MOON OF MYSTERY
CHAPTER 6 ;
The question was, where did the
steps go and who put tjhem there?
Bob came to. the repcue.and paid he
didn't know where they,, vent but
evidently they had been built . by
some long perished race, perhaps,*
or else Just grew. A
The steps leaned straight back
into the rocks for about twenty-five
feet and then circled and disap
peared from view behind a stony
abutment. We gathered in a group
and after a short conference decided
to ascend them and Bee if they led
to the ancient homes of the per
ished moon dwellers.
As we started the ascent, Bob led
the way, Pat followed, and I
brought up the rear. Not that I
was afraid to go front, but I want
ed to have a clear road If anything
should meet us. Too, I was consid
erate enough to think of my com
panions. If I was in front and we
sighted something why I Just nat
urally would trample my compan
ions under foot when I decided to
go away from there.
So we went up—twenty steps,
thirty steps, and then the turn. As
we clambered around the corner I
think all of us stopped In pure as
tonishment and disbelief. For
there, glaring us in the eye was a
massive iron door which opened in
to the side of the virgin rock of the
cliff side. Yet it wasn't this door
which caused our gasps of astonish
ment, it was the sign above the
door. In the purest of English it
read: EMERGENCY ENTRANCE
No. 10!
You could have knocked any of
*us down with a feather; In fact, I
nearly fell down of my own accord.
To think of coming a quarter of a
million miles through space to a
dead and airless world and finding
an English sign staring you in the
face over an iron door leading Into
a cliff side! It was preposteroun,
yet it was there.
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Bob didn't know wlint to say, so
he immediately made a speech.
That's the way Bob was. Let him
run out of anything to say, and he'd
make a speech. I think there was
a- strain of political blood -in his
veins somewhere, but I don't hold
that against him.
We stood there and stared while
Bob finished his speech. I don't
know what he said. I wasn't lis
tening. I was wondering.
The next thing was to decide
what to do about the door. I was
for going back to the ship and tak
ing a nap and then coming back
and attempting to open it, but Pat
and Bob wouldn't hear of any de
lay. Their curiosity was aroused.
So at last It was agreed that we
stay around a while and try and
open it and force our" way in. In
where, we didn't know at the time,
but we were sure the entrance led
some place.
However, deciding to enter and
then entering were horses of an en
tirely different complexion. It was
easy enough to decide to open a
massive iron door set in a wall of
solid granite, but such things are
not pried open with toothpicks. We
did all we could with our clumsy
hooks, which served us as hands,
and pushed and pulled and grunted
and worked up a sweat and got ex
asperated and cussed a little, too,
but all for nothing. The door
wouldn't budge an inch!
Then Bob had an idea and he
was so proud of it that I feared he
was going to burst into another
speech. He did start talking, but as
his remarks were quite sensible,
they couldn't be classed as a lec
ture.
"It strikes me," he said, "that
inasmuch as this door is an emer
gency | entrance it was put here so
that whoever was in a hurry to get
inside wouldn't have to pry his way
in with a crowbar or blast in with
gunpowder. So somewhere there
' ; ' 'EtiiKlSl* IK" J I/TNA
must be a secret spring or some
thing which would allow entry with
out loss of time: What do you fel
lows think?"
I agreed with him because it was
easier to agree than argue, although
uecretly I didn't se 6 why anyone
on the and desolate moon
should be scared of anything when
we hadn't seen ' anything to be
afraid of. Anyway, I started prob
ing about the doorfacing, pushing
every little rough place and knob
like Bob and Pat were doing, but to
no avail. The door stayed shut.
We worked at it for an hour or
more, and then tired and disgusted,
made up our minds to quit and re
trace our way to the ship and rest,
when an unholy yell from Pat froze
us in our tracks! I was facing the
door at tho moment, but upon
quickly facing around, I too let out
a yell which put Pat to shame. For
at the foot of the steps stood a
monster so vile, so horrible, tha' I
could well appreciate the sign:
"Emergency Entrance!"
