red for a
moment and went out.

Now he was in total darkness, and again terror rode heavily astride his
neck. What further pitfalls and dangers lay ahead he could not guess;
but that he was as far as ever from liberty he was quite willing to
believe, so depressing is utter absence of light to one in unfamiliar
surroundings.

Slowly he groped his way along, feeling with his hands upon the
tunnel's walls, and cautiously with his feet ahead of him upon the
floor before he could take a single forward step. How long he crept on
thus he could not guess; but at last, feeling that the tunnel's length
was interminable, and exhausted by his efforts, by terror, and loss of
sleep, he determined to lie down and rest before proceeding farther.

When he awoke there was no change in the surrounding blackness. He
might have slept a second or a day--he could not know; but that he had
slept for some time was attested by the fact that he felt refreshed and
hungry.

Again he commenced his groping advance; but this time he had gone but a
short distance when he emerged into a room, which was lighted through
an opening in the ceiling, from which a flight of concrete steps led
downward to the floor of the chamber.

Above him, through the aperture, Werper could see sunlight glancing
from massive columns, which were twined about by clinging vines. He
listened; but he heard no sound other than the soughing of the wind
through leafy branches, the hoarse cries of birds, and the chattering
of monkeys.

Boldly he ascended the stairway, to find himself in a circular court.
Just before him stood a stone altar, stained with rusty-brown
discolorations. At the time Werper gave no thought to an explanation
of these stains--later their origin became all too hideously apparent
to him.

Beside the opening in the floor, just behind the altar, through which
he had entered the court from the subterranean chamber below, the
Belgian discovered several doors leading from the enclosure upon the
level of the floor. Above, and circling the courtyard, was a series of
open balconies. Monkeys scampered about the deserted ruins, and gaily
plumaged birds flitted in and out among the columns and the galleries
far above; but no sign of human presence was discernible. Werper felt
relieved. He sighed, as though a great weight had been lifted from his
shoulders. He took a step toward one of the exits, and then he halted,
wide-eyed in astonishment and terror,