San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-07-13


and burned. "This," he said, Il find
all through the cave. They are torches
used by the Indians, who have pene-
trated further than / have ever been.
1 have crawled into holes 30 small, that
/ had to work my way along like a snake
and emerged into larger cavern, and I
found these torches everywhere" We
examined the rocks at his suggestion,
and sure enough saw the inevitable cane
torch in almost every assure. Shout
dering the lunch and tramping a mile
or more we descended long and stony
slope, slid between some rocks into
hole about fifteen feet sheer descent,
landing in another but smaller passage.
Following this for ten minutes we
came to an immense flat rock, when, at
the guides bidding, we sat down.
Gentlemen" said he, twenty feet fur
Their to the left found dead body last
year. 1t way this way. My partner
and myself were exploring this passage
and he sat down on this rock to rest
while I wandered around poking my
stick into all the holes that gave prom
Use of
FIND.
az discovered several Indian mecca
sins made of wickerwork and deer
skin, and, casting my lamplight into a
corner, saw the body of woman down
between the wall and pile of stones.
The place had evidently been followed
out purposely, and she was brought
there most certainly by the Indians
and died before they could get her
out. Most probably captive, she was
carried into the place we found her,
four and half miles from the entrance
Her posture was one of suffering, for
her legs were drawn up and her hands
clenched, as though she had died in
agony. Not stitch of clothing did we
find on the body, which was dried and
attenuated like the Egyptian mummies,
though in q better state of preserva-
ton. I told my partner, and we car
ried it out a mile and half, and
propped her up against a rock. She is
in the museum at Princeton college
now" We all drew breath of relief
when he had finished, and asked him to
show us the spot, and here it was, a
small oblong hole scraped among the
fallen stones, where this poor wretch
sank down and died-to me the most
horrible of deaths.
THE SILENCE OF THE TOMB
reigns here, and black darkness forblds
motion without lamp. The guide
himself acknowledged he could not get
out if the lamps failed, for the reason
that every forty or sixty yards side
cavern leads off into unknown depths,
which most probably end in frightful
abysses. At this point we were enter
ing upon ground which had not been
explored, but our companion began to
complain of fatigue, and we sat down
upon pile of limestone aud argued
the point. We finally agreed to escort
him back to the entrance, and II we
then had time, to return and proceed
into the unexplored portion. Again
we were foiled, as our oil was very low,
we having been under ground four
hours, walking most of the time.
THE GREATER IS THIS ONE.
This cave is said to be far more ex-
tensive than Mammoth, and it is OF
more interest to the antiquarian, as
many valuable Indian curiosities are
found here. Bill Cutliff, the guide, is
a shiftIess fellow, and makes living
by carving and engraving shells, ala
baster. etc. He took refuge In the
cave, having escaped from jail last
year, and stayed underground four
days, the officers of the. law being una
BILE to find him. He is very reticent IN
regard to this matter, and refuses to
say anything, in fact, to visitors.
To those fond of the wierd and
strange this is an inexhaustible field
But it requires strength and courage to
penetrate these dismal holes. These
caves are taken as matter of course by
tie inhabitants, and the probabilities
49,: Ill rapooin unaxplored for