Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-12-25

ten feet TO the wan or beginning.
This indeed, wss . gloomy and for
biding looking PIT. I was AFRAID 70
60 nearit, Claiborne, hcvever, walk
cd right to Its very bsink, after look
ing long and earnestly into Its depths,
no got down upon his knees and
peered IT, darkness and silence for
about ten minutes; he then spoke as
n TO himself, thus, 4 hear voices, !
hear voices, hear voices, whether
shat Of the damned, or that Of the re-
deemed, I cannot tell, but / must find
out" He then approached me Slow
Iy and stealthily and pointed his long,
honey finger ut me, with his snake
like giittering eyes fastened upon
mine, he thus addressed me, "John
Sylvester, I have traversed these SUBJ
terranean rooms from here to Green
river In Kentucky, how much farther
could go cannot tell, but of this I
sm certain, the earth isone vast shell
and there are roads or avenues to Its
inner cei,ter. I have explored every
chasm, ut, and hole ffom hence to
the Mammoth Cave. 1 am familiar
with every nook, corner, and recess,
save thir one, and must know its
secrets, Il not In person, then by my
messenger. VIII you go down and
bring t. light that which is hid?" I
knew Chat 1t was folly for me to reas-
on or argue with o maniac, but yet
wishing to avert, as long as possible,
the Inevitable DEATH struggle between
US, 7 inquired Of him Its probable
depth.
"Tour thousand miles" he answer
81. "for,p continued he," height
and depth became controvertible
terms after we pass the center, for
verify believe that this pit goes all
the way through. I have brought
huge beulders from the old part OF
the cave and have thrown them in,
but never rs yet have ] heard any
reverberating sound. Something tells
me.that II l 60 down will never get
back, consequently the world will
lose the benefits Of my subterranean
discoveries, whereas, II you go down,
and get back in safety, and tell me all
Of It's secret foldings, then, will give
you a conspicuous place in my book
Of wonders. Whereas, again, II you
should fall to get back. Why, in that
case the world will not lose any
thing"
I must confess that felt very
like exclaiming, "Plato, thou rea-
soonest we'll" If my friend Claiborne
made any very special point in his
argument, failed to see 1t. He
then asked me again II l would not
60 down. Ireplied, that II believed
that i had rather not venture down,
ms saw no very safe mode of ingress
or egress." He then demanded in a
very peremptory manner that I
should go down, for said he, "if you
do not go voluntarily, / will institute
measures to compel your obedience"
"Set your measures on foot" said 1.
1 had no sooner spoken than he
sprang upon me with the ferocity of
tiger, and the dire vengeance of a
devil. / was prepared for him, and
received him In due and ancient form.
AS he sprang upon me, he Kissed be-
tween his clenched teeth, "Some one
must go, and If am that one, I viii
take you with me-" l knew now.
indeed, that 1t was q death-struggle
between us. 1t was hard to tell
which of us would be victor. Indeed,
1, John Sylvester, although q promi.
nens actor In the stirring scene there
displayed, could not, for the life of me,
tell the probable issue. In our writh-
ings, twistings, twirlings and spiral
gyrations, my mind was awfully i'm
pressed with the terrifying imagery
OF Virgil's discant upon Italian won
ders. became painfully conscious
OF one selfevident fact, and that was,
the longer we fought the nearer we
approached the brink of the chasm.
1 knew nom Claiborne's struggles
and contortions that his sole object
was to force me, vi ct arnis, into the
pit without doing me any other bod
lily harm. I, Of course, tried to re-.
ciprocate his kindness and RETAINED
nom striking him, my greatest en-
deavor was to get grasp upon his
throat and choke him to insensibility.
rms fnally succeeded in doing, but
too late for poor Claiborne. We
were now lying lengthwise upon the
very brink Of the chasm, and he, by
chance, or superior skill, know not
which, was on top, and us he became
insensible nom the effects of nv
death-like grip, he rolled from off INV
body into the yawning pit. At the
moment Of his loosening his grasp
upon me, was not fully conscious
OF our very close proximity to the
awful chasm; yet, had 1 known II. I
could In no way have averted the
awfoi fate that awaited him. Poor,
Claiborne! / exclaimed, l did not de-
sign to take your life; l only acted In
actual necessary self defence. / arose
feebiy, took up my lantern, and re-