Evening journal., 1901-04-20
Observation-Disclosures
The Guardians
~Of Death
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gate the second story, where he found
box Of old papers, and among them q
small map. Whoever drew it knew some
thing about surveying, for he had his
ranges and scales fairly correct. He
had started at spring at the foot Of an
INDICATED hill in the foothills of the San
Luis range and run line up a ravine
020 feet. Then he had run 125 feet up q
cross ravine, turning to the left, and had
marked a cross on the face of a wall ris-
ing sheer 80 feet. His marks showed the
elevation of this cross to be 81 feet above
the bed Of the ravine. Here was food
for speculation.
''Darrel," said to my companion,
the man that drew that map didn't do
it for fun"
Il guess that's right" replied Darrell.
There's something behind the place
marked by that cross. But what is itF'
WHATS the most likely thing to be in
the side of cliff in this countryY
"Oh, l see" said he. "A cave, you
mean"
Neither Darrell nor rested easy until
we were on the way TO the spot with tho
little map tucked under my belt. We
were TO split even ON whatever we found.
Poor Darrell When think Of that bar
gain, have a chill even to this day.
1t took us nearly day on mule back to
reach our destination. There were the
spring, the hill and the ravine running
back, just as in the map. 1t was one of
the widest spots / ever saw in wild
country; one couldn't help feeling a bit
put out with its loneliness. Up the big
4 rayine we trudged until we reached the
cross gulch-a sheer cut through the
solid rock, the work Of centuries of fierce
torrents.
4 1t took us a long time TO make out the
cross, as the cliff was In semidarknpss
and patches of moss were growing over
the surface, but we located it at last and
saw that the only way to reach it was
from the top Of the cliff.
Having foreseen this contingency, we
had brought along a stout rope, and near
the edge Of the cliff, which we mounted
after q long detour, we found a conven-
lent tree. For one OF us to lower the
other would be an easy matter Both Of
us were eager to go. Which should it
be? The good old American method Of
fiipped coin was the arbiter, and Oar
rel won. Presently he was sitting in
7 the blight Of the rope before the spot
J, where the cross was marked and calling
up his reports to me.
ayes. there's a cave here all right, but
it's walled up. Lower me down that ge-
ologist's hammer of yours, and / can
break the flimsy thing in"
! sent the hammer down on a string,
and for five minutes Darrell hammered
and painted. and the sound Of crumbling
masonry told me that he was making
headway. Presently there came a short
gasp from him.
"Phew. that's bad airl Don't dare so
in there for bit"
'"rhrow in a lighted match, and IL it
burns the air is pure enough" ! called
excitedly. for ! was In q hurry to know
what was In that cave.
There she goesw said Darrell a min
ute late. Burns all right. Oh, great
CRsarw
"What's the matter? What is it?"
cried. dancing on the edge of the cliff.
Its gold, that's what it is-a big
bracelet Of it right near the entrance
There's something that looks Ike bones
; near it."
Just what 1 expectedr' l cried jubi-
lantly. "An Aztec burial cave probably
and the fellow that drew the map found
It out some way. They buried theil
@ finest treasures with their dead. It's q
a fortune, DARRELL
@ lay peering over the cliff az the twitching
D rope that gave Indications Of Darrels
r movements. Then there echoed from the
opposite side Of the ravine a strange
sound as of the rattling of many casta
Z nets, followed by a shrek of such grisly
y terror as I never again want TO hear
( The next instant Darrell plunged fortl
! from the mouth OF the cave. swung ou
e from the face OF the cliff, swung bach
! again against the rocks and, still shrek
: ing horribly, so that the rayine rever
y berated with the sound of it, slipped
through the blight of the rope and fel
: headlong to the rocks below. For a mo
{ ment lay there stricken. waiting for
y knew not what thing OF horror to issul
! from the mysterious cavern. Then
rushed down to the aid Of my motionles
n companion. Half the contents Of M
e aask had been forced down his throa
IS before he opened his eyes. But not e
a consciousness did he open them. Th
It glare In them told me that. ! tried to re
d call his mind.
II "What was it, old man? What wa
n itT ] asked him.
a. ''The handsl The hands Of the dead
u At my throat! They're throttling me
N Helpw
A4t loLt dN his AAAbdb WIN AA-
Ia strength, then his limbs relaxed, and b
u fell back in my arms lifeless. l believ
Z In my inmost soul that it was not the IA
y from the cliff, but sheer terror. that Kill
ed him.
0 How ever lived through that fearfu
e horror haunted ride to the camp l don
know. was crazy with fever and d,
=. lirium when ] reached there. 1t WASH
m tilI weeks aftorward that they told m
a. OF the expedition that went out to I'm
h. aud bury Darrell. My rawlings and tn
H. map that they found when they undres'
"a ed me gave them a working clew to IN
n. tragedy. They found the rope tied {
a the tree, and two Of the men went dow
N and entered the cave, armed with stot
be clubs, for their theory was that poo
20 Darrell had been killed by venomor
snake. That would not have expleine
his last words. but what they found di'
A few yards In from the entrance Ia
sprawled heap Of articulated skeleton
10 barrels MT was beneath the heal
ne Groping his way in. he had displaced
70 slender post which held in place on
n, i .balf ohova him tho grim dead guardian