The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1915-12-10

out Quivering hands toward Annette
Give her to them" cried the priest
GIVE her to them," commanded
Hernandez
But the brute, his feet planted wide
apart, stood his ground.
Hernandez sprang toward him. an
gritty seized the ever.ready whip from
Pontos hand and lashed the brute
fiercely. He nodded to the four Grim.
son.clad men and they tore Annette
roughly away and dragged her to the
temple. Neal hurled himself at the
four acolytes. but Hernandez dragged
| him back.
Neal was then thrust into dungeon
and its door was locked.
Meantime within the temple things
were happening. Annette found her.
self in an apartment gorgeously fur.
nished with Aztec tapestries. Two
old women-toothless, ugly-women
with boards. attended Annette. chuck.
ling and mumbling TO themselves in
glee. They produced from the re-
cesses OF the temple a dress. gorgeous.
bizarre. They draped II upon Annotte's
slender form. They hung her head.
neck and arms with glittering orna.
ments. and then they beckoned TO her
and led her TO window. and pointed,
chuckling. through II.
Annette knew not what they said.
but Ponto without distinguished easily
the meaning OF the high shrill tones.
The sun god waits-is waiting for
his bride"
Annettc's glance travelled past the
sun god She started back in horror
Into that seething pit beyond the
acolytes were casting huge quantities
OF fucl-pourinc the contents OF huge
Jars of oil upon the flames. Her glance
travelled still beyond. and across an
intervening space she saw n dungeon
window and the white face OF Neal
lie waved his hand. And then strong
hands wore placed upon her shoulders
and she was lifted from her feet and
half dragged. half carried out OF the
temple into the center OF the clear
space before the sun god The cere-
mony had begun.
Neal tore his glance for moment
from this scene and examined his cell.
There was a window az his back
a heavily barred window. lie seized
the bars in desperation and found 10
his surprise that they were loose
With n superhuman effort. he thrust
tho bars outward. leaped through the
aperture and darted swiftly into the
Jungle: then he looked about him for
tree and found tho one be wanted.
II was a high tree. very high. lie
climbed II swiftly-climbed IL 70 It's
topmost branchss Cruising slowly /,
on the shorc-and the shore was not |
very far away-was his cruiser Al. I.
bany.
He braced himself among the I
branches with his feet. ripped on F.
his shirt. tied II by the arms about I
a broken branch and signaled 10 the /
ship.
Within the walls Ponto. still terror.
stricken with the sun gods anger.
turned his back for a moment upon
that deity ana upon that dclty's high
priest. Then suddenly he saw somc.
thing. In the top Of a high tree without
the walls there was a white rag iiut.
tering 20 and fro-nnd something
more. A r.an.
Ponto sdpped Hernandez's arm and
pointed upward. Tho face OF Herman.
deg froze. He darted toward the .
dungeon. saw that II was empty. then .
beckoning Ponto and tho brute he .
darted 10 the stone wall and with their
aid clambered over II.
Ponto with considerably less agil.
ity and with the assistance OF the brute.
his companion over. and
the brute in turn. his head and shoul.
ders lashed with Ponto's whip WELD.
ed over the top OF the wall. swung
over ard followed them.
Annette noticed the confusion-was
The first % see II. Suddenly striking
An attitude she raised her hand and
arm and pointed toward the white flag
iuttering from the tree top. The high
priest stopped his dron!ng and fol
owed the direction OF her hand with
lis glance. His acolytes stopped and
'tared-so did everybody else.
Annette saw her opportunity. Upon
standard by her side lay a heavy
'opper scepter. She seized II. 1.-the
IS her body was she had inherited
'reat trength-wonderfu agility.
Without moments hesitation she
wung the scepter yiciously about her
ead. dashing the high priest and his
colytes 70 the ground. knocking the
aztec warriors 10 right and left Like
whirlwini she fought her way to-
Yard the gate, slammed II behind her
nd sped away.