Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1919-10-23
CHAPTER vII-continued.

CHAPTER vlI-continued.
~
But alas! they did not begin till
some six feet above my head, and the
way was sheer. How was to reach
the lowest rung? The rock was too
sheer for me to cut steps in, as l had
done farther back. looked about me
Again the luck was with me. In one
Of the caves had noticed some broken
pieces of fallen rock. They were ter.
rlby heavy, but despair lent me
strength, and after an hour or twO's
work, l had managed to roll several
of them to the foot of the ladder, and
with IN effort of which l would not
have believed myself capable-fad
another against the wall. SO. found
myself able to grasp the lowest rung
with my hands. Then, fastening the
lantern round my neck with my neck
tie, l prepared to mount.
The climb was not difficult, once
had managed to get my feet on the
first rnng of the ladder, but there was
always the chance that one of the
rungs might have rusted loose with
time, in which case, of course, 1t would
have given way In my grasp. and l
should have been precipitated back
ward to certain death below.
However, the man who had mortised
them had done an honest piece of
work, and they proved as firm as on
the day they were placed there. Up
and up l went, till | must have been
forty feet above the floor, and, then,
as I neared the foot, instead of COM
ing to a trap door. as had conjec-
tured I found that the ladder came to
an end ut the edge of Il narrow ledge,
running along the ceiling much as a
clerestOry runs near the roof of some
Old churches. On to this I managed to
climb 1t was barely yard wide, and
the impending roof did not permit of
ones standing erect. 1t was a dizzy
situation, and 1t seemed safest to
crawl along on all tours, holding the
lantern in front Of me. Presently 1t
brought me up sharp in narrow
recess. 1t had come to an end
/ Yes! but imagine my Joy! 1t had
come to an end at a low archway
rudely cut in the rock. Deep set in
the archway was stout wooden door.
My first thought was that was
trapped again, but. to my infinite sur.
prise and gratitude, it proved to be
slightly ajar, and vigorous push sent
1t grinding back on its hinges. What
next? I wondered. At all events, I was
no longer lost in the bowels of the
earth; step by step, was coming
nearer to the frontiers of humanity.
i But I was certainly not prepared
for what next met my eyes, as
pushed through the low doorway with
my lantern. and looked around. Yes!
indeed, man had certainly been here.
man, too, very purpOseful and busi-
nesslike. I was In a sort of low mar
row gallery, some forty feet long, to
which the arching rock made a crypt
like ceiling. At my first glance, saw
that there was another door at the far
end similar to the one l had entered
by; and on the left side of the gallery,
built of rough stones from the low
ceiling to the floor, was a series of
compartments. each with locked wood.
en- door. They were strong and grim
looking. and might have been taken
for prison cells, or family vaults, or
possibly wine bins. The massive locks
were red with rust, and there was
platnly no possibility Of opening them.
On the other side of the gallery
there was litter of old chains, and
some boards. probably left over from
the doors. Yes. and there were two
Old fiintlock guns. and several cut.
iasses. all eaten away with rust, also
n rough seaman's chest open and fall
Ing to pieces. At the sight of that, q
wild thought flashed through my brain.
What if Good God! What IL this
was John Teachs treasury-behind
those grim doors. threw myself with
all my force against one and then the
other. For the moment l forgot that
my paramount business was to es.
cape. But might as well have. hurled
myself against the solid rock. And, Mt
that moment, noticed that the place
was darker than 1t had been. NV Ian.
Zern was going out. In moment or
two ! should be in the pitch dark, and
had discovered that the door ut the
end of the gallery was as solid as the
others.
was to be trapped, after all; and
pictured myself slowly dying there
Of hunger-the pangs of which I was
already beginning to iceland some
one, years hence, .:ad!ng me there. u
iaoldcring skeleton-s0me one who
would break open those doors. uncover
those cleaning hOards. and moralize
an the :rcny of my end condemned tc
die there of starvation, with the treas
ure had SO long sought on the otheI
side of those unyielding doors. Ole