Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1896-04-02

is damp and the caps will miss fire, so
that If they come our death is certain. 3"
1T seems So" ! answered, 'nnd vet
IL IL pleases God we may live. Wonder
lie stones in plenty; let us pile them up
! beneath the archway; perhaps we may
kill some of our foes by rolling them
down the steps"
This we did then. while Maya watched
us. At length tile task was finished.
and as we turned to leave the hcapg of
stones we heard 10 dog having down by
the river. followed 10y a sound of men
and horses forcing path through the
bush.
Look. here they come" said the
senior. and rs hr spoke party of seven
or eight men. three of them riding on
mules, appeared at the foot of the
mound, and, dismounting, pickcted
their animals To trees.
NOW for it," said the senior, rising
and shaking himself like "A dog that
leaves the water Il wonder low many
Of us will he lest alive when this sun
sets?'
As he spoke one of the men advanced
TO the foot of the stairway holding n
great hound in n leash. For moment
| the dog shifted the stones, then. lifting
his head. he ba we'd aloud, whcrcat the
band shouted. for they knew that they
had trapped ms. Still for a while they
did not advance, but, gathering them
selves in n knot. consulted together at
the foot of the stairway.
Can we bargain with them, Igna-
tio?" said the senior.
impossible" | answered, what
have we to give that they cannot talle?''
Then there is nothing for il except
to die as bravely as we cam" he
answered. This is the end of our
search for the Golden City. The quest
has not been a lucky one. lgnatio."
Now the old Indian, Zihalbay, who
was crouched upon the ground beside
us, spoke for the first time, saying:
Friends, why do you not fly? Doubt
less You can find path down the
further side of the pyramid. and in the
forest you may hide from these men"
''lt is too late to talk of fight. said
Molss, for look; they are coming up
the stair, the eight of them. with Don
Pedro and the Americana at their head. =
looked; il was true. Already they
had climbed half the steps of the first
fight.
''oh, for some rifles" groaned the
senior.
1T is useless to cry for what we have
not" answered.
God can help us il He wishes, and il
He does not we must bow to His will. "
Then there was a silence, broken
only by the voice of Zibalbay, who,
standing behind us, lifted his hands to
heaven and prayed aloud To his gods to
bring a vengeance upon our foes.
Now we could see through the trees
and bushes that the men were begin
ming to climb the second flight.
Come, let us do something" said the
senior, and, running to the pile of stones
which we had prepared, he called TO us
TO roll the heaviest upon the enemy
This we did, but without effect, for the
tree trunks turned the stones; more
over, those against whom they were di-
rected, taking cover at the sides of the
stairway, opened SO sharp fire on us
with their rifles that i'm few minutes
we were driven from the piles of stones
and forced to retreat behind The shelter
of the arch.
Now they came on again, tIll present
ly they reached the foot of the third
| flight and paused to take breath. Then
IL was that Molas, seizing one of the
Indian blowpipes, ran out onto the ter
race followed by the senor-though
why the senior went | do not know, for
he could not use the weapon. Before
the men below were aware of their
presence Molas had set the blowpipe to
his lips and discharged the poisoned
dart among them. 1t struck Don Smith,
the American, full in the throat. Watch
| ing around the corner of the arch saw
him lift his hand to pull it ont, their of
q sudden he fell 20 the ground. an1 hi
that instant storm of bullets sy "
through the archway aimed at N Y
and the senior as they fed back
shelter. i saw Molas fall and the senior
stop to lift him to his feet, and as lac
was in the very act patch of red APP
/ peared upon his face. Another moment
they were back under cover.
Are you hurt?" asked the senior.
mo, no." lac answered, my face was
! grazed b. a bullet. that was all. Look
to Molas; he is shot in the side"
leave me" said Molas; lit is moth
ing"
Then we were silent, only MAYA
sobbed little as she strovc to stanch
the blood which flowed from the scnor's
wound with cobwebs that she gathered
from among the stones.
Looking out cautiously we saw that
! the men had dragged Don Smith to the
side of the stairway, while some of them
supported him while he died of poison.
! and others watched for chance to
shoot US should we show ourselves upon
the terrace. Presently ne WAS dead,
and cursing us aloud his companions
commenced to mount the third flight
with great caution, for they feared q
snare.
"ls there nothing to be done to saw
our lives?" asked the senior in a heavy
voice.
There was no answer. but of q sud
den Molas, who was standing with one
hand pressed upon the wound in his
side and the other before his eyes,
turned and ran swiftly into the cham.
Der behind us, whence he appeared car.
rying the copper axe.
Then. without speaking, he elm. bed
the masonry of the archway with great
swiftness, till he stood with his feet in
the crack beneath the crown of tho
arch, which you will remember was
held in place only by the tough tree
roots that grew from it into the stone.
work of the buttress.
Supporting himself by a creeper will
his left hand, with his right he strucl,
blow after blow at the biggest of these
roots, severing them one by one. Now
we saw his purpose-to send two hun
dred tons of stonework laundering
down the stairway upon the heads OF
the murdercrs.
by heavens! That is an answer Il
my question" said the senior; then he
paused and added: Come down. Molas
II the arch falls you will fall with it and
be crushed"
1T matters little, 4" he answered, "this
is my doom day. That bullet has Gu,
me inside, and bleed to death, and on
this spot, as I have long feared, it /.
fated that l should die. Pray for my
soul and farewell"
Now three of the roots were severed,
but the fourth and largest, which was
thicker than a mans leg, remained, and
at this Molas began to how despair,
ingly.
Are they near'" he gasped.
We peeped round the corner of the
arch and saw that some fifty feet below
us the band had halted on the slippery
face Of the pyramid, fearing they knew
not what, for they heard the dull sound
of the axe blows, but could not guess
what 1t portended.
One of their number was talking tc
Don Pedro, apparently urging some
thing upon him to which he did not
agree, and in this way they wasted two
minutes before the order was finally