Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1898-08-04
tCoPYRIGHr, 1894 /
CHAPTER X-CoNr1Nrrn.

CHAPTER V.-CoNTINUED.
For the first time it flashed over La
ports mind that he was listening to
monomaniac; ono Of those restless and
harmless characters who conceive pro-
digious schemes and make fabulous in
vestments with no other capital than
their disordered imaginations. Kent
guessed what was passing in his mind,
for he said:
II see the suddenness and largeness
of my schemes have disturbed your
confidence. Two or three days O: in
vestigation Gill restore it, We can
talk farther of the matter after we are
better acquainted. Before show you
the underground laboratory, let me
explain to you the typographical pc
culiarities of the country
AS he said this he picked up map
and, moving his chair closer to La
ports, spread out the paper on the
table. There, he said, indicating a
point on the map with a pencil, sis
about where we arc. This original
map is a sl1etch-plan of the subter-
ranean domain as near as have been
able to survey it. estimate the south
western extension of the cave to be
about eighteen miles in length. There
is another hidden entrance at that cx-
trome limit, but it needs little exca-
waiting to be of practical use. intend
to purchase that land also and erect a
house over it. That entrance, or to
speak more correctly, that exit, is
within four miles of the great Wash
bayou on the Mississippi. The coun-
try is such that a hard road can be
easily made. The bayou is one of the
deepest and widest on the river A
sternwheel boat can land her supplies
there entirely hidden from the river
with little difficulty The nearest
house is eighteen miles distant. The
transportation overland is not much
of a problem, but the eighteen miles
underground needs an engineers skill.
That is where want an electric rail
way. You will see the necessity of
that when you examine the place, for
it is the northeastern end Of the cave
that can best be fitted up for habita-
ton and workshops.
"The difficulties to be overcome, as
you will readily understand, are
physical difficulties and involve light
ing, ventilation, transit and defense.
My idea is that the subterranean do
main offers a magnificent field for the
abode of an army of mechanics and
soldiers"
Laport was amazed. "Would IL be
impertinent," he asked, ''if | inquired
what you are going to do with the
sOldiers?"
mot at all, /" replied Kent But it
would be better perhaps il you were
lsept in ignorance of my ultimate plans
or at least not made acquainted with
them until you had grown to under
stand their possibility. In case you
did not approve of them, it would be
better not to be implicated in them.
Let me ask you one questioned You
not offer to the government a gun con-
structed on a novel planY'
ayes, / did, replied Laport.
"And the government rejected it?"
"The government laughed at 1t, and
Il spent months and all my money try
ing TO lobby through an appropriation
to get IL tested
when was that?'
ut is eight years age"
VERY good, said Kent. II should
like to have a talk with you about that
gun later on. The first thing to do is
to give You a sense Of security and "a
do that shall have to show YOU my
hidden retreat Before we go down
let me say that this house is ac'
eessible only by one road, and we can
Zee anyone approaching by that road
for two miles BESIDES, ] Keep sentry
4, the woods who can communicate by
,;gpal with the house, % by any ae
ci3ent an officer or detective should
Get into the other apartment yoy