The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-04
AN AERIAL RUNAWAY
By ". p and C.. p Chipman.
Copyright 1901. Lothrop Publishing Company.
and C.. p. Chipnsats.
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
t The Midnight Plot
1t had seemed strange the castaways that Admaxla
should be familiar with the interior OF
the temple only did he know the secret and seldom
used way the top Of the dome and the exact location
Of the tank in which the high priest chaeu was gwen
his involuntary BATH but there scarcely nook OF
of the huge structure and certainly not single
apartment of which he did not know the exact location
the way reach it, and the to which it put
This knowledge of the sacred edfce and its surround
ings explained by the lad himself later on, however,
when the visitors had acquired his language He told
them he was the second son of Tupac brother
having died about eighteen months before AS the
cas- Office always descended to the eldest son. Admax
accordance with another custom of the land by which
the roll of the priesthood kept full at the
Of twelve years, assigned to the temple service.
city, under the immediate charge Of chacu who from
the first dsked the youngster Possibly Admaxla was
somewhat to blame for this antpathy of the priest Nat
ura1y overlooking with animal spirits, and keen enough
to detect fraud and hypocrisy in the life Of the old
eccesias he made it his chief business to dog the
mans footsteps and to play all manner of jokes upon
him at every opportunity.
Upon one occasion the high priest had found Admax-
Ia at the foot of the ladder leading to the dome and
vexed lad should have ventured far what
forbidden ground to all the members OF the priest
HIMSELF he had thrown the intruder into the sup
ply tank, which happened at that time to be open
After swimming about for some time, Admaxla dis
covered fight of steps which led out of the water at
the opposite end Of the reservoir and escaped The
memory the incident left him; and when OPP
portunity to give the high priest taste of his
own medicine, he was only too glad make of it.
On the death of his elder brother, Admaxla, to his
great relief had been taken home again. he
his fathers heir and the arrival of the strangers found
him serving chasqu of the preparatory steps to
his ultimate position.
Aware that the lad knew much about him which
not his credit and suspecng that he knew more than
he really did, Chacu hated Admaxa even worse than he
did Tupac and Chasca; and it extremely CALLING to
him that the youth destined in time to succeed to the
powerful craftsmanship in the state. This anmos-
lily had famed into white heat by the betroth
Al of to ChaSC0. The
moy had taken place the day the aeronauts landed
upon the cliffs and explains why Tupac and his family
happened be in the white city when they arrived there
AS the only child of Chasca, this proposed
rage would eventually unite the two most powerful
offices in the land-the Lord of the Treasury and the
Lord of the Quipus-in person. circumstance that
had before happened in the history Of the nation
The sending of Admaxa to be with the strange guests
had only added fuel to the fire, and his
in the building constant of irrita
ton to the high priest While the latter had suspicion
Of the part played by Professor Barton and in the
disarranging the ens he did Admaxla with
the dousng he had received in the tank He in fact
garded the lad as upon his own movements and de-
termned in way to get rid Of him. At length he
to decision, and sent for his nephew, Topaz cur
Of Arauco.
On the very evening that Professor Barton an
to his friends that he had solved the problem
of their from the plateau only the high priest
allow them another undisturbed two weeks, that
dgnary and Topaz in close consultation in the pri
vate apartments of the priest
II tell you'' the younger saying cit is
high time something done to show Chasca and Tupac
that they cannot have their way in everything.'
"Exactly,' his uncle assented, "and that is just
the reason have called you here have plan which
trouble for Chasca and Tupac and also for those
accursed strangers The boy Admaxa is in great favor
with the strangers and stays with them constantly Now
we can, pretex other gain control of the
fellow; and eonfne him I'm your district charge
the visitors with his disappearance and bring about
. rupture between them and Tupac. Perhaps ear
bring them to trial for the crime Then after they
Of the way, mysteriousy produce the lad
claiming the gods have returned him by ntereesson
and greatly enhance influence among the people
By the act also shall have placed both Tupac
and under obligations to Do you think il
worth the tral1''
The paced back and forth for few minutes
in silence. Then he said scornfuIy:
''Admaxla is fool, and he would know who car
ried him off, and where he confined So the moment
released he would give the whole thing away, and
bring down the soldiers of Chasca and Tupao upon
We should be plunged into another civil strife and