The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-06-05
CHAPTER XIV.
THE TREASURE CAVE.

plets moon bon sse1f IN the wss wsst full bof of
feeble shadows and silver interspaces,
and all that tense silence Of evening
upon unpeopled localities.
Keasenes stood upon the top Of
huge mooolith, listening. Below, with
only her face In the faint moonlight,
was Rache., looking up to him. Anu
bis, oppressed by the voiceless expect
ancy Of tie two young people, crouch
ed at his masters feet For awhile
there was only the ringing turmoil OF
his own quickened blood in the young
mans ears, but presently up from the
southern slope rose the sound he mad
heard some minutes before-a long,
quavering note, ending in a high eerie
wall
.ssome one calleth of surety" he
said, land by the voice it is woman
ct is Deborah, come up from the
camp to seek for me.' Rachel ex-
claimed.
with all the haste possible on the
rough slope they descended. The ground
was familiar to kenkenes, for the
niche was near the foot Of the decliv-
halfway down he called again, and
ehe answer came up from the hiding
place Of AtLor. In another moment
they ware within and beside the pros
frate form of the old Israelite. Rachel
dropped ON her knees, crying out in
her solitude,
The Lord God break them in pieces
and his fury be upon themw Rachel
cried. -They set upon her and beat
her and left her to the ic.cASa1s!!''
SET consume ther,!" kenkene- re
sponded wrathfully. "How came the--
upon you:"
After q grim silence, broken only by
the low weeping Of Rachel, Kenkenes
bade her continue
.The search they made for you was
not thorough, for one was Ill and both
were afraid. But they came upon the
statue again, and the sight Of it Knocked
them, so they overthrew it and broke
IT.
Nenksnes drew sharp breath and
glanced at the place where Athor
should have been. Except for them
selves, the niche was evidently vacant.
he turned to the two women, who
had talked softly together in Hebrew,
and spoke lightly.
'sWe have shelter for this night safer
than any other place in all Egypt.
Trouble no more concerning that. The
shelter for us is in the elf to the north,
near Toora. It is tomb, but others
before us have partake2 Of the dead's
hospitality"
/. Taking Deborah up, Kenkenes set
Hed her on one strong arm against his
breast The free hand he extended to
Rachel, who had taken the mating.
and together they went laboriously
down the steep front Of the hill.
He had covered his boat well with
me tangie Of sedge and marsh vines.
and after a long space of search he
found it.
Once again he lifted Deborah and
lajd her in the bottom Of the boat. With
Ss triple burden the bari sank low in
fhe wafer. but Kenkenes welded the
oars carefully. The faint moonlight
showed him the way. Now and then
a red g,imm r across the grain marked
fhe locatio Of a farmers hut, but
there was no other sign OF life. Even
at the Memphian shore there was little
activity.
When the line of cultivation ended
Kenkenes kEew he was in the pre-
cincts Of the Marsh Of the Discomfort
ed Soul. He rowed across what he be-
ueyed to be one-half Of its width and
drew into the reeds He dragged the
bari far ua on the shore, once more
lifted Deborah and started up the
warm sand.
AT the base Of the limestone cliff he
deposited his burden and brought to-
getner little heap Of dried reeds and
Gag blades. This he fred after many
failures by striking together his chisel
and a stone. Rachel hid the blaze from
The Nile while he made and lighted
torch Of twisted reeds and stamped out
the fire. liz the feeble moonlight be
discerred a stairway Of rough hewn
steps leading into e cavity in the wall.
The southern sioe Of the ascent was
sheltered By an outstanding buttress OF
rock.
He put the torch into Rachers hand
a1G. taking up Deborah, climbed
dozen steps to a dark opening half
closed by a fallen door. Pushing the
obstruction aside with his foot, he en-
tered. When they were all within he
closed the entrance and unrolled the
reeds.
There was a helter skelter of nice
past them ana rustic Of retiring in
sects. The torch blazed brightly and
showed him a squat copper lamp On
fhe aoor Of the outer chamber. The
vessel contained sandy dregs OF oil ard