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"In that case, and if there's a way for water to come dohy mayn't there be a way for us to climb up? Who knows?"

"But if there were," she answered, "wouldn't these people have found it, in all these hundreds and hundreds of years?"

They discussed the question, pro and con, with e and inexplicable ie flame at the center of the community's life, the probable intentions of their captors, and the terrifying rows of headless skeletons

"What those mean I don't know," said Stern "There s of blood to sood they've invented Or these relics may be trophies of battle with other peoples of the abyss

"To judge from the way this place is fortified, I rather think there must be other tribes, with more or less constant warfare The infernal fools! When the human race is all destroyed, as it is, except a few handfuls of albino survivors, to make war and kill each other! It's on a par with the old Maoris of New Zealand, who practically exterht till most of the tribes iped clean out and only a remnant was left for the British to subdue!"

"I' to do with us now," she answered, shuddering, "than in howto do, Allan? What on earth can we do now?"

He thought a e chant, diigantic fla, for the i, except wait, and keep all the nerve and strength we can No use in our shouting anda row They'd only take that as an admission of fear and weakness, just as any barbarians would No use ha our white brothers by interrupting their song services

"Positively the only thing I can see to do is just to es, keep our wits about us, and plug the firstsacrifices of us I certainly don't hanker after e that lays hands on you, dies inside of one second by the stop-watch!"

"I know, boy; but against so uess is that a little target practice would put the fear of God into their hearts in a most extraordinary manner!"