The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-12-14
ELEVENTH INSTALLMENT
THE DREADFUL PIT
CHAPTER XVIII.
Dangerous Delay.

me Ire OF hernandez was now thor
oughly aroused A quicksilver mine
on the Lost Isle of Cinnabar-proba
bly, unworked for a century or more
meant millions. many millions Her
nandez realized the fact. He was play
ing for high stakes-very high.
My ancestors" he told Ponto, had
coat of arms-a motto. Ride
through was what it said,
friend Ponto. i shall follow it-that
injunction. l shall ride through"
They were lounging, breathless,
painting, against tree trunk that had
fallen athwart one of the invisible
trails of Central American jungle.
With them was Senorita Inez Castro.
What we want most of ALL" he
continued, land what we must get
is the Lost Isle of Cinnabar. We have
the evidences of ownership-all save
the Spanish grant in the hands of the
Fathers of the Santa Maria mission.
Let us seek at once the mission. Let
us get all evidences of ownership
Then, as the crow flies, the four of us
will seek Lost Island-yes and find it.
Once found possession may be nine
tenths of the law-wcll have posses
sion. But to us possession will be
more than that. We know no law
At Chantillo some few miles away.
things were happening. Ensign Neal
Hardin with his squad of fifty men
from the cruiser Albany across the
neck, had arrived to board the battle
ship Missouri, waiting for them in
the waters off Chantillo. These were
the fifty men who had so nearly lost
their lives on the dirt cars of Mon.
trada
Annette was with them-and Neal
was at her side. They were grouped
on the wharf
Neal beckoned to the captain of the
little coast steamer that was tied up
to the wharf.
"Senor," he said. behind me is the
long arm of the United States govern
ment. My government protects its
ington. Here is another-my mother.
Here is a third-my friend Welcher.
Dire things nave happened, senior.
Look. Somewhere in that jungle hide
three desperadoes and woman They
have many methods-but one in par
ticular. At night they will come to
you and offer money to be taken
aboard He tossed stern glance at
the captain and tapped him on the
arm. "Senor,' he continued, east
your eye over the Missouri there-my
ship. Think of the long arm OF my
government. Take these desperadoes
aboard at your peril-at your peril,
senior | have warned you. The rest
is up to you
The little captain shivered bit.
Isl, senior" he returned, swiftly.
with a bow, lit shall be as you say"
Meantime the third member of An
nette's party, Mr. Joseph Welcher
had strolled behind a convenient shed
to find resting place for his weary
bones and tc smoke his fiftieth ciga
rette that day He struck a match
started to light his cigarette. Then
something happened. The match went
out-the cigarette was knocked un
tremendously from mis- lips
What the" he began Then he
stopped. A stone was lying at his
feet. 1t was this stone that had
knocked the cigarette from between
his lips-and had almost knocked a
tooth or two as we'll But there was
something else to wonder at. A bit
of crumpled paper had futtered to the
ground.
Welcher picked the paper up and
glanced warily about him. Suddenly,
he saw The jungle's edge came
down nearly TO the water. Something
was stirring in this thicket Joe
stared. And suddenly the face of a
woman-Inez Castro, peered out from
behind the huge leaf of a tropic plant
Read" That was the message
flashed from the eyes of Inez Castro
to the brain of Joe Welcher. Joe
read
The note was brief and to the point;
We do not board this steamer.
But we must reach Santa Maria
first. II Is up to you and you alone,
70 create all possible delays. Do
not fall us now.