Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-21

mated at not less than 70 pounds
As nearly as they could judge, aft.
er carefully estimating the weight
of each image, the total was about
1875 pounds.
"How much is gold worth a
| pound?" asked Vincent, as he held
an idol out at arms length. He re-
nlembered that he could hold OUT
a weight of 30 pounds, and this one
required all of his muscular effort
Gold is worth about 1924 a
pound" said Mr.. Pence. "That is
| based on the amount of gold in
! coins. This looks like pure gold TO
me. 1t is awful soft. Don't rub
that image like that; you will wear
| it out. What time is it?"
Vincent had no watch; neither had
Mr.. Pence, but they thought it was
about three o'clock in the afternoon.
eve must be going back at once"
said Vincent. What are we going
to do with those things? We can't
carry them with us. Let's each take
two of the smaller ones and start
along. We can get help tomorrow
and carry the rest of them to the
bungalow. In the meanwhile we
will put them back in that vault
What are you talking about,
man." exclaimed Simon Pence.
go and leave this gold here?
Never. Never, sir, never! Go away
and leave S350,0oo in gold unguard-
aIC ;,,1- of -
back to camp and get help. L will
remain
who is going to find it or steal
it?" demanded Vincent. "The
chances are that no one has been
here before in a thousand years If
they had been, the gold would not
he here. 1t is as safe as in a vault
in New York. Come along, Mr..
Pence. How dark it 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. I
am not afraid. I will stay all night
If necessary. Come back in 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 go
ing to be an awful storm IT looks
like hurricane. Come on; YOU
must not remain here"
Go back, and let me alone" said
M We
leave here alive with this gold I'M
guarded. l have a gun. ] am not
afraid. Go on back to the camp.
Tell them the gold is ours--all ours.
Ii l stay here and take care of it,
l ought to have more than half of
it. Go ahead, before the storm
breaks.'
III was useless to argue with him.
Vincent bade him goodbye and
started on a run for Morton's Bay.
He had not gone quarter of a
mile before the storm struck the is
land The first blast swept him
from his feet. A falling tree half
buried him in its branches. and his
race was scratched and bleeding. A
few rods away was a gully. Strug-
gllng to his feet he ran and crawled
IN that direction. He remembered
reaching the edge of the gully.
There was a crash and a roar: Vim
cent saw fash 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
rage of the storm was demoniacal.
Crawling along the ground. guided
by the incessant flashes of light
ming, he reached the shelter of a
rock, which he shared with an igu-
ana and huge rock python, whose
shiny scales glistened in the flame
from the heavens.
The two reptiles cuddled 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
Vincent's right arm.
Il was not afraid of them,'' Vim
cent explained later. "The storm
was so much more frightful than
they that l did not mind them. I
knew that both of them were harm
less, though that snake was big
enough to swallow deer or man.
But he was as scared at the storm
as ! was, and I tell you any com
pany was welcome that night. I
went asleep finally, and when / woke
up 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 time to miss a
palm tree, torn up 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 hundred crevices
the rain poured in streams upon the
floor. At first it ran down the black
corridor hnt e-%S