Part 57 (1/2)

”They're stopped,” he cried gleefully, ”at least for a little A piece of rock as big as a house gently slid from above onto their precious heads It may have blocked them off completely”

We hurried forward then; Harry helped Desiree, while I painfully brought up the rear At every few steps they were forced to halt and wait for h I did my utht have both hands to help , we left the Incas behind; no sound caan to think that they had really been completely shut off, and several times opened my mouth to call to Harry to ask him if it would not be safe to halt; for every movement I made was torture

But each tio on and I followed

This lasted I know not how long; I was staggering and reeling forward like a drunkenthat when Harry and Desiree finally stopped at the beginning of a level, unbroken stretch in the lane, I stuainst theasped, struggling to my feet in a mania

Harry stooped over to assist ainst the wall Desiree supported herself near by, scarcely able to stand

”We can go no farther,” said Harry ”If they come--”

As he spoke I became aware of a curious movement in the wall opposite--a ht it a delusion produced by aze following mine, and heard Harry's cry of wonder as he turned and saw it also, I knew the thing was real

A great portion of the wall, the entire side of the passage for a length of a hundred feet orabove I saw a space of several feet where the rock had departed fro sound like the slow grinding of a gigantic er ould seereat mass of rock appeared to halt in its doard h suspended; then with a sudden jerk it see ponderously toward us; and the next ht down into so with terrific velocity

There was a deafening roar under our feet, the ground rocked as froainst which we stood was about to fall in upon us Dust and frage boulder, detached fro us by inches

We were completely stunned by the cataclyse of the chasm opposite thus suddenly for to be seen save the blackness of space Immediately before us was an apparently bottoht down fro across we could see dimly a wall some distance away, smooth and with a faint whiteness

On either side of us other walls extended to lass

”The Incas didn't do that, I hope,” said Harry, turning tointerest in the phenoot e of one of the walls extending at right angles to the passage, but there was little to be made of it It was of soft limestone, and ranite, carried away by the force of its oeight

”We are like to be buried,” I observed, returning to Harry and Desiree

”Though for that hten us now”

”For ravity beneath the apparent lightness of his words, ”I have always admired the death of Porthos

Let it coo further?” put in Desiree

Just as Harry opened his mouth to reply a more decisive answer ca the path of the Incas,that Harry had missed; or they had removed it--what e, for as Desiree spoke a dozen spears whistled through the air past our heads and we looked up to see a swar down the face of a boulder over which we had passed to reach our resting-place

I have said that we had halted in a level, unbroken stretch that still led soroup of rocks and boulders co the lane, Beyond, other rocks arose to a still greater height--the way appeared to be impassable

But there was no ti of chances, and we turned andafter us

There Desiree and I halted in despair, but with a great oath Harry brushed us aside and leaped upon a rock higher than his head with incredible agility Then, lying flat on his face and extending his are, he pulled first Desiree, then myself, up after him The whole perfor only to pick up the three spears he had thrown up the sloping surface of the rock to another yet higher and steeper

”Why don't we hold them here?” I demanded ”They could never come up that rock with us on top”