The creature which faced us
from the steps was fully seven feet
tall. In color, it was as black as
ink, yet the sun glinted and shone
upon its body like it might have
been formed of polished black mar
ble. Its head, which was small and
ill-formed, possessing close-set eyes
which shone savagely red, no nose,
and a large cruel mouth, was
perched upon massive shoulders
fully three feet across. The torso
tapered to narrow hips and was
supported by short, knotty legs end
ing in feet which reminded me of
the earthly gorilla. Swinging* from
the shoulders to the knees were two
muscular arms that looked fully
capable of lifting tons, and the
huge, long-fingerod hands could
have crushed oar,, skills as if they
had been egg shells—and empty
shells at that! We were trapped!
To our backs was the massive, im
penetrable iron door; to our sides
were the rocky walls from which
the steps had been fashioned, and
to our front was the creature. I
couldn't help but wish that I was
safely aboard the space ship and
under the bed!
The thing gazed at us for a mo
ment as if it was thinking. If its
face had been capable of register
ing expression I expect it would
hav e laughed at the trap we were
in. Then it started calmly up the
steps!
We knew we were in dire perlj.
Even if the three of us grappled
with the beast and managed to ov
ercome it, we knew that we stood
a good chance of having our space
suits clawed to ribbons, and that in
itself meant instant suffocation.
Fools that we were not to have
brought our automatics!
As the thing came calmly up the
steps, its great arms outstretched
in anticipation of the burdens they
would crush, I saved the day! I al
ways was good at saving things like
that, but I didn't have time to call
the fact to my friends' attention at
the moment. For just as we were
gathering our courage for a mass at
tack upon the creature, I happened
to stumble over a small rock which
was lying in the center of the top
step. The minute my foot touched
it the massive iron door seemed to
shake its frame and then swung
swiftly open!
I shouted to Bob and Pat,' who
had their backs to the door, and we
ran swiftly in. Hardly had we got
ten inside than the door swung si
lently shut—and directly in the face
of our new moon friend. It was a
close escape and I couldl/i help but
thank the genius who placed that
stone upon the step and made it the
secret catch. For all a person had
to do, who knew the secret, was to
rush up the steps, stump his toe
upon the boulder, and fall headlong
into the entrance and safety! Ev
eryone knows how simple a matter
it is to stump a toe.
Now that we were safe and our
acquaintance was probably gnash
ing his teeth outside, we began to
look aboift, by aid of our electric
lanterns. We found ourselves in a
narrow corridor which looked as if
it might have been hewn through
the living rock. Along the walls, as
far as our lights let us see, were
stone benches, and I couldn't help
but think that they had been placed |
there so that someone fleeing from
a cousin of that thing outside might
have a convenient place to sit him
self down and rest and get his
nerve back.
Knowing our way to be blocked
outside, we followed the corridor in
hopes tliat ,we might encounter
some of the inhabitants who built
the tunnel and the door. For per
haps fifty feet the corridor , led
straight ahead and then reerc-d
sharply to the right. Ronnding the
corner we were again blocked by a
massive iron door.
A close examination of ibis bar-!
rier disclosed a lock which was very
much like the locks familiar upon
parth, and in it was a key. Upon
the door was printed in nest Eng
lish: "Please Keep This Door
Closed." There it was again, the
English language, and T fully ex-
pected to run m a sign-plinti£ g
Yankee at every 3 tep,
Wo opened the door and gasped
in unison If we had burst into a
bunch of fairies we could not he.ve
been more astonished. For there
smote our view one of the most
magnificent halls that I have as yet
been privileged to see. In height it
was about sixty feet, and large,
transparent windows built into the
ceiling, shed a soft light over the
entire scene. I judged the ball to
be 100 feet in length and possibly
80 feet in width. The roof was
supported by massive marble pil
lars, exquisitely carved and orna
mented, and the floor was paved
with huge blocks of the same multi
tinted marble. Around the walls
were hung beautiful tapestries done
in glowing colors. The hall was
furnished much in the manner of
an earthly hotel lobby.
