The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1898-08-06


dian boy had come to him and would
lead him to where he might find the
weapon with which the world could be
conquered No wonder the doctor spurred
his horse and urged the boy to hasten.
Across the arroyo and mountain brooks
and over the lava.capped foothills, the In.
dian boy with tireless feet and silent
faithfulness led them, till finally the for
ests became too dense for the horses to
carry them further. Here the beasts
were unsaddled and tied. and after bur
riedly eaten lunch the three divided the
things they had brought and climbed on
up the mountain.
1t was no light work over the rocks
covered with bushes and thorn-clad vines.
but they found it still worse when the
forest was passed. and they came out on
a steep incline that was fathoms deep IN
ashes. and where. with each step upward,
they seemed to slip back a step and a
half The dust was suffocating, the heat
almost unbearable. the thirst it enSen-
dered torturing, and when they had final
" surmounted the trip the doctor sank
down exhausted.
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:"
asked Juan.
the doctor interrupted, ''for he has q
dogs endurance. and perhaps may prove
equally faithful.
The boy looked at him reproachful!y
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 persistently. until they stood on
the ominous depths Of the crater that
Ea wned before them.
1T is there. senior" the boy said sim
ply. pointing toward the black mouth Of
a cavern, half ObsCured by a cloud of
steam that shrilly escaped from some I'M
seen Crevire.
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. then ne cried.
The Indian boy detained him. Not
that way. senior: see where you would 20.
II is none too sure, senior. Mira He
took Il machete from Juan and struck it
through what seemed to he solid rock.
but which proved to be but mass of
light ashes. 1t was on this that the doc
tor would have stopped. and beneath
disappeared forever
Testing each foot of the way with the
greatest caution. he took the lead now
through a 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.
1T is suicide.' muttcrCd Juan. Il for
one VIII not go further
Into tn" cavern the young lad crept.
and the doctor. first lighting torch that
he took from one of the saddlebagS they
had brought. followed after as best he
could.
: f,, . Il, L. D.
n few short rods from the entrance the
doctor saw the thing he Sought-guld. viz
gin gold, Il mass Of gold such as men might
nave dreamed Of, but none had ever hchcd
before.
Mad with Ia" sense of sudden power.
the doctor clutch"d it: he fondlrd it. with
tears of joy he kissed it, swearing, laugh
ing and crying by turns. and then
There was sudden trembling of the
rock the cavern seemed to sway in
space. and there came Il sound as of the
earth splitting in twain from its center.
Juan turned and fled. The doctor
threw the gold from him with n curse
and trantically endeavored TO follow, but
the boy held him back
NO. no, senior, if you would live he
pleaded
But the doctor did not hear him. There
was the din of chaos without. \ vide
crack opened across the cave. AMI snf-
L ~
tn" rocky walls trembled and swaypd
and the crack closed it's jaws with .
vicious snap. like some gigantic animal
"nraged that il cannot engulf them.
Cur. Dog, the doctor cried. striving
70 free himself and striking the boy. who
chung to him. Let loose. | say. ere | XII,
yoH,'
But the youth would not loosen his dos
perate hold. He chung with the strength
Of demon, and. fighting to gain each
step of the way, the doctor dragged, him
to the mouth OF the cave. whore, 10y
superior effort, he freed himself from the
grasp of the youth.
1aspin@ for breath. the doctor rose t.
his feet and hlindly plunged out of the
hld""uS place. only to pause ut the en-
franc" sp"echlCSS with terror at Wnlt b.
hcheld. The air seemed Il blast from a
iurnacc-the bed of the crater rose aud
fell. Il boiling. Surgng. spething cairoH
with the rushing roar of a tornado.
Huge bouldcrS rose to its surface. 90
sweep around the maelStrom and disap-
pear in the cloud Of steam that intermit-
tently burst from it. As he peered ont
through the lurid haze, with eyes that
seemed 10 be starting from theig sockets,
Il spur Of the rock 100 feet high that
crowned the opposite sidewall of the era
ter toppled and fen with dcafcning
crash and was swallowed no in the h0r-
ribc depths. The path they had taken
IL
yard beyond him by yawnins chasm
whose opposite wall he tried to but could
not distinguish.
The semi-daylight that had prevailed
suddenly changed to darkncss-not the
dark of n summer night but the horrible
dark of the cataComhS. CHASTITY flames
of yellow and blue shot up from the
depths and pierced if. making its black
ness visible. \ hot fleck of ashes touched
his cheek as a shower of them fell upon
him. and then a deluge that hemmcd him
round. y mass Of vapor puffed suddenly
ont and developed him ike a winding
sheet, ana clutching wildly ut empty
space he felt himself falling. falling
down. down through an unknown void
that seemed to have no ending And
thCn-
Then he opened his burning eyes and
dimly looked about him, seeing. but
scarcely cOmprehending
Juan" he called fcehly.
The Indian boy bent over him. placing
his pocket flask to his lips. There is no
Juan now, senior.
Where did hc-ah. | remembor,''
yes. senior. you remember"
How did | come here:
Il carried YOU.
Carried me whcreE
Where. but through the cavern. senior
here tO its other entrance
"Iou-you brought me here to safety
you-hOw were you able to do it,"
The Indian lad smiled proudly: at
was the dog in me. scnor.-Illustr, ted
American.
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