Evening star., 1939-11-12

ts Coralyn and Backwood waited in heavy stiffness,
m only by the thin malicious tnklng of water long way
This place is under the thought that broke
Coralyn's mind.
lckwood said lighting cigarette with unsteady fingers:
is a cursed ug y sort of nole
we think the same Corayn told herself. But don't
the aren't alike DO really like you. you with
urls and juttng nose: "
saw Raeburn returning from the cave. You can
come along he told them, brusquely. Talks as if we
were his damned police, Blackwood commented. He
stood aside for Coralyn to 60 first
Immediately they stepped from the live world to the
dead from broken sounds into stiffness so dumb. so
heavy that it brought to each of the three minds the
same unbearabe thought: This is how shall feel when
soon soon, shall have died. The air Of the
eaden dense, if no for long ages had breathed
in it. Dark passages and rooms seemed to open off the
central hall. "You you could get lost, said Corayn,
finding her voice with difficulty
mo, you couldn't" contradicted Raeburn Think /
didn't remember to bring torches and fishing line? But
shant want them Those places don't 60 far, and if
there's any investigating to be done -
We'll? Any investigating" Blackwood prompted,
mpatiently.
the opening to another cave and someone something
at some time had rolled big stone across it. thanking
the stone with others almost as large.
Raeburn said Looks as if thered been shutting
up done Might be bit Of a secret behind that.
What sort of secret?' said Blackwood.
What sort of secrets d'you think likely, with mob
of gold prospecors" He held out his hand as he spoke
There fragment of quartz in it, family shot with
gold Il picked this up in the floor of the 1t might
mean lot, and might mean nothing
'Nothing" cried Coralyn.
That's right. Colors only
How you get in there?" she asked breathessly.
We'll cut sapling or two He went out of the
with Blackwood; and returned almost Immediately
ryng couple of young trees. Stand out OF the way
he told her. The two pushed and levered gruntng.
The supporting stones moved back The big stone in the
middle shifted, rolled...
Watt" ordered Raeburn again.
She waited, biting her finger ends
There small dark chamber beyond You could
see in the light of Raeburns torch that was small
and full, less, of something white things,
round things long things and yards and yards of some
thing with queer bristly outline
LET me see," Backwood said rudely pushing the
other man. Corayn saw Raeburns fist clench rise and
fall again to his side Blackwood of the dark
hole. Cod" he said.
Lon swear! OOIdlyn tOlQ MIN, SuQQenly ana
shrily.
Il shall swear he sad IF like l haven't even
begun. But, say - don't let her 60 in there!'
Raeburn said, "She has the right
What Do you think old Ames is inside?"
hAEBURN made no reply. Coralyn cut short what
seemed like another quarrel with the crisp order Give
the torch!
She went into the cave She saw heap of skeletons,
picked clean through the years by the only inmates who
could have found way through barring stones, the
meat ants of New Guinea
She saw more. There was another skeleton, yards
and yards long, with pointed head large cows,
and rows of prickling ribs
my gosh, she said. Its snake big as house,!
She began, less cooly, to count the shining
ivory skulls Twelve not counting the skull of the giant
snake. Twelve. There had been thirteen
Coralyn little pale when she out into the
comparative light and openness of the 1t did not