Daughter of the Sun

  CHAPTER XXI

  HOW ONE RETURNS UNWILLINGLY WHITHER HE WOULD WILLINGLY ENTER BY ANOTHER DOOR

  Again and again as he ran Kendric shouted to Betty that he was coming.Then at last, after an agony of fear and silence, he heard her call inanswer. He stumbled but ran on. When he came where he could see thesquare of light marking the hole which led to the level where she was,he caught his first glimpse of Betty. She was standing by the opening,tense to the finger tips that were tight about the rifle. He sped upthe steps and to her side. And he was treated to the sight of RuizRios, lying white-faced on the floor, a hand at his shoulder and thathand dyed red. Beside him, where it had fallen, was his revolver.

  "I--I shot him!" Betty gasped.

  "And serves him right," cried Kendric heartily. He took the gun fromher hands and strode over to Rios while, at last, Betty's face washidden by her shaking hands. "So you're on the job, are you?"

  Rios looked sick and miserable. But slowly, as he lifted his blackeyes to the man standing over him the old evil fires played in them.He stirred a little and lay back.

  "My shoulder is broken," he groaned.

  "You're in luck to be alive," Kendric told him sternly. "What do youwant here?"

  "I'll bleed to death!" Quick fright sent a shiver through him. "Forthe love of God stop the blood for me."

  Kendric could scarcely do less than look at the wound. Presently hestraightened up with a grunt of disgust.

  "It's only a flesh wound," he said coolly. "The bone isn't eventouched and it's a clean hole. You'll last for a lot of devilment yet."

  Rios sat up. He felt of his hurt with tender fingers and slowly thefear went out of his look and his old craft and hate came back.

  "You've found the treasure--here," he said. "You will have to talkwith me before you touch it, senor."

  "You talk big, Rios," snapped Kendric angrily. "It strikes me that youare just now in no position to dictate. You should thank your starsif, presently, we let you go about your business. Whether or not wehave found treasure does not concern you."

  So intent was he upon Rios, so occupied with considering what was to bedone with him, that he did not note who it was who had come to stand inthe narrow cleft between them and the entrance from the canon side.But Betty, her hands dropping from her horrified face saw.

  "Oh," cried Betty. "We are lost!"

  Then he saw that following Rios had come Zoraida and that she stood andlooked at them, her eyes filled with mockery and triumph.

  "Who is it that speaks of what shall be done with that which rightfullyis Zoraida's?" she demanded, her voice ringing out boldly. "And youtwo, who thought to escape me, I have you in a trap!"

  Kendric swung his rifle about so that the muzzle was towards her. Hiseyes hardened.

  "If we have to shoot our way out of this, we're going free," he toldher shortly.

  Zoraida's only answer came quickly, unexpectedly, before he could stepforward. Her hand went to her bosom; out came her silver whistle; ablast shrilled forth from it, loud and penetrating.

  "Twenty of my men, all armed, hear that," she said defiantly. "Theyare just below. Listen and you will hear them coming."

  The sound, first of men's voices somewhere outside, then of rattlingstones under running feet, told that Zoraida spoke truly. Kendricheard and for an instant was struck motionless with indecision. Theentrance was narrow and he could make a fight for it--there was Bettyto think of, behind him but in the path of glancing bullets--there wasRios, wounded but treacherous--there was Zoraida--there was thetreasure below and he had no mind to see it snatched from under hiseyes--

  Then the one chance presented itself to him, clear and imperative.

  "Rios," he commanded, "down you go through that hole or I swear to GodI'll blow your brains out! Quick! And Zoraida, you with him." Hesprang upon her and dragged her with him, shoving her toward theopening in the floor. He took time then to whirl and fire one shotalong the narrow way which Zoraida's men must come, confident that theywould pause, if only for an instant. "Down, Rios. Down, Zoraida!"

  A sort of fury looked out of his eyes and even Betty drew back from himfearfully. He grasped Rios by the shoulder and the Mexican seeing thelook in his eyes made no resistance. Had he fought back he would havebeen killed and he knew it. He went down the steps. Zoraida wouldhave held back but again Kendric's hand, rough on her arm, sent herforward and, rather than fall, she was forced to Rios's heels. Kendricfired again along the cleft. Then he began knocking loose the stoneswhich held the lever-rock back. When only one stone kept the boulderin place, he called sharply to Betty:

  "Down we go with them. Then I'll knock that stone out from below andwe'll have time to breathe before they come on us."

  "But," exclaimed Betty, "can we lift it again from below?"

  "God knows," he returned. "I think so. But I don't know that we'llhave to; I think there's another way out. Hurry."

