Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-03-14

Except for a few bruises and
scratches, he was unhurt. For go or
| 20 feet above him the cliff lowered
sheer and smooth. and a dense forest
lay 200 or 300 feet below him. A mo-
ment's reflection, and the sound CT
foaming waters. opened Quin's eyes to
the truth.
| by JoYe, here's a queer coinci-
| dencel" he exclaimed. i've tumbled
over into the baron's valley. but what
| am | going to do? / can't scale the
cliff. that's certain. | must get to the
bottom somehow. and try 10 find the
| inner mouth of that cave"
He chung like cat to the rocky wall,
advancing inch by inch, foot by foot,
his body at times swaying out over
the dizzy chasm. 1t was an hour before
he drew near the end. Then the shelf
widened, and as he pushed on rapidly.
with a light and grateful heart, be
came to a triangular black hole in the
cliff. A peep inside chilled his blood,
for he met the gaze of two fiery eyes
and heard the muffied snarl of a wild
beast.
As he looked back a great tawny
creature magnificent Algerian
panther-wriggled out of the hole.
An angry, rasping scream broke the
silence, and ere the echo died away |
Quin had taken to his heels. The for
est was dense and dark, primeval in |
fact, but he tore a passage through |
the luxuriant underground as if ii |
We're bracken. The roar of the stream |
was audible and he headed in that di-
reetion.
OF a sudden, emerging on a little |
open glade. fresh peril confronted |
him. From the opposite thicket rose
a grizzly old wild boar, with yellow
tusks and foam-fiecked jaws. Quin
lodged behind tree on the left and
the next instant the pursuing pam
ther bounded into the clearing. At
once, oblivious TO the presence of the
man, the two savage creatures en-
gagged in desperate combat.
IL was brief combat. The pam
Their pierced and ripped in a dozen
places. bleeding profusely from its
6oAAAhEt tt&hNAA AAF Nti hk AtHs II
tried to escape, but vicious thrust
tore its throat and neck open. and its
life ebbed swiftly as ii lay squirting
on the crushed grass
The boar then swung round alert
~, smiled the air and gazed with
pricked-up ears, not at Quin, but in
the direction of the stream. 1t was
-, III a. y |
sharply from the thicket A second
shot followed the first, and over went
the boar, kicking in its death strug-
giles.
A man stepped into view. holding
his weapon in one hand, and the hid
den watcher behind the tree recog-
nized Antonio Silva. The Portuguese.
il seemed, had lost no time in proving
the accuracy of his ill-gotten chart.
At sight of his treacherous betray-
er. whose guilt was no longer in
doubt, GUMS wrath was uneontrol-
able.
''You traitorl" he cried.
With that he 1eaped across the glade.
through the still drifting wreaths of
powder-smoke, and so sudden was the
attack that he easily wrested the rifle
from the Portuguese. The latter
evaded swinging blow, and then.
having no other weapons. he turned
and fled for his life, with Quin in hot
pursuit.
The chase led TO the middle of the
valley, where it turned along the
high ragged bank of the stream.
which was a swift torrent racing
among submerged rocks.
The end was sudden and unexpect
ed. Silva tripped and fell heavily. his
arms dangling on the edge of the !
stream, and as Quin came up with
him both were precipitated into the
water by part Of the overhanging
bank giving way. Clinging to each
other, they were swept off by the
furious current and borne towards
the subterranean channel.
Before they could realize their peril
they were sucked into the cavernous
hole, and dragged on at dizzy speed
through the fearful darkness.
A rounded bowlder just beneath the
surface forced them apart. A foam
ing wave submerged Quin, and as he ,
rose he heard a wild, despairing cry. /,
Then, as he struck out with arms and
legs. he grasped a pinnacle of rock
and chung to it for a short time. while
he gained breath and strength
Z When he could hold fast no longer
he trusted himself TO the stream. and
after several anxious minutes he
aoated out from beneath the great
mountain, into the fresh air and sun
shine. He swan clear of the danger
ous reefs, and at length, little the
worse for the struggle, he was
thrown ashore by circling eddy of
smooth water.
There was no sign Of the Portu-
guese, and it was uncertain whether
he had persisted or escaped. A halt
hours search, aided by what he could
of the chart, revealed to