The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12

crashed and reveTberaled among the
mighty hills. while the lightning nared
out until We were left blind and deaf and
yes, afraid; wondering what would hap
pen neXt-for had We not everything at
stake for which we had fought and starry
ed so long?-and TO lose all al the eleventh
hour seemed worse than ever 10 have
found it,"
ITO think that one more day might have
seen Us safely through groaned out Paul
in a momentary lull. zone more day.
Wen. thank heaven, we have got the
He was Interrupted by a crash louder
and more terrible than any yet heard. and
as though waiting for the signal the heav-
ems opened and the ralu-nos II was no
rain. but a mighty food let loose. Down
IL came without ceasing, filling almost al
once the parched and gaping channel OF
the stream until IL OFeriiOwcd, and be-
fore knew IL came Kissing and cir
cling 10 our very feet in the darkness
where we sat; while between the rolls Of
thunder we could hear the continuous
raging OF the torrent outside the cave as
ID rushed headlOng down tearing ana
boiling over the rocks that formed its
Yes the food was on us. and We had
no time for thought In another minute
10 was over our ankles. ana in hve up TO
our knees. while The confusion of sound
was SO horrible We could not hear our
selves speak Added 10 this was the
pitchy darkness ana the aWtut sudden
ness with which the whole had come upon
us. ! was daZed and helpless and before
] could recover Paul had dragged me
higher up the rocks and further i'm the
cave; for plainly there was no getting out
until the mood went down.
higher yet-highert or we shall be
drowned like rats in a cage" he yelled,
and / followed desperately on, barking
both hands and knees against the rocks
until we could climb no higher for the
roof, and lay on the tOpmOst ledge ali
sore and bleeding and sobbing for our
breath.
81 could just make out Pauis voice as
through thick wall or feather bed
though his breath was on my cheek. and
he was shouting in my ear But the voice
died away. for the doubt was better lett
unSaid, and we sat for a time making no
further effort TO exchange a word until
as the thunder died away, when We could
hear the flood below slipping swiftly by,
and as Paul struck q match, by its faint
light could see how the whole cave was
fun of a surging, eddying stream, whose
flow set irresiatibly inward from the opens
ing of the cave.
las to what lay beyond the range of the
match's feeble ray we were quite in the
dark. To our left lay the mouth Of our
trap, hOpelessly sealed by the boiling
flood, while to our right the ledge to
which we chung ended ahruDtly, it's face
glanced round each read: How long will
II lastg in the others desperate eye
Even Paul was shaken, steel-nerVed
though he was, as the full horror of our
situation forced itself home, and rs the
waning match dropped from his unstrung
fingers we gripped hands hard.
mo need for words. we knew-unless
through some miracle-we must either
drown or starve. As for the flood after
the long drought it might last for weeks
and all our food was washed away"
" But no good to despair
That was Pauls cry, not mine. For /
had given way before the strain. and was
threatened with collapse; while he struck
another match and watched the different
odds and ends that fioated by. Just be-
low the water formed a whirlpool as It
wound round the circle of the cave be-
fore disappearing into the concentrated
gloom of a low archway, almost blocking
the opening through which IL Numbered
with fall as to whose depth we could
form no idea but reaching out as they
swept by, Paul brought TO shore first a
plank, and then the pole of our tent
which chung to the rocks as loath as we
to be swept away.
but the second match burnt out, and he
let the hot end fall with a sharp cry call
ing to me to light another. and before 81
had time to obey he had clambered down
waist deep in the water to reach perio GUS
ly forward and with the pole fish up a
small canvas bag OF biscuits his quick eye
had caught hanging to jutting rock by
its string.
There's only precious few he grum-
bled, as he handed them up to me and
climbed back all soaked and dripping to
his place so few they will only make
! matters worse by putting off the inevita-
bic end. Still, such as they are catch hold
and make the most of them l saw them
before, but said nothing while they were
out of reach: but thanks to the pole they
a time. Suppose you-but no, we can't
afford-We must wait until we are obliged.
And with short laugh he settled down
on the ledge, while l felt the slaclness q
the bag and realized dismally how miser-
ably few 1t held But few or not it was all
we had, and l for one was thankful. And
for the next two or three days-Or it might
have been a week-how We're we to know,
or keep count of time? We lived on one
solitary biscuit n day; that and the cruel
water, our succour and gaoler in one,
rushing and tanning continuously
| feet.
Each day found us weaker and more
| hopeless of release; for although matches
| We're few we could not forbear striking
| one each now and again TO note the level
| of the flood where it cut the fatal bound
| airy of rock, the low archway that marked
| our prison wall. But no subsistence was
| there, while our biscuits-and with them
| our courage and our straightforward fast
| away. Until on what we set down as about
| the eighth day, when we had only half a
| dozen left. and Paul pointed to where q
| white streak of rock showed itself for the
! first time. And oh! how our eyes fastened
Ut was the merest shadow of a hope,
| but how we chung to it and Rugged it
/ all through the never-ending day, count
! ing the crawling hours that must elapse
/ before we dared to waste another match
! and look again. And, oh! the sickening
| pang, what an agony of reaction was
| ours when the match once lighted, we
| looked and looked in vain. No white
| streak was there, and the swift remorse-
! less tide flowed if anything, higher than
| before And at that we both fell back.
/ while for the first time Paul gave voice
| to his despair. Until then he had always
| spoken with confidence as to our chance
| OF getting out, but now he gave up pre-
| tense and dropped motionless as a log.
| And close together though we We're. we
! remained as lifeless as the rock on which
| we lay.
For how long l had no idea. 1t might
| almost have been year, so little care
| or conscious thought had l. My mind was
too stupid to think, and / hardly under
stood when Paul reused himself and in
| a hard duh voice began TO eXplain-what
/ he had been thinking of it seemed for
/ hours.
His plan was this. That both could be
saved was now beyond all doubt it was
| impossible. That either could stem the
stream and reach the entrance to the
| cave was even more so-but, and this was
his idea-the stream flowed under the
archway and through the cave and went
! somewhere. outlet it must have, if even
/ il fell into some subterranean lake in the
| bowels of the earth-and could we not
hear the fall then? All the better, per-
haps so that the end came soon For
| his part he was tired. He could not wait
there and starve. Why should not one