“I saw a third and a fourth near the lake just before the moonlight faded; but the smell of the blood of their dead kindred kept them from coming nearer.” “What? You saw others to-night?” from Stanley severely. “Why did you not tell us about it?” “A prisoner may not speak to his captors unless he is spoken to first,” Quizquiz replied meekly. “You are right. See that you keep your proper place at all times.” When daylight was fairly advanced, Soncco and the soldiers appeared in the distance. They approached the spot cautiously until Stanley, from his lofty station, bade them halt. Soncco alone was commanded to advance to the foot of the precipice, but in deference to his age Stanley came down the ladder instead of asking the elderly man to climb up. Ted remained above to keep his eye on the captive, and also to watch for signs of life in the crater. He could not hear what was being said by the two below, but after half an hour Stanley rejoined him, while Soncco remained on the ground. “We have been discussing a number of things,” he said in answer to his companion’s inquiring looks. “I suggested some of them, Soncco thought of others, and still others just grew out of our conversation. First, before anything is decided definitely, I want to lay the plans before you so you can express your opinion. Whatever we do concerns both of us. Your future, as well as mine, depends on the outcome of things.” “All right,” Ted returned, “but I should be perfectly willing to intrust the whole matter to you; you have done pretty well, so far.” “Thanks! But I will let you help. Now, first, here is the crater. From all we can see of it it does not possess much value as an agricultural proposition. There are scores of queer animals in there that probably do not exist anywhere else on the face of the earth. If we let the people go in there the animals will be exterminated in short order. We do not want that. They are a last remnant of a prehistoric age, just as the people in the valley are the last pitiful reminder of a once powerful nation, possessing a wonderful civilization. Both survived because they were isolated from the outer world--and would still be so but for us.” “How can we save them?” Ted asked. “I am in favor of it if it can be done.” “That great wall between Uti and the main valley was built to keep the tigers from destroying the people years ago,” Stanley said, pointing to the massive structure, the end of which had been undermined and destroyed by the explosion. “If that was not too much work for them, it will not be too much to fill up this little gap.” “That’s a bully idea. We can watch up here while the men place the stones in position, and protect them if need be. Then life can go on in the crater just the same as if we had never found it.”