  Voices were calling excitedly from without. Plainly the men takingZoraida's pay would in time steel themselves to making an entrance, butjust as plainly they saw death in store for some of them and hesitated.It struck Kendric that their delay would give him time for one otherthing and that that other thing would mean much more time gained lateron. He scooped up handful after handful of dirt and poured it into thelever-hole in the boulder, filling it even with the surface. Thus, itwould not be readily detected and might never be noted. Then,snatching up his rifle and the bag of food, he ran down the steps withBetty. A thrust with his rifle barrel, and a quick jerk back, knockedthe wedge stone free and saved him his gun. The boulder toppled backinto place; the stairway and tunnel below were plunged into absolutedarkness.

  Kendric caught Betty's hand.

  "This way," he told her. "It's straight going and no danger for awhile. Rios, Zoraida! Stand where you are and wait for us or I'llstart shooting wild. Where are you?"

  "Here," growled Rios, his voice indicating that he had gone no greatdistance.

  "And Zoraida?"

  Zoraida did not answer. Kendric went on a step or two and then strucka match. By its short-lived light he made out Zoraida standing closeto Rios. Then the flame burned out.

  "Straight ahead," commanded Kendric. When there was no sound of a stepbeing taken, he drew Betty's hand through his arm so as to have both ofhis hands free and went forward.

  "I can hardly breathe," whispered Betty. He felt her hand tighten onhis arm. "It is getting terribly steep underfoot----"

  He came to where Rios was and set the rifle barrel in the small of hisback. Rios cursed bitterly but moved on. Kendric's hand foundZoraida's arm and gripped it tightly.

  "We're all together in this," he said sharply. "And don't start yourold favorite knife act. This is no time for foolery."

  Zoraida moved on. But again she set her whistle to her lips andthereafter she called out loudly to her men, commanding them to followswiftly.

  "They won't hear you," said Kendric. "And they couldn't obey you thistime anyhow. Hurry; we'll all stifle if we don't get out of this foulair. Rios, give me some matches; mine are getting short."

  Rios, without comment, having as little love as another for theuncertainty of the dark about him, did as he was commanded. He alsosaved half of his box and began striking them himself. And thus theywent on, all of them save Kendric wondering. Making the last, steepestdescent, they stood huddled together in the treasure chamber.

  "Here," said Kendric, releasing Zoraida, "we have fresh air. Here wecan talk. And, if we are sensible people, a new day can begin for allof us here."

  Ruiz Rios's wound must have been even less severe than Kendric hadsupposed it. For now the Mexican seemed utterly to have lostconsciousness of it. He was striking fresh matches; he stooped andpicked up something at his foot; a little gasp broke from him. Hetossed it down, caught up something else.

  "Gold!" he muttered. "Gold everywhere!"

  Zoraida looked about her, seeming unmov
ed. Her eyes followed Rioscontemptuously, roved away about the room, tarried only briefly withthe heaped-up treasure, sped to Kendric and to Betty.

  "You are fools, fools!" she taunted them. "All thanks, Senor Kendric,for having led me straight to that for which I have been looking all mylife."

  Rios had come back to her side, both hands full.

  "Zoraida," he said swiftly, "let us talk reason as the American says.We have this!" He held up his hands; his eyes gloated. "Let them havetheir lives and go, so that they take nothing in their hands. Look atthis! Here----"

  His words trailed off abruptly in a scream of terror. He had movedonly a trifle as he spoke, he had taken a step backward between the twohigh heaps of treasure where the pit was. He was falling--he threw outhis arms, clutching wildly. In a flash he was gone from sight. Butnot alone. For his hand, seeking to save him, had caught at Zoraidaand she was snatched back, overbalanced, drawn down with him. Herscream rose above his cry of terror. Both vanished and Jim and Bettystood alone, looking into each other's wide eyes.

  "Do you think--they are dead?" faltered the girl.

  They went to the hole and looked down. The view which Kendric had seenbefore slowly disentangled itself from the darkness. They saw nothingof those who had fallen.

  "It would mean the short fall here," said Kendric musingly, "the steepslide and no doubt another drop at the end. We wouldn't be able to seethem at first. But someway, I don't believe they are dead!"

  He did not explain then; it would take too long and they had their ownsalvation to work out. But here was his thought: Zoraida had droppedback into the gardens of the golden king. He did not believe she wouldbe able to climb up this way again. And he did not believe that shewould have with her the many keys needed to open the way she knew. Itimpressed him that here might be the judgment of a just God--Zoraidaimmured for all time in the heart of ancient Mexico. Zoraida with herpriests and young men and children whom her stern decree had imprisonedhere. Zoraida and Ruiz Rios together in the place of hidden treasure.