The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-07-14

old gallant plundersrs. whose noses
smelt you out gold and whose hearts
were brave sufficient TO light for it,
"HuhEn Francis eoncnrred, as he
urged the other two to traverse the
avenue Of the ancient adventures.
''OId Sir Henry himself ought 70 be
here at the head OF the procession"
Thirty PAGES they took ere the
pasags elboWed as before, and at
the very end OF the double-row OF
mummies Henry brought his com
panion to q halt ~ he pointed AID
said:
'I don't know about Sir Henry.
but there's Alvarez Torres"
Under q Spanish helmet, In de-
capitated MEDIEVAL Spanish dress.
q big Spanish sword IN It's brown
and Withered hand. stood . mummy
whose lean brown face for All the
world was the lean. brown face OF
Alvarez Torres. Leoncia. gasped
shrunk back, and crossed herself az
the sight.
Francis released her TO Henry.
advanced, and fingered the cheeks
and lips and forehead OF the thing.
and laughed rsassuringIy. -
81 only wish Alvarez Torres were
- 0eAQ IS THIS 4E14 U46 -.
haven't the slightest doubt. how
ever, but what Torres descended
from him mean before he came
here to take up his final earthly
residence as q member % the Maya
treasure guard"
Leoncia passed the grim figure
shudderingly. This time the elbow
passage was very dark. compelling
Henry, who had changed into the
lead to light numerous natches-
'Hello!' he said, as he paused
at the end of q couple OF hundred
feet. "Gazs on that for workman
ship. Look at the dressing Of that
stone!1
From beyond gray light stream
ed into the passage, making match-
es unnecessary to see. Half into
a niche was thrust Z stone the size
OF the passage. It was apparent
that Il had been used to block the
passage. The dressing was ezquis-
lite, the sides and edges Of the
block precisely aligned with the
place in the wall into which Il was
made to dovetaiI
"ru wager here's where the ola
Maya's father died" Francis ex,
claimed. 'sHe knew the secret Of
the balances and beverages that
pivoted the stone. and IL was only
partly pivoted, As YOUR Os-
Look" Henry interrupted, point
ing before him on the floor az 3
scattered skeleton. 1T must be
what's left OF him. It's fairly re-
cent, or he would have been mum
unified. Most likely he was the last
visitor before Us.
'"Ths old priest said his father
led men OF the TERRA calients here,
Leoncia reminded Henry
Also" Francis supplements.
''he said that none returned"
Henry, who had located the Ekun
and picked II up. uttered another
exclamation and lighted a match to
show the others what he had dis
covered. Not only was the skull
dented with what had been a.
blow from a sword or q maehete,
but a shattered hole in the back
of the skull showed the unmis-
taxable entrance OF bullet.
Henry shook the skull and was re-
warded by interior rafting: shook
again. and shook out a partly nat
tened bullet. Francis examined Il.
From a horse-pistoL" he con
cluded aloud. with weak or
greatly deteriorated powder. be-
cause, in q place like this, 1t must
have been fred pretty close 20
point blank range and yet failed to
go all the way through. And it's
an aboriginal skull all right"
A right-angled turn completed
the elbow and gave them access to
q small but well-lighted rock cham
Der. From q window, high up and
barred with vertical bars OF stone
a foot thick and half as wide,
poured gray daylight The floor OF
the place was Uttered with white
picked bones OF men An examina-
ton OF the skulls showed them TO q
be those OF Europeans Scattered
among them were rifles. pistols and
knives, with here and there .
machette.
Thus far they won, across the
very threshold to the treasure"
Francis said, land, from the looks,
began to night for its possession be-
fore they laid hands on il. Too
bad the ',lo man isn't here to see
what happcEed to his father"
Might tap,s not have been sur
vivors who managed to get a W.
with the loot?' suggested Henry.
But at that moment, casting his
eyes from the bones to a survey Of
the chamber, Francis saw what
made him say:
without doubt, no. See those
gems in those eyes. Rubies, or
never saw q ruby"
They followed his gaze TO the
stone statue OF a squat and heavy
female who stared at them red
eyed and open-mouthed. So large
was the mouth that IL made carl
cature Of the rest Of the face. Be
side it, carved similarly or stone,
and on somewhat more heroic lines
was q more hideous male statue,
with one ear of proportioned size
and the other ear as grotesqueIy
large as the females mouth.
The beauteous dame must be
CHA all right" Henry grinned.
But who's her gentleman friend
with the elephant ear and the
green eyes,"
search me-" Francis laughed.
But this I do know: those green
eyes Of the elephant-eared one are
the largest emeralds I've ever seen
or dreamed OF. Each Of them il
really too large to possess fair
carat value. They should be crown
Jewels or nothing"
"But a couple OF emeralds and a
couple of rubies, no matter what
size, should not constitute the
totaIity Of the Maya treasure"
Henry commended Were across
the threshold OF II, and yet we lack