The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-09-19

and remembered tho Queens great
golden bowl He looked up, An,
Mother OF Cod the very placci lie
knew IL az first sight ~ he gaxed
up what was "A funnel at the lar spec.
tacle Of day. Fully 200 feet above
him was the rim OF the funnel. Tho
sides Of hard. smooth rock siopcd
steeply in and down to him. and his
eyes and Judgment told him that no
man born OF woman could ever scale
that slope.
The fancy that came 10 his mind
caused him 20 spring TO his feet In
sudden panic and look hastily around
about him. Only on more colossal
scale. the funnel In which he was
trapped had reminded him OF tho
funnel pits dig In the sand by hunt.
Ing spiders that lurked at the bottom
for such prey that tumblcd in upon
them.
And. his vivid fancy icaplng. he
had been frightened by the thought
that some spider monster as colossal
as the funnel pit might possibly be
lurking there 10 devour him. but no
such denizcn appeared. The bottom
OF the pit. circular In form. was a
good 10 feet across ana earpetcd. he
knew not how deep. by a dcbriS OF
small animals bones. Now for what
had the Mayas OF old time made so
stupendous an excavation. he ques-
toned. for he was moro than half
convinced that tho funnel was no
natural phenomenon.
Before nightfall he made sure. by a
dozen attempts. that tho funnel was
unscaiable. Between attempts he
crouched in the growing shadow OF
the descending sun and PAINTED dry.
/ Tipped with heat and thirst. T h e
place was very furnace. and the
I juices OF his body were wrung from
him In Precipitation.
Turnout the night. between doxcs.
he vainly pondered the problem OF
escape. The only way out was up.
nor could his mind devise any
method OF getting up. Also. he
looked forward with terror 10 the
coming Of the day. for he knew that
no man could survive a fun 10 hours
OF the baking heat that would be his,
Ere the next nightfaii tho last drop
OF moisture would have evaporated
from his body. leaving him a with.
cred and already half sun dried mum.
my.
With the coming OF daylight his
growing terror added wings TO his
thought. and he achieved a new and
profoundly simple theory OF escape.
Since he could not climb up. and
since he could not get out thru the
sides themselves. then the only pos,
sibie remaining way was down. Fool
that no WAS lie might have been
working thru the cool night hours.
and now he must labor in the quickly
increasing heat lie applied himself
in an ccstacy OF energy TO digging
down thru the mass OF crumbling
bones. OF course. there was n way
Quit Else how did tho funnel drain
otherwise. II would have been full or
part full Of water from tho rains.
Fool. And thrice times thrice fool
He dug down one side OF the wall
finging the rubbish into n mound
against the opposite side. So desper
ateiy did he apply himself that he
broke his finger nails TO the quick
and deeper. while every finger tir
was iacerated 10 bleeding. But love
OF life was strong In him. and hs
knew II was life and death race
to him with the sun. As he went
deeper. the rubbish became m ore
compact. so that he used the muzxle
Of his rife like a crowbar TO loosen
Il ere tossing IL up in single and
double handouts.
BY mid-forenoon. his senses begin
ming to reel in the heat. he made a
discovery. Upon the wall which h
had uncovered. he came upon the be
ginning OF an inscription. evidently
rudely scratched in the rock by tbs
point OF a knife. with renewed hope
his head and shoulders down in ths
hole. he dug and scratched for all IN.
world like a dog. throwing the rub
bish out and between his legs In true
dog fashion Some Of IL fell clear
but most OF IT fell back and dowr
upon him. Yet had he become too
frantic to note the inefficiency OF hi,
effort.
At last the inscription Was cleared
so that he was able to read:
Peter McGnl Of Glasgow. On
March 18th. 1920.
escaped from the Pit OF Hell
by this passage by digging down
and finding H.
A passagei The passage must b
beneath the inscription Torres nov
toiled in fury. SO dirtsoiled was h
! that he was like some huge four
legged. earth.burrowing animal. TIT
dirt got into his eyes. and on occas
ion into his nostrils and air passages
so as 10 suffocate him and compe
him TO back up out OF athe hole ant
} sneeze and cough his Breathing ap
} paratus clear. Twice he tainted. Blu
the sun. by then almost directly over
head. drove him on.
lie found the upper rim OF the pas
sage. He did not dig down to tn
lower rim: for the moment the aper
ture was large enough 10 accommo
date his lean shape: he writhed ant
squirmed into II and away from tn
: destroying sun rays. The cool ant
the dark soothed him, but his 10,
and the reaction from what he ha'
undergone sent his pulse Riddily up
80 that for the third time he Ia,
tainted.
: CONTINUED tomorrow
} published by special arrangement, will
the Mcclure Newspaper syndicate. Copy