_Sands Recovers_
"Presently Sands stood erect. He looked around him for several seconds,
evidently to get his bearings. I watched him nervously. What had Abaris
meant when he said that 'mentally Sands belonged to Jupiter?' I knew
when I looked into Sands' eyes. Like fathomless abysses, his eyes
glowed like sulphurous fires. The pupils had grown until they seemed
to disappear into the rim entirely! He seemed to be in the same trance
that had held Allie Lane's and her father's eyes staring straight ahead
without apparently comprehensive powers.
"When I spoke to him he merely stared blankly, although I was certain
that he understood my words. His lips moved to answer but no words
formed in his throat.
"I shook him by the arm.
"'I think,' I said to him, pointing to the opening from which Abaris
had come into the chamber and into which he had doubtless vanished,
'that we had better find Allie Lane and her father if we hope to get
out of here alive. You know that she's here and alive, don't you,
Sands?'
"To me it appeared that he made an attempt to speak when he heard
Allie's name mentioned, but he merely stared dumbly. At any rate I
believed he understood what I had said.
"'If we can get to Allie and her father without these critters knowing
it,' I whispered into his ear, 'she might be able to point a way out of
here. If we can get out I'll strike toward Stovepipe Wells and send a
telegram to Los Angeles asking for help. I'm afraid we'll need a couple
of bombing planes from San Pedro to get us out of this mess!'
"I grabbed him by the arm and hustled him toward the circular shaft
leading from the chamber. He came readily enough but when I loosened
the pressure on his arm he stood there, stock still. He seemed to have
no will power whatever and his legs moved only because I hustled him
along.
"As we entered the only open shaft leading out of the chamber, a
high-pitched musical note became audible. I wondered if our movements
had sounded some mysterious warning. As we continued on into the
luminous tunnel that glittered with deposits of priceless gems, the
musical note rose higher and higher so that it seemed to tax the sense
of hearing to its uttermost. Questioningly I turned to Sands. One of
his trembling hands was chafing his temples with thumb and forefinger.
The sound gradually became a wail like the metallic scream we had
heard before entering the cave that led down to the chamber.
"Suddenly I became aware that Sands had broken the influence that
had held him! With a frenzied scream he leaped aside and away from
me. I gazed in wonder at the man as he crouched like a beast at bay.
I expected him momentarily to spring at my throat. But he finally
recognized me and became controlled when I assured him the Jovians were
not in sight. His first questions were of Allie Lane. Had he really
seen her, he wanted to know, or had he been suffering from a brain
fever? Was she really alive--as beautiful as ever? I assured him that
she was.
"'Lord!' he gasped, shuddering. 'That noise would drive a man insane!'
"'Yes,' I whispered softly, 'But you ought to thank it for bringing you
to your senses!'
"'What do you mean?' he asked, blankly.
"'Don't you know that the Big Chief of these freaks bounced you for
jumping onto the platform?'
"'I don't remember anything but that I'd seen or dreamed I've seen
Allie Lane alive!' he said, disconsolately.
"'Well,' I explained, 'The High Chief, who calls himself by the name of
Abaris, didn't like the idea of you getting familiar with Allie and he
knocked you out cold. I thought he killed you and he might have at that
had he wanted to. I thought you were a goner!'
"'He's got a hell of a nerve then!' he exploded, his face twitching in
terrible rage that under the glow of green made him almost as grotesque
as Abaris himself. 'I've loved Allie Lane all my life and now that I've
found her nothing but death will stop me from having her!'
"'We haven't found her yet, Sands,' I reminded him softly. 'She's
somewhere down this tunnel! I think we ought to get to her as soon as
we can. Those devils are going to leave here! Abaris'll probably take
Allie with him!'
* * * * *
"For perhaps several hundred feet we picked our way, hugging the
gem-studded walls, along the tunnel through which Allie Lane
had entered the chamber. Overhead small balls of light flitted
occasionally, illuminating the entire passageway. We encountered
several smaller passageways branching off from the main shaft but we
continued along the wider thoroughfare. What had become of the Jovians?
I wondered, as we slowly edged our way along the wall. The only thing
that seemed to mark their existence in the great underground maze
of tunnel and caverns, deep below Death Valley, was the persistent
high-pitched musical notes that smashed into the ear-drums with an
unending viciousness.
"Presently our footsteps led us into another circular chamber somewhat
larger than the one into which Abaris had come. This great room was
illuminated by darting lights which exposed units of rapidly revolving
machinery from which emanated the high-pitched musical notes!
"In our appraisal of the machinery we saw what appeared to be perhaps a
half dozen cylindrical tubes that stood upright, spinning rapidly. Over
each glowed a pale green luminosity. The bases of the cylinders went
through the hard rock floor of the chamber and their spinning movement
created a terrific suction, for the air in the cavern was swirling.
