The Rope of Gold

lt so near his end as when he felt himself shooting d

one, he knew well enough. Some of them he and Curlie, ever hopeful of finding the hidden treasure, had explored. Some cav

e very bottom, a hundred feet below? He dared not think. What if it were indeed a stor

The affair was over in a fraction of a second, yet in that brief span of time al

rce that drove his knees into hi

himself. "Wait till I get out my flashlight. They'll scurry away fast enough. O

that he at last drew the sma

chill set his teeth chattering. "Not much fun

light flashed on and the bats, as if touch

feet from corner to corner. And the walls that towered above him, some tw

top of a twenty foot pyramid," he told himself, "

told himself, tapping the solid ston

not return they would search for him. But in that vast pile of brick and stone what chance was there of being found? In its day it had been the most massive

d himself. "They may think I have been kidn

still better, he had a firm f

on the wall," he told hi

l and did call. The result, however, w

his back would have caused Johnny Thompson to stare in amazement. They were two native drums. One was small b

he passed from a moonlit spot into the shadows. "But the drums will help.

Dorn be surprised!

* *

oon was hanging low. He put out a hand to the spot where Johnny should have been sleeping. It was empty. He w

spered to himself. Yet

from within the fort itself, in the dir

, there it was again, this time it was yellow. It appeared to come from a great crack in the wall. T

work so late

me louder, more distinct,

ndering tribe of wild natives had taken possession of Curlie's secret place. He though

ured. Pompee's great bulk, sprawled o

self, dropping back into his place

yed boys and girls stricken with sickness from bad water and pining away without hope

said aloud. "We will fi

He paused for a moment to look down at the sleepers, gave vent to a low whistle of sur

ny?" asked Do

" Curlie's voice

s here. I fell asleep. I woke

d drawing a blanket about him. "Gone for a walk. Be coming back p

, Dorn settled back in his

* *

ith plenty of time for its execution. This task was that of examining ever

endicular wall. Jean Val Jean in Victor Hugo's book was credited with tha

nserve his meager supply of light, he snapped off t

t the first one who had spent hours of solitary darkness in this great fortress he knew well enough. He was not even the first whi

things. He thought first of the aged Professor and h

id there was no 'Rope of Gold'. Perhaps he was right. But it was a beautiful dream. B

ciousness there came a disturbance. He scarcely knew its cause. Was it a sound? Was it some slight movement close at

lash it came to him. Someone was walking up above, yet so soft were the foot-falls that

e," he told him

grew among the rocks the boys wor

told himself. "And that

g to a slender rope ladder, peering into Curlie's laboratory; the other of

a shudder. "What if he has companions and

the Citadel. For ten years after the emperor's death the Citadel had been closely

had come here. In the morning their tools had vanished. A single white man had camped here. So

bodings. "He may have perished by falling into a hole, as I

the wind, he stood on tiptoe

ere! Hell

walls roared

e jar of footsteps

his was followed almost instantly by a great wave of fear. Who was walk

s flashlight to find himself staring into a familiar face, the face of the native who

pelled at once, for without uttering a word,

d for this very occasion." Johnny's heart ra

There's nothing now but to climb the l