Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1897-08-20

dogs endurance, and perhaps may
prove equally faithful"
The boy looked at him reproachfully'
but he merely rose to his feet and said:
IF the senior is ready"
Up, up, through the broiling sum-
over fields of lava and volcanic Stag
the trio climbed persistently until they
stood on the mountains crest and
gazed down into the orninous depths
of the crater that yawned before them
1T is there, senor," the boy said,
simply, pointing toward the black
mouth of a cavern, half obscured by a
cloud of steam that shrilly escaped from
some unseen crevice.
1T is the mouth of hell!" exclaimed
Juan. Even the sturdy doctor shrank
back, but the lust for gold will lead
a man to brave the greatest danger.
"Come, them" he cried.
The Indian boy detained him. mot
that way, senior; see where you would
go. 1t is none too sure, senior. Mira!'
He took machete from Juan and
struck it through what seemed to be a
solid rock, but which proved but mass
of light ashes. 1t was on this that the
doctor would have stepped. and be-
meath which, had he done so, he might
have disappeared forever.
Testing each foot of the way with
the greatest caution, he took the lead
now through cloud of white vapor
now across a bottomless seam from
which a cloud of black smoke poured,
filled with deadly gases, till the mouth
of the cave lay before them.
1T is suicide!" muttered Juan. IL
for one, will not go further.'
Into the cavern the young lad crept,
and the doctor, first lighting torch
that he took from one of the saddle
bags they had brought, followed after
as best he could.
It was not far that they had to go,
But few short rods from the entrance
the doctor saw the thing he sought
gold, virgin gold, mass of gold, such
as men might have dreamed of, but
none had ever beheld before!
Mad with the sense of sudden power
the doctor clutched it; he fondled it;
with tears of JOY he kissed it, swear
ing, laughing and crying by turns, and
| then
There was sudden trembling of the
rock, the cavern seemed to sway in
space, and there came a sound as of the
earth splitting in twain from its center
Juan turned and fed. The doctor
threw the gold from him with a curse
and frantically endeavored to follow,
| b,,t tho hox, hold him, hnol-
mo, no, senior, if you would live!" he
pleaded.
But the doctor did not hear him
There was the din of chaos without
\ wide crack opened across the cave
and sutfocating vapor poured through
it. Again the rocky walls trembled and
swayed and the crack closed its Jaws
with a vicious snap, like some gigantic
animal, enraged that it had no, en-
quilted them.
Cur! Dog!" the doctor cried, etriv.
ing to free himself, and striking the
boy who chung to him. Let loose,
say, ere kill you'll"
But the youth would not loosen his
desperate hold. He chung with the
strength of demon, and, fighting tc
gain each step of the way, the doctor
dragged him to the mouth of the cave
where, by supreme effort, he freed
himself from the grasp of the youth.
Gasping for breath the doctor rose
to his feet and blindly plunged out OF
the hideous place, only to pause at the
entrance. speechless with terror at
what he beheld. The air seemed blast
from furnace-the bed of the crater
rose and fell, boiling, surging, seeth.
ing cauldron, with the rushing roar OF
a tornado. .
Huge powders rose to it's surface
to sweep around the maelstrom and dis.
appear in the clouds of steam that in.
termittently burst from it. AS he
peered out through the lurid haze, with
eyes that seemed to him to be starting
! from their sockets, spur of rock: a
hundred feet high, that crowned tie
opposite wall of the water, toppled and
fell with deafening crash and was
swalloped up in the horrible depths
The path they had taken to reach the
cave had been split but yard beyond
him by yawning chasm whose oppo'
site wall he tried to, but could not, dis.
tinguish. The semidaylight that had
prevailed suddenly changed to dark
ness-not the dark of summer night
but the horrible dark of the catacom bs
CHASTITY flames of yellow and blue shot
up from the depths and pierced it, max.
ing its blackness visible. A hot f1eck
of ashes touched his cheek as a shower
of them fell about him, and then a
deluge that hemmed him round: a
mass of vapor pulled suddenly out and
enveloped him like winding sheet
and, clutching wildly at empty space
he felt himself falling, falling down
down through an unknown void tina,
seemed to have no ending. And then
Then he opened his burning eyes and
dimly looked about him, seeing but
scarcely comprehending.
Juan he called, feebly.
The Indian boy bent over him. plac-
ing his pocket flask to his lips: There
is no Juan now, senor."
"Where did he-ah T remembor,0