of my horror vivid upon me, and
wondered, with a sigh of relief at the change, what sort of a place I
had got to. I was in a very different quarter of the city from the
neighborhood of the fountain. Here were still the ruined outskirts,
still the desolate marshes, but the highlands backing the city on the
north began to rise just beyond the hut's door. I got up, but found my
right shoulder almost disabled. I could not lift my arm without great
pain. Yet my clothing was not torn, and bore no marks save of dust and
travel. I was about to uncover and examine the damaged shoulder, when in
came the owner of the hut, an honest-looking, heavy-set muleteer, who
showed all his teeth in his gratification at observing my recovery.

As I gathered from my host, he had had occasion to pass what he called
the "Fonte del Cano" near sunset of the afternoon preceding. He had
found me lying in a stupor, face down, across the basin of the fount,
and directly beneath the jaws of the dog, which he piously crossed
himself on mentioning. Not stopping to look for explanations, though he
saw the old door was partly broken away, he had put me on his mule and
made haste homeward, in fear of the coming of twilight in that grim
place. There had come up a great storm in the night, and then an
earthquake, shaking down many old walls that had long been toppling to
their fall. After sunrise, being a bold fellow, he had gone again to the
place, in hope of finding some treasure revealed by the disturbance.
Report said there was treasure of some kind hidden within the wall; but
none had dared to look for it since the day, years before his birth,
when two men undertaking the search had gone mad, with the great white
eyes of the dog turned terribly upon them. There were other strange
things said about the spot, he acknowledged reluctantly, which, however,
he would not talk of even in daylight; and for himself, in truth, he
knew but little of them. Now, he continued, in place of anything having
been laid bare, the whole top of the wall had fallen down and buried
steps and doorway in masses of ruin. But the fountain and the dog were
untouched, and he had not cared to go nearer than was necessary.

Having reached my lodgings, I rewarded the honest fellow and sent him
away in high feather, all-forgetful of the treasure which the earthquake
had failed to unearth for him. Once alone in my room, I made haste to
examine my shoulder. I found it green and livid. I fo