Attached to each of the cylinders were hundreds of small tubes that
gave off a deep green ray for their entire length. One tube ran from
the cylinders to a central manifold to which was attached a larger tube
that fairly sputtered and glowed under a force similar to but more
powerful than a great vacuum tube.
"Audible even above the noise that was created by the rapid whirl of
the peculiar machines, came the steady, rhythmic throb of centrifugal
pumps. The throb was the same sound that we had heard while we stood
for the first time on the rim overlooking the crater containing the
radium pool.
"Lights floated above the spinning machinery. They made little bright
spots in the luminous green that formed the drafty atmosphere, like
lanterns being swung rapidly in a murky fog. I turned to Sands who was
standing just behind me staring over my shoulder, intently watching the
motion of the machinery and the darting lights.
"'I'm beginning to believe Abaris now,' I whispered in his ear. 'These
devils are actually draining this world of an unknown radium deposit!
All this machinery, the spheres and lights must be operated by radium
power of intensity that is not possessed in the small quantities that
we have found so far!'
"'Well that might be so, pardner,' Sands placed his lips close to my
ear, 'But I'm interested in Allie Lane, nothing else! Let's find her!'
"I gave him an assuring nudge and we edged our way along the wall of
the circular chamber, maintaining a safe distance from the whirling
machinery for it seemed possessed with a powerful magnetism. I would
like to have studied it closer, but something seemed to warn me to
remain a safe distance away from whirling cylinders which spun like
electrical generators with the tubes connected like generating brushes.
"I was still awed over the sudden disappearance of the Jovians and felt
that their absence spelled some sinister disaster to us. I momentarily
expected some of them to appear and seize us.
"Suddenly we came to an exit shaft just high enough to admit a Jovian,
without bending. I raised an arm to estimate the height of the ceiling.
My fingertips just scraped it. The tunnel was in total darkness and
this appeared to be the only exit from the chamber with the exception
of the one through which we had entered. We clung, hand in hand, as we
went into it. We had not gone more than a dozen steps until we were
enveloped in an inky blackness. Certainly, I thought, the Jovians
must be aware, through their peculiar mental telepathy, that we were
exploring their secret chambers. Why didn't they swoop down upon us
and challenge our progress? Perhaps, I thought, they did not figure
it worthwhile, believing that we would eventually lose ourselves in
the network of underground vistas, tunnels and chambers, and die as
the result. It was a grim outlook for both of us at best, but I had
one thing--the assurance of Abaris himself, that the Jovians had no
intention of harming us seriously.
"Eventually we became somewhat accustomed to the inky blackness of the
tunnel and we were able to make out the forms of each other. Staring
straight ahead I discovered what I accepted to be a small circular
hole through which came a faint luminosity. We made for it as rapidly
as we could, although we were extremely cautious and fearful lest we
step into one of the bottomless abysses which I felt existed in the
underground world.
"We edged our way along the tunnel for perhaps a quarter of a mile
before we eventually came to the circular light which we had seen. I
was not surprised when we found that it was an entrance or an exit of
another chamber! We approached it carefully not knowing what might lie
ahead. We had no intention of exposing ourselves to the ire of Abaris
could we help it. We wanted to find Allie Lane and her father--now that
he too was alive! I crawled on hands and knees to the tunnel outlet.
Sands was on the opposite side of the hole. We peered intently into
the chamber which was brilliantly lighted. The white brightness of the
light gave me an impression that it emanated from the sun! It blinded
us temporarily.
"The chamber was decorated gorgeously in purple and gold drapes that
hung suspended from the room's walls. Massive metal chairs, like the
three on the platform back in the first chamber, stood in artistic
positions. On one side of the wall, draped with a yellow cloth of metal
that glistened like fire in the brilliant light, hung a great sheet of
glass-like material that mirrored other objects in the chamber. Under
it stood a golden dressing table at which was a frail silver bench.
Truly, I thought, as I surveyed the mirror, vanity and bench, these
objects could be of no use to anyone except a beautiful woman! The
thought gave birth to another idea. Perhaps this was the room to which
Allie Lane had been confined!
"My eyes wandered to the far end of the chamber. To my surprise
there stood, near the wall, a massive couch that seemed to have been
hewn from a great emerald block. Its coverings were of a soft, silken
material, edged with gold! As I stared at the beautiful piece my eyes
detected a slight movement of the coverings. I looked on the couch
awe-struck.
"There before our very eyes, and apparently alone, lay Allie Lane on
the silken covered, emerald couch! From underneath her brilliant robes
protruded a dainty foot and ankle. Her face lay buried in her arms and
her body wracked with silent sobs, her brown hair shimmering in the
glare of the light. I looked at Sands, across the tunnel outlet.
