In the tiger's lair

Front matter

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Preface

The Tiger^s Lair^^ is the story of the return of Stanley Livingston and Ted Boyle to the Andes Mountains of Peru to complete their search for the hidden treasure of the Incas. It is a separate and complete story in itself — one may read and understand it without having read ^^The Hidden People.’’

Leo E. Miller.

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Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER .... 1

II. SKY HIGH 11

Chapter I The End Of The Underground River

Two years had passed since that day when Stanley Livingston and Ted Boyle, accompanied by the giant negro, Moses, faced the perils of the underground river rather than suffer a lingering death on the dismal shores of the lagoon beyond the wall at Uti.

Having finished their course at college, Livingston and Boyle, or Stanley and Ted, as they were better known, had decided upon a novel way of spending a few months’ vacation before entering their more serious professional careers. They went to look for the hidden treasure of the Incas that was known to lie somewhere in the vast ranges of the Andes Mountains of Peru. They well understood the difficulties of such an undertaking; there were snow-clad peaks to climb and steaming jungles to penetrate, and dangerous animals and still more formidable wild people to combat. But all these things simply added to the attraction of the venture.

They had gone in quest of adventure, and their desire was gratified beyond their wildest expectations. Shipwreck, the burning thirst of a desert land, battles with fierce monkey-men, and the dread fevers of the lowlands were their lot during the first months of the journey. Then — the Hidden Valley where the Inca Huayna Capac lived and ruled the remnant of the once-great nation in all the magnificence and splendor of ancient times. The great king received them, not unkindly, made them princes, and surrounded them with every luxury. From the beginning, however, Quizquiz, son of the Inca and heir to the throne, had conspired against them, and in the end he had succeeded in securing their conviction on the charge of treason. They were condemned to exile beyond the great wall that divided the valley from Uti, the abode of the evil spirits. It was Timichi, previously banished to the dismal place, who showed them the gold-filled cavern where the vast treasure reposed and who later pointed out to them the underground river just as all hope of escape seemed gone. They had accepted the last, desperate chance and had emerged in the outer world rich in gold and in experience.

And now, after a period of two years, they found themselves back in the drooping wilderness, encamped

END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER 3 at the outer end of the underground river, preparing to remove the vast treasure their former efforts had revealed.

'^We might have left this place only yesterday, so far as appearances are concerned,^’ Stanley said as they stood on the edge of the open, park-like place flanked by the abrupt cliffs on one side and the heavy jungle on the other. ‘‘Everything looks just the same as it^did then. The deer are grazing just as peacefully and — I distinctly remember seeing that one with the lame fore leg. It speaks well for the neighborhood; the monkey-men have not invaded it yet, or the deer would not be so tame.''

“Yes, it surely does not seem as if two years have passed since we were here. The only thing lacking is Moses, but that is not our fault. We tried our best to find him. But, I wish we had him just the same, because we need him."

“Poor old Moses. I miss him too. He saved our fives, and no one but a giant like him could have done it. But for him we should never have gotten out of the valley. If we ever succeed in locating him we shall have to divide up the gold we are going to get now. He shared all the hardships and he is entitled to a share of the spoils."

“You are right, and no matter how much we give him we shall always be in debt to him for what he did for us.”

They started across the open plot toward the little stream that wended its way through the centre. The deer stopped grazing, looked up at them with startled eyes, and then bounded into the protecting forest. When the men reached the watercourse, they followed it to the base of the stone escarpment, the top of which was hidden by the belt of yellowish, poisonous vapor that served as such an effectual barrier between the outer world and the Hidden Valley. Laving the foot of the stone wall was the pool, and opening into it was the black cavern that in reality was the mouth of the underground river.

^‘One would hardly suspect it of being such a magic river to-day,” Ted said, throwing himself on the short grass; ‘Hhe water is flowing neither way; it is standing still. Wonder what Timichi would say to that, were he ahve; but I have no doubt he has been dead a good many months.”

^‘He clung to hfe a number of years even in that awful place, but I, too, think he must be dead now. He was nearly gone when we left him. Too bad there was nothing we could do for the poor fellow.”

They returned to camp and began to prepare supper.

