CHAPTER VI.

BARNEY MEETS A FRIEND.

But what of Barney, whom we have seen disappear in such a mysterious manner beneath the stone dais?

The astounded Celt felt the stone give way beneath him, but before he had time to recover himself it had turned completely over, and he felt himself descending through space and darkness.

He struck upon his back upon some soft substance.

How far he had dropped he had no means of knowing.

All was darkness about him. He was quickly upon his feet, and began to feel about him.

The substance he had fallen upon he discovered by touch was a pile of some sort of soft cloth-covered cushions. The Celt was more than surprised.

‪“Begorra, whereiver am I at all, at all?” he spluttered. “Phwat sort av a place is this, I’d loike to know?”

This was a question not easily answered owing to the dense gloom which enshrouded it.

As soon as he could collect his scattered senses Barney got upon his feet and strove to pierce the gloom about him.

Fortunately he had a small taper in his pocket.

This he lit and its light displaced the gloom about him.

Then he saw that he was in a square chamber of stone.

He was standing upon a pile of soft cushions. Above him he could see nothing but stone, just the same as the walls about.

But leading out of this curious chamber was a narrow passageway.

Barney started towards it, but at this moment his taper went out.

The Celt muttered something not very polite and was about to light it again, when he heard a creaking sound above, and two dark forms came hurtling down through the gloom and struck the cushions near him.

Barney’s eyes had become partly accustomed to the dim light, and a momentary flash of daylight as the stone above turned showed him the personnel of the intruders.

At first he had instinctively fancied them his companions Frank and Pomp.

But second thought taught him better judgment. Instinctively he shrunk back against the wall.

The two new-comers with exclamations in a peculiar tongue quickly picked themselves up.

Before Barney could fully recover from his amazement they had gone.

‪“Bejabers, I see it all now,” muttered the enlightened Irishman, “this is only a quare sort av a dure by which the omadhowns enther their undherground abode. Well, now, that’s quite clever, but howiver am I to git back agin with Misther Frank an’ ther naygur?”

This was, indeed, a problem.

Barney again lit his taper and looked in vain for some method by which he might climb out of the place.

This was impossible.

There seemed but one way, and this was to follow the passage which the new-comers had just taken.

Barney made no doubt that they were of the strange people who had built the temple, but he was not by any means assured that they would be especially friendly to invaders like himself.

“Bejabers, it’s well to first git acquainted with the nature av the baste,” he muttered, “an’ thin av it’s all right go ahead.”

This was certainly sound logic, and it was well for Barney that he adopted it.

The strange people would not have received him cordially, and indeed his precaution may be said to have been the saving of his life.

But there seemed no other safe method of procedure but to attempt the passage.

Accordingly Barney entered it.

He kept on in the darkness cautiously for a short distance.

Then he saw a ray of light ahead.

Also from the distance there came the murmur of many voices.

Barney kept on with increased caution now.

Very soon he saw that the passage would bring him into a mighty illumined chamber under the temple.

Oil lamps of various grotesque shapes furnished the means of light, and a dense throng of the most curious looking people he had ever seen were present.

Barney gazed upon the scene with great interest.

“Be me sowl, but ain’t they bits av men,” he muttered. ‪“No wan av thim is bigger nor a good sized Irish lad.”

The pigmy women dressed much the same as the men, and seemed to busy themselves in various quarters at the culinary art.

Some time Barney spent in watching the curious people.

The next moment he received the greatest surprise of his life.

“For Heaven’s sake!” said a voice at his elbow. ‪“Is it possible there is a person in this place who can speak English too?”

Barney turned like a flash.

“Tare an’ ’ounds!” he gasped. ‪“Who the divil are yez?”

‪“On the other hand, let me ask the same question.”

Barney was facing a young man, tall, straight and handsome.

He was dressed in the garb of a native hunter, and carried a rifle. A moment previous he had crept out of a niche in the wall just to Barney’s right.

The two white men stood gazing at each other in amazement.

‪“Well, I niver!” gasped Barney. ‪“Yez are not one of these haythins that own this place, are yez?”

‪“No. Are you?”

‪“Divil a bit.”

‪“Who are you?”

“Me name is Barney O’Shea, and I’m a respictable Irish gintleman.”

‪“Good! Give me your hand. I am an American, and the Irishman has no better friend.”

‪“Yez talk like a man, yez do,” cried Barney. “I’m delighted to meet yez. But howiver did yez come here?”

‪“Well,” replied the young man, “I was fool enough to step upon a revolving dais in the temple above, and——”

‪“Bejabers. I came here that same way mesilf,” cried Barney.

‪“So? Well, we are in for it.”

‪“Yez are roight.”

‪“But what may I ask has brought you into this part of Yucatan?”

“Shure, I come here wid the Steam Man, an’ Misther Frank Reade, Jr., the worruld-famous invintor.”

A gurgling cry escaped the other’s lips.

