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[Illustration: FRANK READE WEEKLY MAGAZINE Containing Stories of
Adventures on Land, Sea & in the Air]

  _Issued Weekly—By Subscription $2.50 per year. Application made for
               Second-Class Entry at N. Y. Post Office._
 No. 73.               NEW YORK, MARCH 18, 1904.         Price 5 Cents.

[Illustration: THE TRANSIENT LAKE; OR FRANK READE, JR’S ADVENTURES IN A
MYSTERIOUS COUNTRY. “BY NONAME”]

                  He swung to and fro over the chasm,
                       liable at any moment to be
                   precipitated to an awful death. It
                   required but a moment for Frank to
                   recognize the unfortunate man. It
                           was Barney O’Shea.

                               FRANK READE

                             WEEKLY MAGAZINE.

      CONTAINING STORIES OF ADVENTURES ON LAND, SEA AND IN THE AIR.

   _Issued Weekly—By Subscription $2.50 per year. Application made for
 Second Class entry at the New York, N. Y., Post Office Entered according
  to Act of Congress in the year 1904, in the office of the Librarian of
    Congress, Washington, D. C., by Frank Tousey, 24 Union Square, New
                                  York._

        No. 73      NEW YORK, MARCH 18, 1904.      Price 5 Cents.


                           THE TRANSIENT LAKE;

                                   OR,

          Frank Reade, Jr.’s Adventures in a Mysterious Country.

                               By “NONAME.”




                                CONTENTS


               CHAPTER    I. THE CAPTAIN’S STORY.
               CHAPTER   II. FRANK MAKES A DECISION.
               CHAPTER  III. IN THE ANDES.
               CHAPTER   IV. THE FIGHT WITH THE PUMA.
               CHAPTER    V. THE CAPTAIN’S DISAPPEARANCE.
               CHAPTER   VI. THE ANDEAN STORM.
               CHAPTER  VII. A STARTLING SURPRISE.
               CHAPTER VIII. THE ATTACK ON THE AIR-SHIP.
               CHAPTER   IX. A FUTILE QUEST.
               CHAPTER    X. A COMPROMISE.
               CHAPTER   XI. A TREACHEROUS GAME.
               CHAPTER  XII. THE END OF THE STORY.




                               CHAPTER I.
                          THE CAPTAIN’S STORY.


“Stranger than the tales of the Arabian Nights—indeed, almost
Munchausen-like in its seemingly improbable character is the tale I am
about to give you in truth,” said Captain Nicodemus Beere as he hitched
up his trowsers and shifted his quid.

Frank Reade, Jr., drew a deep, quick breath and looked keenly at his
visitor.

“That is a sweeping statement,” he declared; “but you are a truthful
man, Captain Beere, and of course you mean what you say.”

“I certainly do,” said the doughty captain in his most positive manner.
“What is more, I stand ready to furnish undisputed proof of it.”

The captain cleared his throat and began his story. But before we follow
him through its thread let us take a closer look at him.

It could be seen at a glance that he was a man much out of the ordinary.

In figure he was stout and well built, with fair features and a heavy,
full beard. His blue eyes twinkled with honesty but a certain
irascibility of temper peculiar to sea-faring men.

For many years he had sailed the seas and weathered many a hard voyage
in all quarters of the world. But two years previous he had retired with
the purpose of spending the rest of his days in ease and comfort on
shore.

He had been a warm friend of Frank Reade, Sr., long since passed away,
and when he heard of the success of Frank Reade, Jr., the son of the
famous inventor, he conceived the notion of paying him a visit.

Frank Reade, Jr., received him hospitably in his beautiful Readestown
home.

“My father’s friends are mine,” he declared. “I have often heard him
speak of you, Captain Beere.”

The captain visited the great machine shops of Frank Reade, Jr., and
inspected his various inventions. Among them the one which claimed his
deepest interest was the new air-ship, the Spectre.

And as he studied and admired it an idea came into his brain. He at once
was determined to broach it to the young inventor.

