Evening star., 1927-05-22
psFm o A Wh lei Deprived Are Compelled
CnwlOv of dCawOn Fnt of Arm FmRo

bandages. managed to set poor West.
overs arm as best he could.
Our crude examination disclosed
two fractures. both below the elbow,
and Westover. between gasps of
agony, told us that he did not think
he was otherwise injured.
There was, of course, no possibility
of Westover's continuing our crawl
ing process in his present pitiful
state. What with the pain of his in.
jury. added to the pangs of hunger
and thirst, our companion was in
mental condition bordering on de-
lirium.
Westover finally groaned himself to
sleep, but it was a troubled slumber
in which he often cried out. or laughed
idiotically. Austin and talked quiet
ly together for a time. but finally /
dozed off. overcome by fatigue. hun
ger, thirst and mental torture.
When I awakened / still believed
myself dreaming. for / could see light
yellow, faint and but dimly out
lining the vague shapes about me
but it was light. There was West
over lying beside me, his arm in band
ages. his eyes staring, but unseeing,
in the delirium Of fever, l looked
wildly around me. Austin. Where
was Austin? There was no sign of
him!
Determined to investigate, I moved
forward at my full height, for the
gallery was not only wide but reason
ably high. My progress was neces-
sarily slow and unsteady, for weak.
ness had made me somewhat shaky
in the legs. l had gone, perhaps, a
dozen PAGES when l saw the figure
| of Austin silhouetted against the dim
ly-luminous background. He sighted
me at the same moment, and signed
| for me to come forward.
I returned with him to where West
over lay, and together we managed
| to carry our companion out of the
| gallery and into a large chamber,
| where I at once discovered the solu.
| ton Of the mystery.
\ - 4
WE had by the merest chance re
turned to the chamber into the
depths of which, on the previous day
Austin had dropped the guiding
light. Depositing Westover near the
suspended lamp, Austin proceeded to
revive him with water carried from
| the swiftly running stream have al
ready mentioned.
A few morsels of food remained or
the ground-crusts of bread and
scraps of meat thoughtlessly discarded
at the time we had eaten our lunch.
but which we now collected and de.
voured greedily, washing down the
stale food with the cooling water.
rro Va hot hyro,
here" Austin explained. when you
and Westover had fallen asleep and
everything was quiet, sat listening,
and after bit fancied heard run.
ming water in the distance. Without
disturbing you, I carefully made my
way towards the source of the sound,
and by good fortune came across the
stream.
II was SO thirsty 1 felt I could
drain the blessed thing Having drunk
my fill. / lay down to await your call
so that I might have something to
guide me to where you were. for
Inquired that when you missed me you
would shout. / would then tell you
to keep on calling. and in that way ]
should manage to return to you.
"As l lay there on my back, listen.
ing and thinking. with my eyes wide
open, I began to think my brain was
giving away, for / could see two eyes
glaring at me from the darkness over.
head T watched them with a sort of
fascination. They never moved, never
blinked. closed my own eyes. think.
ing the whole thing was an illusion
but the eyes overhead vanished when
closed my lids and reappeared di
rectiy I. opened them
"In a flash the answer came to me.
What imagined to be fiery eyes was
daylight sitting in through the crevice
In the cavern roof. Guided by those
eyes. I began to move about in a
gradually narrowing circle with both
arms extended. At last my left arm
struck the dangling wire, and next
instant / had snapped on the light. I
was returning to you with the news
OF the discovery when we met. Give
me a cigarette.
remained silent, regarding the
glowing bulb with a sort of awe. At
the moment 1 could not recall ever