Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-09-10
lSS9S x<7 ~ SE
! The GUARDIANS {
! OF DEATH {
| BY Charles Lee Taylor 4
Cogzrssas. rot. ~ s. Rtesarss1s y
BY Charles Lee Taylor


sentry duty upon Is porch. and the
pfesacious ants had eaten Into its
woodwork. But 70 n civil engineer In
4 tho unsettled center Of Mexico any
shelter = matter 81 gratitude Oar
rel ard I took possession without any
/ qaalrBs Of gGiIf. for II was evident that
the owner had noved cut years BE-
1 fora Whiis the cook built a Gre and
/ prepared dinner in the main room we
pFoeee1ea TO explore, not withou; eau
/ ton. for The Old shack looked like a
/ promising resort fer srakes. | had
/ just dispatched couple that were
1 keeping house IN a side room when a
shout from Dared summoned me to
the second story.
Here's a queer thing TO turn up IN
an abandoned house, he called
He was bending over a small box
bound In hogSchide. the It'd o. which
he had pried open. Together we car
/ rted IL downstairs and went through
the conf.nts. They were surprising
enough: az least Il was surprising that
The tenants should have left such pa
pers behind them. for here were deeds
/ peers and ether valna bic documents. he
sides q number q family records, all
dated mshy years before, bu; all In
good state Of preservation. What In
l ierested nae most. however. was q
small map drawn on prepared paper.
| the work 81 an amateur. Whoever
drew II knew something about survey
Ing. for he bad hIs ranges and scales
| fairly correct He had started at
spring at the foot Of an INDICATED hili
/ ia the foothills OF the san Luis range
and run line Up rayine 90 feet
Then he had run 10 feet UP cross
rayine. turning to the left. and had
marked a cross on the face OF waa
/ rising sheer ninety f~wt. His marks
showed the elevation Of this cross TO
be thirty two feet above the bed Of the
rayine. Here was food for speculation.
~Darrel." said to my companion.
'-the man that erew that map didn't
90 IL far fun"
4 guess that's right" replied Oar
rel There's something behind the
piaee marked by that cross. but what
LIS III"
What's the faost likely thing 10 be
In the side Of a cliff In this countryY'
''0h. ! s.ess said he "A cave. yvu
mean. But what's In the care. them
THAT'S what well snd oal IL we
can locate the cafe said I.
Luck Was with US In the matter. II
wasn't week later when one Of our
surveyors came In with a tale OF hav-
| Ing located nne spring at the foot Of
q hill and near one OF the widest "a.
/ vines that be had ever set yves on.
l Neither Dared nor rested ensy until
We were on the way TO the spot VITA
the little map tucked under my belt
/ We were 20 split even on whatever we
found Poor Darrell When think OF
that bargain. hare chill even TO this
| day.
II took Us nearly day on naleback
10 reach our destination There we're
the spring. the hill and the rayine run
ning back Just as in the nap IL was
one of the widest spots ever saw Ia
wild country; enc couldn't heip feel
In- bit put out with It's loneliness
I tip the big ravlne we trud-ei until we
reacl1ea the cross galch. sheer cut
through the solid rock. the work Of
centuries of fierce torrents.
II took us long time to make cut
/ the cross. as the elf was In scnldsTk
ness and patches q moss were grow
/ Ing over the surface. but we located II
at last and saw that the only way 10
reach II was from the top Of the cliff.
1 Having foreseen this contingency.
we had brought along stout rope. and
near the edge OF the elf. which we
mounted after long detour. we found
convenient tree. Fer one OF us 90
lower the other would be an easy mat
ter. Both OF us were eager to GO
( which should IL be- The good old
American method OF Tipped coin was
the arbiter. aud Darrell won. Present
ly be Was sitting 10 the blight of the
rope before the spot where the cross
was marked and calling up his reports
to me
Yes. there's cave here all right.
but It's walled up Lower me down
that biologists hammer OF yours. and
| can break the flnasy thing in
| l sent the hammer down on a string.
and for i've minutes Darrell hammered
and painted. and tie sound OF crum-
bling masonry told me that be was
making Roadway Presently there
eame a sort Of gasp from him.
-Phew! That's bad airi Don't dare
90 Ia there for bit"
Throw In a lighted match. aud II
II burns the air Is pure enough 1
called exeitediy. for ! WAS 10 a hurry
TO know what was In that cave
There she goes. sasd Darrell min
ute later; burns all right Oh, great
Cesarf'
What's the matterz What Is ity'
cried. dancing On the edge Of the
ciir-
Its gold. that's what 1t is-a big
bracelet Of it right near the entrance.
There's something that looks like bones