Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-03-13
Miss Arnold was now weeping as II
her heart would break.

the only course for you to pursue. You
would not place this fair young girl at
the mercy of that bloodthirsty tyrant
in the palace of Quiental. I say to
you, in the words of truth, I know it
.well-bitterly well. Once the eye of
Mantchoo falls OH her, her doom is
sealed. AS for you, you are no safer
at his hands. He would torture you
for mere amusement. 1t is plain, then,
that for the present you must remain
secluded. You must be patient. as /
have been for twenty years. You shall
have shelter, and if you are discreet,
you shall remain undiscovered. That
is the only thing for you to do. What
say your"
Miss Arnold caught the old mans
hand in hers and kissed it.
cit shall be as you say" replied.
''But while L stay I shall plot to get
away. I cannot remain here patient
ly."
"Ahl Plot if you will, but be eau
tious. Plot if you will, and if your
plotting can bring you out of here in
Safety, we'll and good. Plot if you
will, and if by your plotting you can
free this noble people from the tyrant's
rule, may tie blessing of God rest upon
you!'
''Tell me this: What was the gather.
ing CT women that 1 saw over the wall
to-day, and why is this portion OF the
island free from the cruel hand OF
Hen Ko-Hi?"
"For twenty years, Crickmore," he
said in reply, "have the people of Tai
mooch prayed in that way for deliver
ance. In former times they came in
to this forest to pray to the god of ma
ture. I have taught them to pray to
our living God, and yet they look to
the sacred forest. Heu-Ko-Hi, to pre-
vent their simple worship, built that
wall, and the people are forbidden to
cross it, and the penalty of transgres-
sion is death"
"But how comes it, then, that you
you are here and that the soldiers OF
the governor do not come on this side
of the wall?"
"Hen-Ko-Hi made of this forest
hunting ground. For some years he
came here to hunt, but of late the
pleasures of his court have occupied
his time. AS to my being here, como
with me. As you are to be my guest,
you may at once enter my guest-cham.
ber."
He led the way through the forest,
and hand in hand with Miss Arnold I
followed him. After short walk over
the flowers and ferns, he stopped be-
fore large tree. 1t was dead tree
and the trunk was hollow.
cit was by accident that I discov'
cred this" he said, "and with little
work it was finished to suit me. I did
not know it would ever serve so noble
purpose as it will to-day. Enter at.
ter me"
He bowed his head and went into
the hollow trunk. Immediately after
he disappeared. L hesitated, not
knowing what had become of him.
"Follow me-"
The voice sounded as if it came from
the bowels of the earth. 1 put my
head in the aperture through which he
had gone, and there, several feet be-
low me, in slanting direction, [ saw
him standing, with lamp in his hand,
waiting for me.
"Ah, I see you now," said. 81
did not at first know what had taken
you away so suddenly" I followed
him into the hollow and told Miss Ar.
mold to come without fear. From the
roots of the tree an underground pas.
sage led away toward the wall.
"This passage was dug for me by
the Jumars, among whom live, said
Mr.. Avery, when he had joined him.
"You will have to bend yourselves a
little for a short distance here. 1t
leads. as you see. to a large cavern"
! The light of the lamp he carried
showed us that we were in large,
roomy cave, followed into asoft stone
much like pumice in it's porousness.
Strangely, the air was fresh and
wholesome. This WAS due, so the
missionary told us, to the porousness
of the rock. The cave was always dry,
except in the time of great rainfall,
which the island of Talmooch seldom
|had.
He set the lamp down on flat
ledge of stone and turned to us.
"This, my dear young friends, must
be your abode, until it becomes the
will of God that you escape from this
unhappy place. Bare and comfortless
as it is, it is far superior to the
gorgeous cruelty of the palace of
Qulental, where the fate of all is
death. A few comforts can be fur.
nished you. You may depend upon
the Jumars-some of them will como
aere. The women who saw you,
doctor, in tho tree, came to me in
great excitement and told me their
prayers were answered and that n
new king was calling to them from the
sacred forest. They described you as
o man Of gigantic build. Well, you
are, compared with my poor frame.
But they did not understand the
Chinese uniform, which they knew so
we'll and have learned with so much
reason to fear. AS to their supersti.
ton that you have been sent to de.
liver them, it may be as well-for q
time, ct lcast-to foster that idea. 1
have an ill-defned purpose al, eady in
my mind-so great is the exhiaratiou
resulting from meeting man of your
spirit. But 1 will leave you now for
q moment. There are some things
needed here"
To RE- NONrfNrrun