Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1901-08-03
He meant murder.

not been able to see the old ruins al
most as soon as we started L should
have doubted that they existed. AS II
was 1 found myself wondering IL this
pair was In any manner connected
with the disappearance of the tourists.
1 was on my guard for what might
happen, and yet 1 did not betray my
self. kept up the conversation as we
walked along, and am sure she took
me for an easy victim. 1 rather ex-
peeted to be fired on from behind some
rock as soon as we were Off the road.
but by and by we heard the man call
Ing from the ruins, and l realized that
the ambush would be there IL any
where. AS we halted on the plateau IL
was easy TO make out that vast
building had stood there once. l should
have said monastery. but the woman
Insisted that 1t was a great castle be-
longing TO some mighty prince and that
1t had been destroyed by an earth
quake. Y wandered among the acre
OF ruins as we talked. AS we neared
what must have been the rear OF the
building l found that the walls stood
elmost on the brink OF preciplce. Be-
fore US was what had been a large
room, with three OF the walls yet
standing. There were no less than Eve
window openings, and as I advanced
to one OF them the woman said:
mo; take this one. My brother has
built a platform from which you can
look up and down the valley for miles"
a peculiar something In her voice
caused me to glance at her face, and
found IL pale and her features working
In a nervous way. 1t was the window,
then, which was the ambush. NV
heart beat against my ribs, but ]
meant to see the thing to finish. The
man had called to us, but we had not
seen him since arriving at the ruins.
With a laugh which sounded more like
croak the woman pulled herself to-
gether and preceded me to the window,
To reach the opening we had to climb
up three stone steps, and she stood fo-
moment looking out and clinginS TO
the wall for support.
You Will see a fine yiew-a fine
view" she said as she made room for
me. step out aid look up and down."
did not step oCt. There was some
thing so modern about that platform
end 1t had been built SO deftly that I
feared 1t simply chung TO the wall
and thrust my head out, and 1 was
looking up the valley when the woman
gave me push with all her strength.
Her hands did not strike me fair or
my hold would have been broken.
was whirled half way round and part
iy thrown down, but as / recovered my
footing I swept her aside with my arm,
and she went to the ground, with q
scream Next instant the man came
dashing through the doorway in the
wall He had knife In his hand, and
he meant murder. / leaped down to
meet him that l might have free play
for my staff. and believe we battled
Tor ten minutes. Still lying on the
ground, the woman seized my legs and
tried to pull me down, but kicked her
away and gave all my attention to the
man. Aye, but that fellow was crafty
and villainous and determined. Had
Fought him with knife he would soon
have settled me. 1t was the stout staff
which kept him on, ana 1t was the
star which finally dealt him q blow
that laid him out unconscious. lock.
ed for the woman as 1 stopped t.
breathe, but she had disappeared. 1
went over to the window and examln-
ed the platform and found that IL was
sustained by a lever which could be
pulled out and allow the bottom to
drop. AS the man began to return to
life lifted up my STAFF and beat him
till was weary, and then 1. went my
way up the mountain road. That am
bush had gathered at least three vic
tins, but it was not for me to carry a
mystery to the police and be detained
In a filthy Jail for months or years
while they took their time to solve 1t.