The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-12-21
CHAPTER XXI.
THE MIRACLE AT THE CAVE.
EvTER their nirht Of rnrrn1

with the first peep of dawn
he was up himself and vigorously rout-
ing them out of their lairs
Malanaga Jared no better than the
rest II Vartra had been Berlin, Har-
rison would have got nothing less than
a life sentence for his lese majestic, the
way he jostled the royal shoulder and
baWled into the royal ear, and gener-
ally disturbed the royal sIumbers.
They had promised him an early start
he signihed to them. and they must
keep their word; for the enchantress
could only do her best work when the
delay might result in deciding untOward
manifestations.
You bet it might he added with
grim humor to himself. Such a mani
festation, for instance, as a ship com
ing into the harbor before We are
ready to see her"
At last. though, the yawning. heavy
eyed bunch were ready for the start
and the march, with the chief. jim and
Helene at its head. was taken I'D inst
as the sun popped his head up over the
rim Of the ocean.
The sacred cave. It seemed, was quite
a distance away from The village. being
located among the frowning cliffs on
the westward shore OF the island: and
the Journey thither was a rather ardu-
GUS one-even periIous in spots.
Malanaga explained that the easiest
road was from the harbor. skirtinr
around the coast. and after traversine
mile or more of this. Jim wondered
what the others must be like TO be
styled even by courtesy a path.
The trail they were following led nm
sharply from the little strip OF beacb
around the bay. and was so narrou,
and precipitous that only in single file
could they proceed at all.
Soon they found themselves high I'm
on the bluffs, with nothing between
them and the ocean laundering avvav
among the Jagged rocks at the base.
More than once Harrison's heart was
IN mis- mouth. as he watched Helene &c
say some shaky passage; but upheld nv
excitement, she tripped along tauntiIv
and fearlessly. showing indeed less ner-
Vousness and fatigue over the tou-,av
than did any Of the rest.
is this our destination so soo,, .,
she asked gaily, when the chief a, Ias+
signaled for halt. Why, coming her
Is mere breather- And now. Wbera g.
the case?" -
Malanaga, grown almost as r,,,{,1, -,
to catch the drift of one of their GO
tons as if he understood the wor,Ig
pointed to a rude flight of stems on,
into the clay, which led almost perner-
0icularly up the cliff.
But 1 can see nothing" she av
claimed bewildering. The stems ston
snort dozen feet up, and above thar 10
only blank wall"
Then she flushed with cbaerIr, ~ H.
leit Jim's warning pressure on her arm,
ana remembered that the openine- nc
supposed to be concealed.
Lightly she sprang forward. sraItno,
lhe steep irregular fOotholds. ana a
moment later was at the ton.
1es' she called. breathlessly. down
10 JIM II IS here A narrow orifce.
that shaIl have 20 crawl into on nv
HdIos ana knees but can see that it
widens out on the inside"
Then she abruptly disappearad f-,-,
view.
She was gone a long time, but this
oid not worry Jim particularly as he
surmised that among such an ernbar-
rassment Of riches. she found il hard
10 decide just what to take.
Realizing. too. that IL would ba -,
possible for any one to SPY upon her
or even approach the caves entrance
without his knowledge, he turned ~
watch the antics of his retinue -bo
were beguiling the tedium of waiting
by shooting with a curious kind Of
slung-shot at the sea fowl as they dart
ed in and out from their nests along
The cliff below.
Re!o9rkably expert did the narksnen
SHOW themselves. too, WITT their nrirni-
tive weapon, and many a IuckIess bird
fen squawkins and Tapping into the
sea rs a result of their precision.
BY Jove, 1 wonder If 1 could do
Z at2' cried Jim. attracted by the sport
I used TO be pretty good with the
s'"ug-shot when I was a kid. Here,
Malanaga,' extending his hand. 'Iet
me have your gun a minute. and see
how l make out
Malanaga cOurteOusly insisted that
the sling was Jim's TO keep, II he would
do him the honor to accept Il, and then
called all his men back. while the Chi
casoan dug ont a suitable pebble from
the dark, sticky clay, and prepared for
his cast.
But that throw was never made. Just