END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER 5

‘‘Our provisions should last several weeks, not counting on the game we can get here,’^ Stanley observed as he looked over the supplies. ‘Hn that length of time we can bring out all the gold any one could possibly desire. We have only to hide it inside of sacks of ivory nuts, of which the jungle is full around here, cache it, and then one of us can stay on guard while the other goes back to Cuzco for peons to carry them out. No one will ever suspect.^'

'Ht^s all so simple. And there is not a chance of failure, Ted remarked between mouthfuls. '‘Just think, there are millions in gold on the other side of that wall, and it is all oms for the mere taking. Let^s do the job as quickly as possible; I want to get back home to make use of my wealth.^’

"DonT be too sure,'^ Stanley cautioned. "You know we havenT got it yet.’’

"But it is there. We know that, because we saw it and helped ourselves to all we could carry. And we know how to get in and out of the place too. So this one time I am dead sure that as much gold as we want will be ours in a few weeks, and I for one am going to treat myself generously.”

Remembering Moses’ experience with the deadly bushmaster, they made no attempt to sleep on the grounds But, going into the forest, cut a number of stout poles and, tying the tops together to form tripods, slung their hammocks between them for the night.

Their first thought on the following morning was to see if there was any perceptible current in the river; but to their disappointment they found that the water was stationary, as before.

Looks as if we might have to paddle the rafts through. We could do that easily enough if necessary, but it would help a good deal if the water were flowing in the right direction. But why worry? It will take at least two days to make the rafts, and by that time the current will doubtless set in again.

They now began to work in earnest. Near the lower end of the open space where the river entered the forest, clumps of tall bamboo dotted both banks. Some of the great, jointed stems were fully eight inches in diameter and fifty feet high. Chopping them down and cutting them into ten-foot lengths was hard work, for they had only their machetes, or brush-knives, with which to work. Also, as each joint was full of water it had to be tapped and drained, after which the openings had to be plugged up again with gum; this made the stalks light and buoyant. They carried them to the water, one at a time, and lashed them together to form rafts. This required more time than they had

END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER 7 anticipated; in fact, four days passed before the two were completed.

'^How much gold do you intend to take from the cave?^’ Ted asked one day when their task was nearly finished.

As much as I can, of course. These rafts will carry several hundred pounds each in addition to our own weight, and we can make a dozen trips, or even more.^'

‘‘A ton for each is not too much. It is remarkable how much the yellow metal is worth. When we were here before, you guessed that each of our packs contained about ten thousand dollars^ worth, and you were nearly right. We got almost eleven thousand apiece, and the emerald necklaces were appraised at double that. I should not wonder but that there are many precious stones in the cave, too, hidden among the gold.^^

''All the better for us. They are not so bulky or heavy. Think of all the good we can do when we get back home.'’

"Yes! I intend to be very liberal with a certain college I think a lot of."

"Hospitals is my hobby. You shall see."

When the rafts were all ready they pushed them along the bank, and up to the mouth of the underground river, is strange that the water does not move/^ Ted said, looking puzzled. ^Ht looks black and stagnant — as if it has been standing still a long time.^^

‘^Do not let that trouble you. If it does not flow by to-morrow morning we shall paddle through the tunnel. We have been through it before and know the way. Besides, we are well supplied with flashlights now. There is nothing to it, so why worry They hewed short, broad-bladed paddles out of a cottonwood branch and carefully covered all the things they did not intend to take with them on the following day with broad palm-leaves, to protect them if it rained.

When dawn came, it found them on their rafts, paddhng into the mouth of the cave. Once inside, Stanley switched on one of the lights that had been tied to the front of his raft, and the bright glare revealed a passage from ten to twenty feet wide with an uneven ceiling of jagged rock fifteen feet above their heads. Swarms of bats, frightened by the unusual visitors, left their hiding-places overhead, and with a flutter of wings dashed out of reach of the circle of light and disappeared.

^'We have been going over half an hour now,*’ Ted said, looking at his watch. *'Of course we have not made very good time, but we should be nearing the end. Can you see daylight ahead?”

END OF THE UNDERGROUND RIVER 9

‘‘No! The opening is not in sight. But, what is this? Slow up so you wonT bump into me! The water seems to stop here.’^

‘^Stop? There must be a bend in the river.’' can see none.”

‘'Still there must be some open channel. Didn’t we come through here before ? Give me the light ; perhaps the turn is back here.”

They focussed the bright rays in all directions, but to no avail.

