The Ordway new era., 1915-07-30


brllliants. set and unset. rubies. en-
ceiyable variety. a cave that would
have staggered even Aladdin. l.
For 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 ioHt
In the hard macadam. s.- .-..-
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.
'1t's right. Walter" he cried. do
you recognize it,"
Hooked about. Then It flashed over
me. This was the back road that led
past the entrance to the treasure vault
at Aunt Tabbys.
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 d.
rected. I'll go around and down
where It caved in"
had gone only a yard or two when
1t seemed as though something had
grasped my foot
With upropcL r n
pull 1t 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 1t, I lost my balance. Unable
to move a foot in time to catch myself
I fell forward. My hands were now
covered by the Shiny. sticky stun. and
the more [ struggled, the worse
seemed to get entangled
WI and Long Sin paused only
minute IN astonishment. 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 1t 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 a bell at
tached to 1t aroused his attention and
he stopped short, a second. to look
about. WI Fang mad arranged a
primitive alarm. .......
Quickly, WI and Long Sin blew out
their lanterns while WI gave the rock
a push. Slowly. as 1t had opened, It
now closed and they stood there listAn-
Ing. M@ H
was still struggling in the bird
lime. getting myself more and more
covered with 1t, when the reverbern-
ton of revolver shots reached me.
WI and Long Sin had opened fire on
in kind. In the cavern IL sounded like
veritable bombardment. AS they re-
treated, they came nearer and nearer
to me and I could see the revolvers
splitting fire in the darkness.
l watched them fearfully as they
hoped deftly from one stone to al
other to avoid the lime-and we're
gone.
Craig! Craig!" managed to cry
feebly "Be careful. Keep to the
stones
Stepping from stone to stone, he fol-
lowed the retreating Cinnamon. But
ho@ oIr dxy ha
of the cave and were making their
way rapidly down the road to a
bend. in the opposite direction from
which we had come. There Wu's auto
mobile was waiting.
A moment later Kennedy appeared
but they had made their getaway.
Baffled, he turned and retraced his
steps to the cave.
They got away. Walter" he said.
lighting a lantern they had dropped.
by George" he added. think lit
tie vexed that had not been able to
intercept them. you are a sight"
He was about to laugh. when faint
ed. I can remember nothing until I
woke up over by the wall of the cham
Der where he dragged me.
Kennedy had been working hard to
revive me. and. as I opened my eyes.
he Strengthened up. His eye suddenly
caught something on the rock beside
him. There was little slot carved
in 1t, and above the slot was a peculiar
inscription.
For several minutes Kennedy puz-
zled over 1t. as WI had done. Then
he discovered the little cup near the
ground.
THE ring!" he suddenly cried out
was too muddled to appreciate at
once what he meant, but I saw him
reach into his fob pocket and draw
forth the trinket which had caused so
much disaster, as II 1t had been cursed
by the Clutching Hand himself. He
drax,x<,d into &iar, elx,x