Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-02-19
CHAPTER XXI.

TlE seconds after entering the
arroyo | was stumbling along
in an absolute blackness. 1t
IL almost seemed to me that I
could reach out my hands and touch
it, as one would touch a wall, or per-
haps not exactly that, for wall is
hard, and this darkness was soft and
yielding, in the manner of enveloping
hangings. Directly above me was a
narrow, jagged and irregular strip of
sky with stars. 1 splashed in the
brook, finding its waters strangely
warm, rustled through the grasses, my
head back, chin out, hands extended
as one makes his way through a house
at night. There were no sounds ex-
cept the tinkle of the sulphurous
stream. Successive bends in the can
yon wall had shut off even the faint
est echoes of the bacchanalia on the
beach.
The way seemed much longer than
by daylight. Already in my calcula
ton I had traversed many times the
distance, when with jump at the
heart l made out glow ahead and in
front of it the upright logs Of the
stockade.
To my surprise the gate, was open.
l assembled the gentle slope to the val
ley's level and stumbled over a man
lying PROSTATE, shivering violently and
moaning.
l bent over to discover whom ii
seemed to fill the valley. throwing an
illumination on the man at my feet.
I saw ii was the niger and perceived
at the same instant that he was almost
beside himself with terror His eyes
rolled. his teeth chartered. his frame
contracted in strong convulsion, and
the black of his complexion had faded
to washed out dirty gray, revolving
to contemplate. He felt my touch
and sprang TO his feet. clutching me
rescue.
My Gawdr' he shivered. Look.
Oar it is again.
He fell to pattering in a tongue I'M
known TO me-charrns, spells undoubt-
eddy TO exercise the devils that had
hold of him. | followed the direction
of his gaze and myself cried ont.
The doctors laboratory stood in
plain sight between the two columns
of steam blown straight upward
tbra,,0b tho St;TInasS 90 fha o,.o,;no
1t seemed bursting with light. Every
little crack leaked it in generous
streams. while the main illumination
appeared fairly 10 bulge the walls out
ward. This was In itself nothing ex-
traOrdinary and indicated only the ac-
tlvity of those within. but while look
ed an irregular patch Of incandescence
suddenly splashed the cliff opposite
For a single instant the very substance
OF the rock giowed white hot. Then
from the spot a shower Of spiteful
fakes shot as from a pyrOtechnic and
the light was blotted out as suddenly
as il came.
At the same moment It appeared az
another point. exhibited the same
phenomena. died. flashed ont at still
a third place. and so was repeated
here and there with bevildering IA
pidfty until the walls Of the valley
cracked and spat sparks. Abruptly
the darkness fell. As abruptly il was
broken again By a similar exhibition.
only this tine the FIRE was blue. Blue
was followed by purple. purple by red
Then ensued the briefest possible
pause. in which figure moved across
the bars Of light escaping through the
chinks Of the laboratory. and then the
whole valley blazed with patches Of
varicOIored FIRE II was not a refec-
ton. Il was actual physical con1agTa-
ton Of the solid rock in irregular
areas Some Of the FIRE shapes were
most fantastic And with the uneX-
DectedneSs Of 3 bursting shell the sur
face Of the ground before our feet
cracked into a CHASTITY blue fame.
The niger uttered q cry in his throat
and disappeared felt sharp breath
On my neck an ejaculation q surprise I
az ny ear II vas starting ezouSh to I
scare the sogI out Of = nan hut I (
held fast ard was just asrsut to step
forward vhen ny collar vas twisted :