Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-08
A King in Khaki
Continued from page 10

turb any of them; yet she must do something
The thought of the tunnel with its opening at
the other side of Fort Hill occurred to her.
She was sure she could find her way into it;
for she and the others had gone down into the
cellar to watch the servant set out on his
mission, and to await his return. The very Lam
tern he had used stood at the foot of the stairs
and was still lighted.
1t occurred to her as she took it up and
opened the door into the mouth of the tunnel
itself, that possibly an excursion to the other
end of it might not this time prove frultless.
1t was within the possibilities, she thought,
that the rescuing party might have got o Brien
as far as the tunnel mouth after the servant
had returned, and had been unable, in the
darkness, or on account of their own injuries,
to proceed any farther.
This thought lent wings to her feet. The
footing in the tunnel made running 1mprac-
ticable. but she hurried on at pace hardly
less 1aborious. The thing seemed lntermlnabe
1t was as matter of fact, nearly half mile
long, and that distance IN subterranean
passageway, of whose length one has no pre-
vious knowledge and no means OF estimating
the distance actually traversed, is enough to
account for such an impression
She came to the end at last; but found
nothing awaiting her there but disappoint-
ment Not only was there no trace of the for
1orn little party she had persuaded herself to
hope she might find there, but there was no
way out The mouth of the tunnel was choked
with perfect abatis of earth and fallen trees.
route, and the prospect OF retraclng her steps
through that endless tunnel was dreary one.
However, after little delay spent in con-
templating the clear lmposslblhty OF findlng
a way out through the tangle OF earth and
branches that blocked her passage, she picked
up her lantern again and started back toward
the other end of the tunnel
She told herself in starting that it would take
long time, now that she was no longer scram-
bling along in such mad haste. But even
that understanding the tunnel still stretched
unfortunately before her when she thought that
the end ought to be well in sight.
She began to wonder at last if she could have
got lost though how such mishap could occur
in a narrow and comparatively straight tunnel
she could not understand. Presently, how
ever she came upon a possible explanation
Ahead of her the tunnel forked, the man one,
or what she took to be the main one, running
off to the left, while the smaller one ran at an
acute angle a little to the right. She had en-
tirely failed to observe this fact when she was
going the other way.
She set down her lantern at the angle of the
two tunnels, and proceeded to little self
discipline It's quite absurd to be frightened,
SO she lectured herself. You know perfectly
well that you in the right track. The only
reason it seems longer is because you are get
ting little afraid of the dark. III let you go on
to the end just to satisfy every reasonable pre-
caution; but when you have found the door,
shall make you come back here and explore the
little tunnel"
one NODDED HeI IcdQ d. IlClSCA III o\dui-
escence in this decision, took up the lantern
again. and went on through the larger passage
way She found the end she was looking for
almost at once; indeed, the door could not have
been fifty PAGES beyond the point where the
little tunnel led off to the right
CHE paused there little reluctantly before
- turning back. The thought of daylight
seemed attractive, and her lantern smoked and
reeked in thoroughly obnoxious fashion.
But self imposed acts of penance were rather
common form of discipline with her, and, once
imposed. she generally went ahead and per
formed them. So she turned back and pro-
ceeded slowly, in order not to miss for second
time the mouth of the little tunnel.
She found it without difficulty, and in
very few minutes more found the end of it.
1t was enlarged here at the end into what
seemed to be little cell, six eight feet
square perhaps and about as high A heavy
iron ring was let into the rock in the middle of
one side of it and afforded her little shiver of
half pleasure, half dread. So this was the way
Calico Jack had treated his prisoners
She was about to leave the cell, when niche
in the farther wall attracted her attention. 1t
had been cut with some care and regularity,
and just about big enough for man to
stand up in
Tales of the old pirates piety came into
Christabels mind and she wondered whether
that niche had been hewn for the shrine of