The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-22

I suggested that it would be we'll to
find a camping ground for the night be-
fore the sun went down. My suggestion
was accepted, and within a very short
time we had got our tent pitched and
our simple arrangements completed. 1t
was not until this had been done, and
we had seated ourselves while we
waited fer our teakettle to boil, that
we found an opportunity to return to
I the subject which occupied our minds
Now" said Crawford, when he had
settled himself to his own satisfaction
and lighted his pipe, NOW, old fellow,
out with it. 1 see you've been longing
to give me the benefit of your feelings
| for the last half hour. What's the mat
| ter now"
"Well," answered shortly, here we
are at last. Now what is the next
step?'
Crawford took several draws at his
pipe without replying and I took the
opportunity of adding: Didn't your
| fakeer give you anything more precise
| to go upon? This seems a pretty large
| order"
/ may explain that a very dirty, and
| of course, proportionately holy fakeer
| was at the bottom of our expedition.
Crawford had managed to keep him
| alive for some months-a very doubtful
| advantage to anybody-and SO had be-
| come heir to his one earthly possession
| "a small piece of a dirty brown sub
| stance which Crawford said was talu
| leaf, on which were scratched sundry
| heiroglyphics 1t was this abominable
| scrap of writing that had brought us
here. The fakeer when dying had given
| it to Crawford as an inestimable treas
| ure, saying that the place mentioned
was in the ruined city of Aranapura on
the shore Of Minihiri Rama. With in
finite trouble Crawford had at last de-
ciphered the writing, and 1t had ended
in his persuading me to join him in the
attempt to turn the legacy to practical
account.
He now produced it from his pocket
book, and proceeded to smooth it ten
derby upon his knee.
mo" he said, deliberately, mo, I
can't say that he did to any great eX-
tent. The fact was that he had put it
off rather too long, and it was just
about all he could manage to say what
he did. But, after all, one ought to be
able to make it out from this"
'Confound it," observed with a good
deal of energy, 81 wish the falSeer had
gone quietly off before he got chance
of making you his heir"
Thank you, old man, hope to make
you change your mind on that point
before you're twenty-four hours older"
80 soon as that, Crawford? Come
that's better 1 thought We We're in for
a weeks hunt at the least"
mo" he said coolly IF we don't dc
it tonight we certainly shall not in a
week. Don't you remember / told you
it must be at full moon?"
"Ah to be sure, but you know that's
only the regular dodge in all these
cases isn't it? 1t lends an extra air OF
mystery to the business, you know"
1T may be-" Crawford said quietly
. ''of course there's nothing certain about
| it,: at any rate the writing is all We've
got to go by, and / fancy it's cleal
, enough on that point" There was q
pause while he slowly traced the ir
regular lines Of hieroglyphics with hi
: finger.
. "All right" I said at last, "sinc,
| | we've come so far of course we had bet
/ ter see il there's anything in it, tt
: just possible there may be, / suppose
2 What does the precious document sa!
. for itself? Let's hear it once more
/. Crawford, for the last time of asking
, before we put it to the proof"
"Well," he said, holding ii up so as I,
; get the full benefit of the fading ligh
. upon 1t, I'm not a great Pail scholar
/, but this is as nearly correct as l cal
, get 1t, and fancy it's near enough
/ for all practical purposes. In the plac
> of the slumber of Sondavaila, when tn,
Regent OF the Night shall be seated OF
her highest throne, and shall gaze Will
, uncovered face upon the world, in tn
black and ancient hall where Buddhi
. dwells, the glance OF the Queen o