The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1914-12-10

about fifteen feet. or the average
thickness of the foundation walls, the
floor ended abruptly in a sudden drop.
AS far out as he could reach he felt
nothing. nor could he find the bottom
of the black abyss that yawned before
him, though, clinging to the edge Of
the floor. he lowered his body into the
darkness to its full length.
Finally it occurred to him to look up,
and there above him he saw through a
round opening a tiny circular patch OF
starry sky. Feeling up along the sides
of the shaft as far as he could reach,
the ape-man discovered that so much
of the wall as he could feel %converged
toward the center Of the shaft as 1t
rose. This fact precluded possibility
of escape in that direction.
AS he sat specializing on the nature
and uses Of this strange passage and
its terminal shaft the moon topped the
opening above, letting a flood of soft.
silvery light into the shadowy place.
Instantly the nature OF the shaft be-
came apparent to Tarzan, for far be-
low him he saw the shimmering sur
face of water. He had come upon an
ancient well. But what was the pur-
pose of the connection between the
well and the dungeon in which he had
been hidden?
AS the o crossed the opening Of
the shaft its light flooded the whole
interior. and then TarZan saw directly
across from him another opening in the
opposite wall. He wondered II this
might not be the mouth OF Il passage
leading to possible escape. 1t Won
be worth investigating ut least. and
this he determined to do
Quickly returning to the wall he had
demolished TO explore what lay beyond
1t. he carried the stones into the pas
sageway and replaced them from that
side. The deep deposits of dust which
he had noticed upon the blocks as he
had first removed them from the wall
had convinced him that ever II the
present occupants of the ancient Pile
had knowledge Of this hidden passage
they had made no use Of it for perhaps
generations.
The wall replaced. TarZan returned
to the shaft. which was some fifteen
feet wide at this point. To leap across
the intervening space was a small mat
ter to the ape-man. and a moment later
he was proceeding along a narrow tnn-
mel. moving cautiously for fear of be-
ing precipitated into another shaft
such as he had just crossed.
He had advanced some hundred feet
when he came to a flight OF steps lead
ing downward into the Stygian gloom.
Some twenty feet below the level door
of the tunnel recommended. and short
~ afterward his progress was stopped
by a heavy wooden door. which was
secured by massive wooden bars upon
the side Of Tarzan's approach. This
fact suggested to the ape-man that he
doubtless was In a passageway lead
ing to the outer world. for the bolts.
barring progress from the opposite
side. tended to substantiate this hy-
2othesis unless 1t were merely a prison
TO which it led.
Along the tops of the bars were deep
ayers of dust. a further indication
hat the passage had lain long unused.
As he pushed the massive obstacle
aside its great hinges shrieked out I'm
weird protest against this unaccustom-
ID disturbance. For Il moment Tarzan
paused to listen for any responsive
EOte which might indicate that the un
usual night noise had alarmed the in
mates Of the temple. But as he heard
nothing he advanced beyond the door
way.
Carefully feeling about. he found
himself within a large chamber, along
the walls OF which and down the
length of the floor were piled many
tiers of metal ingots Of an odd though
uniform shape. To his cropping hands
they felt not unlike double headed
~bOotjacks. The ingots were quite
heavy. and but for the enormous num-
Der Of them he would have been posi-
ave that they were gold. But the
thought Of the fabulous wealth these
thousands Of pounds Of metal would
have represented were they in reality
gold almost convinced him that they
must be of some baser metal.
At the far end Of the chamber he
discovered another barred door and the
hope was renewed that he was travers-
ing an ancient and forgotten passage
way to liberty. Beyond the door the
passage ran straight as a war spear.
and it soon became evident to the ape
man that 1t had already led him be-
yond the outer walls Of the temple.
If he but knew the direction it was
leading him. If toward the west, then
he must also be beyond the city's outer
walls.
With increasing hopes he forged
ahead rs rapidly as he dared until at
the end Of half an hour he came to an.
other flight of steps leading upward.
AT the bottom this flight was Of con-
crete, but as he assembled his naked
feet felt a sudden change in the sub
stance they were treading. The steps
of concrete had given place to steps of
granite. Feeling with his hands, the
ape-man discovered that these latter
wara ovidauYly hawad from rOck for