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Soht and very narrow passage The air, though somewhat chill, was absolutely dry and perfectly respirable, thanks to the enormously massive foundation of solid concrete which for by two hundred and fifty broad--ait from every outside influence

"Not even the Great Pyramid of Ghizeh could afford a more perfect--hello, what's this?"

Allan stopped short, staring doard at the floor His voice reechoed strangely in the restricted space

"A skeleton, so helpin a position that strongly suggested death in a crouching, despairing attitude--death by starvation rather than by violence--a little clutter of huleamed white under the torch-flare

"A skeleton--the first one of our vanished race we've ever found!" exclaimed the man "All the remains in New York, you res, were invariably little piles of impalpable dust mixed with coins and bits of rusted metal But this--it's absolutely intact!"

"The dry air and all--" suggested Beatrice

Stern nodded

"Yes," he answered "Intact, so far But--"

He stirred the skull with his foot Instantly it vanished into powder

"Just as I thought," said he "No chance to give a decent burial to this or any other huhtest disturbance totally disintegrates them But with this it's different!"

He picked up a revolver, hardly rusted at all, that lay near at hand

"Cartridges; look!" cried Beatrice, pointing

"That's so, too--a score or ular oval that plainly told of a vanished cartridge-belt, a string of cartridges trailed on the concrete floor

"H-ineer

Already he had slipped in a charge

"Steady, Beatrice!" he cautioned, and, pointing down the passage, pulled trigger

Fla in their ears

"What do you think of that?" cried Stern exultantly "Talk about your rasped him by the arm and pointed doard Astonished, he stared The rest of the skeleton had vanished In its place now only a few handfuls of dust lay on the floor

"Well, I'll be--" the man exclaimed "Even that does the trick, eh? H-m! It would be a joke, noouldn't it, if the records should act the sa, but it isn't getting us anywhere We've got to be at work!"

He pocketed the new-found gun and cartridges and once irl at his side