The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1901-1903, 1902-08-30

since IOFSdken OF human tenaDtfy, one
would have said. Scurrying lizards did
sentry duty upon its porch, and the
predacious ants had eaten into its
woodwork. But to a civil engineer in
the unsettled center of Mexico any
shelter is a matter of gratitude Oar
rel and | took possession without any
qualms of guilt, for it was evident that
the owner had moved out years be-
fore. While the cook built a fire and
prepared dinner in the main room we
proceeded to explore, not without eau
ton, for the old shack hooked like a
promising resort for snakes, I had
just dispatched a couple that were
keeping house in side room when a
shout from Darrel summoned me to
the second story.
Here's queer thing to turn up in
an abandoned house." he called
He was bending over small box
bound in horsehide, the lid of which
he had pried open. Together we car
ried it downstairs and went through
the contents. They were surprising
enough; at least it was surprising that
the tenants should have left such pa
pers behind them, for here were deeds
to property, leases, some mortgage pa
pers and other valuable documents, be
sides a number of family records, all
dated many years before, but all in
good state of preservation, What in
tereSted me most, however. was
small map drawn on prepared paper,
the work of an amateur Whoever
drew it knew something about survey
ing, for he had his ranges and scales
fairly correct He had started Mt q
spring at the foot of an INDICATED hill
in the foothills of the San Luis range
and run a line up rayine 500 feet
Then he had run 125 feet up a cross
rayine, turning to the left, and had
marked a cross on the face of wall
rising sheer ninety feet His marks
showed the elevation Of this cross to
be thirty-two feet above the bed of the
ravine. Here was food for speculation.
Darrell" said I to my companion,
'the man that drew that map didn't
do it for fun"
81 guess that's right" replied Oar
rel. There's something behind the
place marked by that cross, but what
is it2"
What's the most likely thing to be
in the side of a cliff in this country"
ooh, | see" said he. "a cave, you
mean. But what's in the cave, them"
That's what Wen find out If we
can locate the cave" said |.
Luck was with us i'll the matter. 1t
wasn't a week later when one of our
surveyors came in with tale OF hay
ing located fine spring at the foot Of
a hill and near one Of the widest ra-
vines that he had ever set eyes ON.
Neither Darrell nor | rested easy until
we were on the way to the spot with
the little map tucked under my belt.
We were TO split even on whatever we
found. Poor Darrol! When l think OF
that bargain, have chill even to this
day
II took us nearly n day on mulebacll
to reach our destination. There were
the spring the hill and the ravine run,
mag back just as in the map. 1t was
one Of the widest spots | ever saw in
wild co1ntry; one couldn't help feel
ing bit put out with its loneliness
Up the big ravine we trudged until we
reached the cross gulch. n sheer cut
through the solid rock, the work Of
centuries of fierce torrents.
1t took us n long time to make out
the cross, as the cliff was in semidark
ness and patches of MOSS We're grow
ing over the surface, bat 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 a long detour, we found
a convenient tree. For one Of us to
lower the other would be an easy mat
ter. Both of us were eager TO 60
Which should it be? The good old
American method Of tipped coin was
the arbiter, and Darrell won. Present
iy he was sitting in the blight Of the
rope before the spot where the cross
was marked and calling up his reports
to me.
Eyes, there's cave here all right,
but it's walled up. Lower me down
that biologists hammer of yours, and
l can break the 6imsy thing in"
l sent the hammer down on a string,
and for five minutes Darrell hammered
and painted, and the sound Of crum-
bling masonry told me that he was
making Roadway. Presently there
came a sort Of gasp from him.
"Phewi That's bad air! Don't dare
90 in there for a bit"
Throw In a lighted match, and If
it burns the air is pure enough" 1
called excitedly, for l was in a hurry
to know what was in that cave.
"There she goes" said Darrell min
ute later; burns all right Oh, great
Casar~
"Whats the matter? What is it"
1 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 like bones
near it."
"Just what expectedp / cried jubi-
A 14oo I,t,,.;ol oo,yn r,rol,a.