The Washington times., 1910-07-27
CHAPTER V.
of for the Sun Lands.


/ II READFUL as the moment was, ]
/ didn't lose my senses On the
/ contrary, my mind was fearful
IS clear and active. Thee was
/ not a horror that I missed.
The strength and agility Of my. capto7
/ were astounding. I could no more have
1 struggled with him than with lion.
only one thing flashed upon me 10 do
/ yelled with all the strength Of my
| lungs But they had become accus-
/ toned to our voices now. and the mad
/ dened creature was so intent upon his
Eel purpose that a cannon-shot would
! not have diverted him from IT,
/ he got me 70 the altar, where the pre-
/ cedinS victim already lay with his hear
| torn out and, pressing me against Il
/ with all his bestial force, raised his
] pointed stan 20 trausfix me. with my
I dying eyes I saw the earth cleaning
/ down upon me, and CWil you believe it2)
ny heart gave a glad bound at the
/ sight
She was my mother planet. and the
/ thought that she might help me in my
/ extremity raced across my brain. But
7 the dreadful spear had already begun
| TO descend I could see the sweeping
muscles U-der the 1.-THE fur, and I press
/ ed my eyes tight shut.
Bang,
Something grazed my shoulder, and ]
felt the warm blood gUsh out Then ]
I knew no more
In the midst Of a dream OF bovbood
scenes a murInUr Of familiar voices
I a"gEe me opened my eyes, and
/ couldn't make out where I was.
must stu be dreaming I said 20
myself, and closed my eyes once more.
llen j Ie2rQ Edmund saying.
Hes coming out all right .
i opened my eyes again, but stiIl the
scene puzzled me saw Edmuud's face
however. and behind him Jack and
Henry, stal4lng with anxious looks
but THIS WIS not my rOom- II seemed
70 5e q cave, with faint freight on the
walls
Where an To- I asked.
Back IN the cavern, and coming aI0uz
right Edmund answered. smiling.
-l,5z- II 20 TIE c>vern- " nat could that
( mean Then, suddenly, the whole thinE
I 1asIed back into my mind
80 he didn't Sacri1c me2' I said.
! sGiyering az the thought
! Not on your lifel" Jacks hearty
/ yoice broke In Edmund vas too quick
FOR that
But only by the fraction Of q sec
Ond-- said Edmund, still smiling
What happened them" asked. nv
moment
a good long shot happened" said
JACK The best 1 ever saw
7 looked at Edmund He saw that I
wanted the story, and could bear fl: and.
ais countenance becoming serious, he
1 began
when that fellow snatched Won and
leaped into TIE circle had my fur coat
wrapped so C oSely around me not an
IclpatlIE any danger, that for quite ten
seconds was unable 10 get out my
pistol
Il tore the garment open just In time.
t0r already he was pressing you against
the accEEScd stone, with his spear
poised N used 10 quick shooting, and
4 DION waste any time finding my aim.
Even as 10 was, the iron point had
I LolCled ; on Wlel the bullet crashed
/ through his head The shock sTervef
I the weapon a little, and you got only a
scratch On the shoulder. which might
have been more serious but for the
( thickness Of your Arctic coat
The fellow EEL dead beside you. and
under the Circumsta noes I felt com
PEELED 70 shoot the other one also for
they were both insane with the Gelirium
OF their bloody rites, and I knew that
our lives would never be safe as long as
( they remained fit for mischief
m SorTy TO have had TO start killing
light and left like this but I reckon
that's the lot Of all invaders, wherever
they 80. It's our second lesson. and I
think Il v-iII prove final
when their priests were dead the
rest had no night IN them In fact, they
never intended to harm US. but nobody
knows what those two chaps might
/ have led theIl into Ny conscience is
easy about them, anyhow
How long have ] been heTe2' asked.
Two days BY the calendar clock, -
said Jack
yes" Edmund assented: two DAYS.
r never saw a man so knocked out by a
little shock, for your wound wash z
much 7 fixed that I'D in FIVE minutes
You must have been scared TO the very
bottom Of your sOul-nOt that 1 blame
you. however But look al yourself
He held q pocket mirror before ne,
and then I saw that my hair was
streaked with gray
But We haven't been idle In the mean
time Edulund went on I've got two
sIeds nearly completed and tomorrow
earth time-I mean TO start out
NV wound was very slight, and the
effects OF the shock had all passed Of
during my long spell Of insensibility. r.
an hour or two was around busy with
the others
7 found that Edmund had already
picked out che natives that he meant TO
take with US. They were a dozen huge
fellows who. he had discovered. DOS
SeSSed more than average intelligence
Among them was one Of the smiths. the
best Of the lot, ard for convenience Ed
z1lUuG had given HIM a name son1ethinz-
eCemblinE that by which his comrades
called Lin-Juba-
Among his other apparently infinite
stores Of useful things in the car Ed
cable. and this now came admirably
into play. The two sIeds were pitched
one behind another with piece Of the
cable and a line about 100 feet long con
nec-ed with the car The latter could
thus rise 10 considerable height with
out lifting the Sleds from the ground.
The sleds were provisioned from the
stores Of the natives and we took some
of their food in the car also. not merely
TO exc out our own, but because we had
come to Ike IT
The fellows selected to Join our ex-
petition made no objection. On the con
trarr- they seemed proud 20 accompany
us. and were evidently envied by their
comrades
The scsce al starting was a strange
one AbOUt so natives the entire pop
uldtiou Of the group OF caveTns belong
inE to their tribe, which were distributed
over about 2 square miles. assembled at
the entrance to our cavern to see US of
As we started the natives on the sIeds.
being uuuSued to the motion. c'unE to-
gether ike so many awkward white
bears taking a ride in q circus
Their friends stood about the i'll
omened saCridCial stone. waving their
long AIMS, while their huge eyes cog
Eled in the starlight.
Jack. ~ a burst Of enthusiasm fired
four or i've shots from his pistol. As