The Monticellonian., 1915-07-01

l ltAHT anu OptHlllS llt pdLICi hhANH disclosed the ladder.
 Together, Craig and I descended in to the darkness about eight or ten feet. There we found a passageway, excavated through the earth and rock. along which we crept. It was crooked and uneven, and we stumbled, but kept going slowly ahead.
 Kennedy, who was few feet in front of me, stopped suddenly and l almost fell over him.
 What is it?" I whispered
 
 Long Sin had made his way from 1 the opening of the cave to the point on the plan which was marked by a cross, and there he had set up his cleo I tric drill which was connected to the trolley wire. He was working furious | ly to take advantage of the fifteen minutes or so before the next car would pass.
 It was evident that Long Sin had already been at work, digging and l drilling through the earth and rock. He had gone so far now that he had disclosed what looked like the face of small safe set directly into the rock.
 As he worked he would stop from time to time and consult the map Then he would take up drilling again He had now come to the point on which Bennett had written his warn sv,ev H,,;o ;oJrl T., I |. | yl took the oxygen helmet, which he ad- iusted carefully over his head Then he set to work with redoubled energy
 The man must have heard us ap- preaching down the tunnel. for he paused in his work and the noise of the drill ceased.
 From our vantage point around the bend in the passageway we could see this strange and uncouth figure.
 "Who is it, do you think" I whis- pered. crouching back against the wall for fear that he might look even and discover us.
 As I spoke my hand loosened a piece of rock that jutted out and be- fore I knew it there was a crash.
 "Confound it, Walter" exclaimed Kennedy.
 Down the passageway the figure was now thoroughly on the alert, star ing with his goggle-like eyes into the blackness in our direction He was watched, and he did not hesitate minute to act.
 He seized the bag and picked his way quickly through the passage as if thoroughly familiar with every turn of the walls and roughness of the floor.
 Kennedy dashed forward and I fol- lowed close after him.
 We were making much better time than our strange visitor and were gain ing on him rapidly.
 Suddenly he turned, raised his arm and dashed something to the earth, much as child explodes a toy torpe- do. I fully expected that it was a bomb; but, as a moment later found that Kennedy and were still un- harmed, I knew that it must be some other product of this devilsh genius.
 "A Chinese smoke bomb" sputtered and eoughed Kennedy, as he retreated a minute, then with renewed vigor en- deavored to penetrate the dense and opaque fumes.
 We managed to go ahead still, but the intruder had exploded one after another of his peculiar bombs, always keeping ahead of the smoke which he created and we found that under it's cover he had made good his escape.
 At the other end of the passageway, up in the living room of the cottage, the draft had carried large quantities of the smoke
 Long Sin, meanwhile, had started to work his way through the bushes to reach the waiting car, with Wu, then paused and listened. Hearing no sound, he replaced the helmet, which he had taken off
 Pursuit was now useless for us. With revolvers drawn, we crept back along the passageway until we came again to the chamber itself. There, on the floor, lay bag of tools, opened, as though somebody had been working with them
 Caught red-handed," exclaimed Kennedy with great satisfaction.
 He looked at the tools minute and then at the electric drill, and finally an idea seemed to strike him. He took up drill and advanced to- ward the safe. Then he turned on the current and applied the drill.
 The drill was of the very latest de- sign and it went quickly through the steel But beyond that there was an other thin steel partition. This Ken nedy tackled next.
 The drill went through and he with drew it.
 Instantly the most penetrating and nauseous odor seemed to peryade everything Kennedy cried out. We staggered back, overcome by the es- caping gas, and fell to the ground.
 Long Sin with his oxygen helmet on again, had returned to the pas sageway and was now stealthily creep ing back
 He came to the chamber and there discovered us lying on the ground overcome. He bent down and, to his great satisfaction, saw that we were really unconscious.
 Quickly he moved over to the safe and pried open the last thin steel plate.
 Inside was a small box. He picked it up and tried to open it, but it was locked.
 He paused for moment to look at