Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-03-25
CHAPTER XVI.

The accident to my hurt shoulder
served me one good purpose-it gave me
an excuse to leave off painting the prin-
cess for a few days; and I Sp2at those
few days constantly in Prothro's pres
ence. Two days after the wreck we
made our first through trip to Tieximal.
and l got the first look at our mine. It
was great hexagonal hole twenty feet
in diameter inside a yard at. the back
Of church. The stone wall around the
yard was twenty feet high and three
feet thick, with towers at the angles
like prison wall Prothro took me to
the mine at high noon. A most musical
sound composed the harmony Of the
deepest and the shrillest notes caused
from the plunge Of water down its sides
came up to me; and at this hour when
the sun penetrated its depths a series of
most beautiful rainbOws could be seen
far down in the gaping hole
THAT shaft Is six hundred feet deep"
said Prothro. I'm the old days and up
to forty years ago it was worked by
poems, who carried the dirt up Chicken
ladders" in baskets on their backs, and
even as late as forty years ago the
water was pumped out by small hand
pumps, in relays from tank to tank A
small army Of men have been killed IN
that mine and enough gold taken out Of
1t to furnish the entire coinage for
twenty years Of many a European ma
ton Now oil the lower levels up to
four hundred feet below here are en-
tirely Hooded and even the upper series
Of tunnels are in such a ruinous state
that any man risks his life that enters
pumping machinery Is for Us"
Has no one at all worked the mine
for forty years." asked with a smile.
for I knew very well that all Madame
Trabajar's resources came from the Illicit
working Of this very mine.
Yes" replied Prothro, "a gang Of
these native brIgands have tunueled IN
from some shaft that I cannot locate
and are taking regularly several thou
sand dollars month from some Of the
upper levels"
AS he spoke a long. mournfuI. chanting
vail came up to US. I have never heard
anything at all like it IN point of weird
ness.
What is it?" asked Prothro.
I hardly know" he replied gravity
1T was always the custom Of the poor
slaves who worked the mine in the old
days to sing as they climbed their
chicken ladders. It Is still the custom
in some old mines that are still being
operated In this country. We lost all
our native workers here three months
ago, because they believe that this was
the echo of that For myself I am not
superstitious"
While he spoke it came again, louder
than before. more bair-raising. ,crept
n h. mo- =
yawning hole. The sun had shifted nova
and the rainbows had ell disappeared.
but as I gazed down into the chaotic
depths whence the sound rose with in
creasing volume above the music of the
falling water, I saw a brilliant light
fash through the midst and turn the
spray into a sort Of silvery rain. Some
how II wss all very uncanny, and in spite
II the bright sunshine where l stood l
felt chill creep over my flesh, and at
that moment mad a premonition that our
whole expedition was Inflated, that a
something ominous was about to happen
to US all.
think Prothro had started to try to
give me a logical explanation Of the
strange sound when suddenly the teIe-
phone In the little wooden shack that
served him for an office rang loudly, and
No hAolti4eu VI the plume. ClduulUE D6-
bind Prothro I could hear Morals excited
voice at the other end of the line in
Guanajuato.
There's been A raid and a Jail de-
livery, and Sifert and Seriano are both
at large"
when did it happen7"
EARLY this morning"
why didn't you telephone befors?"
asked Prothro.
II tried to, but the wires were cut
about two miles from town and couldn't
use the phone till our men had repaired
the line But, listen. that isn't all the
bad news"-I strained my ears to catch
every word, feeling again that chill up
and down my spins-"Barnette has dis
appeared"
WHAT"
He was at his hotel and in his room
last night after II o'clock He told me
then he aimed to sleep late this morn
ing, but when I seard little after day
break about the raid on the Jail rushed
to his hotel, but he was gone and had
left no sign or word of any sort The
hotel people apparently know nothing
My theory is Barnette was chloroformed
and gagged and so abducted from sis
room. There was no sign of fight, and
you know how quick Barney always
was"
Have you seen Madame Trabajar this
morning"
Not yet; I have been busy with the
work That's the main reason / haven't
local police trying to keep them at
phoned sooner; I've had a difficult time
1t looks to me like that woman's got
this whole town under her thumb.
didn't go TO her because I thought per
to more purpose. If we can't win her
over or force her out of the country, It
looks like we might as we'll shut up
shop. How soon can you come down ?"
Right away. Anything else you'd like
to tell me before we sJ 2"
ITO BE Conf lued.)