Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-03

fortresses grassy slope and a rack by each
barricade were white suits and rubber shoes for
three WOrkmen.
"Villalon whispered to us in explanation, The
work so hazardous that but three are allowed
in each place. Their clothing is changed that there
may be metal about them when they enter They
are working with a fearfully high explosive. When
we get there We must be careful and if gain
to of the houses must our shoes; for
the scrape of a heel upon the floor might blow all
to fragments.
A S cautious as must have been the American In
dams who once roamed that country we slipped
from tree to tree and covert to covert working
way down to the nearest house. We sighted lone
Waterman pacing his rounds along tiny tram track
that from building to building for the transporta
ton of material and lay fiat to the ground till he
had disappeared through narrow canon leading
like gateway from the mountain wall that held the
lake Then, satisfied that we dared take reckless
chance and hurry for of the barbados we
tripped and stumbled downward. The houses had
no locks. so certain were the explosive that
one could gain that far into the reservation and
Villaon, after jerking off his Shoes stepped inside
the one nearest.
Through the doorway 1 could see him smelling
chemicals here and there and examining the stuff
that lay around on trays some of which he had the
temerity to weigh on scales at hand He
not gone long; but it seemed age.
Daylight had come, and when he hurrying
out he told Leopard, who carried small and almost
perfect camera to take such pictures of the machn
cry as he could get After another forced wait
f whe to
within when from the hill back of came long
shrill whistle. 1t answered by another and yet
another, until the hills were alive with that high
fierce CALL Villalon was working calmly as ever
within and Leopard was swapping his films with regu
larity as if unhearing the din that was sweeping
the mountains.
50 Comet l cried. For Gods sake come, We
must escape to covert.
VILLALON rushed out slipped on his shoes and
dropped low and ran around the barricade
to the opening, and then made quick dash for the
nearest cump of underground, which but few
feet distant. We crouchng, pausing only to see
IT any living thing could be seen, and hearing from
the distance that constant call of whistles 1t was
plain to that they must have sighted our trail
where we had crossed the wire barriers; but could
not quite understand if that the case and they
had among them so keen in woodlore why they
did not come directly upon We tried to run be-
tween the two sounds of alarm that seemed coming
was in the lead dropped to his knee, gave muttered
curse, and looked back toward We crept forward
to discover the of his perturbation
above lowered unbroken wall of rock
stretched away either hand till lost in the forest
Its base bare of To scale it appeared an
impossibility, and to along its base to find an
other way meant discovery; for the distance was
hopeless. And yet. startlingly close to our left,
there sounded another clanor of whistles We lis
tened. They were answered from the opposite end
of the mountain wall to our right
They re hemmlng us in against this cliff, Leopard
whispered, driving us like wild beasts and all wait
ing for the final rush.!
He had told the palpable truth We were shut
in. Nearer and nearer they came. and now could
tell from the sound of breaking twgs that they
coming in line and beating the brush as they ad-
vanced to make certain that in front of
Throwing off our shoes, we boldly to the
tain wall which, bare and gray in the morning light
cut us off. Leopard sprang like cat finding places
here and there for fingers and toes and Vialon at
my left did likewise. OF their movements was but
diny aware, as was straining every and mus
Gle in my own frantic endeavor to climb. jutting