Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1859-12-30


and of his beoved Carrie who hid, psrhaps
{ il company with Hose same men, mo- Tho
same path he was now treadirg. What has
boen her fae Had she been murdered BY
these WI. ichcs, or reserved for some NOR,
dppogllc doom? These lhoueh.s filled hin
with umttcfahlc agony,
: Wollgaug had now drawn near the water
edge aud Suon coming to the inouh of Z
cave he enter i /, followed by the three ruff
ilns who hid charge of our hero, TIE hi,.
tom of the cave sloped upward from lis en-
trance ior some distance, and then became
almost level The captive (or such Maurice
Lester now felt Eims Ii to be) frequently hi
his feet against what he thought with a ehi
suf horror, were human Tones sircwn around
the cavern, but he could not clearly make
them out in he din light. lie a'so noticed
thai the bottom Of the cave wa. very wet, ms
though il had recently been covered with
water. The wre ker ehieftian stopped, al
last, near what somed the end Of the cave
and making sign to his fo'lowes, they
clapped manacles on the wrists and ankles II
Maurice before lac had time 10 noe their in
ieulioa.
Now, Captain Lester said Wolfgang,
'you must remain in this pace for shot
season. Zoe are perfectly sGfe here ST
lence Say not word If you attempt
10 leave this spot, you will be Slain HE mo-
ment ynn ST foot out de the cave.
Thus speaking, the chIcltain aud his follow
ers silently hut rapidly Withdrew, leaving
Maurice nearly >tupefed with astonishment.
As thew pas ed from the mouth Of the cave,
their fec" were we, by the rising waves. The
ide tcds fist coming ia.
After a shot time, The captive looked
about him with eyes somewhat accustomed
to the dim LIGHT, and became satisfied that
VIVA, he had supposed to be human bones
were really such. There many Of them.
And moving among them were huge IA $,
seeking for lrey The top If the cavern,
in some Ihces, was but a few feet above
his head, and IN one place he discovered a
small aperture, through which faint hight
struggled and on going underneath 1t, he
thought he smelt the odnr Of vegetation and
h)wcrs.
On turning, from the contemplation Of this
aperture, towards the mouth of the cave
Captain Lester Observed, with alarm, that
the water was creeping up the slopiny bot
tom What if il should fill the cavern? All |!
now he coull account fer the presence there
of those human bones They were the
sad memorials of other harless prisoners
who had been left in that cave 10 perish by
dr0wniRq.
Slowly but surely the waters erept along.
The vermin fed before them to the elevated
spot on which Maurice stood Slowly follow
ing, the incoming water at length ren.hed his
feet
At the end Of the cave. within few feet
Of the wall, and underneath the aperture
before spoken OF, was a large piece of rock
some four feet HIGH, that might have fallen
from above To this Maurice fastened as
quickly rs his manac!cs would permit AZ
tar ln sucpapln1 in pIft,abiuor
to The top Of it, and stood erect, his head
within few inches of the roof Of the cav
crn. But be was not allowed 10 occupy this
retreat alone, As the water began to cir
Gle round its base, the rats also sought
refuge on it in great numbers, and in vain did
Maurice Try TO d;sludge them with his manaclcd
feet.
Soon Gas il seemed to the cap'iye) the wa
ter came ripping over the tor Of the rock.
lie felt lis moisture upon bis feet And still
it rose--slowly but rclenIlessly It rose high
cr-higher; and as it rose, the rats climbed
up his limbs for safety. II was in vain that
he brushed them off with his ietered hands.
They Instantly returned. They clambered
up his back-to his shoulders over the back
of his neck TO the crown of his head
their clammy bodies striking a chill to his very
heart.
And still higher the waters rose, and more
thickly The foGl yermn clustered upon the
devoted capives shoulders aud head, as their
only placeaas.f safely. Driven lranli.A--s.i Last
BY the horrors of his situation, he was about
TO plunge into the surging tide and seek a
watery grave, when his attention was arrested
by the tread Of rapid footsteps near tho
aperture above his head, and the sound Of
masculine voice, almost Instantly followed by
a noise as Of struggle, and piercing shrek
xvb,rh FhrstIal I 81,
lie could not be mistaken it was CARRIES
voice. Again he heard it, but now in tones Of
enireaty. Oh, it ,eas her voice. She vas nof
dead She lived and was near him Gather
ing all his strength be shouted, Carrie Carrie /,
Carried
A dead silence followed, broken only by
the fearful murmurs of the still rising waters,
and the splash Of The rats as they fell from
the wretched captive's head and shoulders,
only to return again, in their fegce struggles
for a perch of safety from he advancing tide,
which had now nearly reached our heros
shoulders
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