Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-11-26
HEART OF THE WORLD.
by H. RIDER HAeoARD.
Strange Story. Manuscript Bequeathed bv an OH
Mexican Indian to His Friend comrade, an
Englshman Named
Copyrighted, 1894, b, a. Rider Haccara
CHAPTER TX.
TILE D1iM1.

Copyrighted, 1894,
CHAPTER TX.
THE DUEL.
Now we placed our ears against the
panelling and listened First we heard
creaks that were loud in the stiffness,
then soft heavy noises such as are made
by cat when it jumps from u height to
the ground, and gentle rubbing as of
stoclsinged feet upon the floor. After
this for some seconds there was silence
that presently was broken by the click
OF steel and the sound of heavy blows
delivered upon some soft substance
with swords and knives. The murderers
were driving their weapons through
the bedclothes, thinking that we slept
beneath them. Next came whisperings
| and muttered oatEs, then voice, Don
Jose's, said:
BE careful, the beds are empty"
Another instant candles were lit, for
their light reached us through small
peepholes in the panel. and by putting
our eyes to these we could see all that
passed in the room. There before us
was Don Jose, Don Smith, and four OF
their companions, all armed with knives
or machetcs, while framed, as 1t were
in the wall, in the place that had been
occupied by the picture of the abbot,
stood our host, Don Pedro, holding a
candle above his head, and glaring with
his fish-lile eyes into every corner OF
the room.
where are they3" he said. "Where
are the wizards? Find them quick and
kill them"
room, dragging aside the beds and star
mo AT, the r1i0f1rrac tho
though they expected to see us there.
They arc gone" said Jose at length.
THAT Indian, Ignatio, has conjured
them away. He is a demonio and not a
man. thought it from the first"
"lmpossible!" cried Dom Pedro, who
was white with rage and fear. "The
door has been watched ever since they
entered it, and no living thing could
force those bars. Search, search; they
must be hidden"
''Search yourself" answered Don
Smith sullenly, they're not here. Per.
haps they discovered the trick of the
picture and escaped down the passage
to the chapel"
"It cannot be" said Don Pedro again,
"for just now I was in the chapel and
saw no signs of them. We have some
traitor among us who has led them from
the house. BY heaven, if find him
outM and he uttered a fearful oath.
Jose, and I trembled at his words.
"They might smell their footing.'ss
''Fool! what is the use of dogs in a
place where all of you have been
tramping?" answered the father. ITO
morrow at dawn we will try them out
side, for these men must be found and
killed or we are ruined. Tell those
rascals to give up the search and go to
bed; it is useless. Then do you come
quiet to my room, and we will visit the
Indian and his daughter. If we are to
get their secret out of them it must be
done tonight, for, like fool, told
that Englishman the story when the
wine was in me, thinking that he would
never live to repeat it.
Yes, yes, it must be done tonight,
Tor tomorrow we may have to fly.
But what if the brutes won't speak,
father?"
"We will find means to make them
speak," answered the old man with a
hideous chuckle; ''but whether they
ward" and he drew his hand across
his throat and added: "Come,"
An hour passed while we stood in the
hole trembling with excitement, hope,
and fear, and then once more we heard
cracks, followed presently by the sound
of a voice whispering on the further
side of the panel.
'Are you there, lord?" the whisper
said. sit is 1, Luisa."
Eyes," answered.
Now she touched the spring and
opened the door.
Listen" she said; "they have gone
to sleep, all Of them, but before dawn
they will be up again to search for you
far and wide. Therefor you must do
one Of two things-lie hid here, perhaps
for days, or take your chance Of escape
ut once"
"How can we escape?" asked.
There is but one way, lord, through
the chapel. The door into it is locked,
but can show you place from which
the priests used to watch those below,
and thence, if you are brave, you can
drop to the ground beneath, for the
height is not great. Once there YOU
can escape into the garden through the
window over the altar, which is broken,
as l have seen from without, though to
do SO perhaps you will have to climb
upon each others shoulders. Then you
must fly as swiftly as you can by the
light of the moon, which has risen.
The dogs have been gorged and tied
up, SO, if the Heart is your friend you
may yet go unframed"
Now spoke to the senior, saving:
although the woman does not know
1t, think it likely that we shall find
company in this chapel, seeing that the
Indian and his daughter are imprisoned
there, where Don Pedro and Jose have
gone to visit them. The risk is great;
shall we take it?"
''Yes," answered the senior, after a
moments thought, '.for it is better to
take risk than to perish by inches in
discovered and murdered in cold blood.
Also we have travelled far and under
gone much to find the Indian, and if we
lose our chance of doing SO we may get
no other"
Now one by one we climbed through
the false panel, and by the light of the
moon Luisa led us across the chamber
to the spot between the beds where
hangs the picture of the abbot. This
| picture, which is on painted slab of
wood, proved to be nothing more than
q cunningly devised door constructed
to swing upon pivot.
Resting her knee on the threshold,
Luisa scrambled into the passage be-
You'd, and when the rest of us stood by
her side she closed the panel, and bid
ding us to cling to one another, and be
silent, she took me by the hand and
guided us through various passages till
at length she whispered:
"Be cautions, now, for we come to
the place whence you drop into the
chapel, and there is stairway to your
right"
We passed the stairway and turned
the corner, Luisa still leading.
Next instant she staggered back into
my arms, murmuring: Mother of