Bisbee daily review., 1913-10-05

somewhat sheltered from observation from the sea.
 we broke upon them suddenly. there, fore. Mistress Lucy elutched my arm.
 ~The giant stairway" she cried in amazement
 "It is indeed" l said. ''iust as it was set forth in the parchment
 And the great stone faces" she add ed in a voice in which there was a touch of awe.
 Let us go nearer and ascend tEe stairs, l said, taking her hand and leading the way, and she was so pre- occupied that she did not notice.
 I 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 steep too.
 The ascent was easy enough for me, but hard for her, and several times l made bold to lift her up the higher steps, which she suffered without com plaining. She told me long afterward that my manner toward her then and thereafter had been perfect.
 When we at last reached the top before 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. because the wall here abouts was covered with dense. lux urious vegetation. Progress was diff cult even in the pathway: It would have been impossible in some places but for my heavy cutlass with which cut a path where the place had be- come overgrown by trees and bushes which had forced their way through the cracks, oyerturning and breaking the heavy fagstones and blocking up the path. which it was evident had not been traversed for generations, perhaps not since the old buccaneer himself had walked along it beneath the spreading trees.
 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 1 rhe inner edge overlooking the whole island, and before us lay such a pie | ture as few eyes, at least of our race had ever looked upon. The wall ended abruptly and fell on the inner or land ward side as precipitously as 1t rose outwardly and to sen ward. Before Us | lay a most entrancing valley. perhaps | three or four miles across and maybe | half as long again in the other direc- | ton and which was walled about on | every hand It was sunk beneath this wall crest for perhaps 100 feet or more. | In the center of the valley the land l rose a little higher than the island | wall in very considerable bili, tree l crowned on the slopes, but largely bare ! on the crest. Through the valley ran a brook. which ended in a little lake, which I suspected had some subter- i ranean connection with the ocean. As far as we could see-and the whole circuit of the island was now clearly | visible to us-the inclosiug wall was unbroken. The valley was filled with clusters of trees and alternating stretches of grassy meadow. We should have been hard put to II 10 descend the wall to the valley were it not for the fact that the same peo- pie who built the stairs that gave ac- cess to the wall from the sea had built similar flight which led to the valley. Before we essayed the descent of the stairs we drank our fiIl of the beauty and mysterious charm of if all. ln- i deed. there was no sound that came to Us except the twittering of the birds. of which there were many. brilliantly plumaged, fittering in the trees. All else was stiB lonely. deserted. oppres- slvely so in fact.
 What think you of thisT' My lady broke the silence "Is it not Ike tbe crater of volcano"
 No" said |; these are coral rocks, and there Is no sign of lava about them, yet it has somewhat of the ap. pearance. especially that fattened hil lock in the center"
 l have since talked with many meI and studied the writings of the mosl learned geologists. They have fan cied that perhaps the rocky projection in the middle of the valley, where VI saw the great altar of sacrifice with it; attendant idols later on, was the orig
 lnal island. which was once surround ed by a coral reef, which was now be come wall, and that some great up
 heayal had lifted the whole up out O
 the water fin ages gone by and tha the barrier reef over which we hat passed was the second attempt of thu
 busy little insects to surround the is land again.
 What is to be done now?" asked m . little mistress.
 T hardly know" I answered. ''Wha is exercising me most now is. first Q . { all. what is going on in that same mu . tinous ship, and, next. how we shal
 finally get away from here" ''You are impatient" returned m.
 lady. smiling.
 Impatient for you, madam,' Inter i, rupted. checking myself from furtie self revealing speech just in time. "One thing at time" she continued
 By the favor of God, we have escape from the murderers and mutineers
 We shall not starve upon this island