Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-16
sTIMr' she called.

.hat pitcbed steepiy ahead of him.
sno &c was almost cut, deteriorating
~ mere smudge curling up from
~ eubers, The air was bad, thick
Winnt te.yy: breathing was difficult. lie
n..d w nm and made out the dim square
poNuvbirh Betty knelt. He could go
,,!,,,o u,ther without danger, since IL
ntuV ,;r grew worse he could still turn
iped id run back up the steps. The floor
smu ssan,red TO pitch still more steeply.
Tssrful Of a precipice or pit and a
TN he went down on his hands and
n,s ,s and crept on. Thus he held his
\ Epse ,orSb before him and thus he made
poSs discovery. The smoke was drift
4 ~ steadily into his face. And that
msant a current of air.
gill crawling, he pressed forward
1 ..anvIy shifting the air. But he re-
80 none of his caution; the floor
,,"dsrneath still pitched steeply, and.
!. seemed to him, grew sleeper. Then
y. iight began to brighten; the embers
naiorsd and when he blew on them,
10 again into fame. He looked up:
" could not see the square of light
.hnye now. Evidently he was passing
;rto somo sort Of wide tunnel or lengthy
.hamber, Dimly he could descry walls
~ sitber side of him. Ahead was only
wsct emptiness; uuderfoot the uneven
aoor seeming to grow smoother and to
liant still more abruptly downward.
"i,d better 60 easy" he told himself
.rimly. IF man started sliding here
\ wonder where he'd land "
Decidedly the air was better. lie
S,led his lungs and stopped where he
-.s moving his torch above his head,
tovering it, pcering about him on oil
.;dss At last he made out that dozen
sens farther on there was level space
shnut which the walls were squared go
.s IN give the effect Of small room. He
Srew nearer step by step and again was
forced to kueel and then feel his way
harvard with his hands, for the floor
under him grew steadily sleeper so that
n was difficult to keep from sliding
Soun the incline. When he saw his
wsy sufficiently clearly he did slide the
,ssf three or four feet. And now, rs
scain his torch Jared and the air
frsshened in his nostrils, he saw that
which put an eager excitement in his
blood The small rom had every ap-
pearance Of an arcient storeroom. lie
NV objects piled on the floor, objects
AZ strange designs. cups and pitcncrs
and vessels of various shapes. lie
csnght one up and it was, heavy. lie
.lanked two together and the mellow,
bell.like sound had the golden note.
4 "solid gold" he muttered. And as
something upon one of the vessels--it
was drinking goblet of ornate design
caught the light and shone back at him
like imprisoned fire, "Encrusted with
precious stones =,
He put the things down and looked
further. There was big chest. As his
foot struck it 1t burst asunder and
tumbcd its contents to the floor. From
the disordcred heap there shone forth
from countless places the colorful glow
OF jewels lie passed to another chest
a smaller ore placed as in position OF
honor upon a square tablet of rock. Hc
held his torch closc and looked in he
thrust in his hand and Withdrew it filled
with pearls. Even he. no connoisseur
like Barlow. would have stoked his life
on their genuinencss. They were oi
many sizes, but more large ones among
them than small: their soft. rich lowell
ness dimmed even those Of Zoraida'
wearing.
"a man could carry million dollars
out Of here in his hands !"
He went on. But what he held in hi,
hand he thrust into his pocket as, he
went 'Tbe remembrance of Zoraida'
rattlesnakes came to him abruptly. Thu:
he moved with renewed caution and thu!
he was saved from a misadventure. Fo'
even so, he almost stepped to fall
Between two heaps of tumbled articles
was a square hole, sheer and black
several feet across. He stopped over 1t
The air came up with a rush. At frs
he could see only little way. Then h,
made out that the shaft went straigh
down only a few feet and then slantet
away In great chute like the foo
down which no had already come, onl!
80 much sleeper that he knew had III
fallen ther, would have been no return
possible for him. TO- what eventua
landing place would he have plunged
For moment or So his eyes strained
In vain into the gloom. Slowly fain
and then growing detail rewarded him
At was but small section offered hin
because of the angling Of the tunnel.
But before a watch could have ticke'
ten times he knew into what place b
would have fallen, into what region
bis glance had penetrated. The ligh
was dim down yonder, but he knew tina
he was looking down into the garden
Of the golden king of Tezcuco.
Another way into the hidden place
and one that Zoraida herself know
aothing Of" he thought. IF ma
took this drop and then the slide, he'
land with the breath jolted out of him
but there is shrubbery to fan on an
u wouldn't kill him. But in there he
stay There would be no climbing bac
up the slippery chute"
! He withdrew and looked about hir
again. Expecting pitfalls, he took n
Jingle step without making sure first
dc crossed the chamber and upon tn
further side he came to a second pi
and second tunnel. This like th
hrst was steep and smooth this ais
gave him a CLINT of light at tho furthe
end. The light was dim; he made on
that the distant mouth of the tunnC
was obscured by tangle of brus
and scrub trees.
Another underground garden?' b
wondered. "Or the outside world?"
lie filled his lungs with the air flow
II ipg upward. He fancied that 1t had
ntesher, sweeter smell, that there wa
he .wholesomeness Of sunlight in 1t.
!, 1T would be a joke" was his quic
thought, ''if there were way out 70
here while Rios watches the canyo
1t was then that there came to him
hint from far above, Betty's scream
He whirled and ran. Again he hear
ner screams, echoing wildly. AS b
stumbled on there came to him th
mufed sound of a rife shot.
CHAPTER XXI
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