Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-06-29

Oh, no! Then you must be for
running away, OR perhaps you are going
TO the pole on a voyage of discovery !;
you can not be going to visit your lass
at this hour of the morning"
he gave a strange laugh and said,
/ Il tell you; but it is secret between
very well; what is itp''l -
I'm going to search for the cave"
Ihe cave! What cavep''
20, fathers cave, you know
This was a. bright idea. Here was L,
man of two-and-twenty, who idled
away three months annually about this
place and yet had never thought about
it. So said:
81 don't care if I do take a turn or
two with you"
He was highly delighted. After two
or three voyages became quite infatu-
ated with the pursuit of ca ge-hunting.
L tried to defend myself from myself by
saying, "Caves in themselves are both
wonderful and beautiful objects - but
then there lurked at bottom sneaking
desire for the hidden treasure. Every
one knows that treasure-seeking gener-
ally develops into mania. wrote my
friend the following note:
"SoUTHEND, Sd June 1879.
Dear Tom-Please forward to me as soon
as you possibly can, per Plover,' the follow
ing articles: One pOliceman's lantern; 2 col
Iers lamps, small; good almanac; ID. pow
yer, 4b. shot, No. 3; two dozen large hooks,
Tor cod; and d. tobacco. and oblige your
chum, ! E.tE JACK DRINkwATER"
L think see Toms eyes opening when
he reads this note, and hear him saying,
40! Jack, Jack, the crown of your
bonnet has burst at last
PART 1.-THE SWALLOWS NEST.
What hidest thou in thy treasured caves
and cells.
Thou hollow sounding and mysterious
main"
Mrs Henans
On Thursday, the 14th of July, we lay
off the black rocks. 1t was beautiful
summer night; the sun had set, the sea
was smooth as glass, and not breath
of wind was stirring. Having given up
our fishing and pulled in along shore,
we now lay waiting for chance shot at
some bird. / knew it was near low
water, for the tide was slack. Presently
the moon rose and shone gloriously on
the face of the cliff. scanned her
bright disc, and made out that she was
a little beyound the full, as her western
margin was somewhat flattened. While
L was making these observations, Du-
gald, who had been gazing shoreward,
said: s" 1 never in all my life recollect
having seen the tide so far out; let us
pull close in and survey the beach," We
did 80, and now lay about hundred
feet from the foot of the precipice. The
scene was like one in fairy land; the
moonshine had apparently transformed
the cliff into wall of silver, studded
with precious stones, which reflected all
the colors of the rainbow. The salt in
crustations on the rocks below high
water mark glistened like frosted sill
yer; the moss and sea-weeds seemed
delicate fretwork. Some wet stones
shone like diamonds; others glittered
like pearls; and the water-line undu-
lated like fiery serpent. Dugald, who
had the eye of hawk, directed my at
tention upward, where a white owl
skinned along the edge of the cliff like
sheeted ghost. instinctively cooked
and presented my gun; but it was too
high up and out of range.
While in this attitude 1 observed a
great heavy heron coming Tapping lazi-
ly along the margin of the surf; it was
so close to the rocks that its huge shad-
ow came gliding, like phantom at
tending it, along the sea wall. 1t was
about to settle on stone. [ presented,
fired, and it fell. The rocks around
echoed the report and great flock of
crows and pigeons flew out of the in
Vulnerable crevices. Dugald pulled
close in; but could nowhere see my
bird; L thought it had perhaps fallen
through fright and got away unseen,
but he assured me that l had hit it.
While poking about among the great
powders l thought l heard squatter-
ing noise issuing from a narrow tunnel,
which ran under the cliff. l finally be-
came certain of this, and ordered Du-
gald to push the boat up into it as far as
he possibly could. / then took an oar
and felt for the bottom; it was only
about foot deep, so 1 got out and
waded cautiously In. soon CROPPED
my way to the end of it, without finding
the bird, and was just about to turn and
come out when l heard a splashing on
my right hand. l stopped down and
felt nv way in that direction. The
tunnel branched off a short distance to
the right. Suddenly my head came
bump up against something, for 1 had
my arms spread out before me. 1 felt |
the object with my hands. At first 1 |
took it to be piece of drift-wood COW
cred with sea-weeds, but then it swaved |
or bent when L pushed or pulled it. I /
soon stripped some of the tangle from it |
and bored my fingers into it. Imagine |
my surprise when [ made out distinctly |
that it was great heavy chain hanging |
down sort of well-hole. 1 swayed it |
to and fro with my full strength and
hung all my weight upon it. 1t was
fast, and appeared to run away up to a
great height. 1 then fished up the end
of it; some of the last links were very
much worn and broken as if they had |
tossed about for long time.
Swift as an electric spark the thought |
flashed through my brain-this was the
cave; had at last discov-
cred it. l felt quite giddy for second
or so, but soon collected myself. I de-
termined. like oJack and the bean