The Boy Fortune Hunters in Yucatan by L. Frank Baum

After a little time the Mexican began to recover his self possession, and with it his tongue. We found he was nearly starved, so we fed him sparingly and gave him a bit more of the spirits. By and by, a little at a time he told his story.

His struggles with the priests was much as we had heard it described, except in one important particular. Pedro fought so desperately that he dismayed his opponents, and during the mêlée one of them touched a spring that released a trap in the floor, precipitating the Mexican into a dark cellar underneath. When freed of his weight the block of stone swung into place again, and he found himself in a veritable dungeon, so far as light and air were concerned.

The cowardly priests left him there, announcing that he had been sacrificed, as they feared to admit to the people that he had gotten the best of them in the fight. Pedro's leg had been hurt by the fall, and it caused him a good deal of pain. The air was close and damp and full of musty odors.

After a time the prisoner began to crawl around, and found the place was used partly as a storehouse, as it contained many bales and parcels of various wares. Having a few matches in his pocket Pedro lighted one of them and right before his face discovered our electrites and storage-battery belts, all in a heap. He hunted around for our gas-jackets, but they were not there. When his matches gave out he lay still in the dark and wondered what would happen to him. Probably the priests intended he should starve to death, and he was getting weak and hungry when the earthquake came. The earth swayed all around him, the building crumbled away and the marble floor heaved up and burst open, many of the marble blocks dropping into the cellar-fortunately not in his neighborhood. Pedro was frightened nearly out of his wits, but seeing dimly that a way of escape had opened up he climbed upon a heap of marble, stuck out his head, and found Ned Britton watching him.

When he had drawn this story from the Mexican-and it took him a long time to tell it-we decided to assume the defensive and aggressive and take a firm stand against the priesthood, our most vicious enemies.

The cries and moans of the stricken ones were gradually dying away and white robed priests began to steal back to their dwelling-such as had escaped injury, that is.

We examined the doorway to our wing and found the heavy metal doors that sealed it from communication with the rest of the palace. Preferring to have them remain open we managed to bend and wedge them in such a way that they could not again be closed upon us, as had been done when our comrades had been overcome by the anesthetic. We fixed the metal window-slide the same way, and being now assured that we could no longer be confined in the room against our will we held a council to decide our future actions.

Presently there came to us the tall, thin priest whom we had noted as one in authority under the aged High Priest. His face was shrunken and his eyes, shrewd and roving in expression, were sunk in great hollows. His lips were so thin that they did not cover his protruding teeth and on his chin was a straggling beard of dark red. This fellow-his name was Katalat-had attracted our notice not only because of his repulsive appearance but for the reason that all the other priests deferred to him and he was openly antagonistic to our party. He had had little to say to us until now, but when he came into our room he cast a vengeful, vindictive glance around and said:

"The great god is very angry. See how he has punished us for not sacrificing all of you, and at once!"

"See how he has punished you for daring to harm any of us," I retorted angrily. "If your god had desired our lives he would not have saved us from injury and destroyed so many of your own people."

He looked at me wickedly. I think he was clever enough to know that the sun had nothing whatever to do with the earthquake.

"The noble High Priest Pentchakoma is dead," he announced.

"That's bad! " said Paul, heartily. "Did the earthquake frighten the old man, then?"

"The roof fell upon him. And now I, Katalat, have by our laws become High Priest in his stead."

"Has Ama appointed you so soon? " inquired Paul.

"The High Priestess has nothing to do with the appointment. It is the law," he retorted.

"But she is the Supreme Ruler," said Chaka. "If she does not approve-"

"She _must_ approve! " cried Katalat fiercely. "Otherwise-"

"Well, what then? " asked Paul, as he paused.

The telephone bell rang. We had placed the instrument just outside our room, in the passage, so it would be convenient to the priests and to us. I started to answer the summons, but the priest blocked my way.