The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-01-07
CHAPTER XXXI
Story of the City of Fire Continued


How I managed to think Of any
defense against such an attack, and
especially in the circumstances. is a
matter I have often wondered about
since.
You may observe that I have large
hands. Their size and strength served
me well on this occasion. At the mo
ment that the rope frightened about my
throat. I reached up and grasped the
Brahmin's left thumb. Desperation
gave me additional strength and I
snapped IT like a stick of candy.
Just in the nick~of time I felt the
cord relax, and though the veins in
my head seemed to be bursting, I man
aged to get my fingers under that
damnable rope.
"C1utching the rope with my left
hand, I groaned and lay stil. The
Brahmin slightly shifted his position.
which was what I wanted him to do.
The brief respite had been sufficient.
As he moved. I managed to draw my
knees up, very slightly. for he was a
big. heavy man, but sufficiently to
enable me to throw him off and roll
over
Then. gentlemen, I dealt with him
as he had meant to deal with me; only
used my bare hands and made a
job of It.
THE fires burned lower and lower,
but I made no attempt to replenish
them; and because sat there so
silent, all kinds of jungle creatures
crept furtively out Of the shadows and
watched me with their glittering eyes.
so the night passed. and dawn
found me stin sitting there, the dead
man huddled on the ground not three
PAGES from me. | am man who as
a rule thinks slowly. but when the
light came my mind was fully made
up. I dressed myself in VadPs clothes
and. being very tanned at this time, 7
think / made q fairly creditable ma
tive.
Family throughout the night.
above the other sounds of the jungle.
had heard that Of distant falling
water. Now. an informant at Nag
pur, in speaking tol me of the secret
temple. had used the words:
Whoever would see the fire must
quit air and pass through water
This mysterious formula he had
firmly declined to translate into com.
prehensible English: but during my
journey I had been considering it
from every angle, and I had recently
come to the conclusion that the en-
trance to this mysterious place was
in some way concealed by water.
And now gentlemen. l must re.
late a discovery which I had made
in the act of removing Vadi's> cloth
ing. Upon his right forearm was
branded mark resembling the ap-
partition which I had witnessed I'm the
light, namely, a little torch. or fam
beau. surTnounted by tongue of fire
The plateau upon which / stood
vas one of a series Of giant steps,
and on the west was a sheer descent
to a dense jungle, where banks of
rotten vegetation, sun-dried upon the
top. lay heaped about the tree stems.
Dragging the heavy body of Vadi
to the brink of this precipice, 1 top
pied it over. swaying dizzily as I
watched it crash down into the poison.
Gus underground two hundred feet
below.
Il made rough cache, where
stored the bulk of my provisions.
ana, selecting only such articles as
thought necessary for my purpose.
set out again northward. guided b.
the sound of falling water.
AT midday the heat grew so great
that a halt became imperative The
path was still clearly discernible
and in a little cave beside it. which
afforded grateful shelter from the
1aerciless rays of the sun. I unfast
ened my bundle and prepared to take
a frugal lunch.
IT was so employed gentlemen.
when 7 heard the sound of approach
ing footsteps on the path behind me
the path which I had recently ira
versed.
Hastily concealing my bundle. Il
slipped into some dense underground
by che entrance to the cave, and
crouehed there, waiting and watching.
1 had not waited very long before a
yeilow-robed mendicant passed by, car