Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-22

he saw old Amos coming cautiously up the
hill. AS the old man had seen Arthur's
hurried trip across the river and back he
guessed that something unusual was going
on and had come to see what 1t was
Just as Hugh was about to tell the others
of old Amos presence, the explosion came
Simultaneous with the shock the boys saw
quantities of earth and rocks shoot up into
the air: then. with roar. avalanche Of
water burst out of the niche and swept
down upon them. Though ali three sprang
| desperately to one side, the food caught
them. and they were borne down the bank
like corks Old Amos, too bewildered to
escape, though he had the chance. was
bowled over and carried along with the
others. About sixty feet from the place
where it struck the boys the volume OF
water became different that they were
all stranded, after much rolling and tum-
bling. in various positions on the slope.
Hugh and George were landed in a brush
heap. Arthur was left clingtng to tree
and the old fisherman was wedged In be-
tween two trees and half buried with mud
and uprooted bushes. The boys were the
first to eXtricate- themselves. Drenched
bruised and bleeding, but not seriously in
jured. they were sorry specimens.
''Whered it come from?' gasped all three
in chorus
There can't be anything in that old In
dams warning
Here Arthur was cut short by the sight Of
old Amos boiling wildly down the hill
among the trees. Look" he cried. then:
"Wait a minute. Mr.. Gibson he shouted.
But Mr.. Gibson would not wait; at the
sound of the voice he only ran the harder.
with never a look behind To the dazed
and muddled brain of the old man it seemed
that. in accordance with the legend, some
Indian spirit had indeed shaken the hill
with voice of thunder. and then loosed the
water upon the disturbing treasure seekers.
Lets go up and look" suggested Arthur
a few minutes later.
He started up the hill toward the niche,
and Hugh and George followed still with
out speaking. They made detours around
the hollow and came out just above it,
where they could first survey the ground
before venturing too near. From here they
saw that the basin of the niche was strewn
with fresh earth and pieces of rock: that a
yaWning hole of three or four square feet
had been torn into the bank. out of which a
little stream of water trickled and ran
down the channel that had been cut by the
outburSt.
When the puzzled boys scrambled down
in front of the opening. they found that 1t
led into a shallow cave which extended
into the rocks nearly twenty feet, and was
about five feet high by four wide. The
mystery of the out-breaking water was ex-
planned, but the boys still felt that it's
coincidence with the warning in the legend
uncanny. and they hesitated to enter
For few moments they strained their eyes
into the semi-darkness of the little cavern.
There was no hint of anything unreal, and
no sign of hidden Indian hoard All three
crept forward, closely scanning the rough,
dripping walls. the slightly arching roof
and the smooth floor But they found moth
ing Nor was there anything unusual in the
appearance of the little rockbounded cham
Der. 1t was simply a space in the ledge
that had been filled with water whose
natural outlet had been long stopped until
the blast of powder had opened way Of
escape.
The boys soon came out. picked up their
tools and went home, feeling extremely
foolish and crestfallen.~ Arthur was espe-
cially so. for on him rested the unpleasant
duty of confessing that he had meddled
with the blasting powder. However. he
manfuliy told the story of the exploit and
met the reprimand like Trojan. 1t Is
hardly needful to add that it was a long
time before either the boys or old Amos Glib
son heard the last of the treasure of the
Iroquois' And who It was Of the four that
watched with the most interest on the next
rainy day for the mist to curl up as usual
out of that little hollow in the wooded
slope It would be hard to say.