Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22
CHAPTER XI.-Continued.

stairway. irregular. but made of huge
blocks Of rough hewn stone, not coral
rock, but harder stone of firmer texture,
like granite almost. l was not familiar
with the stone either There was no SYM
metry about it, some of the stones rose.
perhaps, three feet and others not more
than as many inches, but stairs they GER
tainly were and they surely had been
made by man, and the stones were most
carefully fitted. being laid up without
mortar, the surfaces SO close that l could
scarce thrust knife blade between. The
huge blocks We're of monstrous size, too,
much too great in bulk and weight to be
handled by any primitive mechanical
means. I thought l never could conceive
how natives primitive men could have
shaped them, moved them and finally laid
them up in the form of stairs. l have
since made inquiries of learned men and
find that for all their study they, too. are
at seas as to who were these mighty
builders
Nor did the stairs alone awaken our
amazement and quicken our curiosity.
They ended in circling belt of sand,
here little wider than elsewhere. At
the bottom. on either side, two gigantic
statues or busts of stone had been erect
ed. Their bases were buried in the sand
and they rose to quite twice my height
above, and l am good six feet and more
tall. These stones We're carved into the
rough, yet not unreal lkeneSses of hu-
man faces The carving had been done
with marvellous skill considering, and the
faces were not of the native type, either.
They looked like our own faces, that is,
they were of our type. The carving in
cluded the bust only; one was a man. the
other a woman. They were made Of the
same hard rock as the stairs. and the
angles and projections upon them had
been softened and smoothed by thou
sands Of years of exposure to the wealth
er. They were intensely natural and life
like, and not less wonderful than the
stairs over which for centuries they had
been the silent watchers and guardians.
Certain l am that you will find it diff
cult to credit these marvels, and Will dis
miss them. perhaps. as a travellers idle
and longitude of the island. and you may
go there and see them for yourself if you
desire, and you may, perhaps, find what
treasure We left there. too, for re-
ward! When you return you can testify
that l lie not, but speak the sober truth.
Why we had not discovered these stairs
from seaward was because they didn't
come Squarely down to the waters edge
at right angles to the wall, but lay, as it
We're, parallel to a niche within the wall.
SO that they were somewhat sheltered
from observation from the sea.
We broke upon them suddenly, there
fore. Mistress Lucy clutched my arm.
The giant Stairway she cried in
amaZement
cit is. indeed 1 said, "just as it Was
set forth in the parchment"
''And the great stone faces" she added
in voice In which there was a touch of
awe.
''They, too, were mentioned, you re-
member" 1 said. cheerfully, though l was
deeply impressed myself.
"They were very old 200 years ago."
she commented.
AYE. it appears to me they were old
thousand years ago, or more" 1 assented.
Gould those stairs have just happened
that way? Or did some one build them,
think your
No / replied. 'those are the work Of
man, skilled men. too. for they are too
regular to be by chance
yes. of course, and the images could
never have come by chance she admit
ted
Certainly not but let us go nearer and
ascend them" l said, taking her hand
and leading the way, and she was SO pre-
occupied that she did not notice.
l observed as we approached the stairs
that the rock had been worn smooth by
the wind and weather, or. maybe by the
passing of many feet, and were quite
practicable for ascent. The angle at
which they rose was sharp. too.
What is on top, think you?'
q know not
''Wild men or savage beasts?' she fall
tered
1.-The parchment said naught of animals
or inhabitants" l treasured her.
mo. that it did not" she assented.
Well, then, let's chance it,
1 had thrust the pistols In my belt, save
for the one she carried. and had the mus
ket in my hand. looked to the printing
of them, so that I could depend upon
them in case of an emergency. although
l confess i did not expect anything to
happen. Save for the sound of the wind
and waves and our own voices the place
was pervaded by that sort of deadly still
,iTl1 tv,1ff tod f1t, h1r
mainly or even the larger forms of ami
NAL life. Save for the birds of gorgeous
plumage, and the gulls and sea fiiers. l
believed we were absolutely alone on the
island.
Then we began the ascent 1t was easy
enough for me- but hard for her, and sew
eral times l made bold to lift her up the
higher steps, which she suffered without
complaint. She told me long afterward
that my manner toward her then and
thereafter had been perfect. I had de-
termined In my heart to show her that.
although l could snatch kiss on the
quarterback Of a crowded ship. on an is
land, alone, l could treat her as the finest
gentleman of her acquaintance.
When we at last reached the top be-
fore us lay broad pathway rudely paved
with the same hard stone This road led
straight into the interior of the island, of
which we could see as yet nothing, be-
cause the wall hereabOuts was covered
with dense. luxurious vegetation. Prog
reSS was difficult even in the pathway.
1t would have been impossible in some
places but for my heavy cutlass, with
which l cut path where the place had
become overgrown by trees and bushes,
which had forced their way through the
cracks, overturning and breaking the
heavy flagstones and blocking up the
path which. it was evident. had not been
traversed for generations. perhaps not
since the old buccaneer himself had walk
ed along it beneath the spreading trees.
There was naught for it but to con-
tinue along the rude. paved way, for it
was impossible to penetrate the jungle
on either side, even If We had desired it,
and once more looking to my weapons.
one of which / kept in hand, although I
was sure now we should not need them,
and had, indeed, nothing to fear, we fol-
lowed the ancient way. For perhaps a
mile we pursued our journey across the
top Of the wall. winding in and out among
the trees through the jungle, the path
evidently seeking the most level direction.
for the top of the wall was very much
broken and irregular.
At last we came to an open spot on the
inner edge overlooking the whole island,
and before us lay such a picture as few
eyes. at least Of our race, had ever looked
upon. The wall ended abruptly and fell
on the inner or landward side as precip-
itously as it rose outwardly and to sea-
ward. Before us lay a most enhancing
valley. perhaps three or four miles across
and, maybe, half as long again in the
other direction, and which was walled