"Ted!” Stanley cried in sudden consternation. "This was the opening, right here, but it is not here now. It has been blocked up.”

"Impossible,” Ted returned in dismay. "Do you mean that we cannot get back into the valley?”

"Come ahead and see for yourself.”

Ted pushed his way to the front of Stanley’s raft. The latter’s words were all too true, for the opening into the valley was filled with earth and stones of large size.

"They learned of our escape from Timichi,” Ted said bitterly, "and knew we would come back. Well, I am not ready to admit that all my visions and hopes are dead; but just now there is nothing but darkness ahead.”

"How about dynamite?” Stanley asked suddenly.

could blast away the rocks in the entrance and get in after all.”

'^But what could we do against the Inca’s hordes once we were inside?”

‘^Come to think of it, I do not believe they had anything to do with this. They would not dare venture beyond the wall. There must have been a landslide on the slope above. In a region like this earthquakes occur frequently on account of the many volcanoes, and that would explain all this.”

They paddled back through the tunnel silently and sadly. All their dreams of wealth had suddenly vanished. It had never occurred to them that something might prevent them from securing the enormous treasure they had discovered. They knew its exact location; its value was so great that no man could estimate it, and to secure it required no further effort than to take it and carry it away. And then — their great disappointment.

^^That is just what we will do,” Stanley said that night as they were eating their supper. ^^We have not lost a thing, only there will be a slight delay in carrying out our original plans. To-morrow we shall start back to Cuzco for the dynamite. The rest will be easy.”

Stanley had never been more mistaken in his life.

Chapter II

When the two reached Cuzco, after the long, difficult climb up the mountain sides, they found news of a startling character awaiting them. Their own country had become involved in the World War. And with this intelhgence came to them the reafization of their duty.

The two lost no time in returning to the coast, and took the next steamer bound northward. Arrived in their homes, Ted applied for and was accepted in one of the officers’ training-camps, while Stanley enhsted in the aviation branch of the service.

Before long Ted began to regret his decision to join the infantry. It happened late one October afternoon when the company was returning, under full packs, from a lengthy hike into the country. The dust rose in clouds that threatened to suffocate the men and the sun stiU blazed unrelentingly on the weary, tramping forms. But even as they marched

along the men sang with a good deal of spirit, although 11 any one who had heard them outward bound that morning could have easily recognized the difference in the vigor of their song.

From afar came a droning, buzzing sound, hard to locate but drawing rapidly nearer. A moment later some one shouted “airplane,^’ and a hundred and fifty pairs of eyes were eagerly scanning the sky; soon they succeeded in making out a small, dark speck high in the heavens, and as they gazed it grew larger and larger, until finally the trim outlines of the graceful craft could be distinguished clearly. Something seemed to go wrong with the machine when it was directly overhead. The steady purr of the motor stopped and the great speed at which the ship had been travelling began to slacken. Every one held his breath in anticipation of the tragedy that was about to take place. After a second^s pause, during which the airplane seemed to stand still, it plunged toward the earth in a bewildering succession of turns, nose down, tail pointed into the sky. Its antics gave one the impression that it might be shding down some gigantic aerial corkscrew, and how long the craft continued in its spinning fall to destruction no one knew, but to the spectators below it seemed hke minutes. Just as it appeared as if the next few turns must bring the fatal crash the machine stopped spinning, started into a graceful, straight dive, and then with a startled roar of the exhausts swooped upward and away.

“I'd give anything in the world to be able to fly like that," Ted confided to the cadet by his side.

“You are covering a lot of territory," he replied. “The ground is good enough for me."

“It will have to be for me, too, I guess, but think of those fellows playing among the clouds while we swallow dust on the road or wallow in knee-deep mud in the trenches. Think of the glory of fighting miles above the earth !"

“What's the matter? Not feeling sorry for yourself, are you?"

Ted ignored this remark. His thoughts were high above in the ethereal blue, where the airplane had been manoeuvring with such graceful ease but a few minutes before.

“I want to fly and do my fighting up there," he said to himself more than to any one else in particular.

“And be shot down and hit the ground so hard it would take the whole police squad a week to dig you out," Ted's neighbor, whose name was Carter, interrupted. “Not for me! I'll take mine down here, where I know there is something safe and solid under my two feet."

