The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 1 — page 49: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A PERUVIAN PARADISE, 49 Keeth groped his way to the side door of the temple. No one opposed his exit. The side court was deserted. All the people who had thronged into the town had crowded into the plaza before the porch. With swift steps he made his way to the lodgings of his friends and aroused them. ‘“'What ! shall we start this early ?’’ demanded Ford. ‘““ At once,’’ returned Keeth. ‘‘’The old man is dead. We do not know when the blow may fall upon us. Gather up the torches and the food and come,’’ They did as he commanded, and like three ghosts, though it must be confessed that poor Fitch was a very corpulent spirit, they flitted through the deserted town and reached, without mishap, the open country. A dark mass of cloud was slowly gathering in the west, foreboding a storm. ‘They went on through the oppressive silence to the river. Suddenly Keeth halted and seized Ford’s arm. ‘‘ What’s that, old man?’’ he demanded. ‘‘ Your eyes are better than mine.’’ He pointed to something moving along the brook bed toward the cliff, ‘* Hit’s a man,’’ exclaimed Fitch. _ “ Tt’s alive, whatever it is,’’? said Ford uneasily. ‘Hive a good mind to give hit a bullet,’’ declared the Englishman. ‘ Hit’s one o’ them bloomin’ Hinjuns.’’ ‘ee ‘Don’t you dare !’’ cried Keeth hastily. ‘‘ Want to call the whole crowd back there down on us? We’ll follow him.” But the shadowy figure had already disappeared, and Keeth, remembering what Imozene had said about the herdsmen being afraid to go near that por- tion of the valley at night for fear of the haunting spirit of the other prisoner who had ventured into the mysterious tunnel, went on with a rather creepy feeling about their undertaking. The thought was gruesome. The water murmured among the boulders as it hurried into the dark rift beneath the cliff. The three fugitives did not hesitate when they reached the mouth of the tunnel. Keeth led the way inside, and before going far from the entrance ignited one of the torches. Holding this above his head he went carefully forward, while the dancing light played over the slime covered walls of the passage and the torch hissed as the drops of moisture fell upon it from the roof. CHAPTER XIII.—Lixe Furs In A Borrie. THE bed of the subterranean river was strewn with boulders and broken bits of timber which had been swept in from the outer world by bygone freshets. At first the roof was only a little above their heads; but as they advanced the tunnel inclined more rapidly and it grew higher. ‘The water ran over the stones with growing murmur and soon the roar of a cataract was borne to their ears. ‘‘ We'll be getting into a mess yet,’’ said Ford. ‘‘ Suppose we can’t get over these falls we’re coming to?”’ ‘We won’t suppose anything of the kind,’’ returned Keeth briefly. ‘‘Tve got our old rope that did us such good service before.’’ (D) , CORniclaoolK< (S@)