Of living persons there was but
one. At least we thought he was
living for he was leaning against
one of the marble columns, but a
closer view disclosed that if he was
alive he was evidently asleep.
Asleep! How I envied him! As we
approached the man we noted that
his eyes were closed and that his
chin was sunk upon his chest. He
appeared to be about 40 years of
age, was of handsome appearance
and of good physical build. As to
nationality, h e looked lik e an Amer
ican.
The man was attired in trousers
similar to the ones wo wore under
our space suits: had on a white
shirt with broad, flowing collar and
no tie, and about his waist was a
broad red sash, the only touch of
color in his attire.
I was for going up to him and
waking him up, but something about
his face and posture seemed to tell
me that I was too late. He was
dead. But if he had merely been
sleeping the sight of three hobgob
lins as we looked in our space suits
would have probably scared him to
death, anyway.
Yet if he was dead, what kept
him on his feet? And how long
had he been dead? What did he die
of? No dust of centuries lay upon
the floor or furniture and yet of air
there was none and we knew (or at
least had been told), that the moon
has been without air for untold
centuries. It was certainly puz
zling.
A close inspection of the silent
figure showed to us the fact that
he was perfectly preserved, in fact,
I could have sworn that I saw the
flush of life upon his face. Yet life
was impossible for anyone within
that airlesß chamber who was not
clad in a space suit!
Musing upon the strangeness of it
all, we made our way to a door we
saw upon our left. There were
many doors leading from the room,
but we chose this one because it was
nearest. Wild with curiosity as to
what might meet our eyes, we
swung it open and entered—and
then stood there in astoundment!
For within a small but richly ap
pointed chamber lay a human fig
ure upon a massive. Jewel incrusted
couch! One look at the exquisite
figure told us that it was a woman!
Dressed In a flowing robe of pur
est white from which twinkled nu
merous jewels, she lay there as if
asleep. Upon the beautiful cheeks
rested the faint flush of life, and I
could have sworn, so life-like she
appeared, that I saw her breast
gently rise and fall as if she were
breathing!
I wisn that I were gifted in
painting word pictures so that I
could adequately describe the fairy
creature. Her head was crowned
with a glory of dark brown hair,
and her eyes, although closed, I
knew at once to be the darkest blue.
A well shaped nose rested above
full red lips of a mouth that was
not too small, yet not too large. A
firm, delicately moulded chin gave
her face strength and character.
Into her hair was woven a chain
of pearls, much in the manner of a
crown, and within her small beau
tiful hands, which were clasped
upon her rounded breasts, was a
small package. '
Bob was the first to recover his
senses and I was afraid he was go
ing to despoil the sacred burial
chamber with a speech. But he
didn't. "Boys," he said real sol
emn-like, "I've hit upon a solution.
At one time or another an intelli
gent people lived in this, which ev
idently Is an underground city, and
somehow or another they perished
—perhaps their air gave out. This
little lady must have been a prin
cess or maybe a queen. I can't say
which, and due to the absence of
air and its attendant moisture
which breeds decay, her body has
boen preserved for no telling how
many centuries—perhaps from the
time when there was an atmosphere
about the moon. If we explore the
entire city I dare say we will find
the bodies of every inhabitant Just
as they were when death overtook
them so many years ago!
That sounded plausible, but what
I couldn't understand was the Eng
lish «igns and apparent order of
thing* And besides, I was sleepy
and didn't feel like trying to un
derstand.
(Continued Next Week)
Dry Officers To Asherlile
Prohibition administration in the
28 counties comprising the western
district of the state are being trans
ferred this week from Charlotte to
Asbevllle. J. Ed Kanipe Is deputy
administrator In charge.
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