The Dermott news., 1915-12-09

 Give her to them, cried the priest "Glve her to them,' commanded | Hernandez.
 But the brute, his feet planted wide apart. stood his ground
 Hernandez sprang toward him, an grily seized the eyer-ready whip from Pontos hand and lashed the brute 1 hercely. He nodded to the four Crim son-clad men and they tore Annette i roughly away and dragged her to the te1nple. Neal hurled himself at the fur acolytes, but Hernandez dragged | him back.
 Neal was then thrust into dungeon and it's 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 toothlcss. ugly-wOmen with boards attended Annette, chuck ling and mum5ling to themselves in glee They produced from the re cosscs of the temple q dress. gorgeous. bizarre They draped 1t upon Annctte's slender form They hung her head, neck and arms with glitterng orna- ments and then they heck0ned 70 her l and led her to a window, and pointed chuekling. through it.
 Annette knew not what they said, but fonte without distinguished easily the meaning of the high shrill tones.
 The sun god waits-is waiting for his bride"
 Annc,te's glance travelled past tho sun god She started back in horror. Into that soothing pit beyond the acolytes were casting huge quantities ot fuel-pouring the contents of hugo jars of oil upon the flames Her glance travelled still beyond. and across an intervening space she saw a dungeon window and the white face of Neal. l He waved his hand And then strong 1 hands were placed upon her shoulders and she was lifted from her feet and 1 half dragged. half carried out of the l temple into the center of the clear 1 space before the sun god. The Cere- mony had begun.
 Neal tore his glance for moment l from this scene and examined his cell. l There was window at his back a heavily barred window. He seized l the bars in desperation and found to his surprise that they were loose. With q superhuman effort. he thrust l the bars outward. leaped through the aperture and darted swiftly into the 1 jungle. then he looked about him for q trec and found the one he wanted.
 It was high tree. very high. He climbed it swiftly climbed il to it's topmost branches. Cruising slowly of the shore-and the shore was not very far away-was his cruiser Al bany
 He hracod himself among the branches with his feet. ripped eff 1 his shirt. tied it by the arms about a broken branch and signalod to the ship.
 Within the walls Panto. still terror stricken with the sun god's anger, turned his back for moment upon that deity and upon that deity's high priest Then suddenly he saw sOmo- thing In the top of n high tree without the walls there was q white rag tlut- tering to and fro-and something more A man.
 Ponto Fripped Hernandezs arm and pointed upward The face of Herman dcz frczo He darted toward the dungeon. saw that it was empty. thrn bcckonnC Ponto ana the brute he darted to the stone wall and with their aid clambered over it.
 Pouto. with considerably less agil. ity anl with the assistance of the brute. | followed his cC@paaiOn over, and the brute in turn, his head and shoul- d,rs lashed with rontos whip wield- cd over the top of the we'll. swung himself over and followed them
 Annette noticed the contusien-w was thc first tJ see it. Su9ds snly striking an attitude she raise. Ter hand and arm and pointed toward the white flag Auttering from the tree top. The hgl. priest stepped his draIiug and fol lowe! the direction of her hand with his glance His acolytes stopped aAd starel so diI everybody else.
 Annette saw her opportunity. Upon standard ay her side lay a heavy copper seepter. She seized it. Litho ITS her lody was she had inherited great strcagth-w w-udcrful agility Without a moments hesitation sh" swung tho scepter yiciously about her head. Gashihg the nigh priest and his actl lytcs tc the ground. kroCking the Aztec warriors tc right and left. Like whirlwinl she fought her way to. ward the gate. slammed it behind her and sped away.