The company reached the barracks with just fifteen minutes in which to brush up for retreat. There was no time for discussion or conversation, but that night, just before taps, it was reported that a commission had arrived whose object it was to select men for the air service; several would be accepted from each company. That accounted for the sudden appearance of the air-ship that afternoon; it was part of the advertising plan to secure the necessary number of men.

Ted called on his captain immediately, and was told to report to the major in charge of the commission on the following morning.

There was no sleep for him that night. The hours dragged as he tossed restlessly on his hard bunk and hstened to the heavy breathing of the other men, and when morning came he was so excited he was sure he should be rejected on that very account. But the major was inclined to make allowances, and informed Ted that he might expect to be transferred at no fardistant date.

The order releasing him from duty with the company and sending him southward to the ground school in Texas came two weeks later. And two days after that Ted was speeding toward his new station.

Then followed three months of the hardest kind of work; there were long lectures and hours of study upon the organization of foreign armies, interspersed with periods of calisthenics and infantry drill; also instructions on topics connected with flying, such as motors, rigging, gunnery, and wireless. Every one worked at top speed to assimilate as much as possible of the knowledge with which he was being crammed; that occupied all the hours of dayhght and part of the night, too, so there was httle time to form close and lasting friendships. Everybody was so busy with his own problems that it was impossible to pay much attention to the other fellow.

But the three months were up at last, and Ted, standing near the head of his section, was promptly sent to flying school. Those who were not so fortunate in their marks were sent to concentration camps to wait weeks, even months, for their turn.

^'Attention to orders, called the section leader the morning after Ted and a number of others had reported for their new class of instruction. ^‘Boyle, Currier, Davis, and Edwards report to Lieutenant Livingston, Ship Number 188. Green, Hammond, Jones, and Murphy report to Lieutenant Talbot, Ship Number 210,^^ and so on down the line, ending with a final ^Tall out.”

Ted could not believe his ears. Was it possible that the Lieutenant Livingston who was to be his instructor was Stanley? They had not communicated with one another since entering the service.

Ted hurried to Ship Number 188, which had been pointed out to him by one of the mechanics.

'^Lieutenant Livingston, sir?’' he inquired of the officer evidently in charge of the ship.

"Yes, what can I do for you? Why — if it isn’t Ted. What are you doing here? I am certainly glad to see you.”

Ted explained how he had been transferred from the infantry and had just completed his course at ground school; also that he had been assigned to Stanley for flying instruction.

"This is luck. Let’s get at it right away; we can talk more to-night. Hop into the rear seat and we’ll start right off.”

"What do I have to do?” Ted asked excitedly.

"This is just going to be a joy ride around the field. Don’t do or touch anything; sit as comfortably as you can and look around; watch the ground and the air and the other ships.”

So saying he helped Ted into his place and showed him how to adjust the buckle of his safety-belt across his lap. "You will hardly ever need the belt,” he said, "but it is just as well to get into the habit of fastening it.”

Then he climbed into the forward cockpit and opened and closed the throttle a number of times, while the motor roared and slowed down alternately. At a signal to the crew chief, the men removed the blocks from under the wheels, and taking hold of the lower wings swung the ship around until it faced the flying-field, which was into the wind.

An instant later, with an increasing roar, the machine was tearing across the ground at a terrific speed. Ted looked down over the edges of the cockpit, and saw the grass rushing backward in a blurred, green streak. A frightful wind struck his face, cutting off his breath and making his eyes water. He ducked his head behind the little celluloid wind-shield to adjust his goggles more snugly, and when he looked again they had left the groimd. He closed his eyes for a moment; there was no sensation of motion whatever; they seemed to be standing stock-still, like a kite at the end of a string, facing a cyclone of wind, but the thunder of the engine was deafening.

After climbing a thousand feet, they made a number of circuits of the field. Then Stanley throttled the motor and dipping the ship down at a steep angle, began the glide back to the landing-place. The propeller moved so slowly that the blades could easily be distinguished, and the wind shrieked through the wires with a shrill wail. They levelled off at a few feet above the ground, and after skimming along a short distance, touched so gently that there was scarcely any shock; after that they slowed down and rolled up to the dead-line from which they had started.

