Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-06
CHAPTER V (Continuedl

>IlfhI i Ch v |NIOntIntIeul
MIHEN the social gayetes Of the capital
w were exhausted. he took up in earnest the
work he had planned to do He bought a full
equipment Of the best mining machinery and
hired large number of laborers But the
enterprise proved more difficult than he ex-
pected, The Spanards. who had worked at
the problem three centuries before. were
bound to fail on account of their lack of
engineering machinery. To empty Lake
Guatavita they tried to cut through the
mountain which formed one Of the containing
walls Of that body of water Under the
circumstances their partial success was amaz-
ing. The v-shaped cash they cut through
the mountain is proof Of their industry.
even If It failed of its full purpose. But It
did lower the level of the lake-although this
result was followed by an Unforeseen catas-
trophe. The sudden release of the water
through the channel opened for 1t left the
precipitoss shores of the lake unsupported
These shores then caved in, covering what
ever treasure there might be in the center of
the basin with masses of rock and earth, and
thus placing new obstacle in the way of the
future miner
David and Raoul took the problem from
different angle. They abandoned the old cut
tngs of the Spaniards and planned a tunnel
through the thinnest part of the mountain to
the bottom of the lake. In this way they
hoped to control the outflow Of water. after
which. they calculated. the recovery Of the
treasure would be a mere matter of placer
mining.
To do this they had boring machines and
dynamte-modern giants, of whose existence
the old Spaniards never dreamed.
As first test of the existence of treasure
in the lake, native divers explored some of
the shallow places near the shore. A few
ancient gold images were thus secured,
enough to corroborate the legend regarding
Guatavta. These images were curiously
carved. One represented a small human
figure seated in sort Of sedan chair.
Another was a heart-shaped breastplate upon
which were embossed human faces and
various emblems. Others were statuettes.
rude likenesses, probably. Of those who threw
them into the lake as votive offerings.
These gold tokens spurred on the miners.
Work the tunnel was rushed. and a sub
terranean passage. several hundred feet In
length, directed to a point just below the
bottom, of the lake. was soon completed.
Then a peculiarly hard rock formation was
veached that the boring machines could not
p.-.r,. - overcome it. dynamite was used.
since dynamite was one of the final
words in your test" said David, in telling his
story to Leighton. you know that its use
in our venture brings the climax of my
mining experience How to explain this
climax to you-or to mysef-is beyond me-
when we decided to use dynamite In our
excavation. a long fuse was laid from the
tunnels entrance to the unyielding wall at
the other end. There this fuse was con-
nected with a dynamite charge placed in the
crevce of the rock to be destroyed. Raoul,
waiting to set off the fuse. remained at the
opening of the tunnel l was at the further
end. looking after the laying of the dynamite
AS started for the entrance. was little
behind the others. The latter no sooner
gained the outer air than a muffied roar
shook the tunnel. The ground swayed. the
terrific conclusion of air seemed to rend my
very brain, and I fell unconscious"
Davds story came abruptly to an end.
Pale and listless. wearled by the effort to
give coherent account of his experiences.
he looked hopelessly at Leighton.
Well" said the latter" what them"
IF could only tell you!"
surely. you remember somethng-there
| Is some clue"
Nothing! Just-darkness."
Some faint flashes here and there
| glimpses of people. scenes, a house. a street
the sound Of voices. word-?"
| "NOthing!'
| TRY to remember"
mo use I've tried it too often. It's all a
blank. thought for an instant. that in
your psychometer test the veil would be
| lifted. Instead-as YOU know went to
| pieces"
VERY we'll" said Leighton reassuringly.
"let us go back to your story. You were in
| the tunnel when the dynamite went off. You
were thrown to the ground; you lost con-
sciousness. What is the next step In
| memory"
Walt" said David slowly. "The ex-
posion was on the 9th Of MAY. The date
was indeliby fixed in my mind I have verl-
fled it since. When I recovered conscious
| ness"
"You mean your normal consciousness II
interjected Leighton.
| Very we'll When I came to myself then
| 1t was on the morning of the 5th of August. "
| Nearly three months afterward." rum
| inateduhe old man, you found YOURSELF
| Seated in chair, in room in strange
house in Bogota"
| "Alone?"
"Raoul Arthur was with me. He was bend
ing over me, his eyes fixed on mine, making
passes with his hand before my face"
you were in hypnotic trance"
| "I was coming out of one. apparently"
| "It would be hard to define your condition
OF course, after the explosion you had beer
| picked up and carried to this house in Bogota
| where you had remained, suffering from
| severe nervous shock-perhaps concussion o.
the brain-for three months"
| II had been In that house scarcely an hou
| before my memory was suddenly revived"
| How do you know that?" demanded
| Leighton, sharply.
| .aThe rainy season was on in August il
| Bogota l found myself in my riding dress
My rubber poncho dripping with rain was ol
the floor. My boots, the spurs still attached
to the heels, were caked with mud"
"And Arthur told you-?"
"At first was bewldered, as one is whel
suddenly aroused from long sleep. witt
full return Of consciousness. / asked Raou
how I came to be there. He said he dfdn'
know"
| ..He must have given some explanation"
"Very little. What he said mystifed m
more than ever He declared that shor