Evening star., 1915-06-22

the face Then. as the interior Vas
gained, the mustiness became an odor'
the odor a stencil, and the stench over
whelmingly repuisive-nauseat ine
only light came from Tar aoo..'
through srilled openings in the LOFTY.
vaulted ceiling: and the light struck
only upon a tiny spot directly oeheath'
while the rest of the cavern was
plunged in deep darkness; 'hfouS 1;,
which shadowy forms seemed 10 sun
At word from the trusIs me ';x s"" IN
ows sprang-or crept-into line III
silence. and the Mexican keeper, as
ragged and filthy as the rest. paceo ny
and down before the line WIN h;ia
coiled in hand. 1t was not used "'
the visitors were present. for the n'a
rines had very promptly discouraged
any taste of it; but look AT the -
ering forms of the prisoners hin'eo a.
its former lashings-
About $50 Prisoners.
There were about $50 prisoners in the
main cell The interpreter talked TO
number of them. They responded Voiu-
bly,, with the eloquent sway OF "a"'S
in accompanying gesture "nich IS q
characteristic of the Latin races out
though the American coming seemed TO
promise them relief and release 'neS
were careful to say nothing OF
Most of them claimed to have oeeh
there but A few days-poliucos-
the pallor of skin told dlHefeh' ta,e'
supported by the record BOOKS oi ny
prison. The Mexican commah"an,iG , ana
when he abandoned the castle, toih
wnat these prisoners were: and accoro
ing to his statement a worse lot OF
thugs. cut-throats and murderers !
would be hard to, find. In Justice 10 ms
veracity. most of them looked the part
thoroughly.
From the main cell. which is practi-
ca1ly four long vaults connected pH
archways. some of the lesser cells were
entered, and then the dungeons. Ihere
Is small cell reached by LADDER.
neither high enough for a small man
to stand erect in nor stretch out !oll
length. 1t was vacant at the tlme' put
there was a crust of bread in the cor
ner.
The dungeons are long, low cells,
with barred gate at one end and blank
wall at the other Through tie gloon.
straining eyes could dimly make out
drawings and writings on the walls.
Here and there roughly Drawn cross
told of release from sufferlng-a re
lease which came not by the mana OF
man.
Cells Under Sea.
The old trusty, careful to explain that
he had been there but nine days, asked
other prisoners about the entrance to
the subterranean passages to dungeons
under the sea-then pointed it out.
More rusty keys were called into
trial, and, finally, a grim passageway
was unbarred and we looked in. The
darkness was so dense that the faint
light of modern oil lantern seemed
unable to penetrate, and Shiny. slop-
ing footway led onward and disap-
peared into blackness. The stencil was
there, too. more horrible than above.
and the dampness and the mustiness.
A step within, close to the dripping
wall, and metallic jangle sounded: the
lantern flashed to the left showed
dangling chain. handcuff on end. which
had been brushed against. No one
seemed to know where the passage%ay
led. the mud was deepening. the light
was dim and the place ghostly. A fur
ther advance with growing chills run
ming adown the spine, revealed cells.
cells-chains, chainS-and freshly
mortared block of stone at the end of
the wall. And here exploration neces-
sarily ended.