The Border Boys Across the Frontier

ng a sound, or they would have shouted. As it was, however, when they finally landed in a heap on some hard surface at the foot of

llo

er came out of the darkn

are yo

ery bone in my body had been broken. Wh

your own guess on it. My idea is that there was some sort of hinged trap-door at the bottom of that altar, and that when

. "Can't account for it in any other

joinder. "Anybody got a match? Oh, here; all right

a cry of astonishment. They had landed at the foot of a steep flight of stairs, at the summit of

own all those?" murmured Ralp

monkeying with a buzz-saw," same [Tran

ight died out, "the question now bef

ain," said the pra

wer than we came down them-and try to reopen that trap-doo

of the stairs, however, a disappointment awaited them. Try as they would, they could not discover any means of reopening the st

s store illuminated looks of despair on their

it and shouting,"

to the outer air. Terror, that was almost panic, seized Walt and Ralph, as they realized that they were prisoners in this hermetically sealed dungeon. Worse than prisoners, in fact. Prisoners had food and at least hope. They, unless they could find a way out, were buried al

e've got to find

gly, "we're doomed to die here. We might a

, indeed! Not much. It's a cinch, isn't it, that if there is an entrance to this place there must be a

stioned, but of its good sense, under

m ashamed of myself for doing the bab

alt heartily; "if there's

d Ralph, his spiri

hat later," decl

of the mesa, some more of the precious matches were lit. As the last flickered out, the boys fancied that some feet from them

thing to do. We can't turn back, and, as Pete

s as they entered the tunnel. A close, musty smell, as of things long mildewed and moulded, filled the air, and an oppr

elow the level of the desert. For the last few minutes they had been conscious of a peculiar thing. This was that the silence of the tunnel had given place to a deep-throated roaring, not unlike the v

Walt, as they paused by

the entrance to this place,

tion, Jack struck another match from his store. As it flar

gapingly. A few paces more, and they would have been precipitated into the abyss. Jack, suppressing a shudder, leaned forward and held the match as f

flared up, they all

y. At their very fee

was a char

d in that dark chasm beneath them, were great piles of decaying bones and gleaming skulls. Hundreds of them extended toward

exclaimed Ralph in a quavering voice, as

"and but for Providence, we should ha

t let's think of it. See, the path takes a turn here. Come on,

oke up Walt, as once more the three youths, who had been so strangely plung

er, until now it had attained almost deafening proportions. Still they had come upon no explanation of what it could be. Jack had privately concluded it to be the sound of the wind, forcing its way in

s would have felt a real interest in exploring the cavern, now that they had grown accustomed to their surroundings. So far as they had been able to make out, the tunnel they had been treading was partially the work of human hands and partially the work of Natur

that roaring sound means before we go

d Jack. "How are we going to find

Ralph, somewhat abas

t turn in the path, as they could feel by

e another mat

outed, to make themselves heard above the n

g of the match. Beyond the turn the path took a steep drop downward, and beyond that-

as the amazed cry that brok