Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-07-24


with the work inside and removed the de
bris
The work progressed slowly but surely,
and the tunnel was already five or six feet
long when, on the afternoon of the 30th,
q surprising incident occurred.
Brian, who was on his hands and knees
at the end of the tunnel working with all
his might, fancied that he heard sound
in the rock not far from him He paused
to listen, and again heard the sound, this
time much more distinctly.
To crawl back TO Gordon and Baxter
and tell them was the work of only few
seconds.
You must be mistaken" said Gordon.
''Take my place, Coruon," replied Brian:
''then put your ear 20 the right wall and
listen"
Gordon obeyed-
'sYou are right" he remarked, on emery.
ing from the tunnel few minutes later.
Il distinctly heard something like faint
growl"
Baxter in turn made the experiment
and soon reappeared, enchanting
What can it be?'
Il cannot imagine" replied Gordon.
eve must tell Donovan and the other
boys"
at would brighten them"
Donovan, Wilcox, Webb and Garnett
afterward entered the tunnel in turn. but
the noise had ceased, and they were in
clined to believe that their comrades were
the victims of an illusion. at all events,
it was decided that the work should not
be interrupted 1t was resumed, as usual,
Immediately after dinner, but no repeti-
ton of the strange sound was noticed I'M
til about nine in the evening, when growls
were again distinctly heard through the
rocky wall and Fan, who had darted into
the tunnel few moments before, hastily
emerged from it, bristling with rage and
showing other signs of irritation.
The curiosity and alarm felt by the
| younger lads now became abject terror,
| and Dole, Costar, and even jenkins and
| Iversor made no attempt to conceal the
! fact that they were nearly frightened to
| death. After trying in vain to reassure
| them, Brian made them go to bed, where
| they at last fell asleep, though not until
! very late in the night, and even then their
| slumbers were haunted by ghosts, phan-
| toms, gnomes, and other frightful beings
! of a similar kind.
Gordon and the others remained up for
| some time discussing this strange phe-
nomenon in subdued tones, but at last,
| overcome with fatigue, they all went to
! bed with the exception of Brian and Moko,
| and profound silence reigned in the cave
| until dag break.
| Every one was up bright and early the
| next morning. Baxter and Donovan
| crawled to the end of the tunnel, but did
not hear the slightest sound. The dog,
| too, ran in and out without evincing the
81 ghtest uneasiness, and without scratch
! ing wildly on the wall, as he had done the
| evening before.
Let us 90 to work again said Brian.
Yes replied Baxter, lit will be time
enough to stop when the noise begins
| again"
lis it not more than likely that the noise
| is made by a stream gurgling through the
! rock?" suggested Donovan.
.'Iu that case, we should not hear it at
| intervals, but all the time" replied Will
COX.
'True," responded Gordon. ~, for my
| part, am rather inclined to think that
| the sound is produced by the wind forcing
its way through some assure in the rock"
Let us go up on the top of the cliff and
see if we can discover any," suggested
| Service.
| The suggestion was adopted.
About fifty yards from the mouth of the
cave there was a winding path by which
| Baxter and two or three others soon
| reached the brow of the cliff, but their
| labor was in vain. The top of the cliff
| was covered with a short thick turf and
| they could discover no crevice through
| which any current of air or even the TIM
| est rivulet could penetrate the depths be.
| low.
| The work of excavation was resumed
| and continued until night; but the sounds
of the previous evening seemed to have
| ceased entirely, though the rock on which
| they were now working emitted a hollow
sound as if there were vacuum behind
| it, Could it be that there was another
| cave in this direction, which the tunnel
| was slowly but surely approachingP This
| hypothesis was certainly by no means i'm
| probable In fact, the lads had every rea,
son to hope it might prove correct, mas
! much as they would be saved a vast
amount of labor.
Under these circumstances, it was only
| natural that they should all toll with un-
usual diligence. and the day proved the
most fatiguing of any they had yet
| passed; though it was marked with no
| event of Importance until evening, when
| Gordon perceived that his dog had disap
| peared.