Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-05-20
LITERARY.
Continued from last week.
West of Sunday.

For minute the boys stood speech
less with terror There, on the raised
spot, which seemed to be an altar, was
/. short stiletto about eight inches
long. It's pearl handle and shining
blue steel blade were covered with
blood. And it was warm bloodi It
had not coagulated; for, when the
dagger was picked up, the blood drop
ped from the blade. Upon closer ex-
animation IF the handle two small mi
tials were found inlaid in black. The
boys, frightened, soon began to mag
inc the circumstances under which the
knife had come to that spot. Had It
been used to kill the negro's brother?
The very thought aroused in them a
desire to go on and find who or what
had been the cause of such ruthless
murder / say what because often the
larger of the monkeys on the island
had stolen weapons and killed the ma
tives. But this was an Italian stilet-
to- 1t was unusually attractive. Now
the question was: where did it
come from? for the natives did not
possess such elaborate knives. In
famed by zeal to go on and find out
the reason, they proceeded into the
cave.
A little beyond the raised part.
upon which they had found the dag
ger, was division of the cave. Three
runways led off from this point, two
going at right angles, and one lead
ing straight on. After little DELHI
GRAFTON, they decided to explore the
one to the right which led northward.
They started down this, and were sur
prised at the workmanship and the in
genuity with which the cave had been
modelled. The work seemed almost
supernatural. This runway of the
cave was about seven feet high and
about four feet wide. The rock in the
cave was curiously colored in the
most brilliant of hues. On the right
hand side was carved the statue of a
god 1t was hideous with its ringed
nose and ears, its bullying eyes, and its
canine-like teeth. Upon its head of
snaky locks was a crown with spikes
projecting from it. A dagger was
clutched in one of it's hands. 1t was
of different make from the stilletto
and seemed decidedly more native.
The hideousness of the figure was
enough to fill the heart of the strong
est man with terror, and it gave the
cave an atmosphere of murder. Pro-
ceeding down the cave, they found
several small statues. These, because
they were odd, served to cheer the
boys. The search down this passage
proved vain, so the boys went back
along the same trail.
Then they started down the oppo-
site runway. There was very little
statuary in this part, but occasionally
they found drawings of the various
animals which had lived on the island.
These seemed to have been made by
blunt native instruments. After a
fruitless search the boys once more re-
turned to the opening and started
down the third passage which was
only about five feet high and three
feet wide at the entrance. 1t was
very long and gradually grew higher
and wider There were TO statues or
drawings on the walls but in many
places the black wall seemed to be set
with precious stones. Whenever The
light Of the fiashl;ght fell on one of
these, it glittered and cleaned. The
idea of diamonds entered their minds.
1t became the uppermost thought and
all fear and dread left them as they
thought of accomplishing their pur-
pose. They went farther on; the air
became denser; the blackness grew
backer; and an ominous feeling of
dread came over them. The thought
of the diamonds vanished. A faint
noise came from remote corner A
cold chill came over them; then Ted's
light went out.
FRANK MASON, '21.
Ito be continued.)