This idea was to be embodied in the tale which he now proposed to give
Frank, and with this explanation let us follow him.

“Ten years ago,” declared the captain, “I was master of as fine a ship
as ever rounded Cape Horn. We were south of Panama and somewhere off the
coast of Peru when a storm struck us.

“For four days and nights it roared and howled and bellowed. We were
buffeted and driven hither and thither, half the time running before the
wind. We could not tell where we were nor what would be the end of it
all. It seemed as if we must go to the bottom.

“On the fourth day the climax came. The foremast went by the board and
carried the maintop with it. Later the main also went and we were almost
dismasted. Moreover, the ship began to make water at a fearful rate.

“However, by working sharp we kept her afloat until the morning of the
fifth day, which broke clear and bright. On our weather bow we saw land.

“There was no hope of saving the ship, so we worked her down under a
jury rig until we found a good place to beach her. Then we went ashore
in a long-boat.

“It was a rough, wild coast, with terrible high cliffs and reaches of
sand. Of course we climbed the highest cliff to see what was about us.

“Westward was the sea. North and south the rough shore, but eastward was
a mountainous country with fearful mountain passes and gorges. There was
something weird and mystic about the whole region. But we knew that it
was death from starvation to stay by the shore, so we kept on looking
for signs of human settlement.

“Before we knew it we were deep in the heart of the strangest region any
of us had ever seen. Every cliff or precipice seemed to have the shape
of a fiend or a hobgoblin or an elf. The trees were fantastic in shape,
there were hideous plants and snake-like vines. At times we came to
sluggish streams and deep pools with strange, black depths, apparently
bottomless.

“The animals were of an unknown species. There were birds of a talking
species, yet unlike parrots. I cannot half describe to you the wonders
of this mysterious country.

“For months we wandered through it. Then we came upon the ruins of a
city and all the signs of a former civilization. We also discovered that
the mountains were haunted by a race of giants, wild barbarians, out of
whose way we took care to keep.

“After a time we came to a mighty inland sea or lake, the farther shore
of which was so far distant that we could not see it. By the shores of
this we sojourned many days.

“But one morning we arose to view a strange state of affairs. Where a
few hours before there had existed a mighty lake, we saw now naught but
a deep, rocky and sandy basin.

“The water had disappeared and hills and valleys lay in its place. It
was a mighty surprise to us. All sorts of theories were advanced.

“That some subterranean channel had opened and carried the water away
looked logical. Or perhaps a chasm or barrier at some far end had given
way, and the mighty volume had been diverted into another and lower
basin.

“Any or all of these theories looked plausible enough, and were accepted
without further question. We spent a number of days exploring the basin.
By some strange instinct we returned each night from the basin to our
camp. To this we owed our lives.

“One day while wandering about the basin, one of our party came upon a
curious object.

“It was a structure of rocks closely fitted together with cement. It was
half imbedded in a plain of sand. That it was the work of human hands
there could be no doubt.

“Of course we were all interested, for it showed that at some time other
human beings than ourselves had visited the spot. We at once began to
curiously examine the structure.

“This resulted in a thrilling discovery. It was undoubtedly hollow and
our first mate, Bill Langley, discovered a movable stone at its summit.
He displaced this, and a great cavity was revealed.

“Our first thought, of course, was that it was a tomb or burial place of
some extinct race. In looking into the place we would not have been
surprised to have come across a heap of old bones or other such
evidence.

“But what we did see was far different. Bill leaned over the aperture a
while and rubbed his eyes repeatedly. Then he slid down, and said:

“’By jingo, mates! I’m a gallivantin’ old shark, if there ain’t a heap
of gold in that ere place!’

“’Gold!’ I exclaimed.

“’With submission, sir!’

“’You are dreaming, man!’ I exclaimed somewhat excited. ’Do you mean
it?’

“’Every word, skipper,’ replied Bill, solemnly. And I saw that he meant
just what he said.

“This was enough for me. So I climbed upon the mound and looked in also.
Something bright and yellow struck my gaze. I gave a gasp and then I
cried:

“’Give me a rope, mates. Steady me while I go down there!’

