The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-15
THE RECCUR

1--WE can do q few miles of the cave BIZ
noon, " said the captain rs they went down
then we'll get lunch and return in time
to get back to camp before sunset"
Faith, that'll be as aisy as fallin off a
| log" said Mike Finn. "Shure / was down
| in Diamond cave for more'n six hours, wild
on'y niger fur guide, and | knew it
that well before | came out that I'd not be
skart to go through from ind to ind blind
| folded. Thin caves is like iv'rythin else
| it's all in bein used to their ways"
This confidence encouraged the captain
| greatly, for as the cold air beat into his
face and he saw the light of his torch fore
! ing thin pathway through the awful
! blackness that rose before him like wall.
his curiosity was not so keen nor his conf
! dence in himself so great as when he started
out that morning
They passed the anteroom, with its
smoked walls and its floor Uttered with the
debris of a thousand convivial parties who
had preceded them in the good old days
! before the war.
Then they started down the grand ave
nue., but before doing so Captain Poe, who
was noted in the army for his prudence and
forethought, tied the end Of big ball of
wrapping Irvine to a rock and paid it out
as he went on
ut was by just such a continuance as
that string" he replied to Mike Finn,
that the mysteries and intricate conyoiu-
lions of the famous Labyrinth of Crete were
! discovered"
on don't tell me so, sor," cried Mike
with all the earnestness of man just in
receipt of thrilling item of news
Down the grand avenue the black
shadows fed from their front to settle be
hind them in II blacker wall
The fail oil their feet woke up the sleep
ing echoes. Bats dropped from the roof
and their cold, clammy wings brushed the
| bronzed faces of the troopers and made
them pallid
On to the Great Hall, whose ceiling was
lifted too high to be reached by the light
of their torches, save where here and there
from the dropping ends of snowy staiac-
tites the light flashed back as if refracted
into prismatic lines by mighty diamonds.
On again to the Bridal Chamber, the
ball Of tvine growing less in size, but the
trail still well defined by fragments Of ex-
hausted torches and an occasional empty
bottle
Wonder hsRished anxiety from the hearts
of captain and man, and they spoke in
whispers, rs II afraid 10 wake up the sleep
lng genius Of this sunless palace
They crept through Fat Mans Misery,
Of which the captain had often heard; then
they rested their torches against a rock.
and as 1t WAS high noon IN the upper world
they ate their lunch, ate everything-for
Is they were going back Immediately it
would be foolish to burden themselves
with what was left
At length they reached the Star Cham
Der, at least teat was what the captain
called II. and here they came literally t.
the end of their rome
The string was fastened to rock in
place which they sgpeed they could find
very enslly and then they started in TO ex
plore this wonderful chamber At length
the captain hooked At his watch.
''Three O'Clock, Finn lie exclaimed
by Jove, We must De getting back o.
night VIII catch us''
sure is always and forever and day
u;ght down here. sud Nike
But now to iiud the string. They
searched and they searched and tlrty
searched without success. til there were
only two candles left. Then hiled with Ces-
peratiou aud horror they st;S-Iel! down a.
avenue that looked Is If IL aight lasd in
tie right direction"
On mountain OF sharp rocks they
ciambered: then down the other side. fill
they came 20 a sudden halt ami drew back
wiki their hair an ssa.i Tor sA- au-frsI his~i-