The San Francisco call., 1904-04-10

foremost men, ana, taxing torch Mill
SELF General Ling leaped down. The
men followed in dead silence, curiosity
overwhelming their fears and SORROWS,
and crowded down the narrow hallway
with many muttered exclamations OF
astonishment. Upon reaching the end
of the dark passageway another great
opening met their wondering eyes. A
large space had been opened directly
above the stone stairway. Down the
stairs we passed, and the room below
and its secret was in plain view.
looked about me at the peering
faces, as the men stepped forward to
see the contents of the apartment
With his usual foresight, General Ling
had had the sarcophagus placed within
the wooden case, so that a plain box,
five feet high and seven feet long. was
all that was exposed to- view. did not
know how many, if any, of those men
dreamed what the box contained. but
thought by the action of some that they
suspected that the sacred treasure" of
Cling Ling was a corpse. But, my i'm
agiration being a capricious quantity,
| put aside idle speculation and went to
work with the others.
1t was plain that the most difficult
task before us-at least within the
temple-was to move the box the first
step, or up the hallway above the room
in which 1T rested. The stairway was
cut in the solid rock and could not be
removed. Moreover, it was composed
of wide steps and only five of them in
number. Ropes were let down and de-
f1ected into the room and placed around
the box, and repeated trials were made
before there was any gain. When at
last the box was lifted, the ropes could
not be raised sufficiently and the weight
swung to the steps, striking them with
a terrific crash, which showed, for one
thing al least, that it was solid and able
to stand all that could be reasonably
expected of 1t.
Ii did not care to have that expert
ment repeated, and he inquired imme
diately if there was not a room directly
above that in which the box stood.
General Ling answered affirmatively,
and Ii advised that the floor of that
room be taken up His suggestion
seemed a practicable one; the work was
instantly commenced. A number of
men went above and the work of rails
ing the floor and removing the loose
l.
guarded the sarcophagus, those about
us clearing away the debris which fell
through the growing aperture. Sud-
denly and without warning a great
slab, loosened from it's bed of sur
rounding dirt, came crashing down up
on us. / barely escaped having my leg
caught uDder it; and a priest at my
side, who had been especially valuable
because of his authority over others
and his notable activity and watchful-
ness, received a terrific blow on the
head and sank with a groan between
Colonel Ii and myself.
Colonel Ii jumped quickly to the
poor mans rescue, and with my as
sistance drew him from the debris and
dust into an adjoining apartment,
which l had not seen before, where the
soldiers who had guarded the sarcopha-
gus slept. The blow had been received
fairly on the head crushing in the wire
net in which Quelpartiens put up their
hair, and had inflicted serious if not
fatal wound.
Men were at once sent for water, and
[. remembering my flask in the pocket
Of my great coat. went to the temple,
where / had cast it aside.
As / hurried through the temple of
ching-ling for my whisky flask, / felt a
in the air which gave me a
sudden, terrible warning. 1 thought at
first the accident had played a little
trick on my nerves, and, as / retraced
my steps. drew away at my flask my
self. But mott was not that Every
thing took on new appearance. and I