"He stared intently at the reclining figure, his mouth agape. He
allowed a hand to run nervously across his brow as though to gain
assurance that his eyes were not playing him false. Then I made a
careful scrutiny of the chamber to make certain that Allie was alone.
"'Sands!' I hissed, in low undertones that could not have been heard
beyond the few feet that separated us. 'There's your chance! There's
Allie Lane on that couch, sobbing for you! Go to her, partner! I'll
stay here and watch!'
"Sands looked at me for an instant, then taking my hand he squeezed it
until my fingers ached.
"'Thanks, pard!' was all he said, but his eyes showed what words
would fail to tell. Releasing his grip on my hand he stepped softly
into the chamber, and strode lightly with a buoyant step, toward the
silken couch. A lump rose in my throat as I watched him moving swiftly
toward the girl he had gone through hell to find. Few men would have
remained loyal as he to this slip of a girl and hunted in every nook of
California for more than forty long, weary years! It was his great love
for her in the first place, his beautiful sense of loyalty, that had
caused me to join him in the last few years of his search. Now he was
at her side!
"'Allie! Allie!' his voice, softly appealing, came to me where I
squatted, silently guarding the chamber. My eyes wandered around the
room, nothing escaping them. Again came Sands' appealing call. I looked
at him as he stood beside the couch, arms outstretched. The girl lay
perfectly still now, and her face remained buried in her arms as though
fearful to look up. Slowly her head turned. From where I squatted, I
could see her profile as it turned towards Sands, tears like pearls,
streaming down her cheek. I expected to see again her sweet features
staring mutely blank as they were when I first beheld her.
"Suddenly the girl sat upright and turned her face up to Sands!
Her eyes widened in amazement and fright. I watched her closely,
temporarily forgetting my own sworn duty to stand guard over the
chamber. Would she recognize her lover of forty years ago? I wondered
if she really would. Or was she still under the spell of some strange
Jovian trance? My blood pounded at my temples in those few seconds of
uncertainty. I could imagine her amazement at seeing Sands but I could
not comprehend her delay in flying to his embrace if she still loved
him. She sat very still, staring up into Sands' luminous green features
with their month's growth of beard. Perhaps his radium affliction
and his beard had puzzled her I thought. That was true. She did not
recognize him immediately as the result. For long minutes she stared at
him through glistening tears.
"Then with a soft cry Allie Lane literally flew into his arms. Sands
squeezed her close to him, his face buried in her tumbled brown hair. A
feeling of exultation and of triumph surged through my whole body and I
slapped my thigh with joy. I was immensely happy! But my joy was short
lived. I always was more or less of a crank and my happiness soon fled
before a cloud of gloom that formed sinister thoughts in my brain.
"Now that Sands and Allie Lane were together again, how were they to
escape from the underground outpost of Jupiter? If we did succeed
in finding our way out of the maze of tunnels, how did we expect to
traverse Death Valley without water? It was impossible! Better had we
all remain hidden far below Death Valley's burning surface than to
expose ourselves to the sinister power of Abaris or the terrible fatal
heat of the surface!
"Meanwhile my attention was drawn again to the two lovers as they stood
beside the silken couch. Allie nestled close to the broad, powerful
chest of her sweetheart and spoke to him in a low, musical voice.
Quickly I glanced around the room trying not to listen to them. I had
already a violent feeling of being an intruder on their reunion.
* * * * *
"'Oh, Robert!' her voice, tense with both fright and joy. 'How did you
ever find me--why did you risk your life to come here in the midst of
these terrible creatures? I'm so afraid!'
"'I love you, Allie!' Sands whispered affectionately. 'I love you
better than life itself! I've searched for you for many years and I
would have continued searching until I could no longer crawl! At last I
have found you, Allie, and I shall never leave you again!'
"'Why, Robert!' she suddenly exclaimed. 'You haven't searched for me
for many years! You couldn't have because you are just the same Bob
Sands you were when you started to California. Why did you let those
terrible whiskers grow? I don't like them.' Allie emitted a little
musical laugh; then continued. 'You must shave those horrible whiskers
off at once!'
"'Don't you know, Allie dear, that you have been lost from me for over
forty years? I've been searching so long that I've lost track of time.'
Sands whispered softly, looking into her expressive eyes. A smile
played at the corners of her lips.
"'You are fooling, Robert,' she said, searching his face for proof of
jest. 'It just couldn't be! Why Robert I'd be an old woman now if it
were true--I'd be almost sixty.'
"'Good Lord!' I gasped to myself as I stood guard over the chamber and
this secret love tryst between Allie Lane and Driftin' Sands. Didn't
she know that she's been lost to the world for over forty years? Poor
girl! Sands oughtn't to tell her! Then, again, it might be best for her
to know everything!
"I listened intently, for now I wanted to learn any information that
Allie might give to Sands regarding the grotesque Jovians and their
plans. The information might aid us materially in finding ways and
means of escaping them.