The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1923-10-31

where could he turnI Where could
he go? He was one man pitted
against twenty al least, his only ad-
vantage being Meager's belief that he
was dead. and safely out of the way.
He must remain unseen, undiscovered
until he learned the truth. His mind
grasped the situation swiftly, as he
planned his own course of action.
There was no reason why Casebeer's
outfit should remain In the valley I;
they had already unloaded and stored
away out Of sight whatever they had
to transport. Their whole interest
must be to get safely away on the back
trail before daylight. Already the fire
had died down into mere embers, and,
he believed, part at least Of the
pack train had departed. After they
all had gone only Meager, and his
small party would be left behind.
How many there might be of these
Kelleen had no means of knowing, yet
1t was scarcely probable many were
In the secret of what was going on
Meager himself, Sanchez and one or
two others perhaps; not enough to
prove particularly dangerous, II they
did not even suspect his being alive.
Tomorrow surely that squad of cav
yon; they would scout up this way If
nothing occurred to detain them.
Those were their orders, and, If they
followed the trail, they could scarcely
fail to reach this hole In the desert.
All he needed to do In the meanwhile
was to discover exactly what this
gang was up to, and then wait.
To Lis mind the key Of the whole
mystery must lie in that cave tunnel
described by Deborah. II he could
once probe into its secret the whole
strange case would be solved II any
investigation was to be made, 1t must
be attempted now-he would take the
chance
To decide, with Kelleen, was to act
The peril of the adventure scarcely
occurred to him his life had long be-
fore Injured him to danger. All he
sought was opportunity. Slowly, eau
tiously, keeping well back in the
shadow. he lowered his body down the
face Of the cliff, taking advantage of
every irregularity, outcropping rocks
giving him foot and handhold. until
he finally reached the firm turf be-
low. AS he glanced back over his
course, marting the high outline of
the crest against the lighter sky above,
the memory Of that awful plunge over
the edge left him for all instant sick |
and nerveless. Then he drove the |
recollection from him with a bitter |
laugh. What odds he was alive; he |
would pay the debt. He could not |
stand there like a frightened child in |
the dark. He moved on In the depth |
Of the cliff shadow with eyes searching |
the gloom and ears listening for any
sound.
In that darkness he scarcely real
lied where he was, yet, when he
came to 1t, experienced no difficulty
In recognizing the mound on which |
he and Deborah had taken breakfast
together. He climbed the sloping side
cautiously on hands and knees, his re-
volver drawn and clenched in his
nerveless fingers. The man was cool
now, and ready, advancing steadily
through the maze Of rocks strewing
the surface, until he felt out the
slight evidences Of a trail. Here was
where Deborah must have attempted
her retreat, as 1t skirted the face of
he cliff, which bulged out above him.
The front was draped with clinging
zines, while below he found a tangle
If bushes, almost impenetrable. Kel-
cen crept along these, vainly seeking
;ome opening, and, finally, in despair,
pressed them aside, crawling noise
essly into the dark covert, seeking
hat opening in the rock which must
e hidden somewhere beyond. Its
discovery eluded him, and it was not
ntil he ventured to stand erect, feel
ng above the lower barrier of rock, {
hat he really convinced himself of its I
xistence. He stood hesitatingly, his |
cart humping from excitement. s
here was no sound of movement
profound silence and i'm $
enetrable darkness. Yet surely this /
ould be no storage house, no mere t
eceptable for stolen goods as he pre- 4
iously had imagined. There was no t
eaten trail leading to It; no dead, L
'ampled vines, no pathway opening c
trough the shrubs. The secret of the O
lace remained hidden, It's shield IN u
isturbed. Whoever came here must r
ave weaved their way as carefully v
3 he had, concealing all evidence Of b
assage, leaving no trail behind. c
In spite Of the shrinking of his flesh, Fl
eileen began to advance, feeling with Il
IS feet, and keeping one hand against u
lie rough side wall. 1t was a tunnel t.
,yond all doubt. leading at first k
raight into the cliff, the sides II
tipped and irregular. leaving to the r,
UGH Of his fingers the ridge marks p
a pick. Men had toiled here, not g
lture, and had plainly left their IL
lndiwork. When? How long ago? 81
hat had become Of them? "Alvara's ty
)St Mine I" The words seemed tO Ir