Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-18
CHAPTER IN
Legend and Reality

AS SOON as she re-entercd the palace,
~ Sajipona dismissed her courtiers, the
cavemcn who acted as guards, and even the
few female attendants she was accustomed
to have near her. OF her own people. Narva
alone remained
Facing Raoul and Una in the deserted hall,
flooded with light from the magic sun that
a short while since had traced IN MOVING
characters of fire the approach Of her On
,mics Sajipona told of her purpose in orinR,
ing them there She spoke as II Fht l''n
long foreseen and even planned TINS inter-
view and amazed them by her intimate
knowledge of various matters that seemed
quite beyond the reach of her sources ol IN
formation 1t was as If she had been ''oI
oughy familiar for some years past WIN
Raouls schemes. and had even shared in the
hopes and fears that brought Una TO 'oIoW-
bia. go.
81 knew of your coming; planned for IT,
she said to Raoul For months nave
known that you were using every art your
cunning could suggest-aided by the trea'H-
cry of one Of my own people-to ma your
way here Until now you have been unable
to do anything. | was always able 10 Keep
YOU out of hcre-and I could stlll nave kept
you out, had II not served my purpose p'''''
to let you come.
"You are here now-yOu are looking for
what yau have always looked. You guessed
long since of the existence Of a great treas
ure house, built here centuries ago bN the
rulers Of our mountain kingdom who dSap-
peared before the white inNaucrS OF inns
| country. Idle stories and legcnds Of those
far off times, repeated to you by the poems
| whom YOU mentioned. vague hints and ru-
| mances picked ID from ancient books, led
| Won 10 this cave and to the belief that ! WAS
| in some way. mixed up with its secret.
| will not say that you We're right or wrong
| in all Of this Here you look for mountain
| of treasure; as yet you have found none.
| Rut Won have seen marvels enough since you
| entered this unknown region to make you
| eager to solve a mystery that every moment
has grown deeper. / will help you-but 1t
| must be in my own way ana just so Tar as 1t
| suits my own plans.
| "Once. we who live here now shut out from
| oil the rest of the world, were free We
| overran all the plains and mountains OF 80
e,ta. our rule extended to the warmer c7un-
tries on every side of ~. W.. practced af'S'
cultivated sciences were famlIar "lh Sc
crets Of nature that opr Conqucrors were too
rude too ignorant To undo"staUd But these
| conuuerors eNcelled MS in warfare; ana so
we were driven either into slavery or ma
| ing. II is in memory Of that former age OF
| freedom and empire that my people nave
| called this the Land OF the 'ohupr-tha''
and a strange old legend that you may have
| ra,rd or Here we are hidden far as you
Ilrov from the light Of the upper earth. n
| ,irocle Of nature carved this land out OF
| tho rock; the science ana arr or race oluei
han yours have furnished " and made II
what YOU see. II Is guarded, as YOU know ''
| ,our cost by many a labyrinth strong
| hias ,,a- have hafflcd you every time YOU
| roe tried to pierCe thom. Its people live
nv means and methods that arc forsotten-l
,bev were ever knCwn--to the outer world
| IJere we have been free to follow the customs
and beliefs of our fathers Here we couI'
LII continue "A peaceful mode of life yot
-, ,otbine Of Blu, something has hap
,,oned that has charged all this. because o
- have at last permitted, even aided you
coming TO us ! know all you nave Sacriflce'
for this treasure you nope I" win from IN
depths of the earth-trtaSure that helohg
a.. &c I ,viu not say that your search vii
" ,,,arded Had YOU succeeded in you
| - years ago YOU would have pau dearl
7 sor n The knowledge of this hidden Ian
| ,yould have been forever lost 10 YOU Go"
fortune-or nl-has brought YOU mere a
, last Your fate lies now in the hands OF IN
an Won once tried to injure But there
w .L,ns Won must do before his decisio
| 90 ho given You must free him from
,,,r,rnv that. with all our knowledge OF man
, kind's perils and weaknesses, we are power
| less 10 overcome
, | - ,-...,.l ,.o,--,. 'h0uCh " was did No
. .rrnr,se Raoul Upon learning of David
SURPRISE -. road from Honda
I | .t,o,, bo Guessed that the missing ma
= mad found mis- way by some lneNpllcabI
/ method. to this subterranean world thus re
nsating his almost fatal adventure OF thrC
- 400 This surmise. based on the pas
srd ON indications of similar abnormal met
, taI symptoms that he believed David ha
= again experienced, was corroborated by Il
: cayemen who accompanied him to the pa
ace. From these cavemen he learned INA
. | Dayil had been followed by Salpoha emu
sories ever since his arrival in Honda.
! These people intended neither his captul