Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-03-09

SO frightened was / by this mysteri-
GUS collision Hardly had gained the
surface when guessed the cause of my
alarm. It was certainly one of my seals.
Presently heard the well known cry,
and the poor beast pressed up against
me in the dark. twas a female seal
who was very much attached to me. l
used to call her the Plaintiff. Though
my terror was allayed, l felt myself
unequal to the task of any further ex-
ploration of the tunnel just then. Ac-
cordingly, feeling my way round the
cave till came to the ledge, which was
near the entrance of the first portion of
the tunnel, dived and got home with
out further accident ahd succeeded in
drawing back my clew, which I feared
might have stuck fast somewhere. Here
l may add that, owing, suppose, to the
original heat of my temperament or per-
haps to the possession of fair share of
| fat, for I might be described as stout
rather than thin, could remain in wa
ter longer than any other swimmer of
my acquaintance. On the present oc-
casion l was dispirited and out of sorts,
but not cold. Yet having dined / felt
brisk and vigorous again. This day l
dined on steaks of turbot. l mention it
because it was the only fiat fish that
my seals brought me during the whole
term of my imprisonment. 1t now oc-
Cured to me that if could make a fire
in the cave off the first blowhole it would
be of great service to me in my next at
tempt to traverse the continuation of
the tunnel there. But how to bring fire
thither was certainly difficulty. l
could not bring burning brand with
me swimming under water distance
of 16 yards. That was plain. l now
re-examined that packet of my coat in
which 1 had found tho loose powder
originally, though I knew that there
could be little or mono there. After
making that piece of finder or touch
cloth by which l kindled my first fire
l had turned the pocket inside out that
the loose grains might fall upon it and
so help toward the ignition. On exam
lining this pocket now by the light of
my fire I noticed that the bottom of it
was quite black. I guessed the cause at
once. Some time last winter my jacket
had got thoroughly soaked with rain
and the bottom of the pocket was steep
ed in solution of gunpowder. 1 touched
the black lining with tho tip of my
tongue and recognized the acrid taste.
l now saw my way clearly toward the
making of second fire. l cut out the
black part of the lining and bestowed it
in my purse. 1t was the first leathern
purse ever owned, bought since l went
to college, for my schoolboy purse was
a netted one with steel rings and little
bunch of steel pendants at each end.
My father, l remember, never gave in
to the leathern clasp purse-he used a
netted one, with rings, as long as he
lived. Then l took a piece of my line,
and having doubled the purse bound it
round strongly with the cord and made
it perfectly water tight. Next day,
some two houls before low water, l
stripped, took my knife and the rolled
up purse in my teeth. the clew also, as
usual, i'll my hand, and dived through
the tunnel, came up in the blowhole
and clambered into the dry part of that
cavern. l placed the purse and knife
in a spot where could easily find them
again, and having first dried my hands
in the crisp seaweed, which was album
dant here, proceeded to select the brit
TEST and most crumbling timber. Such
was imbedded everywhere in the sea-
weed. Then l kept moving about, strik-
ing sparks from the rocks with my
knife till l found a projection which
seemed to emit them in moro bril-
liant manner than the rest. Now soon
learned what an assistance to me i'll my
former attempt of this kind was the
loose powder which l was then in po-
sition to sprinkle upon the tOuchclOth.
Though the sparks were sometimes SO
bright as to reveal clearly not only the
touchcloth, but my whole hand, and
though they seemed to fly right into the
cloth, they produced no other result than
these fieeting Examinations. l believe
[ was nearly an hour at this exercise
and at last gave over, my wrist being
thoroughly tired. AS l sat rejecting
it occurred to me that the cloth would
have better chance of catching fire if
I presented its edges to the sparks and
also if l We're to tray those edges into
fluff. Better STILL l thought, fray
good deal of those edges into fluff. 1t
will then be sheer tow, which, saturat-
ed as it is in solution of gunpowder,
must catch fire. did this. Then l
struck the rock again with my knife,
and at the first spark which went right
ly into the tow the latter caught fire,
spluttering and fixing up gloriously.
l had my little heap of crumbled touch
wood ready at hand all this time. In
short, after very few minutes l stood
beside large and brightly burning fire.
There was plenty of timber at hand for
the feeding of it. The whole cave was
brilliantly lighted up-roof, sides and
the level floor of dark but cleaning
water. So much of the cave as was Just
above the water was nearly quite round
and presented the appearance of an in
verted bowl. After a short observation
of the blowhole, turned my attention
to the pocket. The entrance was not
wide, but the cave within expanded into
great dimensions. AS knew, however,
that this pocket, huge pouch or what
ever it might be termed, was no better for
me than blind alley, leading knew not
whittier, postponed its exploration. 1
was not here to make discoveries, but to
make my way out if by Gods grace
and my own swimming and diving it
might in any way be effected. 1t was
now low water, as judged by the ap-
pearance of the ledge. Then, unfasten-
ing my clew and commencing myself
to the protection of the Almighty, ]
swan across the pool to the place where
l knew was the entrance of the tunnel,
and Owed. AS had knots all along
the line marking the yards, knew ex-
actly the rate of my progress. I had
not gone 10 yards when, feeling moth
ing above me with my right hand, 1
slowly rose and presently found my head
above water. This was an unexpected
good fortune. 1 had found my second
blowhole. 1 was certainly 10 yards
nearer to the sea, and how many more
besides would depend on the size of this