“And with a rope around my waist I slid down into the mound. It did not
require but a few moments to satisfy me that we had discovered buried
treasure.

“Yes, sir, gold! Yellow, glittering stuff, enough to make us all
millionaires. I own that I was near crazy at the time. There it lay in
bars and ingots. All that was left was to take it away to civilization.

“I crawled out of the mound and then we all sat down and discussed the
matter. There were fifteen of us.

“Bill Langley proposed a fair division. Of course this was satisfactory.
Then it was decided to take the gold out of the mound.

“The gold fever was upon us; we worked like badgers at it. In a few
hours we had a heap of the stuff piled up beside the mound. Then
nightfall began to threaten. We suspended work, and it was decided not
to return to camp, but remain on the spot until morning. There was not
the remotest chance of anybody’s purloining the gold, yet all wanted to
stay there.

“However, much of our necessary utensils were at the old camp. It was
about three miles distant. At length Bill Langley and I decided to
return for them and come back in the morning.

“So we set out for the old camp, and reached there an hour later, much
fatigued. We lit a fire and sat down by it; but we could not sleep.

“All we could do was to talk about the treasure and what golden plans we
could lay for the future. Midnight came and passed.

“Then I began to feel a bit drowsy, and suggested turning in; but the
words hadn’t left my lips when Bill gave a quick start.

“’Great gunnels, mate!’ he exclaimed; ’what in the Old Harry was that?’

“The same sound came to my ears. It was a distant, monotonous boom like
rolling thunder. The ground actually shook under our feet.

“Only once had I heard a similar frightful sound, and that was once
during an earthquake in Panama. But was this an earthquake?

“We sprang to our feet. Bill picked up a fire brand and held it high.
But we could see nothing but a few faint stars overhead. It was the
blackest kind of a night.

“For a space of thirty minutes the same dull roaring and trembling
continued. Then came a dead silence.

“We had about given up interest in the matter, thinking it some
inexplicable phenomenon of a tropical clime, when a sudden, startling
thing happened.

“A terrific boom, and a swirling, rushing mass came whooping down
through the lake basin. The next moment we were picked up as if in giant
arms and carried clean to the summit of the eminence beyond us, and
there we clung to palm trees, wet as drowned rats.”




                              CHAPTER II.
                        FRANK MAKES A DECISION.


The captain shifted his quid again and then smiled at the earnest look
in Frank’s eyes. The young inventor was intensely interested.

“How did we get wet?” interrogated the captain. “Water of course. It was
all before us. It had come down upon us with the force of a hurricane.

“We waited where we were until the light of day came. Then we beheld an
appalling scene. A mighty expanse of water lay before us.

“The lake had come back. The basin was full of water. Evidently it had a
trick of doing this. That it was of the transient kind there was no
doubt.

“I won’t attempt any theorizing or explanation of the phenomenon. I
describe it to you just as it occurred. That is all. You’ll have to
guess the rest.

“What of our shipmates and the gold? I don’t know. We never saw them
again. We could do nothing but push on to the northward. For months we
wandered until we came to a great river leading down to the Paraguay.
Thence we made our way to Parana and shipped home. This is my story.”

Frank drew a deep breath.

For a moment after the captain had finished he could not speak. At
length he managed to say:

“You think the gold is still at the bottom of that lake?”

“Yes.”

“And that the lake is transient, or has spells of changing its basin?”

“Just so, mate!”

Frank was thoughtful for a moment. Finally he said:

“Do you think it would be easy to find that locality again?”

“Oh, there’s the rub,” said Beere, rubbing his hands; “in my lifetime I
have made six attempts and failed. But, of course, we traveled
overland.”

The same thought came to each.

“Then you think the air-ship—on account of a better view of the earth,
could locate it?”

“I do,” replied Nicodemus. “Now you have the whole thing in a nutshell,
Frank. The moment I looked at your air-ship, I saw a possible way to
visit the mysterious