The course of instruction continued daily, and under Stanley's capable guidance Ted learned rapidly. When he had had six hours in the air he could fly the ship in a manner satisfactory to his teacher; so Stanley took it upon himself to include a few of the more commonly used stunts in the course. For this purpose, however, they always went some distance from the field, where they were safe from the observation from below of the officers in charge.

am going to show you a new one to-day,” Stanley said one afternoon, as they were taking their places for the flight. ‘^Be doubly sure the belt is fastened; you will need it for once.”

can stand anything you can,” Ted replied. '^Go as far as you like.”

Soon they were leaving the field behind, mounting as they soared into the distance. The aneroid needle pointed to two thousand, then three, four, five, and finally six thousand feet. Ted had never been so high before in the plane, and the earth below seemed new and strange. The patches of woods looked hke clusters of dark, green dots, and the fields reminded him of the squares of a checker-board. Banks of white, fluffy clouds rolled past, their upper edges tinted with glowing silver by the brilliant sunlight.

Stanley shut down the engine. “Is everything all right?'' he called back.

“Yes!"

“I am going into a whip-stall. Be sure your belt is tight."

He opened wide the throttle and nosed the plane down so that they attained a terrific speed; then he suddenly pulled it almost straight upward and shut off the engine. For a moment the ship seemed to stand still in the air in an upright position; then it whipped downward with tremendous force, sliding on the tail. Ted felt himself raised off his seat, but, thank heaven, the belt held, or he would have remained in mid-air while the plane hurtled away from beneath him. After falling some little distance Stanley again turned on the power and they swung out of the dive and levelled off gracefully.

But at that instant a burst of smoke was swept back by the blast of the propeller. The engine slackened its speed and a series of sharp, pistol-like reports came from the exhausts.

Ted was seized with consternation, for a thin streamer of flame shot back from under the hood ; the plane was afire.

Stanley saw the danger at the same moment and dove in an attempt to put out the fire, but this manoeuvre, frequently successful in such an emergency, proved to be the worst possible thing in this case. With a roar the flame struck him full in the face; he tried to pull the ship out of the dive, but the fiery blast stifled him; the ground below, the sky above, and even the wings on either side of him seemed wrapped in a haze, and in an instant he was enveloped in complete darkness.

Ted saw the wilting figure in front of him droop out of sight; at the same time the plane began to quiver and lurch from side to side. Without a guiding hand to direct it the heretofore graceful craft became converted into a mass of steel and wood and cloth hurthng through space to certain destruction. He reahzed the frightfulness of the situation in a flash; Stanley had either fainted or was dead.

must get him down; I must save him,” he gasped, frantically grasping the controls in his own cockpit. He thought little of his own danger; it was his companion who filled his mind. He must get him to the ground and save him if it was not already too late.

The blaze was sweeping back directly over the top of the twenty-gallon container resting between the engine and the front cockpit. must fan the flames to one side” Ted thought. ^‘If the gas catches, it will be the end.’'

Responding to a savage turn of the wheel, the ship turned on edge and the streamer of fire darted out to one side. If only he could keep it there! Perhaps the rudder would help; he gave it a sharp kick, then felt that he had made a mistake, for he had pushed it in the direction opposite to the wheel. But the ship, tilted at a steep angle, started into a side-slip toward the ground, and that was exactly what he wanted. He must keep on slipping from side to side, like a falling leaf.

The wind shrieked through the rigging with a terrifying scream and threatened to tear away the side of Ted’s face. He straightened out the plane, reversed his controls, and then began falling in the opposite direction. Back and forth they darted; the ground was rushing up to meet them at a furious speed. It was fascinating, this sight of the ground rushing upward, and as he looked at it he suddenly reahzed that they were almost directly above an open field — the landing-field, it must have been, for there were the white hangars in which the ships were kept; and the machines that had been out in the open were scurrying in all directions. Vaguely he wondered how long it would be before they should crash in their midst.

After what seemed like ages, but which was in reahty a matter of seconds, the ground loomed up close to them. The moment for the supreme test had come. Throwing the controls into neutral he brought the ship into an even glide. The hot blast struck his face and the fumes of burning oil made him cough and choke. But not for an instant did he relax to lower his head for a breath of air; he must see the thing through if it was the last thing he ever did.

Her speed gone, the ship settled rapidly; it was but ten feet from the ground. Ted pulled back the wheel cautiously to keep her nose up, as he had been told so often by Stanley, and the plane responded ever so feebly. The ship struck with a jolt, bounded, settled again, rolled forward a short distance, and came to a stop.