The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1919-12-19

/ again lie cOl1IHeuCPu HIS eiopiiiS AL
vance but this time he had gone but u
short distance when he emerged into
| room, which was lighted through an
opening In the ceiling, from which q
| flight oe concrete steps led downward
| to the floor of the chamber.
Above him, through the aperture.
Werper could see sunlight glancing
| from massive columns, which were
twined about by clinging vines. He
listened; but he heard no sound.
Boldly he ascended the stairway. to
find himself in circular court. Just
before him stood stone altar, stained
with rusty-brown discoloratiOns. At
the time Werper gave no thought to
an explanation of these stains-later
their origin became all too hideously
apparent to him.
Besides the opening in the floor, just
behind the altar, through which he
had entered the court from the sub
terranean chamber below, the Belgian
discovered several doors leading from
the Enclosure upon the level of the
floor. Above, and circling the court
yard. was series of open balconies.
Werper felt relieved. He sighed, as
though great weight had been lifted
from his shoulders. He took a step
toward one of the exits, and then he
halted, wide-eyed IN establishment and
terror, for almost at the same instant
dozen doors opened in the courtyard
nF F,;, f,,l
rushed in upon him.
They were the priests of the Flam-
ing God of Opar-the same shaggy,
knotted, hideous little men who had
dragged Jane Clayton to the sacrifcial
altar at this very spot years before.
Their long arms, their short and
crooked legs. their close-set, evil eyes.
and their low, receding foreheads gave
them bestial appearance that sent a
qualm of paralyzing fright through the
shaken nerves of the Belgian.
With a scream he turned to fee back
into the lesser terrors of the gloomy
corridors and apartments from which
he had just emerged, but the frightful
men anticipated his intentions. They
blocked the way; they seized him, and
though he fell, groveling upon his
knees before them, begging for his life,
they bound him and hurled him to the
floor of the inner temple.
The priestesses came, and with them
La, the high priestess. Werper was
raised and laid across the altar. Cold
sweat exuded from his every pore as
La raised the cruel. sacrificial knife
above him. The death chant fell upon
his tortured ears. His staring eyes
wandered to the golden goblets from
which the hideous votaries would soon
quench their inhuman thirst in his
own, warm life-blood.
He wished that he might be granted
the brief respite of Inconsistencies
before the final plunge of the keen
blade-and then there was q frightful
roar that sounded almost in his ears.
The high priestess lowered her dagger.
Her eyes went wide in horror. The
priesteSses, her votaresses, screamed
and fled lmadly toward the exits. The
priests p0ared out their rage and ter
ror according to the temper of their
courage. Werper strained his neck
ahont to catch a sight of the cause of
their panic. and when at last he saw
It, h9 too went cold in dread, for what
MS eyes beheld was the figure of a
huge 1ion standing In the center of the
temple and already single victim lay
mangled beneath his cruel paws.
Again the lord of the wilderness
roared, turning his baleful gaze upon
the altar. La staggered forward
reeled' and fell across Werper in a
swoOn.