The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-11-17

greatest caution, he took the lead, now
through a cloud Of white vapor, now
across a bottomless seam, from which
poured cloud of black smoke, filed with
deadly gases, till the mouth of the cave
lay before them.
at is suicide" muttered Pedro. II. for
one, will go no farther"
Into the cavern the young boy crept,
and the doctor, first lighting a torch that
he took from one of the saddlebags they
had brought, followed after as best he
could. 1t was not far that they had to
60. A few short steps from the entrance
the doctor saw the thing he sought-vir-
gin gold, mass Of gold which the wealth
of a Klondike could not equal. such as
men might have dreamed of, but none
had ever beheld before. Mad with the
sense of sudden power. the doctor clutch
ed it, He fondled it. With tears of joy he
kissed it, swearing, laughing and crying
by turns, and then-there was a sudden
trembling of the rock. The cavern seem
ed to sway in space, and there came
sound as il the earth was splitting in
twain from its center. Pedro turned and
fed. The doctor threw the gold from
him with a curse and frantically endeav-
ored to follow, but the boy held him back.
mo, no, senior, if you would live" he
pleaded.
But the doctor did not hear him. There
was the din of chaos without. A wide
crack opened across the cave, and n suf-
locating vapor poured through it. Again
the rocky walls trelnbled and swayed,
and the crack closed its jaws with a
vicious snap, like some gigantic animal
enraged that it had not engulfed them.
"Cur! Dog" the doctor cried, striving
to free himself and striking the boy who
| chung to him. Let loose, l say, or I'll
kill you'll"
But the youth would not loosen his
desperate 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. where, by
| q supreme effort. he freed himself. Gasp
! ing for breath. he rose to his feet and
blindly plunged out of the hideous place,
only to pause at the entrance, speeches.
| with terror at what he beheld. The air
| seemed a blast from furnace.
As he peered out through the lurid
haze with eyes that seemed to him to be
| starting from their sockets spur of
| ed the opposite side wall Of the crater,
| IODDleU anu lSli Will Il uGdISihhS SAuoA
and was swallowed up in the horrible
depths. The path they had taken to
reach the cave had been split but yard
| beyond him by yawning chasm whose
opposite wall he vainly tried to distin-
| guish. The semidaylight that had pre-
| vailed suddenly changed to darkness. not
the dark of q summer night, but the
horrible dark of the cataoombs. Ghast-
Iv Hnmas NJ valIov md hlue shot I'M from
| the depths and pierced 1t. making its
| blackness visible. A hot ieck Of ashes
| touched his cheek as a shower Of them
fell about him and then a deluge that
| hemmed him round. A mass Of vapor
pulled out suddenly and enveloped him
/ like winding sheet, and. clutching wild
ly at empty space. he felt himself fall
| Ing, falling down. down through an I'M
| known void that seemed to have no end
| ing. And then-then he opened his
burning eyes and dilnly looked about
him, seeing, but scarcely compreherding
"Pedrow he called feebly. The In
dian boy bent over him. placing his
pocket flask to his lips.
"There's no Pedro now, senor."
"wherc did he-ah. I remembers
| "How did come hereT'
81 carried you"
| Carried me whcre%
"Where but through the cavern, senior
here to its other entrance"
you? You brought me out of that
hell? You carried me here to safety
You? How were you able to do it?"
The Indian boy smiled proudly. 1T
1ntelligencer.