Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-04-12

tects often through sheer laundering
sealed up and made useless many of
these outlets and hiding-places.
AS it was, then, had to get out of
the network of tunnels and galleries
where 1 could, and not where 1 would,
and in the event found myself at the
farther side of the city, almost up to
where the outer wall joins down to
the harbor. | came out without being
seen, careful even in this moment of
extremity to preserve the ordinances,
and closed all traces of exit behind
me. The earth seemed to spring be-
meath my feet like the deck of a ship
in smooth water; and though there
was no actual movement as yet to dis
turb the people-and indeed these
slept on in their houses and shelters
without alarm could feel myself
that the solid deafness of the ground
was gone, and that any moment it
might break out into devastating
waves of movement.
Gods! Should I be too late to see
the untombing of my love? Would
she be laid there bare to the public
gaze when presently the people
swarmed out into the open spaces
through fear at what the great earth
tremor might cause to fall? / could
see, in fancy, their rude, cruel hands
thrust upon her as she lay there help
less, and my inwards dried up at the
thought.
Iran madly down and down the mar
row winding streets with the one
thought of coming to the square which
lay in front of the royal pryam mid be-
fore these things came to pass. With
exquisite cruelty ] had been forced
with my own hands to place her alive
in her burying-place beneath the
granite throne, and if thews and speed
could do it, l would not miss my re-
ward of taking her forth again with
the same strong hands.
And so in time / came to the grea t
square, and was there none too soon.
The place was filling with people who
focked away from the narrow streets,
and it was full of darkness and noise
and dust and sickness. Beneath us the
ground rippled in undulations like a
sea, which with terrifying slowness
grew more and more intense.
Ever and gain house .cras shed down
unseen in the gloom and added to the
tumult. But the great pyramid had
been planned by its old builders to
stand rude shocks. It's stones were
dovetaiied into one another with a
marvellous cleverness, and were fur
Their clamped and joined by ponderous
tongues of metal. 1t was boast tina
one-half the foundations could be dug
from beneath it, and still the pyramid
would stand four-square under heaven,
more enduring than the hills.
Pickering torches showed that its
great stone doors lay open, and ever
and again 1 saw some frightened in
mate scurry out and then be lost to
sight in the gloom. But with the royal
pyramid and its ultimate fate / had
little concern; 1 did not even care then
whether Phorenice was trapped, or
whether she came out sound and fit for
further mischief. l crouched by the
granite throne which stood in the mid
die of that splendid square, and heard
its stones CRATE together like the ends
of a broken bone as it rocked to the
earth-waves.
In that night of dust and darkness
it was hard to see the outline of ones
own hand, but think that the gods in
some requital for the love which had
ached so long within me, gave me es-
pecial power of sight. AS watched, 1
saw the great carved rock which
formed the capstone of the throne
move slightly, and then move again,
and then again; tiny jerk for each
earth-pulse, but still there was an APP
precia BILE shifting; and, moreover, the
stone moved always to one side.
There was method in Zaemon's des-
perate work, and this in my blind panic
of love and haste l had overlooked. So