Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-01-31

plumage by simply capsizing the frail
cockle-shel of boat in which he is
riding. In these waters, or on these
banks" the festive fisherman can
often load boat st one haul of his net,
and we have heard of instances in
which more were captured at one haul
than could well be managed, and q
portion were suffered to escape.
Amateur conchologists hereabouts have
a vague idea that if once placed upon
this misty isle they would gather shells
in vast quantities and Of the rarest and
most beautiful varieties. There are
many rare and beautiful shells around
the island, but to gather the best the
searcher must strip off, and in cold
water up to the neck, turn over the
stones at the bottom, and Gull them
from sea-weed, moss and rubbish.
Whan stray craw-fsh or crab comes
along and fastens upon his toes, and
perhaps the one with corn on it, the
poetical emotion with which he was
first actuated is apt to be quenched at
once and forever. The ladies, no
doubt, would be perfectly happy could
they but pick their way among the
craggy stones at low tide, and Gull from
many crevice the choicest MOSES of
the sea. 1t is not broken up, as we
find it on the beach here. The num-
Der of varieties is very great, combining
every hue and tinge of the rainbow.
The deft worker in sea moss would be
happy on such shore as this.
Perhaps the greatest peculiarly of
Anacapa Island is vast and gloomy
cavern, of unknown depth, located
about the middle of the highest moun-
tain, on level with the sea, and the
arch which is sometimes visible from
this town, at the extreme southeastern
end of the island. The great cave has
to q depth of two or three hundred
feet, but the place was found to be full
of seals, and the cavern was believed to
widen oot and shelve up so that there
was great danger of the seals founder
ing down off the rocks and sinking the
boat. There was also couple of SUI
perstitious old sailors in the party who
had been muttering curses upon our
curiosity and predicting evil every
spar's length of our explorations, who
could not be induced to bulge another
foot into the inky blackness stretching
out before us. Thus, while apparently
on the cry threshold of an extensive
grotto, the approach to which lay
through an archway of solid rock, worn
into fantastic pillars and supports, with
with here and there pendent stalact-
tie above our heads, upon which the
torchlight cleaned, our ears ringing
with the barking Of seals, which, re-
verberating through all the unexplored
caverns beyond, rolled out through
this narrow archway like peal on peal
of thunder, and ever and anon gazing
at the gleam of light beneath our boat
marking the wake of q frightened seal
while our hearts beat with emotion,
and the young and brave longed to
press on and view the naughty gran
deur of the great cavern which sound
told us lay just ahead-we were COM
PEELED to return because of the super
stitious fear of couple of sailors. 1t
reminds us of the cavern on the Isle
of Monte Christie, the home of the
wonderful Count whom Dumas makes
the hero of a novel, or one Of those
tabled geni castles pictured IN old and
musty tones. Traditi on says that
that this gloomy cavern was the favor
lite haunt Of the old pirates who roam ed
the seas I" in the days of old, in the
days of gold," and in the days of the
Montzumas and the prosecuted Incas;
that somewhere in the hidden recesses
lie stored ship loads of lngots of gold
and silver, and precious stones by the
cart load. Whether there is actually
any treasure there we are unable to
say, but if the old seas kings were in
clined to hide away their stolen treas
ure, they could not have found a more
secure spot.