The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-02-24
Chapter 3S
THE AIKEN

THE AIKEN
 ITO Frank on the opposite side of | the stream it seemed that it took almost a physical effort for Janice to turn her eyes toward him. She put her foot upon the log and ran lightly across.
 "You might have slipped" remon. strated Frank as she stood beside him. Her glance met his. What is it?" he said with quick concern. Her face held curious expression.
 That stump, Frank. That tree was chopped down, or gnawed."
 Are you sure?"
 At her nod he stepped past the withered leaves ol the palm top and made the passage back to the other side.
 He examined the ends of the stump and log. Janice was right. They looked as if they had been cut by man with an incredibly dull axe.
 Frank rejoined the girl. His ex- pression was thoughtful.
 He said, Let's go on." He did not tell her that he had noticed another and more disturbing thing. A faint trail led away from the tree trunk through the soft ground. Jungle grass grows fast. The path was faint but discernible. That meant that the trail was being used at present!
 They skirted the base of the small hill keeping within a few yards Of the streams edge Suddenly Frank, ahead of the girl stopped. He sniffed the air.
 q smell smoke" said Janice. There must be people nearby. Oh Frank, perhaps"
 She brushed past him. Its com ing from over there. l see it now. v She began running. 1t was then that Frank realized that they were on trail, doubtless the continua tion of the one he'd seen on the other side of the palm-trunk bridge.
 He called out. Stop, Janice. Wait! They may be-"
 He saw the running girl halt sud. denly. She gave short scream and recoiled. Frank snapped out his machete and leaped forward.
 The path had given way to small clearing. :. grass. thatched. roof hut stood on the farther side There was small pipe of rocks in the middle of which fire burned But lying beside the fire. his Jet eyes gleaming eoidlJ on either side of his peaked nose, was the figure of the ahkin. higb-priest of the bloody cult of the Bat!
 JANICE whirled and ran down the J back trail. For [ moment Frank stood hesitating. swinging his ma chete, and staring at the eyes of liv- Ing hate that burned in the dark face of the priest.
 The mans head-dress was gone. His feathered ornamentation elung to him in damp bedragglement. The gristly hide of skin lay half over his extended legs. Despite his wrecked costume, the man's murderous Ia. naticism clad him like garment.
 Frank heard Janice call from a distance. Warily he backed away The ahkin made no move to follow He lay, hating Frank with his eyes.
 He joined his companion at the streams edge Sae admitted. with nervous apology, that she'd lost her head.
 His eyesl" she exclaimed with a shudder. "They were like poison" She put her hand to her heart Il seemed to feel his glance here! Let's go back to our camp"
 They hurried. stumbling through the vague trail they'd hacked that morning. Frank was busy with his thoughts. How had the ahkin sur vived that terrible fall? How had he come to this isolated spot.
 A vague explanation was pressing ! into his, onsciousness.-a reason remote and incredible. That stream sliding swiftly through this little sunken valley-could it be that the pool of the cenote beneath the pyra mid connected with this valley?
 Was this valley just another elongated cenote,-through which the stream ran too swiftly to dam into a pool? That would mean that this valley was a freak formation of nature,-that the underground river. gnawing it's way through the limestone had finally undermined its arched roof and caused the ground above to fall into the cavern below
 No wonder that the cliffs bound ing the little valley were concav, and showed no face up which they might climb to the upper level Frank followed close upon Janice'! heels. He kept his machete baret |