As we passed down, the man behind me, still keeping me covered, raised the flat stone on the top step.  Carefully, he reset the connection of the alarm rock, a series of metal points that bent under the weight of a person and made a contact which signalled down in the cavern the approach of any one who did not know the secret.

As he did so, the light in the cavern went out.  “It’s all right,” said one of the men down there, with a look of relief.

We now went down the perilous stairway until we came to the cave.

“I’ve got a prisoner—­orders of the Chief,” growled one of my captors, thrusting me in roughly.

They forced me into a corner where they tied me again, hand and foot.  Then they began debating in low, sinister tones, what was to be done with me next.  Once in a while I could catch a word.  Fear made my senses hypersensitive.

They were arguing whether they should make away with me now or later!

Finally the leader rose.  “It’s three to one,” I heard him mutter.  “He dies now.”

He turned and took a menacing step toward me.

“Hands up!”

It was a shrill, firm voice that rang out at the mouth of the cave as a figure cut off what little light there was.

. . . . . . .

Elaine passed along, hunting for the trail.  Suddenly a shower of pebbles came falling down from a cliff above her.  Some of them hit her and she looked up quickly.

There she could see me being led along by my captors.  She hid in the brush and watched.  During all the operations of the descent of the rock stairway and the resetting of the alarm, she continued to watch, straining her eyes to see what they were doing.

As we entered the cave, she stepped out from her concealment and looked sharply up at us, as we disappeared.  Then she climbed the path up the cliff until she came to the flight of stone steps leading downward again.

Already she had seen the man behind me doing something with the stone that formed the top step.  She stooped down and examined the stone.  Carefully she raised it and looked underneath before stepping on it.  There she could see the electric connection.  She set the stone aside and looked again down the dangerous stairway.

It made her shudder.  “I must get him,” she murmured to herself.  “Yes, I must.  Even now it may be too late.”

With a supreme effort of determination she got herself together, drew my gun which she had picked up, and started down the cliff, stepping noiselessly.

At last Elaine came to the cave.  She stood just aside from the door, gun in hand, and listened, aghast.

Inside she could hear voices of four men, and they were arguing whether they should kill me or not.  It was four against one woman, but she did not falter.

They had just decided to make away with me immediately and the leader had turned toward me with the threat still on his lips.  It was now or never.  Resolutely she took a step forward and into the cave.