Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-04-08

Never! Never. sir. never. Go away
AID leave s35O,OOO in gold unguard-
ed? / cannot think of il. You go
back to camp and get help. | will
remain
"Who IL going to find It or steal
it?' demanded Vincent. The
chances are that no one has been
here before in thousand years. If
they had been, the gold would not
be here. 1t is as safe as IN vault
in New York. Come along. Mr..
Pence. How dark il is getting!
What is that moaning sound? We
must go back. 1t is going to storm"
Il will never leave this gold here!"
said Mr.. Pence. 1t is not safe.
You go back and ! will remain !
am not afraid. | will stay all night
If necessary. Come back i'm the
morning and bring help and food"
THAT is foolish, Mr.. Pence" said
Vincent. He had climbed out of
the cavern and stood facing the sea.
Come on" he said. There is 90
ing TO he an awful storm. 1t looks
like hurricane. Come on; YOU
must not remain here
go back. and let me alone" said
Mr.. Pence. II will never, never
leave here alive with this gold un-
guarded. ! have gun. ] ann not
afraid. Go on back to the camp.
Tell them the gold is ours-all ours.
II | stay here and take care Of it.
| ought to have more than half OF
it, Go ahead. before the storm
hrcaks."
IT was useless TO argue with him.
Vincent bade him goodbye and
started on run for Murton's Bay.
He had not gone a quarter of
mile before the storm struck the is
land. The first blast swept him
from his feet. \ falling tree half
buried him in it's branches, and his
face was scratched and bleeding. \
lew rods away was a gully. Struw-
Cling TO his feet he ran and crawled
in that direction. lie remembered
reaching the edge of the gully.
There was Il crash and n roar; Vim
cent saw a flash of light and lost
consciousness. How long this lasted
he did not know. He awoke with
the rain beating on his face. There
was dull pain in his head. The
ut'llOnl0CHl.
Crawling along the ground. guided
by the incessant flashes of light
ming, he reached the shelter of
rock. which he shared with an igu-
ana and a huge rock python, whose
shiny scales glistcned in the flame
from the heavens
The two reptiles cuddlcd up to the
explorer. The big snake ran his
fiat head between Nincent's coat
and his back, and lay motionless.
The lizard was more nervous, and
ran back and forth along the mar
row ledge. but lay most of the time
with his crested back resting against
Nincent's right arm.
Il was not afraid of them" Vim
cent explained later The storm
was 50 much more frightful than
they that | did not mind them.
knew that both of them were BARN
less, though that snake was big
enough TO swallow a deer or Il man.
But he was as scared at the storm
rs ! was. and tell YOU any com
pany was welcome that night. I
went asleep finally. and when | woke
mp the storm was over and the snake
and lizard were gone"
Simon Pence was venturing out of
his dungeon when the storm swept
in from the sea. He heard the roar
and dropped back in Sine TO miss n
palm tree, torn mp by the roots and
hurled over his head. An instant
later one Of the huge monoliths fell
from its pedestal and crashed
through the floor TO the south of
where he stood. He ran back and
forth shouting and waving his hands
in terror. From a hundred crcvices
the rain poured in streams upon the
hoor. At first il ran down the black
corridor, but as the storm increased
u began to rise. Inch by inch it
rose. The millionair" splashed
through the muddy food and took
r"fugc on slab Of stone which had
fallen from the floor above. Here
~" remained all night. the waters
steadily creeping toward him until
at last IL seemed to find an outlet
TO the west and remained station
airy. The idols and images i'm the
far corner were half buried i'm de-
briS and water The larger one
lifted its head above the flood. and
his wicked eyes CLEANED in their
sockets i'm the flashes 81 lightning.
Blue flames az electricity ran along
the walls Of tho cavern: balls Of fire
end Tongues ~ rhosphorceccnt flame
glovcd in ifs depths. Above the
roar and turmoil Of tho storm. Mr..
Pence I'D hear vailinp cries as Of
sowc ul in torment. II was prob
ably DIS imagination. hut there were
sounds o. IF giant were struggling
ON the shattered floors above his
head
through the long night Mr.. Pence
remained in this cavern and heard
the storm lashiue above his head.
NO sleep came a. his cvclide. When
day came and the last rumble Of IN ,
thunder died away Zoo the north.