready, for tho priests are still behind us. If you will watch on the neck here so that VIC are not surprised, will seek stones to carry us"
 How about this mani" said Leonard, E.N l.. l.. on the snow, apparently in a dead faint.
 "oh, we must keep him awhile, baas. He may be useful if those priests come. If not, will talk with him before we start Hc Is asleep and cannot run away"
 Then Leonard vent to the top of the neck, which was distant some 20 yards, and Otter began to search for stones suit able for his purpose.
 As for JuGHlna, she turned her back to the ice bridge, at which she scarcely dared to look, and sat herself upon Q rock. In doing so the jewels in the bag struck against her knee and jingled, and the thought came into her mind that she would examine them while she waited, partly because she desired to distract her thoughts from tho vision of tho terrible or teal which lay before her, and partly to gratify @ not unnatural curiosity. Open Ing the mouth of the bag, she thrust her fingers into it, and one by one drew out tho biggest gems which were jumbled to- gether there, placing them on the rock be- side her. In less than Q minute she was teasting her eyes upon such a collection of priceless jewels as had never before glad dened the sight of any white woman. even In her widest dreams Indeed till now Juanna had not thought it possible that .k@ El SI. CT side of the walls of heaven.
 First there were great sapphires roughly squared and two enormous round star rubies. These had formed the eyes of the colossus, which were removed on the mor- row of their arrival, the star rubies repre- senting the blood rcd pupils. Then there was heart shaped ruby of perfect color and without flaw, almost as large as a jackdaw's egg, which, on the days of sac rif1ce, had adorned the breasts of the chief priests of the People of the Mist for many generations. Next came the greatest won- ders of this treasure - two marvellous stones, one a sapphire and one e ruby fashioned respectively into models of tho statue Of the dwarf and of the hideous shape of the water dweller. Then there were others, dozens of them, some rudely cut and some as they came from the
 
 for its remarkable size flawlessness or its perfect fire and beauty.
 Juanna arranged them in rows and stared at them with ecstasy-and where is the woman who would not have ione SOL till in contemplating them she forgot the present terrors of her position, forgot ev- erything except the gorgeous loveliness and infinite value of the wealth of gems which she had been the means of winning for Leonard.
 Among other things that passed from her mind at this moment was the presence of Nam, who, overcome by rage and ex- haustion, lay in n seeming faint upon the snow within 19 paces of her. She never saw him lift his head and look at her with an expression as cold and cruel as that which Otter had seen in the eyes of the water dweller when he lifted his head from its bed of rock. She never saw him roll slowly over and over across the snow to- ward her, pausing little while between each turn of his body, for now she was oc- eupied in replacing the jewels one by ono into their bag of leather.
 At last all were in, and with a sigh, for 1t was painful to lose sight of objects so beautiful, Juanna drew tho mouth of the bag tight and prepared to place it around her neck.
 At this moment it was that a hand, wtthered and lean with age, passed be- meath her eyes and swiftly as the snatch of an eagles talon seized tho bag and rent 1t from her grasp. She sprang up, with Q cry Of dismay, and we'll might she be lismay- ed, for therc, running from her with in- credible speed, was Nam, the jewels in his hand. Otter and Leonard heard her cry, and thinking that the priest was escaping sped to cut him of. But he had no idea of eeoape-at least not of such escape as Ahsy expected. Some 70 yards frusu where