The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-08-06
inch by inch the pivoted rock moved

Inch by inch the pivOted rock moved
on it's axis. They flashed their Ian.
terms full on it and, as it moved, they
could see disclosed huge piles of gold
and silver coins and bars anG orna-
ments, chest literally filled with
brilliants, set and unset. rubies, EN-.
eralds, precious stones of every con.
ceivable variety, cave that would
have staggered even Aladdin
For a moment they could merely
stand in avaricious exultation.
Painfully and slowly we managed to
trail Long Sins footprints, until we
came to road where they were lost
in the hard macadam.
Kennedy chose the most likely direc.
ton, for the trail had been at an angle
to the road and Long Sin was not like
ly to double back. We had not gone
many rods before Kennedy paused
minute and looked about in the moon
light.
sits right. Walter" he cried. "Do
you recognize it?"
looked about. Then it flashed over
me. This was the back road that led
past the entrance to the treasure vault
at Aunt Tabby's.
We went on now more quickly, lis
tening carefully to catch any sounds,
but heard nothing. AT last Kennedy
stopped, then plunged among the
rocks and bushes beside the road.
We were at the cave.
"You go this way, Walter ne di-
rected. "Ill go around and down
where it caved in
had gone only yard or two when
1t seemed as though something had
grasped my foot
With great wrench I managed to
pull it loose. But the weight on my
other foot had imbedded it deeper in
something. struggled to free this
foot and got the other caught. My re-
volver which had drawn, was Jared
from my hand, and in the effort to re.
cover it, lost my balance. Unable
to move foot in time to catch myself
fell forward. My hands were now
covered by the Shiny, sticky stuff, and
the more struggled, che worse I
seemed to get entangled.
y y
WI and Long Sin paused only
minute in establishment. Then they
literally fell upon the wealth that lay
before them.
Suddenly they paused. There was
the slight tinkle OF Chinese bell.
Kennedy had reached Aunt Tabby's
garden, outside the roof of the subter-
ranean chamber where it had given
way, had gone down carefully over the
earth and rock, and in doing so had
broken a string stretched across the
passageway. The tinkle OF bell at
tached to it aroused his attention and
he stopped short, second, to look
about WI Fang had arranged a
primitive alarm.
Quickly, WI and Long Sin blew out
their lanterns while WI gave the rock
a push. Slowly, as it had opened, it
now closed and they stood there listen
ing.
I was still struggling in the bird
lime, getting myself more and more
covered with it, when the reverbera-
ton of revolver shots reached me.
WI and Long Sin had opened fire on
Kennedy, and Kennedy was replying
in kind. In the cavern it sounded like
a veritable bombardment. AS they re-
treated, they came nearer and nearer
to me and I could see the revolvers
splitting fire in the darkness.
I watched them fearfully as they
hoped deftly from one stone to an
other to avoid the Iime-and were
gone.
"Craig! Craig!" I managed to cxy
feebly. 'Be careful. Keep to che
stones"
Stepping from stone to stone, ne fol-
lowed the retreating ChinameA. But
they had already reached tie mouth
of the cave and were making their
way rapidly down the road to
bend, in the opposite direction from
which we had come. There Wu's auto
mobile was waiting.
A moment later h.SHHeuy dppodFeu,
but they had made their getaway.
Baffled he turned and retraced his
steps to the cave.
''They got away, Walter" he said.
lighting lantern they had dropped.
"By George" he added, think lit
tie vexed that I had not been able to
intercept them, "you are a sight"
He was about to laugh, when faint
ed. l can remember nothing until I
woke up over by tho wall Of the cham
Der where he dragged me.
Kennedy had been working hard to
revive me, and, as / opened my eyes.
he Strengthened up. His eye suddenly
caught something on the rock beside
him. There was little slot carved
in it, and above the slot was peculiaf
inscription.
For several minutes Kennedy puz-
zled over it, as WI had done. Then
he discovered the little cup near the
ground.
"The ring!" he suddenly cried out.
I was too muddled to appreciate at
once what he meant, but I saw him