Evening star., 1925-01-19
Continued from Yesterdays star.)

Hug the wall. Seton," Lin ordered.
Now
He dropped his weight on the
ptunger.
From the cavern round the corners
there came dull roar, and a gush
OF not air came rushing down the
passage. ! was hugging the wall ac-
cordtng Mo instructions, but was al
most dragged away from it, We were
among particularly pungent fumes
"Foof! Foof!' Lin spluttered. This
VIII soon pass away when the little
draught gets down to it. You won't
be poisoned, Seton-but it's derned
unpleasant"
We waited some considerable time.
but the little draught did not get
down to it,"
Funny said Lin. Il could have
betted we'd be through. Wait a bit.
then let's go and see."
We retired to the end of the
passage above his refinery, and
while we waited we smoked and
yarned. When Greensfeeve thought 1t
would be safe we returned to the cul-
de-sac. The place was blocked by a
heap of rubble, which Lin and I
started to clear away. When we had
made way to the shattered wall, Lin
fell to flashing the light OF his torch
on il.
My, my!" he exclaimed We're
through TO a dyke rock. Gentlemen.
don't singer! I didn't expect that.
Well, here goes"
He picked up the drill and he rab-
ped the end of it against the bIackish
rock. II sounded hollow, and he turn
ed a grin on me.
I'm not sold" he smiled. It's boss.
as the Cornish say. Another little
shot will do the business"
Again We fell to drilling We set
the stick OF explosive and the tamp-
ing, then went back TO the coik Once
more that hollow roar, the rush of
hot air, the pungent smell But even
now the expected draught was absent.
Lin Greensleeve was puzzled. and
his face as we made our way back to
the entrance to await the dispensing
OF the fumes was a comic study in
chastened expression.
Il can't be far out, commander" he
said ruefully when he caught me
smiling. We've driven deep-and il
was hollow, too. Gentlemen, don't
Singer! Maybe debris has fallen
from the roof and blocked the pas
sage. Wen soon have it out, IL 1t
has"
We returned to the scene of the
explosion after another smoke. As
we turned the last angle of the pas
sage, Lin suddenly gripped my arm.
Now, what's your verdict on that ?''
he demanded. and pointed ahead.
From the further wall there rose a
strange greeny lambency, silhouetting g
the heap OF rock that was piled on
the cave floor. Something uncanny it
was which made the hair prickle on
the scalp. strange sense of some
appalling power behind the rocks
gripped me hard. and 1 was fain to
turn on my heel and run. That, indeed,
was what Lin Greensleeve bade me do.
Get back Seton" he whispe red
Get round the angle of rock. l dare
not think what 1t is-but I'm going
to see"
stop, Lin, stop" exclaimed. There
may be fumes from it,
Wed get them now if there were
he replied, smiling, though there's
an unaccoutable whin of bromine or
chlorine" he added with a puzzled
air Get behind the rock angle, Seton.
l am going to see"
All in ignorance as ! was, ! could
neither stop him nor permit him to
go forward. could not tell il ii would
be wise TO follow him. but the Scot in
me dictated the waiting attitude. to
be ready to pull him out If he were
in danger. Lin crept forward on his
hands and toes, and came back in q
rush with lump of rock.
IF It's what ] think II is he pant
ed, I'm either mad or drunk don't
know what I'm saying, Seton. I'm
rattled. Let's get out OF this. 1 have
something that may provide clue.
The chief is the man for us"
We hurried for the entrance of the
passage and climbed down to the
main cavern floor. We ran across the
bridge that now spanned the lake,
and rushed up to the chiefs labora-
tory. We were hidden to enter
Lin poured out his story in a rush,
while the chief listened with his
usual mild pression-unastonis
unmoved.
"a lambent, greenish glow" he
murmured. Let me see the rock"
Lin took it out of the coat in which
he had hurriedly wrapped it. It was
a blackish rock, with a reddish side
TO It, and to this reddish side there
was a pinkish crystalline deposit,
very thin.
IllCHDIeHue, / lHlnh, Win a MIN g
of rhodolite," said the chief when he
had placed it on a bench to examine
it. "An extraordinary combination
Look, my good Greensleeve--Seton,
look"
He charged an electroscope until
the two leaves were held out at right
angles to the stem. He put the piece
of rock under the globe, and the
leaves fell at once,
THAT tells its own story" the
chief said. Your specimen, Green
sleeve. is highly radioactive-and the
pinkinsh salt that clings to the rho
dolite side Of it is one of the radium
compounds should say bromide,
with a slight barium impurity.''
He looked at us mildly quizzical
II have ceased to disbelieve in mir
acles Seton. since we found the
aithon reservoir Though the glow
you describe may easily be only the
fuorescence caused by minute guam
tity of radium acting on some sub
stance readily so affected - radium,
pure radium, does not glow to. the
eye at least--the thin deposit of ra-
dunn bromide clinging to the rock
specimen makes me really believe
you have come upon a natural pocket
of the metal itself"'
CHAPTER ~.