The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-04-16

the doctor clutched it, he fondled 1t; with
tears of joy he kissed it, swearing, laugh
in. and crying by turns, and then
There was a sudden trembling of the
rock. the cavern seemed TO sway in space
and there came sound as of the earth
splitting in twain from its centre.
Juan turned and fed. The doctor
threw the gold from him with Il curse and
frantically endeayored 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 diu of chaos without. \ wide
crack opened across the cave, and Il Suf-
locating vapor passed through it. Again
the rocky walls trembled and Swayed, and
the crack closed its jaws with vicious
snap, like some gigantic animal. cnra%ed
that it had not engulfed them
Cur Dog =! the doctor cried. striv-
inc to free himself, and striking the boy
who clung to him. - Let loose | say. ere
| kill You -
But the youth would not loosen hi,
desperate hold. He clung with the
strength of demon. and, fighting to gain
each step of the way, the doctor dragged
him to the mouth of the cave, where, By
supreme effort, he freed himself from
the grasp of the youth.
Gasping for breath, the doctor rose to
his feet and blindly plunged out Of the
hideous place, only to pause at the en-
trance, speechless with terror at what he
beheld. The air seemed Il blast from Il
furnace-the bed of the crater rose and
fell, boiling, surging, seething caldron.
with the rushing roar of tornado.
Huge boulders rose to its surface, to
sweep around the maelstrom and disap-
pear in the clouds of steam that intermit-
tently burst from it, AS he peered out
through the lurid haze with eyes that
seemed to him to be starting from their
sockets, a spur of rock, hundred feet
high, that crowned the opposite side wall
of the crater, toppled aud fell with Il deaf
enimg crash, and was swallowed up in the
horrible depths. The path they had taken
to reach the cave had been split but il
yard beyond him by yawning chasm
whose opposite wall he tried to distinguish,
but could not The semi daylight that
had prevailed suddenly changed to dark
ness-not the dark ola summer night, but
the horrible dark of the catacombs.
Ghastly flames of yellow and blue shot up
from the depths and pierced it, making its
blackness visible. \ hot feck of ashes
touched his cheek, as shower of them fell
about him, and then deluge that hemmed
him around; mass of vapor pufed sud
denly out and envcloped him like Il wind
ing sheet, and, clutching wildly at empty
space, he found himself falling, falling,
down, down, down through an unknown
void that seemed to have no ending And
then
Then he opened his burning eyes and
dimly looked about him, seeing but
scarcely comprehending.
Juan" he called, fcebly.
The Indian boy bent over him, placing
his pocket fash to his lips There is no
Juan now, senor
Where did hc-ah remember.
How did | come here p
II carried you.
Carried me where ?
Where, but through the cavern, senior;
here to its other entrance
''Gou-you brought me out of that
hell? You carried me here to safety
you--how were you able to do it?
The Indian lad smiled proudly 1T
was the dog in me, senor
'The Cerro Quemada mountains are i'll
western Guatemala, Centra America. Perro
is the Spanish for dog.