Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-04
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Hooded Death.

The causeway down which the horsemen
of forgotten kings of Khandawar had.
clattered forth to war, in its age-old des-
uetude had come to decay Between its
great paving blocks grass sprouted, and
here and there creepers and even trees
had taken root and in the slow. immu-
table process of their growth had displaced
considerable masses of stone. so that
there were pitfalls to be avoided. Other
wise litter of rubble made the walking
anything but good. Amber picked his
way with caution, grumbling.
The grade was rather more steep than
1T had seemed to be from the plain. Now
and then he stopped to regain his breath
and scrub a handkerchief over his fore
head, on which sweat had started despite
the cold. At such times his gaze would
seek. inevitably and involuntarily, the
lotus-pointed pinnacle wherein the Eye
was poised. blazing. It's baleful emerald
glare colored his mood unpleasantly. He
had fancy that the thing was actually
watching him. The sensation was creepy
For that matter, nothing that met his
eve: was calculated to instil cheer into
his heart. Desolation worked with ST.
lence sensibly upon his thoughts so that
he presently made the alarming discovery
that the bottom had dropped completely
ont of his stock of skepticsm, leaving
him seriously in danger of becoming
afraid, of the dark. Scowing over this
he stumbled on, telling himself that he
was fool-a conclusion so patent that
neither then nor thereafter at any time
did he find reason to dispute it.
After some three-quarterS of an hour of
hard climbing he came to the wooden
bridge; and halted, surveying it with mis-
trust. Doubtless in the olden time SUBJ
stantial but movable structure, strong
enough to sustain a troop of warriors but
extended across the chasm, rendering the
city impregnable from capture by assault.
If So it had long since been replaced by
an airy and a we'll ventilated lattice work
of boards and timbers, none Of which
seemed to the wary eye any too sound
Amber selected the most solid-looking of
the lot and gingerly advanced a pace or
two along it. With a soft cracking
portion of the timber crumbled to dust
beneath his feet. He retreated hastily
To the causeway and swore, and noticed
that the Eye was watching him with
malevolent interest, and swore some
more Entirely on impulse he heaved
bit of rock, possibly twenty pounds in
weight, to the middle of the structure.
There followed a splintering crash and
the contraption dissolved like a magic
lantern effect, leaving solitary beam
about a foot in width and six or eight
inches thick. spanning a fight of twenty
and a drop Of sixty feet. The river re-
ceived the rubbish with several success
sive splashes. distinctly disconcerting,
and Amber sat down on a bowlder to
think 1t over.
Clever invention" he unused: "one'd
think that, after taking all this trouble
to get me here, they'd changed their
minds about wanting me. I've a notion
TO change mine" He looked up at the
cusped and battlemented gateway oppo-
site him. shifted his regard to the Eye
and shook his fist vindictively at the lat
ter. If ever I get hold of the chap that
invented you - An ingenious
imagination failing to suggest any form
of torture commensurate with the crime,
he relapSed into gloomy meditation.
There seemed to be no possibility of
turning back at that stage. however. Kut-
tarpur was rather far away, and, more
over, he doubted If he would be permit
ted TO return. Having come thus far. he
must go on. Moreover. Sophia Farrell
was on the other side OF that Swordwide
Bridge, and such being the case, cross it
he would. though he were to find the next
world at its end. Finally, he considered
that he was presently to undergo an Or
deal of some unknown nature. probably
extremely unpleasant. and that this mat
ter of the vanishing bridge must have
been arranged in order to put him In Q
properly subdued and tractable frame of
mind.
He. got up and tested the remaining
girder with circumspection and incredu-
Iity, but it seemed firm enough. solidly
Embedded in the stonework of the cause
way and immovable at the city end. So
he straddled II and, averting his eyes
from the scenery beneath him. hitched in
gloriously across, collecting splinters and
very distinct impression that as a vo-
cation knight-errantry was not without
its drawbacks.
When again he stood on his feet he was
in the shadow of the outer gateway. the
curtain of the second wall confronting
him. The Stiffness remained unbroken,
but the moonlight illuminated with start
ling distinctneSs the frescoes, half oblit-
Grated by time. and they were mOnStrOuS,
revolving and obscene, from a western