The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-02-24

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 yokes, 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 its 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 its re-
venge upon the human ants gnawing
at its vitals and smothered them by
a 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 will
few Inadequate stores. Possibly he
had arranged to be taken off within q
fixed time.
But q sampan laden with Dyak pi-
rates came first, and the intrepid ex-
plorer's bones rested near the well
while his head had gone to decorate
the hut of some fierce village chief
The murderers, after burying their OWL
dead-for the white man fought hard
witness the empty cartridges-searcheG
the island Some of them, ignorantly
inuuisitive. descended into the hollow
They remained there The others. su
pcrstitious barbarans, fled for their
iiycg. embarking so hastily that they
look from the cave neither tools noi
Dill. though they would greatly prize
:hesc articles.
Such was the tragic web he spun. q
compound of fact and fancy. 1t ex
planned all perplexities save one. What
did go divided by II 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 1t hidden from
herr Was not the CHASTITY knowledge
better than the horror of chance ram
BILE through the wood and the shock Of