The Ely miner., 1915-07-23

You can explore it with me now,
waiter, he said quietly. touching the
iever and opening the panel which
disclosed the ladder.
Together. Craig and l descended in.
10 the darkness about eight or ten
feet. There we found a passageway,
excavated through the earth and rock,
along which we crept 1t was crooked
and uneven, and we stu. bled, but kept
going SLOWLY ahead.
Kennedy, who was a 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
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
irlc drill which was connected to the
frolley wire. He was working furious
~ to take advantage of the fifteen
minutes or so before the next car
would pass.
1t was evident that Long Sin had
already been at work, digging and
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
ing. Quickly he opened the bag and
took the oxygen helmet, which he ad-
Justed 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
around a corner or through the earth
and discover us.
AS I spoke my hand loosened a
piece of rock that jutted out and be-
fore l 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 a
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. | fully expected that it was
bomb; but, as a moment later. found
that Kennedy and were still un-
harmed, knew that it must be some
other product of this devilish genius.
"a Chinese smoke bombi" sputtered
and coughed 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 WI, 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-handedi" exclaimed
Kennedy with great satisfaction.
He looked at the tools a 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 20 pervade
everything. Kennedy cried out. We
staggered back, overcome 0y the es-
Gaping 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.
Quic KY he moved over to the safe
plate.