Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-19
CHAPTER M.

CHAPTER ~.
The Young Hunter.
- HE shock that had been felt 30
plainly In the valley had BEEN
much moro severe In the
= mountains to tho south. In
one place IN overhanging cli6 had split
and fallen away from the face Of the
mountain. tumbling with a mighty roar
into the valley below.
A. II hurtled down themountain side
the moonlight. shining upon the fresh
scar that It had left behind It upon the
hilrs face, revealed the mouth Of
gloomy cave, from which there tum-
bled the inert figure OF an animal,
which rolled down the steep decfivity
in the wake Of the mass Of rock that
had preceded It, the tearing away Of
which had opened up the cavern in
which It had lain.
For hundred feet perhaps the body
rolled. coming to stop upon broad
ledge. For some time 1t lay perfectly
motionless, but at last feeble move
msnt OF the limbs was dfscesuib,a
Then for another long period It was
luiet
Minutes dragged Into hours, and stfll
the lonely thing lay upon the lonely
mountain side whils upon the plain be-
low It hungry Hons moaned and Eoafed,
and M the teeming life Of the savage
wilds took up their search for food.
their sleeping and their love making
where they had dropped them in the
fright Of the earthquake.
At last the stars paled, and tho east
ern horizon glowed to new day, and
then the thing upon the ledge sat up.
It was 4 man. Stu partly dazed,
be drew his hand across HIS eyes and
looked about him In bew1derment;
ehen, staggering little, he rose TO bis
feet. and az b. came erect, the new
sun shining on his bronaed limbs and
his shock Of black hair, roughly crop
ned between sharpened stones, his
youth and beauty became startlingly
apparent.
He looked about him upon the
zround. and not finding that which he
sought, turned his eyes upward toward
the mountain until they fell upon the
cave mouth he had Just quilted % pre-
cipitateiy. Quickly he elambered back
to the cavern, his Stone Ratchet and
knife beating agaist his bare hips az
no climbed.
For . moment he was Iost TO v1ew
within the cave, but presently be
emerged. IN one hand stone tipped
spear, which seemed recently to have
been broken and roughly spliced with
raw tendohs, and in the other the sew
cred head Of m enormous beast, which
more nearly pesembled the royal tiger
Of Asia than it did any other beast,
though that resemblance was little
closer than IL the resemblance Of the
royal Bengal to house kitten.
The young man was Nh. the son
Of M.
For hundred thousand years he
had lain hefmetically sealed in his
rocky tomb. as toads remain in sus-
pended animation for similar periods
OF time. The earthquake had unseal-
ed his sepulcher. and the rough tumble
down the mountain side had induced
respiration.
His heart had responded to the
Dumping Of his lungs, and stimuli
taneously the other organs Of his body
had resumed their various functions.
A. he stood upon the threshold Of
the cave Of 90, the man hunter. tho
look Of bewildeemen& grew upon his
features az his eyes roved over the
panorama Of the unfamiliar world
which lay spread below him. There
vas scarce an object to remind him
Of the world that had been but beief
Instant before, for M could not know
that ages had rolled by since he took
hasty refuge IN the lair Of the great
beast he had slain.
He thought that he might be dream
ing, and 70 he rubbed his eyes and
looked again: but stu he saw the nm
familiar trees and bushes about him
and, farther down in the valley, the
odd appearing vegetation Of the jungle.
M could not fathom the mystery Of it.
Slowly he stepped from the cave and
began the descent toward the valley,
for he was very thirsty and very hum
I cry. Below. him he saw animals graz
Ing upon the broad plain, but even 1t
hat distance he realized that they were
such u no mortal eye had ever before
rested upon.
Warily he advanced. every sense
aleet against whatever new form Of
danger might lurk In this strange new