The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-16

FI should prefer Lake Gladys" I de
 clared b1ushingly.
 Challenger looked at me synpathet
 ical1y and shook his great head in
 mock disapTrovaL Boys will be boys, ;
 said he. Lake Gladys let it be. Ma
 lone shall have his way"
 CHAPTER XIV.
 "It Was Dreadful In the Forest"
 W HAVE said--or perhaps have not
 M said, for my memory plays me l M sad tricks these days - that l
 g1on-ed with pride when three 1 such men as my comrades thanked me for having saved or at least greatly helped the situation. As the youngster of the party, not merely in years, but 1 in experience, character, knowledge and all that goes to make man, had been overshadowed from the first And now I was coming into my own. 1 warmed at the thought. Alas for the pride which goes before fallI That little glow of self satisfaction, that added measure of self confidence, was l to lead me on that very night to the most dreadful experience of my life, I ending with a shock which turns my heart sick when think of it.
 It came about in this way: had been unduly excited by, the adventure of the tree, and sleep seemed to be i'm possible. Sun1meriee was on guard, sitting hunched over our small fire, quaint, angular figure, his rifle across his knees and his pointed, goatlike beard waggIng with each weary nod of his head. Lord John lay silent, wrap ped in thei South American pencho which he wore, while Challenger snored with roll and rattle which | AZ. Ar.u tn1 full moon was shining brightly, and the air was crisply cold. What night for a walk! And then suddenly came the thought, Why not2' Suppose stole softly away, suppose I made my way down to the central lake, suppose I was back at breakfast with some record of the place. Would not in that case be thought an even more worthy associate? Then if Summerlee carried the day and some means of escape were found we should return to Lon don with first hand knowledge of the central mystery Of the plateau, to which I alone of all men would have penetrated. I thought of Gladys, with her ''There are heroisms all round us. I seemed to hear her voice as she said it. I thought also of McArdle. What three column article for the paper! what a 1Oul0dtlOu 4OE a CdIeeAs n correspondentship in the next great war might be within my reach. clutched at a gun-ny pockets were full of cartridges and, parting the thorn bushes at the gate of our zareba, quickly slipped out. My last glance showed me the unconscious Summer lee most futile of sentinels, still nod ding away like queer mechanical toy in front of the snoldering fire. He was fast asleep.
 The night had been exceedingly still, but as [ advanced became conscious of a low, rumbling sound, continu- oJ1s murmur, somewhere in front of me. This grew louder as proceeded, until at last it was clearly quite close to me. When stood still the sound was constant, so that 1t seemed to come from some stationary cause. It was like a boiling kettle or the bub- bling of some great pot. Soon came upon the source of it, for in the center of small clearing found a lake--or pool, rather, for it was not larger than the basin of the Trafalgar square foun- tain--of some black, pitchlike stuff, the surface of which rose and fell tn great l b1isters of bursting gas. The air above 1t was shimmering with heat, and the ground round was so hot that could hardly bear to lay my hand on it. It was clear that the great volcanic out burst which had raised the strange plateau so many years ago had not yet entirely spent it's forces. Blackened rocks and mounds of lava I had al- ready seen everywhere peepfng out from amid the Iuxuriant vegetation which draped them, but this asphalt pool in the jungle was the first sign that we had of actual existing activity on the slopes of the ancient crater. 1 had no time to examine 1t further, for I had need to hurry if I were to be back in camp in the morning
 It was a fearsome walk and one which will be with me so long as mem i ory holds. In the great moonlight | clearings slnnk along among the shadows on the margin In the jungle l I crept forward, stopping with beat ing heart whenever I heard, as I of ten did, the crash of breaking branches as some wild beast went past. Now and then great shadows loomed up foI an instant and were gone-great, si- lent shadows which seemed to prowi upon padded feet How often I stop i ped with the intention of returning and yet every time my pride conquer ed my fear and sent me on again unti my object should be attained:
 At last (my watch showed that i, was 1 in the morning. I saw the gleam of water amid the openings of the jun gle, and ten minutes later was amonf the reeds upon the borders of the cen tral lake, I was exceedingly dry, so l lay down and took a long draft of it /! waters, which were fresh and cold There was broad pathway witl many tracks upon it at the spot which I had found, so that it was clearly ono of the drinking places of the animals. Close to the waters edge there was huge isolated block Of lava. Up this I climbed, and, lying on the top of this block, I had an excellent view in 1 every direction.