Imperial Valley press., 1936-08-30

friend he owed a debt to you,
and must pay it. You were of
service to him at an undignified
time in Borneo. He was faced
with problems. One, before he
knew who you were, to prevent
you securing the e m n d
Buddha. The other, to make you
safe from attack n tn e
jungle"
"Safew | stood up and faced
aim. do you know what hap
pened in Ternate, on the Mary
Ann, and in Saigon? Every time
we turned around there was
knives an elephants after us!'
Lii smiled, quiet an undisturbed.
He gave you q guide, rifle, a
horse and food for the journey?"
HE did that Why, I don't
know"
THE whole damned things
crazy" Bill remarked.
Aye. mad an impossible"
agreed
ulT is not needful that you
know more of the truth" Ii
said softly. His voice grew lower,
seemed to come from a distance,
somewhere behind the shadowed
Buddha. Except for one thing. Do
you know what lies in Angkor
Wat?"
Bill was getting restless. Sitting
down so long was unnatural and
| knew he was ready to stop lis
tening. There were things we
didn't understand, and l saw it
wasn't doing any good to waste
time trying to learn what the
bonse meant.
You know so much" Bill said
disrespectfully. IT'S the Emerald
Buddha we're after an going to
get"
No" LII corrected MIN "A
carven figure, yes. The greatest
emerald known. Yet not Buddha,
not any holy form that man has
worshipped for thousands Of
years. You know of the Lost Con-
tinent, the sunken island of Mu ?"
Il DON'T Bill admitted. What
of it,"
Back IN my memory I'd heard
of it once in India, the tale of a
vast island continent in the Pacific
that suffered earthquake and
storm till it sank beneath the
water.
Ten thousand years ago Mu
went down." Lii continued 1T
sank almost without trace. One
relic was preserved by a colony
which settled in India. The emer
aid you seek is"
We'll, what ?" Bill demanded.
THE goddess of Mu. 1t came
from Tibet, gift to the khmer
emperor who knew it's worth He
gave his life to keep it from bar
barian hands when Angkor fell.
Enemies surrounded the temple
The emperor caused himself to be
sealed in a secret chamber, that
he might protect the goddess
forever. You are among the for
tunate of the world-to know the
truth. For all survivors of Mu
have become spirits, and few hui
mans know of the relic of mans
first civilization"
tNA IHY tell us that, Lip" Bill
w Corkey got to his feet
Fate is sometimes curious, my
lmpetuous friend. Perhaps my
telling may stop you from seeking
it. We priests cannot use force to
make you 60 back, yet we are
content to let the emerald god
dess rest in Angkor."
This was Bills party; he was
the one set on finding the treas
ure, so I didn't speak. Too, I'd a
funny hunch that Ii knew what
he was doing.
"It won't rest much longer"
Bill said. Were on our way"
The young bonse bowed slightly,
his yellow robe falling into folds
around him. The thick top layer
of air in that dim cavern seemed
to descend until it shadowed the
tall figure of the priest. Most of it
was my imagination, but it did
grow darker. You could see the
fat wax candles burning brightly,
but through haze.
"I ask protection for you and
the emerald goddess" Ii said. II
seem to read Hull Gins thoughts,
and see that she wishes to accom-
pany you. This, too, may be
viSe|"
II do wish so," the girl said
quietly. IF you please"
Everything was strange about
LII, and the place we were in. ]
looked up, but couldn't see the
Buddha's placid face. hidden high
in a blue dusk.
Lii" l said, turning to go.
there's things I don't understand
but never mind. You keep the yell
low cat here until we're out again"
l thought Lii nodded, but wasn't
certain. His hand stroked the tig-
er's twitching yellow ear, and