Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-07-31
CHAPTER xvII-Continued

the car, nor when, having looked back
along the slight cut of the old pre-
historic torrent bed now filled almost
to its old banks with drifting sands,
he squatted over map, measuring
and consulting pocket compass. His
anxiety was evident.
They went forward again, however,
under the full light of day into
trackless waste where there was not
even a depression to guide them and
where Brena, holding the compass in
her hands, gave directions to him as
he moved the wheel. At the end Of
twenty miles more Brena uttered an
exclamation.
what Is that on the ,desertr she
asked Peter, look! There! to the
left
A little point of light shone on the
sand as If diamond had caught the
sunlight and had extracted from 1t
bit of it's essence to outshine the sun
himself. Peter, steering toward it,
looked down over the edge of the car
as one might look over the edge of
boat at some piece of strange fiotsam
sighted in midocean. This was strange
fiotsam indeed. Peter having stopped
the car again to pick it up, showed it
to Brena; it was an empty vial of
white glass;
Peter sprang out Of the car, and,
walking about in widening circles.
searched the ground He appeared
excited. fine and time again he
looked at the little glass VIAL
''Some one has been here" said
Brena. I'm just Irish enough to say
that, Peter"
Hush" he said. 1--WE seen more
than you have seen. 1t means every
thing to us!"
He bent over her as if he were 60
ing to take her in his arms. but he
tossed his head at some thought that
had restrained him, and took the
wheel once more.
At nine o'clock they came within
sight of a great mound on the desert;
1t appeared as If it were the fat round
back of some gigantic creature that
had buried itself for a sleep of centu-
ries in sand wallow Of vast area.
"There 1t 81" exclaimed Devote.
Look, Brena. Look to the west.
Somewhere up there Is the Llano Es-
tacado-the Staked plain-as the
Spanish explorers called it. And
there's the haze on the horizon-the
haze that the Jesuit missionaries told
about. 1t comes from the colder air of
the Mescalero ridge!"
"And 1t means that we have found
our way?"
Eyes, found our way. There's ninety
miles more"
where are we going"
'"To the oldest city, Brena. In Amer
ica. To city at the base of high
cliff, built of clay which crumbled cen
turtles ago into dust The wall Is left
perhaps as 1t was two centuries ago.
A dry well. A carving upon the rock.
A MINDLESS place occupied only by
horned toads and perhaps one other
misshapen thing"
At three o'clock they had stopped
again to eat; they were able to see In
the west the tops of distant mountains
marked by deeper, duller blue than
the thin cloudless rotunda of the sky.
An hour later they came within sight
of the tableland upon which these
mountains were set like piles of food
upon a giants doorstep. And this
step up-thls mesa-with It's precipi-
tous edge, marked the end of the des-
ert.
"The cliffs that rise to that table,
land are impossible" said Peter, with
his eyes alight and his voice filed
with excitement THE city was built
below their protection around a great
well and walled in front with thick
Notifications. We shall see them,
Brenar
wall as If it were the nav of Destiny
opened to belch forth upon them SEN
tence.
Tell me, Peter-are there dangers
there? Do you know
81 only guess" he answered. III
think there are none. / think, Brena,
that beyond that wall there is free
dom for us-llfe for us--a message for
u.s."
81 must go with YOU"
He nodded.
AT the entrance he stopped, gazing
down at the ground-the film, the blan-
ket of fine dust He uttered an excla-
nation.
what do you see, Peter?"
II see record in the sand"
"What record?"
1--WE shall see MORE" he said grimly.
~Come."
Toward this memorial of tragedy, OF
death, of decay, Of the insignificance
of time, Of the inconsequence OF IAN
age of man, Brena and Peter, like two
creatures of moment of life, walked
with solemn. lwed faces.
Look" said Peter suddenly. Have