The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1901-1903, 1902-08-30
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 4s+s+s+s+&+s+s+s+s+x+
;sDaiIy Short Story
Brunswick News.
sMe Guardians Of 0eatk;
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It's n fortune, Darrell"
"Ghastly enough place to find it in
he said. but here's for it anyhow"
And he entered the opening that he
had made.
For what seemed to me long minutes
lay peering over the cliff at the
twitching rope that gave indications of
barrels movements Then there ech-
oed from the opposite side of the ra-
vine strange sound as of the rafting
of many c;istanets followed by a
shrek of such grisly terror as | never
again want to hear. The next instant
Darrell plunged forth from the mouth
Of the cave, swung out from the face
of the cliff, swung back again against
the rock and, still shieklng horribly,
so that the rayine reverberated with
the sound of it, slipped through the
blight of the rope and fell headlong to
the rocks below. For n moment l lay
there stricken, waiting for l knew not
what thing of horror to issue from the
mysterious cavern. Then l rushed
down to the aid of my motionless com
panion. Half the contents of my flask
had been forced down his throat be-
fore he opened his eyes. But not to
consciousness did he open them. The
glare in them told me that l tried to
recall his mind.
"What was it, old man? What was
it?' l asked him.
lie half raised himself and tried to
speak, gasplng and choking like a man
being straugled
"The handsl The hands of the dead!
At my throat! They're throttling me!
Holp!'
He tore at his throat with mad
strength Then his limbs relaxed, and
he fell back IN, my arms lifeless. l
believe in my Utmost soul that it was
not the fan from the cliff, but sheer
terror that killed him.
How | ever lived through that fear
full, horror haunted ride TO the camp
l don't know. ! was crazy with fever
and delirium when | reached there.
1t wasn't till weeks afterward that
they told me OF the expedition that
went out to find and bury Darrell My
rawlings and the map that they found
when they uudressod me gave them a
working Glow TO the tragedy. They
found the rope tied to the tree. ana two
of The men went down and entered the
cave armed with stout clubs, for their
theory was that poor Darrell had been
killed by a venomous snake. That
would not haye explained his last
words, but what they found did A
few yards in from the entrance lay
spraWled a heap of artlculated skele-
tons. Darrops hat was beneath the
heap Cropping his way in, he had dis
placed a slender post which held in
place On a shelf above him the grim
dead guardians Of the dead They had
fallen upon the invader and claimed
him for their own.
The men searched the cave. Row
after row Of long dead mummies they
found, but little treasure. The brace
let that had cost Darrell his life and
one or two small gold caryings-that
was all But what of the map and the
maker of it2 Did he perhaps visit the
cave and perish there Of terror? Were
his bones those that Darel saw from
the entrance Of the cave? That is a
mystery that | shall never solye-that
and that other mystery Of who set
against the profaning incusion of the
living, that grisly trap of the dead.
Treasury department, office Of the
Supervising Architect.
Washington, d. c., August q, 1902
Sealed proposals will be re
ceived at this office until 2 O'Clock
p. III. on the 18th day OF September
1902, and then opened, for the in
stallation of a conduit and electro
wiring system for the U. S. custom
house and postofIice at Brunswick
Georgia, in accordance with the draw
iDgs and specifications, copies O
which may be obtained at this Office
or at the Office OF the superintendent
of construction at Brunswick, Georgia
at the discretion Of the supervising
architect
JAMES KNOX TAYLOR,
Supervising Architect