Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-12
CHAPTER XXNII.
THE LAST ATTEMPT UPON THE SEALS

CHAPTER XXVII.
 THE LAST ATTEMPT UPON THE SEALS
 TUNNEL.
 Becoming now heartily tired of that niche cutting labor, determined to make a fresh attempt on the seals tun- mel. On the last occasion had failed, but at that time was living upon fish diet. My food now was fish, roast mutton and wholesome brown bread. l was far stronger and would certainly be able to penetrate several yards far ther in the tunnel which led from that second blOwhole into the sea.
 I had very carefully preserved as much of that touchcloth as was not nec- essary for the lighting of my second fire. Now, again taking it, as before, in my purse and securely fastening the lat ter with whipcord till it was quite wa ter tight, 1 dived through the first reach of the tunnel. Not to be tedious here, especially as my attempt was frustrat- ed, let me say that I lit my fire as be- fore and made several most determined attempts to penetrate thetunnel beyond the second blowhole, the little one three yards in diameter. 1 learned now ex- aCtly at what point of time my power of retaining breath was half exhausted. I kept on diving and groping along the tunnel till 1 reached that point of en- duranCe and then returned. As l be- came acquainted with the nature of the tunnel found myself at each fresh at tempt able to travel farther. All my efforts, however, were fruitless. Save
 
 find another. Finally determined to give up for good all thoughts of mak ing my escape by the tunnel and to de- vote my energies to the slow but ill the end sure method ot cutting footsteps in the incline at Curry $ Window. Before, however, finally betaking myself to the great cavern and renewing my labors at Curry S Window I made a complete ex ploratiOn of this minor one, which open ed off the first blowhole. Here now lit great many fires and explored it in every part, hoping that might there meet with something that might be of service to me. At last, in a remote cor ner which had not quite illuminated formerly, discovered a beam of timber of considerable size notched it with IuN hIlllI. All tlit OllSI pat W 6tS IullC soft and crumbling. but as 1 went on cutting l discovered, to my joy, that the inside was quite hard and sound. l saw at once that q more rapid means ot l escape lay before me. I could cut this ] beam into small blocks, convey the blocks through the tunnel and pile them i up at Curry's Window. Had I made a proper exploration of this minor cavern when I was here before I might have | been at home now. 1 returned home. dined joyously and smoked my tobacco | down to within two inches of the end of my coil of Limerick twist.
 1 have mentioned before that 1 knew good deal of poetry by heart, and that l the rtpetltiOn of what 1 knew was a | great comfort to me during the whole time of my imprisonment and prevent | ed my mind from pIeying on itself. l This night I repeated the whole of the first three books of Paradise Lost, ' which had committed to memory when a schoolboy. 1 had indeed a good deal | of difficulty with that passage in which the chief persons in satan host are iden- tified with the gods of the gentle na- tions in and around Palestine, but even tually got all correct. I believe did not go to sleep till near morning, and when I did at last fall asleep slept an unconsiOnably long time. When | awoke, 1t was late in the afternoon of the next day. Without waiting for breakfast, 1 dived through the tunnel, and coming up in the minor cavern found that my fire, though carefully l pnUarpH with ShaS had This was great blow to me, for the mahogany beam from which hoped to cut pieces was i'll a remote part of the cavern, and feared to venture toward it in the dark. I might lose my way then, and although in the long run might find my way back to the water, yet it was quite possible that while grop- ing round there in the dense darkness my fire in the great cavern might go out. Indeed I was somewhat divided in my mind already as to whether it was my best plan to stick to the mahog- any or to my work of stair cutting. Now at all events I determined, as had no light by which to work at the great beam of mahogany, to betake my self to the big cavern and the neighbor hood of my own fire and work steadily at the stairs in Curry's Window. Ac- cordingly did so and found the work progressing far faster than I had ex- pected.
 One day, considered it the 11th, but it was really the 18th of December, for I had missed one day during that sea son of exhaustion and apathy, I was re- turning to my work after dinner, a meal of which regularly partook at So clock, which, however unfashionable, was our dinner hour at home. I was whistling lustily and had just turned the angle of rock where the cavern, after going straight inland, turned again in line parallel with the coast, trending toward my headquarters at the seal pond. when I saw in Curry's Window, between me and the sky, a slight, boyish, long leg ged figure. At tho very moment that perceived 1t this figure shouted, ol rather screamed, "JackI" I as quickly shouted 'Ned!" and also as loudly as could roar. Stop. stoDl Stay hacks'' put might as we'll have shouted to { madman. In exactly the same manner as had done, he first pushed himself eagerly along the incline; then he slit with no power to check himself, ther came rushing down the sleeper portion of the slope and tumbled into the heaI of seaweed which I had piled there Had he seen me at any distance beneath him, he would at once have suspected the nature and depth of the incline ant remembered that was prisoner there against my will. But my voice came tt his ears as from one standing almost or the same level with himself. In start ing from the foot Of the incline th'