The daily sentinel., 1914-06-03
CHAPTER NIX.
WiM the Earth Bound Creatures.

FOR three days Lucille kept very near that
camp fire light, furtive as any of the animals
that prowled about guarding herself against
them by the same fire that protected her enemy.
Times, only the watchfulness of Loubeque his
cat-like slumber prevented her carrying out her
audacious plot to steal the little bag in which
he still carried the papers.
1t was the night of the fourth day that she
decided to take desperate chance the same
night that creeping close upon the camp she
something about the actions of the native that
made her keep very STILL her eyes following his
every movement with the alertness of one of the
animals that prowled without that zone of light
from the fire. She caught her breath with a little
gasp as she saw the man creep noiselessly toward
his master and purloin from about his neck the
precious bag which carried the papers she had
come SO far to rescue.
As he crept away from his victim. Lucille
slowly rested her feet, her whole soul qulvering
with delight. For there would be no difficulty
with this native compared to the coping of wits
and resources with the powerful brain and body
of Loubeque. Evidently the savage, seeing the
Jealous guard his master kept of the bag, had de-
cided to steal IL and run.
Lucilles trailing of the native was halted
abruptly by wild cry of alarm. followed by
loud screech of pain, the thud of bodies falling
heavily, horrid ripping sound Dimly, she
glimpsed the shadowy outlines of magnificent
lion head lifted though he listened for
one, his paw reaching out and resting upon
shapeless, groaning mass she knew for the thtev-
ing servant. For a second she stood, staring at
the spectacle, paralyzed by the horror, the swift
retribution which had overtaken the native Then,
the primal urge of saving life, she leaped
across the narrow space that separated her from
the spys campfire, kicking the embers right and
left. grasping the hardest famed knot of them
all and darting toward the lion, waving the torch
fearlessly.
The animal uttered low growl, stood his
ground for a moment before this menace that
darted at him, then tucked his tail between his
legs and slunk back into the jungle from which
he had appeared unexpectedly Lucille bent
the wounded man, uttering low cry of
sympathy she turned away in terror from the
horribly wounded torso Gradually 1t dawned up
on her that the man was dead, quite dead She
could not realize it instantly, then the voice of
Loubeque's revolver spoke and she uttered her
warning cry.
The shot brought everything back to her She
here, not to sympathize even with one
wounded TO death, but to save her sweetheart's
honor. She fumbed at the mans scant attire,
drawing the sack triumphantly forth and look
ing back to where she could see Loubeque ad-
vancing.
impulse governing her she thrust the burning
knot of wood between the interstices of nearby
lattice work of vines and skunk stealthily to the
right, knowing the spy would follow the light In
stead of herself. Even as she watched his move
ments glorying in the success of her strategy,
her hand pressed against something cold and
damp She looked swiftly down at the stone ruins
beside her, along which she had been walking,
ruins covered with the thick tropical vegeta-
tion that she might have moved two feet to the
left and passed them by in complete ignorance of
their existence She passed her fingers over the
mud and creepers that covered II completely.
There was one spot that appeared to have
crumbled more than the rest of the wood and
she scraped ipdustriously at it. as her atten-
tion fastened upon the cropping figure of
Loubeque. Suddenly, without the slightest warn
ing she the ground moving, moving restlessly
as 1t would move had some monster mole been
burrowing beneath Its surface. 1t moving,
moving directly under Loubeque She started
back wide-eyed at the spectacle of great stone
door suddenly springing wide and hurling the
man who had stood upon 1t to side, com
petely out of her sight. She advanced timidly
staring about for sign of the spy but he was not
to be seen. She peered down the black hole
that had opened, wonderingly half inclined to
believe herself in a trance. For flight of stone
steps reached up to her, reached up from the
blackness backness which her eyes could not
pierce try though they would
bit terrified yet with curiosity irresistible
Lucille timidy put foot upon the first step
then halted She waited moment then fol-
lowed her right foot with the left AS though
some giant hand urged her down, her reluctant
feet moved slowly, step by step down the long
fight. And always would she stare, In nameless
terror, lest the door be suddenly closed and her
means of exit barred And, as she looked,
her premonition of evil Verified
sla,sly. yeU sloBy. the stray Light that