‪“Frank Reade, Jr.?” he gasped. ‪“Do you mean to say that he is near here?”

‪“Well, I lift him when I fell down into this place.”

‪“The deuce!” exclaimed the young man, excitedly. ‪“Why, Frank Reade, Jr., is an old friend of mine. I must see him. Look here, what brought him here?”

“Shure, he’s lookin’ for a young man named Tony Buckden who got lost down in this haythin region.”

“Well, is this not luck? Look here, man, I am Tony Buckden——”

Barney threw up his arms.

‪“The divil yez say?” he exploded, in a hoarse whisper. “Shure, I’d ought to have guessed that, an’ Mr. Frank will be deloighted to see yez.”

‪“And I shall be delighted to see him!” cried the millionaire’s son, for such he was. ‪“So he answered my letter in person?”

‪“Yis.”

‪“And he has the Steam Man here?”

‪“Shure enough.”

‪“Then the success of my plans are assured!” exclaimed Tony, jubilantly. ‪“That is, if we succeed in escaping from here.”

‪“Shure we must do that,” declared Barney, confidently.

At this moment there arose a great commotion among the pigmy people.

Excited cries arose, and as with one accord they rushed from the place. In less than no time the place was cleared.

Tony Buckden and Barney were not a little surprised.

‪“I wonder what that means?” exclaimed the New Yorker.

“Bejabers, there’s no tellin’ but that they’ve heard of the Steam Man and that’s phwat has drawn thim away.”

“By Jove, I don’t know but that you are right, Barney,” declared Buckden. ‪“At any rate, it looks to me like a very good opportunity to escape.”

“Shure, it’s a foine chance.”

Not one of the pigmy people were left in the place.

Of course Barney and young Buckden did not hesitate a moment to avail themselves of the opportunity.

Buckden led the way and they crossed the broad chamber and came to a passage which seemed to lead upwards.

There were stairs cut in the stone, and up these the two imprisoned men sprung.

A moment later they came out into the main body of the temple. Now they could hear the crack of fire-arms and the yells of the pigmy people.

It was at the moment when the Steam Man was about to leave the court-yard and had been attacked by the natives, if such they could be called.

Both Buckden and Barney could see the heads of the contestants beyond a wall of stone.

It was their impulse to go to the aid of Frank and Pomp.

But this was seen at once to be clearly impossible.

They could not hope to successfully fight their way through the crowd of people. Moreover, a thrilling danger now confronted the fugitives.

The three trained tigers from whom Frank and Pomp had so narrowly escaped were gamboling in the court-yard.

If they should chance to catch sight of young Buckden and Barney the result would not be pleasant for them.

Clearly the safest way for the two adventurers was to steal out of the place and gain the forest beyond.

Then they might trust to luck in rejoining the Steam Man. Certainly it was the best method to pursue.

This Buckden at once proceeded to do. He led the way boldly across the court-yard and to a wall at its extremity.

Fortune favored them, and they reached the wall in safety.

Vaulting it, they dashed into the forest.

Once among the thick undergrowth they were safe, at least for the time.

‪“Whew!” exclaimed Buckden, suddenly pausing and wiping the perspiration from his face. ‪“We did that in fine shape, did we not, Barney?”

‪“To be shure, sor,” replied the Celt with a chuckle.

‪“Now what shall we do?”

‪“Shure, I think we had betther thry and foind the Stheam Man,” said Barney.

‪“Of course, but how shall we proceed to do that?”

“Well, bejabers, I think the bist way is to make a cut through the woods here and thrust to good fortune to foind Misther Frank out on the open ground. I’m thinkin’ he’ll ’ave to return there afther lavin’ this place, for shure.”

‪“All right,” agreed Buckden. ‪“Fortunately I know a path that will lead directly there. In fact, I came here by it.”

“That’s good luck!” cried Barney, joyfully. “It’s dyin’ I am to get back to the Stheam Man once more.”

‪“Well, we will try it hard!” declared Buckden, leading the way. ‪“Come on, Barney.”

They set out through the forest without further comment.

Buckden found little difficulty in finding the path by which he had entered the place.

Along this they sped swiftly. Soon the foliage began to grow thinner and straggling rays of light ahead showed that they were approaching the verge.

A few moments later they emerged entirely from the forest and came out upon the vast table-land.

As far as the eye could reach extended the level expanse.

Barney and his companion swept the plain eagerly with their eyes for some trace of the Steam Man.

Barney felt confident that the Man would return to the open plain.

Therefore it was with a glad cry that he suddenly pointed down the line of forest.

‪“Luk!” he cried. “Wud yez see the loikes av that! Be me sowl, we’re in luck, for it’s the Stheam Man.”

Sure enough, coming along the edge of the forest at a rapid speed was the famous Steam Man.

Frank Reade, Jr., was at the throttle, and when he saw Barney waving his arms he pulled the whistle valve open and sent up a shriek of welcome.