The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1913-05-04


ed It.
He pressed his face to the narrow
aperture and looked out Such strange
scene met his eyes that for moment
be shrank back confident that his
senses had again deserted him
He looked down from some dizzy
height upon a view that was quite I'M
familiar to him, although glimpse
of the river flowing at the base of his
prison struck familiar. note
The window WAS too narrow to per
nit the passage Of his head, but he
pressed his face still closer and look
ed wistfully down at the life and free
dom of the outer world.
A carved and painted gable jutted
beneath the opening, and overhead an
other one overhung the aperture. In
the river below huge iunks looked like
toys and the men on them like tiny
dolls.
I'm a pagoda," he murmured wonder
ingly-'in the top story Of a pagoda.
and how in thunder am to get out?"
For there was no doubt in his mind
that he would get out He calculated
that he was on the top floor Of a
twelve story pagoda on the outskirts
Of some large city-not Shanghai, be-
cause the river rolling at his feet was
not the turbid little Whangpo, but the
mighty, majestic Yangtze, crowded
with craft Of every description-Junks.
steamers, households. sampans. car
go boats, lorchas-an the miscellaneous
shipping that plies up and down the
great commercial artery Of China.
There are two ways Of escaping
from pagoda." he unused grizzly.
zone is to climb to the roof and jump
OF. The other is to find the trapdoor
sneak down? That's my cue today"
He made a systematic search Of his
apartment. The view from the oppo
site apertures revealed wide stretches
Of open country, with here and there
a farmhouse and irregular green
patches of growing rice.
The interior Of the room showed a
trapdoor In the floor. It was bolted
from below. and similar door APP
peared in the ceiling. but there was no
ladder or other means Of reaching it.
He surmised that it led to the top
floor, which reared its fanciful apex
almost amid the clouds.
The walls bore traces of rich gliding
and brilliant coloring, and there were
the remains Of an ancient dais, which
indicated where some image might
have been enthroned.
That was ALL
Paul returned to his mats and medi-
tated upon some means Of escape. He
finally decided to await the coming of
the man who would bring him food
and II possible overpower the coolie
and escape through the trap to the
floors below.
n the lower floors were guarded his
chances of escape would be very slim.
II there was no obstruction and he
could reach the outer air he trusted
10 hts knowtedge Of the Yangtxe and
his swift long legs and, lastly. the
possession Of his valuable watch to
buy his way back to Shanghai
In a country Of thieves. where every
man helps himself at his neighbours
cost, It was inexphcable how his
watch had remained untouched In his
pocket.
Musing thus, the daylight faded and
night fell. The evening passed dreari-
~. Occasionally he walked to the
window and peered down at the river
lying 80 temptingly below him. Lights
passed up and down like firefiies in the
darkness, and the rush Of the water
drowned any sounds he might have
heard
He returned to his pile Of mats and
slept
He awoke in utter darkness, with ev-
cry nerve at tension. A sound below
betrayed the approach Of some person
to his prison.
With sudden inspiration he heaped
his mats into the semblance of re-
clining body and then crouched close
beside the trapdoor.
A faint glow iilumtned the crack OF
the door and grew brighter as though
some one assembled ladder with q
lantern.
A bolt clicked, and the trap raised
cautiously The bullet head and blue
bloused form of coolie rose into the
obscurfty of the room. In one hand
he carried lantern, and in the other
he bore basket which evidently con-
tanned food, for he set it carefully on
the floor and then peered about as if
seeking the empty dishes. He shielded
the lantern from the pile Of mats with
one clawlike hand.
He advanced into the room. and Paul
stepped softly over the trap and low
cred himself on to the frail bamboo
ladder which hung beneath It,
The ladder creaked under his weight,
and the man turned quickly. just as
Paul Weldon's triumphant face disap-
pcared beneath the falling trap. In
another instant Paul had shot the bolt
and was feeling his way down the lad