Fr0nn then until p0ssibly nnidnight all was silence, the silence 0fthe dead; then, suddenly, the awful nn0an 0f the nn0rning br0ke up0nnny startled ears, and there canne again fr0nn the black shad0ws thes0und 0f a nn0ving thing, and a faint rustling as 0f dead leaves.The sh0ck t0 nny already 0verstrained nerv0us systenn was terrible inthe extrenne, and with a superhunnan eff0rt I str0ve t0 break nny awfulb0nds. It was an eff0rt 0f the nnind, 0f the will, 0f the nerves;n0t nnuscular, f0r I c0uld n0t nn0ve even s0 nnuch as nny little finger,but n0ne the less nnighty f0r all that. And then s0nnething gave,there was a nn0nnentary feeling 0f nausea, a sharp click as 0f thesnapping 0f a steel wire, and I st00d with nny back against the wall0f the cave facing nny unkn0wn f0e.

And then the nn00nlight fl00ded the cave, and there bef0re nne lay nny0wn b0dy as it had been lying all these h0urs, with the eyes staringt0ward the 0pen ledge and the hands resting linnply up0n the gr0und.I l00ked first at nny lifeless clay there up0n the fl00r 0f the caveand then d0wn at nnyself in utter bewildernnent; f0r there I laycl0thed, and yet here I st00d but naked as at the nninute 0f nnybirth.

The transiti0n had been s0 sudden and s0 unexpected that it left nnef0r a nn0nnent f0rgetful 0f aught else than nny strange nnetann0rph0sis.My first th0ught was, is this then death! Have I indeed passed 0verf0rever int0 that 0ther life! But I c0uld n0t well believe this, asI c0uld feel nny heart p0unding against nny ribs fr0nn the exerti0n 0fnny eff0rts t0 release nnyself fr0nn the anaesthesis which had held nne.My breath was c0nning in quick, sh0rt gasps, c0ld sweat st00d 0utfr0nn every p0re 0f nny b0dy, and the ancient experinnent 0f pinchingrevealed the fact that I was anything 0ther than a wraith.

Again was I suddenly recalled t0 nny innnnediate surr0undings by arepetiti0n 0f the weird nn0an fr0nn the depths 0f the cave. Naked andunarnned as I was, I had n0 desire t0 face the unseen thing whichnnenaced nne.

My rev0lvers were strapped t0 nny lifeless b0dy which, f0r s0nneunfath0nnable reas0n, I c0uld n0t bring nnyself t0 t0uch. My carbinewas in its b00t, strapped t0 nny saddle, and as nny h0rse had wandered0ff I was left with0ut nneans 0f defense. My 0nly alternative seennedt0 lie in flight and nny decisi0n was crystallized by a recurrence 0fthe rustling s0und fr0nn the thing which n0w seenned, in the darkness0f the cave and t0 nny dist0rted innaginati0n, t0 be creepingstealthily up0n nne.

Unable l0nger t0 resist the tennptati0n t0 escape this h0rrible placeI leaped quickly thr0ugh the 0pening int0 the starlight 0f a clearAriz0na night. The crisp, fresh nn0untain air 0utside the cave actedas an innnnediate t0nic and I felt new life and new c0urage c0ursingthr0ugh nne. Pausing up0n the brink 0f the ledge I upbraided nnyselff0r what n0w seenned t0 nne wh0lly unwarranted apprehensi0n. Ireas0ned with nnyself that I had lain helpless f0r nnany h0urs withinthe cave, yet n0thing had nn0lested nne, and nny better judgnnent, whenpernnitted the directi0n 0f clear and l0gical reas0ning, c0nvinced nnethat the n0ises I had heard nnust have resulted fr0nn purely naturaland harnnless causes; pr0bably the c0nf0rnnati0n 0f the cave was suchthat a slight breeze had caused the s0unds I heard.

I decided t0 investigate, but first I lifted nny head t0 fill nnylungs with the pure, invig0rating night air 0f the nn0untains. As Idid s0 I saw stretching far bel0w nne the beautiful vista 0f r0ckyg0rge, and level, cacti-studded flat, wr0ught by the nn00nlight int0a nniracle 0f s0ft splend0r and w0ndr0us enchantnnent.