Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-11-30

uouAu' aHtl, ulSIilOuuUluB, p1cKeJeQ
their animals to trees.
and shaking himself like dog that
leaves the water. II wonder low MANY
of US will be left alive when this sun
sets?"
AS he spoke one OF the men advanced
to the foot of the stairway holding a
great hound in leash. For a moment
the dog shifted the stones, then, lifting
his head, he bayed aloud, whereat the
band shouted, for they knew that they
had trapped us. Still for a while they
did not advance, but, gathering them
selves in knot, consulted together at
the foot of the stairway.
Can we bargain with them, Igna-
tio?" said the senior.
Impossible" answered, what
have we to give that they cannot take?''
"Then there is nothing for it except
to die as bravely as we can," ne
answered. This is the end Of our
search for the Golden City. The quest
Now the old Indian, Zibalbay, who
was crouched upon the ground beside
us, spoke for the first time, saying:
Friends, why do you not fly? Doubt
less you can find a path down the
further side of the pyramid, and in the
forest you may hide from these men,"
$ 1t Is too late to talk of fight, "said
! MolaS, for look; they are coming up
the stair, the eight of them, with Don
| Pedro and the Americana at their head. u
looked; it was true. Already they
had climbed half the steps of the first
flight.
"oh, for some rifesl" groaned the
senior.
1T is useless to cry for what we have
not" answered.
God can help us If He wishes, and if
He does not we must bow to His will. y
Then there was a silence, broken
iISenly by the voice of Zibalbay, who,
standing behind us, lifted his hands to
heaven and prayed aloud to his gods to
bring vengeance upon our foes.
Now we could see through the trees
and bushes that the men were begin
ming to climb the second flight.
Come, let us do something, said the
senior, and, running to the pile of stones
| which we had prepared, he called to us
| to roll the heaviest upon the enemy.
This we did, but without effect, for the
| tree trunks turned the stones; more.
| over, those against whom they were di.
rected, taking cover at the sides of the
stairway, opened so sharp fire on us
with their rifles that in few minutes
we were driven from the piles of stones
and forced to retreat behind the shelte,
| of the arch
Now they came on again, till present.
| ly they reached the foot of the third
flight and paused to take breath. Then
1T was that Molas, selling one of the
Indian blowpipes, ran out onto the ter.
race followed by the senor-though
| why the senior went do not know, fol
he could not use the weapon. Before
| the men below We're aware of their
| presence Molas had set the blowpipe tc
his lips and discharged the poisoned
| dart among them. 1t struck Don Smith,
the American, full in the throat. Watch.
ing around the corner of the arch saw
him lift his hand to pull it out, then OF
sudden he fell to the ground, and at
that instant storm of bullets swept
through the archway aimed at Molas
and the senior as they fled back tc
shelter. I saw Molas fall and the seno,
stop to lift him to his feet, and as he
| was in tho very act patch of red ap-
| peared upon his face. Another moment
they were back under cover.
Are you hurt?" asked the senior.
mo, no." he answered, ''my face was
| grazed by bullet, that was all. Look
/ w &uO1dS, llC 40 oliOO III Ulle Slut1.
Leave me-" said Molas; SIT is moth.
ing"
Then we were silent, only Maya
sobbed little as she strove to stanch
! the blood which flowed from the senor's
| wound with cobwebs that she gathered
from among the stones.
| Looking out cautiously we saw that
the men had dragged Don Smith to the
side OF the stairway, while some of them
supported him while he died of poison,
and others watched for a chance to
shoot us should we show ourselves upon
the terrace. Presently he was dead,
and cursing us aloud his companions
commenced to mount the third flight
with great caution, for they feared a
snare.
| us there nothing to be done to save
| our lives?" asked the senior in a heavy
| voice.
There was no answer, but of sud
| den Molas, who was standing with one
hand pressed upon the wound in his
side and the other before his eyes,
| turned and ran swiftly into the cham.
Der behind us, whence he appeared car.
| rying the copper axe.
Then, without speaking, he elm. bed
the masonry of the archway with great
| swiftness, till he stood with his feet in
the crack beneath the crown of the
| arch, which you will remember was
| held IN place only by the tough tree
| roots that grew from it into the stone
work of the buttress
| Supporting himself by a creeper with
| his left hand, with his right he struck
blow after blow at the biggest of these
| roots, sepering them one by one. Now
| we saw his purpose--to send two hun
dred tons of stoneworl1 laundering
| down the stairway upon the heads Of
the murderers.
! by heavcns That is an answer to
| my question" said the senior; then he
paused and added; Come down, Molas,
| If the arch falls you will fall with it and
| be crushed"
1T matters little" he answered, ssthis
| Ia my doom day, That bullet has cut
me inside. and bleed to death, and on
this spot, as | have long feared, it is
| fated that l should die. Pray for nv
soul and farewell"
| Now three of the roots were severed,
but the fourth and largest which was
| thicker than a mans leg, remained, and
| at this Molas began to hew despair
ing gIy.,a a., ;, !, ,..,, !, -.
We peeped round the corner of the
arch and saw that some fifty feet below
us the band had halted on the slippery
| face of the pyramid, fearing they knew
| not what, for they heard the dull sound
| OF the axe blows, but could not guess
| what it portended.
one OF their number was talking to
| Don Pedro, apparently urging some
thing upon him to which he did not
agree, and in this way thew wasted two