As he stepped out on the smooth slab of marble in front of the entrance something whizzed within an inch of his head and dropped with a crash on the stones below. Without stopping to investigate the young man dodged into the temple again and looked out.
“Now, I wonder,” he thought, as he lifted the electric so that its red light struck the smooth face of the rock above more directly, “whether that kind remembrance was from our esteemed friends Pedro and Miguel, or whether it came from the Indians.”
He listened intently for a moment and presently heard the sound of shuffling feet from above. It was apparent that the remainder of the evening was not to be as peaceful and quiet as he had anticipated.
Realizing that the hostile person or persons on the roof might in a moment begin dropping their rocks down to the floor of the corridor, he passed hastily into the west chamber and stood by the doorway looking out.
This interference, he understood, would effectually prevent any illumination of the white rock calculated to serve as a signal to Mr. Havens and the boys. Some other means of attracting their attention must be devised. The corridor lay dim in the faint light of the stars which came through the break in the roof, and he threw the light of his electric up and down the stone floor in order to make sure that the enemy was not actually creeping into the temple from the entrance.
While he stood flashing the light about he almost uttered an exclamation of fright as a grating sound in the vicinity of the fountain came to his ears. He cast his light in that direction and saw the stone which had been replaced by the boys retreating slowly into the wall.
Then a dusky face looked out of the opening, and, without considering the ultimate consequences of his act, he fired full at the threatening eyes which were searching the interior. There was a groan, a fall, and the stone moved back to its former position.
He turned to awaken Jimmie and Carl but the sound of the shot had already accomplished that, and the boys were standing in the middle of the floor with automatics in their hands.
“What’s coming off?” asked Jimmie.
“Was that thunder?” demanded Carl.