The Old Man of the Mountain

cried Mackenzie, tu

asped Jackson,

ernatural beings of any kind whatever to deal with, but just that ruffian of

his own uneasiness. To his practical mind the secret stairway and the mysterious procession

Well, he may be sorry for it yet

getting back?

ill assume that this Beresford man is a prisoner in the castle. To get him out, the first thing was to get in ourselves. That we ha

ester. "But, after all, we don

e secret here about, and the inhabitants--Chinese, by the look of it--collared them to prevent the secret getting abroad. That ruffian gues

me, and left after Redfern's

back yonder just to prepare for our reception if we came along, and I a

ning Beresford may be, it appl

ll have to watch out. It

rder us, or anything," said

not with us. The Chinky knows that; he'll guess, or discover, that they're waiting for us in the vil

k he'll do, then?

et us go under a vow to say nothing at all. But it's no good speculati

The events of the last half-hour had made Mackenzie more uneasy than he cared to admit; but as the most level-headed of t

to another constricted passage, which, like the one behind them, was closed by an iron shutter. Checked by this, they stood for a few moments in absolute silence, looking at one another without

wail from Hamid Gul. It serv

Mackenzie. "Wait whi

ch, and raised i

as the other," he said. "We'v

r fourteen feet high, and as smooth as

hen, Bob, you're the slimmest, you swarm up. On my shoulders you'll be able to see over. Take the matches. Keep a look-out, Dick, an

his full height. Mackenzie rested his hands on the shutter, and Jackso

in his arms; but his weight was too much for the stability of the

ied Jackson, lifting hims

ht and examined Jackson's palms. "Your nerves are all to pieces," he added. "Yon's no red hot, or

bout an inch wide across the mid

now?" aske

d, feeling a little ashamed of himself. "I

said Forrester. "

t the balance when he touched the top of the shutter; but he removed his fingers from it quickly, and called out that it was certainly very hot-

ter with our cartridges?" Fo

would be a loss of ammunition we may ba

to do?" muttered Jackson,

at this moment they were all startled, and yet

he light struck dimly upon a head, projecting, as it were, out of the solid wall thirty feet above them. They could distinguish neither sha

" Mackenzie

tlem

peaking; and the voice was that of the younger Chinaman whom the

d to you such hospitality as lies within his means. But it is not meet that armed parties should enter the holy precincts. Be content, therefore; withdraw to the lower g

sed all the young man's utterances, except in those few tense minutes succeeding his re

im, I suppose," whispered Forrester. "The poor we

x," Jackson began, but

w." Raising his voice, he said: "We refuse to lay down our arms. We have no hostile intentions--we're as meek as lambs--but the shutting of the gates is a dashed unf

hat the young Chinaman was translating to his master, though they heard no sound. It was too dark to see the heads without artificial light; and after a minute or two had passed

on now?" Forre

omeone to work the machi

d panting breaths of Hamid Gul. Gradually, however, they became conscious of a strange feeling of oppression. The mustiness of the air, which they had felt ever since they entered t

aid, slowly. "Gettin

as Jackson staggered against him. "Dick,

Forrester. "I feel un

ith growing alarm Mackenzie tried to hurry the pace, but his companions became moment by moment heavier on his hands. After a minute or two he let Jackson's arm go without knowi

he rift, and a few yards away, they came upon H

he muttered, staggering and

himself erect, and declaring to himself that he was "quite all right." But his hands fell limply to his sides,