St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-20

more than once they conSpired to run away
and join the army In the school vacation
of the year named, their respective fathers
thought they would crafty the boys desire
to see something of army life and So per-
haps, wean them from their yearning to be
soldiers; so they wrote them to come down
and spend a week or two with the regiment,
in its camp near Cave City.
After they had kissed their mothers and
little brothers and sisters good-by, and were
actually on the way to their destination, two
happier and more elated boys than Samuel
Bowman and Edgar Whipple it would be hard
to find in all the broad land. They reached
the camp in safety, and at once became pets
of all the officers and men. In their school
biographies the boys had seen pictures of the
great Mammoth Cave, and in other books had
read descriptions of the same so now when
they found themselves within ten miles of the
great national curiosity, they became pos
sessed with desire to explore it.
Many of the officers and men of the Fourth
Cavalry had the same wish; but strict mill
tary regulations prevented their gratifyingit it.
The fathers of the respective boys were quite
willing that the youngsters should visit the
cave if a proper guide could be found. Sam
and Ed, after three days search, were begin
ming to despair of finding suitable person,
when an old negro, named Uncle Dick, who
in his younger days had acted as a guide to
tourists, was prevailed on to take charge of
the boys. Uncle Dick believed that by start
ing early in the morning, with torches. pro-
visions and other necessary appliances, the
cave could be well explored by the middle of
the afternoon, and SO they could return to
camp before dark.
In high spirits the two boys and their guide
started off in a single wagon at daylight the
next morning. The road, like all roads in
that section, was exceedingly rough. Yet so
eager were they to push forward that they
covered the distance of ten miles inside of
two hours. ~
The horse was unhitched, and left to feed
near the wagon. The boys were supplied
with torches, and pistols loaded with blank
cartridges which the guide assured them
would sound like cannon when fired off in
the depths of the cave. In addition to his
own supply of torches and candles, Uncle
Dick carried, strapped to his back, a hamper
containing the necessary provisions; indeed
the boys were so hungry that they sampled
his hamper before they started in
The entrance to the Mammoth Cave was
disappointing. 1t did not seem possible that
such a narrow opening could lead to the grand
caverns OF which they had read, but the old
negro assured them they would not be dis
appointed.
Near the entrance the three torches were
lit, and the march began Uncle Dick leading
the advance with the confidence of man
who is sure of his ground. They hurried
through the smoke-stained gallery that led
down the great Gothic hall. AS soon as they
entered this long and somewhat tortuous
chamber, with its high, white ceiling, and its
sides composed of glistening masses of stall
actite, Sam and Ed sent up cheer and
waved their torches about their heads, till it
looked as if they were in the midst of two
fountains of fire. fAs-t
have not the time to describe the cham
bers, chapels, grottoes and cathedrals to
which the guide led the delighted young ex-
plorers, but long before they had reached the
narrow pass which is known as Cat Mans
Misery" they had exhausted their vocabu-
larry of EXPLANATIONS, and felt delight and
a surprise which all the dictionaries of the
world would be inadequate to give express
SlOu W. Iuo DOyS u,tt uSs,lu VI eiiO bOeeoAh-
less pit, and had brought along some fire.
works, which they were to light and throw
into the profound depths. To reach this
stupendous chasm they had to cross what is
known as the "River Styx," and they were
padded over the "Dead Sea- in rotten,
leaky boat. AT length they reached the point
from which it was decided that they should
turn back but they were so delighted with
the place that they determined to take dinner
there. The guide, who had left the provis-
ions and most of the torches back in the
Fairy Grotto, tried to prevail upon them to
alton on their own account. With this pur-
pose in view, they left their little bundle OF
torches near the edge of the yawning abyss,
and with two lights, which they thought
amply sufficient to lead them as far as they
wanted to so and last them back again, they
started Off Young, active and ardent, they
gave no thought to the distance, but guiding
their steps by the smoke-marils of previous
torches on the wall. wandered on, nor thought
Of returning till warned by the fact that
their lights were burning low. When they
did start hack, twas inShot haste, and the