Three weeks later we find Prof. Remington Easy and his exploring party
in the very heart of the great Everglades.
Had they not been possessed of a vast amount of pluck and endurance
they would never have reached this far.
But to turn back was strictly out of the question to them, and this,
coupled with the fact that they were completely fitted out for such an
undertaking, was the secret of their success.
As Prof. Easy had expected, they found the central position of the
swamp less dangerous to traverse. It seemed to be upon higher and
more solid ground, and there was less water, and, consequently, less
alligators to look out for.
It is a beautiful morning upon which we find them camped in a very
picturesque spot.
The air seems purer than at any time since they entered the recesses of
the unexplored region, and all appear happy and contented.
The stranger and his dog have not been seen during all this time, nor
has any other human being, outside of their own party.
Each one of the swamp explorers has lost more or less flesh, though it
cannot be said that Martin Haypole’s loss, in that respect, amounts to
much.
Though a native of the Southern clime, Lucky has suffered the most.
He is worn down to a mere shadow, and had it not been for the
professor’s store of medicines he would certainly have found a grave in
the swamp.
As it is, he has just about pulled through by the “skin of his teeth,”
as the saying goes.
Leo Malvern has just shot a swamp deer, and they are busily engaged in
preparing some of the meat for their breakfast.
“Well, professor,” said the young fellow, looking up from his task, “I
can’t say that we have made any great discovery yet, and I guess we are
pretty near the heart of the Everglades.”
“I haven’t given up yet,” was the reply. “Here, examine this and tell
me what you think of it.”
He produced a block of stone about two or three inches square from his
pocket as he spoke.
Leo laid down the knife with which he was skinning the animal he had
slain, and took the object in question in his hand.
“I found that lying upon the ground a few minutes ago,” went on the
professor. “Have any of you lost it?”
He was promptly answered in the negative by all hands.
“Nature certainly never formed that,” said Leo. “Ah! there are marks
upon it!”
The boy was right. Upon one side of the stone were several cuts,
resembling, for all the world, Chinese hieroglyphics.
“That’s very strange,” remarked Dick.
“We are on the eve of a great discovery--mark my words, gentlemen,”
said the professor, in a manner of excitement.
“I don’t see why,” ventured the Yankee.
“You don’t? How do you suppose this thing came here, then?”
“Somebody has been here afore, most likely.”
“That’s it, exactly; somebody has been here before, and those who have
must certainly live in this neighborhood. Let us look about and see if
we can find anything more.”
“Humph!” retorted Haypole; “suppose we do find something. What’ll it
amount to, anyhow?”
No one vouchsafed a reply, and leaving Lucky to get the morning meal
ready, Leo, Dick and the professor began carefully searching about the
ground.
At length the Yankee became interested, and joined them.
But they looked about the spot where the professor had found the little
cube for full half an hour, and not another thing could they find that
seemed out of the way in the place.
“Well,” observed Dick, as they were called to breakfast, “I would keep
the cube, professor, if I were you, and be very careful not to lose it.”
“Oh! you may rest assured that I will,” was the reply.
After the remains of the breakfast were cleared away, Leo arose to his
feet and signified his intention of climbing a tree to see how the land
lay.
Selecting a good, tall one, which was at the same time easy to climb,
he went up.
The tree was nearly a hundred feet high, and the boy did not pause
until he reached the top.
Then he prepared to take in the surrounding country.
The sun, which seldom found its way to the ground in the swamp, was
shining brightly all around him, and Leo felt his spirits rise as if by
magic.
“This is fine,” he muttered to himself; “but I can’t see much besides
tree tops and cane brakes, after all. But it is worth ten dollars to
have the sun shine on you five minutes like this. Ah, by George!”
He had just turned his gaze in a southerly direction as the words left
his lips.
No wonder he uttered the exclamation.
Leo Malvern was looking upon something besides trees, cane brakes and
pools of muddy water now.
About a mile from the tree in which he was perched he plainly saw a
stone obelisk, which looked to be in the neighborhood of forty feet
high.
Now, Leo knew this could not have grown there; so, locating the exact
direction, he began descending the tree to notify his companions of the
important discovery he had made.
“Hurrah!” he shouted, when he reached the ground. “I’ve made the
greatest discovery yet!”
“What is it?” exclaimed the professor, excitedly.
“There is a stone pillar, or something, about a mile south of us.”
“What!”
“Exactly what I say. Come on; we will go to it.”
Even Haypole became very much excited, and he hurried along after Leo
as fast as any of his companions.
“I shan’t be astonished at anything we may find,” said Prof. Easy.
“Hundreds of years ago it was supposed that a fountain of youth existed
somewhere in these parts; and if that does not, I am sure something
else equally as wonderful does.”
They had probably made half the distance to the obelisk, when the
baying of a dog suddenly came to their ears.
“What in thunderation is that?” exclaimed the Yankee.
“It is a dog, if I am not mistaken,” replied Leo. “Be cautious, all
hands, there is no use in our running headlong into danger.”
With their weapons ready for instant use, they hurried cautiously ahead
through the tangled mazes of the swamp.
They did not hear the dog bark again, though they listened attentively
for it.
In a few minutes they came in sight of the obelisk that had attracted
Leo’s attention from the top of the tree.
It seemed to be very ancient in appearance, for in many places pieces
were chipped from it.
Yet it stood as erect as it had when placed there.
A tangled mass of vines clung to it, half hiding the lower part of it.
After peering carefully about, to make sure that there was no one
around, our friends advanced toward the huge monument of stone.
It was a difficult matter to reach its base, for so dense was the
undergrowth that the Yankee had to unsling the ax from his back and cut
their way through.
At frequent intervals they came to a halt and listened, but not the
least sound could they hear, save the noise they made themselves.
“It is rather queer where that dog went to,” said Dick.
“That’s so,” replied his cousin, shaking his head.
“Somethin’ funny’ll happen putty soon--see if it don’t,” put in
Haypole. “I wouldn’t be much surprised to see ther ‘old boy’ jump
outer that big gravestone, an’ put for us. I’ll be ding-wizzened! if I
don’t begin ter feel squeamish.”
“Come; let us force our way through these vines and get at the base of
the obelisk,” spoke up the professor, pushing his way forward.
A few minutes later all five stood at the foot of the immense shaft,
panting and sweating from their exertions.
As they tore the vines aside, they saw it was covered, at regular
intervals, with square bits of stone, exactly like the one found by
Prof. Easy.
“Ah!” exclaimed the learned man, as he saw this; “this cube I found
evidently came from here. Let us see if we can find where it belongs.”
Leo and Dick quickly produced their knives and began cutting away the
vines, while the professor put on his glasses, preparatory to making
the examination.
They cleared away all around the base, which was about eighteen feet
square, and just as they finished, Dick’s eye lit upon one of the
places where a cube was missing.
“Here is the spot,” said he. “Now, professor, let’s see if the one you
have fits here.”
The professor stepped forward and produced the cube from his pocket.
He was just about to place it in the opening when a rifle shot rang out
close at hand, followed by the baying of a dog.
This so startled the man of science that he made an involuntary move
forward, thrusting the cube, as he did so, squarely into the hole.
Almost instantly a hidden door flew noiselessly open, revealing a
flight of stone steps, leading downward into the bowels of the earth.
A simultaneous cry of surprise left the lips of the swamp explorers as
this remarkable occurrence took place.
They gazed into the opening for the space of a minute and no one spoke
a word.
But suddenly they were called to their senses by hearing a wild cry at
their very elbow.
The next moment a man and a dog rushed through their midst and sprang
down the stairway in the base of the obelisk.