The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-06-29

mere skeletons. A few bodies-nine
the sailor counted-yet preserved some
resemblance Of humanity. These lat
ter were scattered among the older rel
les. They wore the clothes of Dyaks.
Characteristic hats and weapons de-
noted their nationality. The others,
the first harvest Of this modern Col
| gotha, might have been Chinese COO
| lies. When the sailors fascinated vi
sion could register details he distin-
guished Jokes, baskets, odd looking
spades and picks strewn amid the
bones. The animals were all of one
type-small, lanky, with long pointed
skulls. At last he spied withered
hoof. They were pigs.
Over all lay thick coating of fine
sand, deposited from the eddying winds
that could never reach the silent
depths. The place was grewsome, hor-
ribly depressing. jerks broke out into
clammy perspiration. He seemed to
be looking at the secrets Of the grave
At last his superior intelligence as
serted itself. His brain became clear
er, recovered it's power Of analysis. He
began to criticise, reflect, and this is
the theory he evolved:
Some one, long ago, had discovered
valuable minerals in the volcanic rock.
Mining operations were in full blast
when the extinct volcano took it's re-
venge upon the human ants gnawing
at it's vitals and smothered them by
deadly outpouring Of carbonic acid
gas, the bottled up poison of the ages.
A horde of pigs, running wild over the
island-placed there no doubt by Chi
nese fishers-had met the same fate
while intent on dreadful orgy.
Then there came European who
knew how the anhydrate gas, being
heavier than the surrounding air, set
tied like water in that terrible hollow.
He, too, had striven to wrest the treas
ure from the stone by driving tunnel
into the cliff. He had partly succeeded
and had gone. away, perhaps to obtain
help, after crudely registering his
knowledge on the lid of tin canister.
This, again, probably fell into the
hands of another man, who, curious
but unconvinced, caused himself to be
set ashore on this desolate spot with
few inadequate stores Possibly he
had arranged to be taken off within a
fixed time
But a sampan laden with Dyak pi-
rates came first, and the intrepid ex-
plorer's bones rested near the we'll,
while his head had gone to decorate
the hut Of some fierce village chief.
The murderers, after burying their own
dead-for the white man fought hard,
witness the empty cartridges searched
the island. Some Of them, ignorantly
inquisitive, descended into the hollow.
They remained there. The others, su-
perstitious barbarians, fed for their
lives, embarking so hastily that they
took from the cave neither tools nor
oil, though they would greatly prize
these articles.
Such was the tragic web he spun, a
compound of fact and fancy. It ex-
planned all perplexities save one. What
did "32 divided by T. mean? Was
there yet another fearsome riddle
awaiting solution?
And then his thoughts flew to Iris.
Happen what might, her bright picture
was seldom absent from his brain.
Suppose, egg hunting, she had Stun
bled across this valley of death! How
could he hope to keep it hidden from
her? Was not the CHASTITY knowledge
better than the horror Of chance ram
Ole through the wood and the shock of