Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-05

hands together.
on across and help me tie myself in
safe knot"
Megss would fain have urged him not
to go further in the matter. but knew
better than to confirm him in his resolu-
ton by doing so. However. he reserved
in his own mind the right to pull him up
when he thought proper.
And presently O'Dare slipped gently
over the lower lip in q reclining posture.
securely fastened to the rope that Meggs
and his assistants were slowly paying out.
With him he had lamp and in his
pockets plentiful candles. A signal line
was made fast to the rope at a point well
within his reach.
Eyes. I'm safely over" he called back
to them. 1.-THE edge is smooth as ice
| there's no fear Of the rope fraying. Lower
Don't pull me up before I'm ready
They paid out foot by foot the long
coil they had laid out on the steps be-
hind them, and with each went an equal
length Of signal line. Meggs kept his
seemed an endless interval no sign came
from below, he made his crew hold fast.
They did so; three strong tugs brought
the command Lower away" Unwfll-
ingly did Meggs comply. and, when they
the depleted COLL the three tugs thrice
repeated showed how impatient to pro-
coed was the explorer.
"Counfound him!" Meggs snapped. his
mind divided between annoyance and
or hundred feet more wen yank him
up out Of that"
But. Notwithstanding. he had allowed
the limit to pass before from out OF the
depths . single pull said stop"
Corbyn and Allardyce had not been idle
while the other two were busy. They
timed the shells and found that they
were arriving 1T fairly regular intervals
Of five minutes. Waiting till one had
fallen and exploded they reached the open
air and set out on tour Of inspection.
At the stairway all was well. The men
within the solid walls at top were sitting
under shelter. passing the time at cards
with cartridges for currency. There was
no superfuity OF ammunitS1h among them
now. An extra round might well mean
life itself ere they were through. Which
added zest to the uncertainty of euchre.
At the loopholes on ground level the
lookouts were alert. but there was moth
ing to be seen on the wide expanse be-
fore them. and on either hand the plain
lay empty till the sheer. shoe-shaped
rock face shut 1t in. Round the circular
curve Of their great natural fortress they
could not. Of course. see. but even AL
though the huts and barns and houses
there had been alive with men it would
not have disturbed their equanimity.
They clambered up the winding stair
again. and. always watchful for the
shrieking missile which came hurting
out Of space with such monotonous at
taohment to set time. passed through
the wrecked rooms underneath the brick
and plaster tower. reaching the outhouses
behind without mischance.
There they found much to interest them
among the medley OF pseudo-scientiic
Ybarra had been wont to amuse himself
during his frequent sojourns at the ha-
cienda. There was q great rrofusion Of
ill-kept chemical apparatus, broken ma
chinery. drawings. models of every mod
ern ambition from airships to armored
motor cars and quick-firing cannon.
Allardyce poked and pried among them.
noting everything that might serve any
practical purpose, and one of his finds
called forth an exclamation Of satisfac-
ton so fervent that Corbyn, who had
been frowning perplexedly over the scan
things Of q miniature flying machine