Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-17

~ was dark. 1t must have
fore l attempted to move,
and l gradually came back to fuller
consciousness of what had happened.
My eyes peered round curiously into
the darkness In the vague hope Of dis
covering something that might help
me, but the shadows were impenetra-
BILE What was it that had happened?
At last | put out my hand cautiously.
1t came in contact with something. 1t
was something rough and hard and
cool, and instinctively | drew 1t back.
Again / put 1t out, and this time felt
for the place on which was lying. 1t
was soft and warm, like very fine dry
sand | thought l had been perfectly
silent, but l suppose I must have made
some noise loud enough to be heard in
the utter stiffness of the place.
A low, cautious whisper reached me.
"Wheest mon,' it said in q tone which
somehow brought everything back up
on my mind with vividness of light
ming blaze. "Ah wadna jist say it
was over canny tae max ony noise the
moo"
"Is that you, Menzies?" l whispered
anxiously.
100. aye, sir; Am thinkin' it's a.
that's left o. me anyway. An hos
yersel' after a. said an duneW
l felt myself over with my hands
before attempting to reply, hardly ex
pecting to find myself entire, tliugh I
felt no pain. The result OF my anves-
tigation was encouraging.
II seem to be all right, MenGies," l
whispered after a pause. but where
are we? Surely we must be on shore"
ION shore, div We say? There's nae
doobt O. that. for there ne'er was craft
WI sac uncanny smell O. damp earth
an rocks as this But hoo we cam
here All dinna ken. for Am thinkin'
All must ha' got bit ding on th- heed
wnan the deevfls blew up. The Lord
be thankit for'tp'
sit might have been better for US
after all If we had gone up with them
ourselves | said despondently. 1T
was a quick end, at any rate"
"Wheest, SIR" he whispered impress
lively, while there's life hopes no
deed. Am thinkin' All wudna won
der but ye MIGHT say yet wi aud King
David, by the Lords help We haze
loupit over wall. an mair by token
this feels unco like a wall O. some
sort"
81 wish we had some light, IL it were
only to see what the place is like" I
whispered impatiently.
"Weel, Am no sure but there's a
licht comm. Yell no forget tae max
a. the use ye can OF when it's here"
It was true There was faint red
glow that seemed to mix with the
darkness, though as yet it didn't en-
able us to see anything. l raised my
self on my elbow and looked eagerly
around. Little by little 1t grew stronger
until at last 1t came suddenly into
sight as IL from an entrance at right
angles to the place in which we lay
The light came from faring torch
| made Of something that looked like
twisted cocoanut fibers, no doubt
soaked in grease, which blazed up with
a wayering fame that threw only IN
uncertain light on everything but the
little party of some half dozen men
who accompanied the man who carried
II. Seen by that red, smoky blaze
/ they were strange, brutal looking
| party. Olive tinted, brown, black and
yellow, with shaggy hair and fierce
eyes, they seemed to be at least hall
intoxicated, and in their fantastic
clothing, made up Of bright colored
TUNES, coats and vests, they looked
like a troupe of crazy actors escaped
| from pantomime.
had but just time to notice that
Menzies and / seemed to have been
thrown down on a bed OF soft SAND
| that formed the floor of some sort OF
cave, one side of which was formed OF
what looked like vast blocks of roughly
| hewn rock laid one on the other with.
out any mortar between. Menzies,
| who wasn't dozen yards away, SAT
/ up blinking with daZzled eyes at the
smoky red light near the middle of the
cavern, while was close to the wall
/ which must have been what touched
when first l put out my hand. In an
other instant we We're surrounded by
the party, amid perfect babel OF ex-
CARNATIONS in what sounded like hall
dozen languages, and found myself
roughly seized and dragged to my feet
Resistance would of course have been
madness, as they were not only three
or four to one, but were also armed
with large knives or daggers, Wnlch
they tiourished before our eyes. l,
was like some wild nightmare-the
cavern, with the huge cyclopean wall
on which the smoky light glanced anc
sparkled, the wild, masquerading ng
ures. with their discordant speech and
hoarse laughter; the strange stunned
sensation, in which were mingled a
confused recollection of the past anc
a puzzled perception Of present danger
Our guard or execntioners-for M.
first impression was that we We're be
ing dragged out to be killed--marchet
us off in a kind of rude procession, II
which the torchbearer went first ant
Menzies. held on each side by a guart
and followed by third, like myself
came last. After the first few yard
we turned sharply to the right. ana II
another minute we We're in the opel
oir Tbara was n soft breeze tina