Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-01-29

tho cave in the big rock, az. he
rightly surmised-with q gag in his
mouth, bullet wound in his shoulder.
cash in the back of his head and
splitting headache 4 raging thirst be-
set him, hiding from him the fact that
he was also fainting with hunger.
The first thing he did was to feel in
his pocket. The ruby Jas he expected
was gone.
In his cropping, however, his hand
came in contact with his canteen. which
he had filled at the spring just before
Tevah's arrival. After fierce struggle
he succeeded in getting his gag off and
! took q drink-the best drink he ever
had, before or after. Why had he been
gagged at all? Why shut up in the
| rock? There were several perplexing
features about this affair. Meanwhile
he was not going to submit without q
struggle to being buried alive. lie got
to his feet and dragged himself to the
! doorway of the cave. revealed by
| CLEANS of light coming through chinlIs,
and found it stopped by mass Of rock.
With all his remaining might he gave
fell outward, being only Il slab resting
| against the aperture; he staggered over
| it, out into dazzling daylight, and into
the arms Of man in European dress,
who exclaimed in some SURPRISE;
"Hullo, Fred Meryon. l might have
known it would be YOU in the voice
of his old friend, Horace Chase, the
| surgeon. Meryon said: Great Scott,
| Horace" and fainted-not being an or
iental.
The meeting had come about thus:
| The English had a post" in the capital
| OF our princes ally, and hearing that a
row was brewing between the two
other principalities, sent detachment
out to stop it. Chase went with it to
cut off arms and legs in case anyone
was in ured. After transactions which
do not concern us, they got on the
trail of narauding party and cap
tured them with their booty, among
which was young person dressed like
a boy, but a girl underneath. She said
she was a princess, and told a queer
tale, in consequence of which they kept
on until they came to the tall, conical
rock, and were about to investigate it
when it opened and out popped Mer-
yon, as we have seen.
Among the prisoners was a fat old
person whom the princess denounced
as her fathers chief eunuch, a fugitive
from justice, and the shooter of her
lover. This creature, upon intcrroga-
ton. denied not only what was charged
against him, but, most shrilly of all,
something which was not, namely, that
he had taken the hollow ruby. Fur
Their inquiry developed that he had got
together his band of cutthroats osten-
sibly to waylay Meryon and capture
the princess, who was to be held
for ransom: but he himself had secret
| knowledge of the ruby. and designed
to get that for himself. Accordingly he
had shot Meryon, gagged him lest he
recover and swallow the stone. and de-
| posted the body in the rock. meaning
! to sneak back unobseryed and hunt for
the jewel at his leisure. Fate had then
stepped in and laid him by the heels as
narrated.
What was the hollow ruby? the Eng
lishmen wanted to know. Terab told
them; though it was news to her that
Meryon had had it in his keeping.
Where, then, was the hollow ruby now?
| Hatipha was not only searched out
wardly, butEfcd for a day or two on a
diet of castor oil and soapsuds. to no
purpose. Meryon's clothes-he being
still unconscious in the delirum of fe.
var--wsra examined: and they even