The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-22
Tale of Cerro-Ouemada,
From the illustrated American. In

tor himself stuffed in them; and they I
nally set out IN single file. the Indian be
on foot leading the way, the doctor mel
With his rife, and Juan bringing up tn
rear with such an assortment Of spadc
| and machetes as might have stocked
gardeners tool house.
1t was not the first time that the doc
tor had climbed the mountains. He ma
spent days in the Cerro-Quemada collect
mig mineral specimens. and always wit
a half-confessed hope that sometime
might discover that which would enabl
/ him to return to civilization and indulg
in the extravagant Injuries that were be
yond the reach of men so poor as he. No
Until he might 90 SO would he return I
il, ne had vowed, and now, by the meres
chance in the world, this Indian boy ha
come 20 him and would lead him to wher
he might find the weapon with which tn
! world could be conquered. No wonder tn
doctor spurred his horse and urged tn
| boy to hasten.
Across the arroyas and mountain brook
and over the lava capped foothills tn,
| Indian boy with tireless feet and silen
| faithfulneSs led them, till finally the fores
| became too dense for the horses TO carry
them further. Here the beasts were unsad
died and tied, and after a hurriedly-eater
lunch the three divided the things they hat
! brought and climbed on up the mount
| ain. 1t was no light work over the rock:
! covered with bushes and thorn-clad vines
! but they found il still worse when the
| forest was passed, and they came out into
a steep incline that was fathoms deep in
ashes and where, with each step upward
| they seemed 10 slip back step and a half
The dust was suffocating, the heat almost
unbearable, the thirst 1t engendered tor
turing, and when they had finally sur
mounted the trip the doctor sank down
exhausted.
Boy" he said, when he had recovered
his speech. "did you come all this way last
night? How were you able to do it?''
The Indian boy smiled sadly, 1T was
the dog in me. senor.''
What does your mother call you?" ask
ed Juan.
"She should have called him Perro," the
doctor interrupted ''for ne has 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 sun, over
fields Of lava and volcanic Stag, the trio
climbed pers.stently until they stood on
the mountain crest and gazed down into
the ominous depths of the crater yawn-
ing before them.
1T is there, senor," the boy said SIM
ply, pointing toward the black mouth of
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. Not that
way. senior; see where you would so. II
is none too sure senior. Mira" He took
a machete from Juan and struck IL through
what seemed TO be solid rock, but which
proved but mass of light ashes. 1t was
on this that the doctor would have stepped,
and beneath 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.
at IS suicide" muttered Juan. 81 for
one will not go farther"
Into the cavern the young lad crept, and
the doctor, first lighting a torch that he
took from one of the saddle bags they had
brought, followed after as best he could.
1t was not far that they had to go. But !
a few short rods from the entrance the |
doctor saw the thing he sought-gold, viz |
gin gold, a 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 |
or lox- = ~ Io,,r
ng and crying by turns, and then
There was a sudden trembling Of the |
,ock, the cavern seemed to sway in space,
md there came a sound as of the earth /
.plitting in twain from its center.
Juan turned and fled. The doctor threw
he gold from him with a curse and fran
icaily endeavored to follow but the boy
leld him back.
mo, no, senior, If you would live" he
pleaded.
But the doctor did not hear him. There
vas the din of chaos without. A wide
rack opened across the cave and a suf-
coating vapor poured through 1t. Again
he rocky walls swayed and the crack
losed its jaws with a vicious snap, Ike
ONE gigantic animal. enraged that it had
ot engulfed them.
Curl Dog the doctor cried, striving
0 free himself and striking the boy. who
lung to him. Let loose. i say, ERE 1 kill
ou,"
But the youth would not loosen his des-
crate hold. He chung with the strength
+ a demon, and, fighting again each step
Z the way, the doctor dragged him to the
louth OF the cave, where. by a supreme
fort, he freed himself from the grasp Of
ne youth.
Gasping for breath the doctor rose to his
eet and blindly plunged out of the hideous
lace only 10 pause al the entrance speech
ss with terror at what he beheld. The
If seemed blast from a furnace-the bed
the crater rose and fell boiling. surg
g. seeth;ng cauldron, with the rushing
,ar OF a tornado.
Huge boulders rose TO its surface, TO
weep around the maelstrom and disappear
the clouds OF steam that intermittently
Irst from II. As he peered out through | {
e lurid haze. with eyes that seemed 10 {
m to be starting from their sockets a
ur OF rock a hundred feet high, that | ;
owned the opposite wall OF the crater, :
pp.ed and fell with a deafening crash | Q
ID was swallowed UP In the horrible ,
pths. The path that they had taken TO
sch the cave had been split but a yard
yond him by yawning chasm whose ;
posite wall he tried to but could not DIS :,
lgu,sh The semi-dsylight that had pre- :
lied suddenly changed 10 darkness-not =
e darkness OF a summer night. but the
rrSble darkness OF the catacombs. Ghasc- !!
flames OF yellow and blue shot up from |
e depths ana pierced it. making It's
ackness visible. y hot feck OF ashes
lched rs cheek as a shower OF them
I around him, and then daluge that 3
mined him rounS: mass of vapor puff q
suddenly on; and envelopei him Ike ! Il
winding sheet, and. ciutching wildly at | e.
lpty space. he felt himself falling. fall
: down. down through an unknown void n
AZ seemed TO have no ending. Ani p.
sn- 81