Part 11 (2/2)

”Then I shall visit the devil!” she exclaimed, and before either Harry or I could reach her she had sprung across the intervening space to the entrance and disappeared within

With shouts of consternation fro in our ears, we leaped after her

”Desiree!” cried Harry ”Co back froht before us came faint reverberations--could they be footsteps! What folly! For I had thought that she had hten poor Felipe, and now--

”Desiree!” Harry called again with all the strength of his lungs

”Desiree!”

Again there was no answer Then we entered the cave together I remember that as we passed within I turned and saw Felipe staring hite face and eyes filled with terror

A hundred feet and ere encompassed by the et a light,” and tried to hold Harry back But he pushed : ”Desiree! Come back, Desiree!”

What could I do? I followed

Suddenly a screah the cavern Multiplied and echoed by the black walls, it was inhuman, shot with terror, profoundly horrible

A treh asp with a nameless fear An instant later we dashed forward into the darkness

How long we ran I could never tell; probably a few seconds, possibly as many minutes

On we rushed, blindly, impelled not by reason, but by the , fearful And then--

A step into thin air--a --a wild instant of despair and pawing helpless agony Then blackness and oblivion

Chapter VI

CAPTURED

The fall--was it ten feet or a thousand? I shall never know Hurtling headlong through space, a man can scarcely be expected to keep his wits about hination; my memory is that I cursed aloud, but Harry denies it

But it could not have been for long, for e struck the water at the bottohtly stunned by the ireed; hewith a clean cleavage

I rose to the top, sputtering, and flung out my arms in the attempt to swim--or, rather, to keep afloat--and was overjoyed to find s answer to the call of the brain

About ht and utter silence, save a low, unbroken murmur, unlike any other sound, hardly to be heard It was in my effort to account for it that I first beca one-- with incredible swiftness, smooth and all but silent As soon as I becaave up all attewith the current

Then I thought of Harry, and called his nahout the cave were as the report of a thousand cannon; but there was no response

The echoes becaain all was silence and i suction of the unseen current, which was growing swifter and swifter, and felt an to call to ht, ”If I could only see!” and strained my eyes in the effort till I was forced to close them from the dizzy pain The utter, coe of what I passed or what awaitedme swiftly onith its silent, remorseless sweep, was cold and black; it pressed with treainst htand all but exhausted