Part 42 (2/2)

I did not answer, but pushed forward, not, however, leaving the wall

Perhaps it was cowardly; you are welcome to the word if you care to use it Myself, I know

Another half-hour and we reached the end of the lane by which we had first entered the cavern We stood gazing at it with eyes of desire, but we kne little chance there was of the thing being unguarded at the farther end We knew then, of course, and only too well, why the Incas had not followed us into the cavern

”Perhaps they are gone,” said Harry ”They can't stay there forever

I'e of a boulder at the e and disappeared on the other side In fifteen minutes he returned, and I saw by the expression on his face that there was no chance of escape in that direction

”They're at the other end,” he said gloomily; ”a dozen of 'em I looked froet through”

We turned then, and proceeded to the third wall and followed it But we really had no hope of finding an exit since Harry had said that he had previously explored it We were possessed, I know, by the saht: should we venture to follow the fourth wall? Alone, none of us would have dared; but the presence of the others lessened the fear of each

Finally we reached it The corner was a sharp right angle, and there were rifts and crevices in the rock

”This is limestone,” I said, ”and if we find an exit anywhere it will be here”

I turned to the right and proceeded slowly along the wall, feeling its surface with my hand

We had advanced in thisforward toahead with her spear

I followed the direction with my eye, and sahat appeared to be a sharp break in the wall

It was some fifty feet away We reached it in another moment, and I think none of us would have been able to express the immeasurable relief we feltbefore us a broad and clear passage leading directly away from the cavern It was very dark, but we entered it almost at a run

I think we had not known the extent of our fear of that thing in the cavern until we found the one about a hundred feet e caainst the corner, and we halted for an instant to wait for him

Then we made the turn, side by side--and then we caasp of terror burst fro the passage coht we had escaped!

The terrible, fiery eyes rolled froht into our own

Chapter XVIII

A VICTORY AND A CONVERSATION

We stood for a longto Harry and grasping Desiree by the arm, I started to turn

But too late For Desiree, inspired by a boundless terror, suddenly raised her spear high above her head and hurled it straight at the glowing, flashi+ng eyes

The point struck squarely between them with such force that it must have sunk clear to the shaft The head of the monster rolled for an instant from side to side, and then, before I are of what had happened, so rapid was the h the air and twisted itself about Desiree's body

As she felt the thing tighten about her waist and legs she gave a scream of terror and twisted her face round towardthe ground and lifted her to the head of the monster, where her white body could be seen in sharp outline sprawling over its black form, between the terrible eyes