Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-01-25
SH E..
A History Of Adventure.
By H. RIDER HACCARD. !
CHAPTER NXVI

mcndlng my soul TO God. | ran the length
of the huge stone and sprung wildly out
into the dizzy air. On the sickening ter
rors that | felt as | launched myself at that
little point of rocN, and the horrible sense
of despair that shot through my brain as |
realized that had jumped short But so
1t was, my feet never touched the point;
they went down into space, only my hands
ana body came in contact with IL! grip
ped al II with yell, but one hand slipped
and swung round, holding by the other,
50 that faced the stone from which had
sprung Wildly | stretched up with my
left hand. and this time managed to grasp
IA knob Of rock, and there hung in the
fierce red light with thousands of feet of
empty air beneath me. My hands were
holding To either side of the under part of
the spur, 50 that It's point was touching
my head. Therefore if could have found
the strength | could not pull myself up
The most that could do was to hang for
about a minute and then drop down down
into the bottomiess pit. heard Leo give
cry, and then suddenly saw him in mid
air springing up and out like chamois.
1t was splendid leap that he took under
the influence of his terror and despair,
clearing the horrible gulf as though il were
nothing, and landing well on the rocky
point, he threw himself upon his face, to
prevent his pitching of into the depths.
! felt the spur above me shake beneath the
shock of his impact, and as it did SO / saw
the huge rocking stone, that had been yio-
lcntly depressed by him as he sprung, fly
back when relieved of its weight, till for
the first time during all these centuries,
1t got beyond its balance and fell with
most awful crash right into the rocky
chamber, which had once served tho phil.
osopher Moot fora hermitage, as have
no doubt, forever Theoretically sealing the
passage that leads to the Place of Life with
some hundred tons of rock
All this happened in a second, and cur
iously enough, notwithstanding my terri
bic position, | noted it all nvoluntarily, as
1t were. | even remember thinking that
no hnman beng would go down that
dread path again
Next instant felt Leo seize me by the
right wrist with both hands. BY lying flat
upon his stomach on the point or rock he
could just reach me.
You must let go and swing yourself
clear he said in a calm and collected
voice, and then l will try and pull you
up. or we will both go together. Are you
| ready"
BY way of answer let go, first with my
left hand and then with the right, and
swayed out as a consequence clear Of the
overshadowlng rock, my weight hanging
| upon Leo's arms.
For few seconds | swung 10 and fro,
while he gathered himself for the effort,
and then heard his sinews cracking above
me. and felt myself lifted up, and we were
lying painting side by side, trembling like
leaves, and with the cold Precipitation of
terror pouring from our skins.
And then. as before, the light went out
| like a lamp.
| After the gusts Of wind decreased, and
we got along better, and at last reached
the mouth of the first cave or tunnel But
now fresh trouble stared US in the face.
our oil was gone, and our lamps were, no
doubt, crushed to powder beneath the
fallen rocking stone. How were we to SET
to make our way through this last bowl
der.strewn tunnel?
On, the horror Of that last tunnel! The
place was strewn with rocks, and W,
fell over them, and knocked ourselves W
against them till we were bleeding from
score of wounds. Our only guide was Tia,
side Of the cavern. which we kept touch
ing, and so bewildcrcd did we grow in tn,
darkness that we were several times seiZeC
with the terrifying thought that we haC
turned and were travelling the wrong way
On we went, feebly, and still more fccbly
for hour after hour, stopping every few
minutes TO rest, for our strength was spent
Once we fell asleep, and when we woke
our limbs were quite stiff and the blood
from our blows and scratches had caked
and was hard aud dry upon our skin
Then we dragged ourselves on again, til
at last, when despair was entering into oui
hearts. we once more beheld the light o
the day.
1t was early morning that we could
tell by the feel of the sweet air and tn
look of the blessed sky, which we ha,
never hoped to see again. 1t had, so nea
as we knew, been an hour after sunset
when We entered the tunnel, so it foliowe,
that it had taken US the entire night L
crawl through that dreadful place.
"One more effort. Leo" gasped. IAN,
we shall reach the slope where Bllali is
If he hasn't gone Come don't give way,
for he had cast himself upon his face. ii
got up, and. leaning upon each other. W
got down that fifty feet or so Of cliff =
somehow haven't the least notion how