Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-01-06

What is that moaning sound? We
must go back. 1t is going to storm"
II will never leave this gold here!"
said Mr.. Pence. cit is not safe.
You go back and / will remain. I
am not afraid. 1 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 90
ing to be an awful storm. 1t looks
like a 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 I'M
guarded. have gun. am not
afraid. Go on back to the campo
Tell them the gold is ours-all ours.
1t stay here and take care of it,
I ought to have more than half of
it. Go ahead, before the storm
breaks!"
It was useless to argue with him.
Vincent babe him goodbye and
started on a run for Alorton's Bay.
He had not gone quarter of
mile before the storm struck the is
land. The first blast swept him
from his feet. A falling tree half
buried him in it's branches, and his
face was scratched and bleeding. A
few rods away was a gully. Strug-
Cling to his feet he ran and crawled
in that direction. He remembered
reaching the edge of the gully.
There was crash and roar; Vim
cent saw 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
rage of the storm was demoniacal.
Crawling along the ground, guided
by the incessant flashes of light
ming, he reached the shelter of q
rock, which he shared with an igu-
ana and huge rock python. whose
shiny scales glistened in the fame
from the heavens.
The two reptiles cuddled up to the
explorer. The big snake ran his
fiat head between Vincent'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 I did not mind them. L
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 I was, and tell you any COM
pany was welcome that night.
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 anG
forth shouting and waving his hands
in terror. From a hundred crevices
the rain poured in streams upon thu
| floor. At first it ran down the black
corridor, but as the storm increased
| it began to rise. Inch by inch it
rose. The millionaire splashed
through the muddy food and took
refuge on slab of stone which had
fallen from the floor above. Here
he remained all night, the waters
steadily creeping toward him until
| at last it seemed to find an outlet
to the west and remained station
airy. The idols and images in the
far corner were half buried in de-
bris and water. The larger one
lifted it's head above the flood, and
his wicked eyes CLEANED in their
sockets in the flashes of lightning
Blue flames of electricity ran along
the walls of the cavern; balls. of fire
and tongues of phosphorescent flame
glowed in its depths. Above the
roar and turmoil of the storm, Mr.
Pence could hear wailing cries as Of
some soul in torment. It was prob
ably his Imagination, but there were
sounds as if giants We're struggling
on the shattered floors above his
head.
Through the long night Mr.. Pence
remained in this cavern and heard
the storm flashing above his head
No sleep came to his eyelids. When
day came and the last rumble of the
thunder died away in the north
he was so cramped he could hardly
move. He succeeded in wadine
through the water, and after mucl
effort crawled out into the opel
air bringing one OF the idols wit
him. In the warmth of the sun hi
clothes soon dried. He sat dow
beneath tree where he could waite,
the opening Of the cave. He close
his eyes for a moment and fel
asleep.
When Vincent awolse and foun'
himself alive and not much injured
except for confusion on the bacl
OF his head, he hunted for the idol
and soon found them. He was jus
starting to return to the ruined cit,
when he heard shout to the north
and the next instant the. report o
gun. Vincent shouted in return
and in a few minutes saw Sidne,
Hammond and Palmer j. Morto.
Il . y