The Huttig news., 1911-09-16

70 My choseniv
 icious of their clinging, deadly touch. Abruptly they swung entirely free, eaving the entrance clear, and he was irawiGg a free breath when the moon glare showed him the swords returned position with the speed of light. Ie jumped for his life and escaped being slashed to pieces by the baTest neh. They swung to behind him; md again the drum roared, while afar here arose a furious, eldritch wailing l of conches. Overhead the opening disappeared and the light was shut out. In darkness as of the Hall of Eblis the conches were stilled and the echoes ebbed into a silence that held sway for many minutes ere again the bell spoke
 Stretch forth thy hand"
 Somewhat shaken, Amber held out an open palm before him. Then out of nothingness something plopped into Amber's hand and his fingers closed convulsively about 1t. It was hand, very small, small as a childs, gnarled and hard as steel and cold as ice.
 Without any forewarning two heavy hands gripped him. one on either 1 shoulder. and he was forced to his knees. At the same instant, with a snapping crackle a spurt of blue fame shot down from the zenith, and where it fell with a thunderclap dazzling l glare of emerald light shot up breast high
 To his halfhlinded eyes 1t seemed for time, to dance suspended in the | air before him. vapor swirled up from it. thin cloud luminous By I degrees he made out it's source. a small. brazen bowl on tripod.
 Tn front of him he could see noth- ing beyond the noiselessly wavering flame. But presently hand appeared as if by magic, above the bowl-a hand. bony, brown and long of finger, that seemed attached to nothing and cast something like a powder into the fire There followed fiZz and puff of vapor, and strong and heavy gust of incense was waited into Amber's face. Again and again the hand appeared, sprinkling powder in the brazier un- III the smoke clouded the atmosphere with its fluent. eddying coils
 The goosefesh that had pricked out on Amber's skin subsided, and his 1ualms went with it Greek fire burn ing in the bowl" he explained the nhe- nomenon; and native with his arm wrapped to the wrist in black is feed ing it. Not bad effect, though"
 It was, perhaps. as well that he had not been deceived, for there was a horror to come that required all his | strength to face. He became con- scious that something was moving be tween him and the brazier-something which he had incuriously assumed to be a piece of dirty cloth left there carelessly. But now he saw 1t stir, squirm, and upend. unfolding itself and lifting it's head to the leaping flame an immense cobra, sleek and white as ivory. its swelling hood as large as mans two hands, with binocular mark on 1t as yellow as topaz and with vicious eyes glowing like win rubies in it's vile little head.
 AHlptt \ Dit dtH ttftNs VI III HIS tittO Oht md he shrank back. rising; but this instinctive move had been provided ,gainst and before his knees were airly off the rocky floor he was forced down again by the hands on his shoul- lers He was unable to take his eyes rom the monster. and though terror uch as man is heir to lay cold upon is heart, he did not again attempt to tir.
 There was no sound. Alone and un- disturbed the bleached viper warmed O it's dance with the pulsing flame, urning and twisting. weaving and writhing in it's internal glare
 Hear ye. o my peoples,"
 Amber jumped. The voice had seemed to ring out from a point di. rectly overhead.
 him, vague in the obscurity. the out lines of a gigantic bell. hanging mo tionless. The green glare, shining on its rim and partly Illuminating it's empty hollow the saw no clapperl re- vealed the sheen of bronze of which it was fashioned
 Out of it's immense bowl, the voice rolled like thunder:
 Hear ye, o my peoples,"
 A responsive murmur ascended from the company round the walls:
 We hear! We hear, o Medhyama!"
 Mark well this man. o children of my Gateway Mark well, Out of ye all I have chosen him to lead thee in the work of healing; for I thy mother. Medbyama. l Bharuta. 1 the body firm which ye are sprung, call me b.