The sun., 1897-09-26
Z ropRRx nhmr KETrN.
The Mevrait ef the Csass &c Antris-An rae
oasea n1an whs Dweils In Caves-No Ons
Can Tell whsnce Nc Came.

FNop the FOdro
Thero are portions Of the north Of ireland
where nature assumes q grand and wild as
pect On the coast Of Antrim thero n no ar
mistice In tho furious battle that, since the
first ages Of the tcrrestial globe, was engaged
between the waves and the rocks. Columns
Of basalt, like Gigantic sentinols, stand on
guard to resist the invasion Of the ocoani and
the profound excavations made under the
granite rocks that protect this portion OF the
soil Of La Perte Erin prove that tho waves
must have frequently mado most vigorous on
saughte, and only retired after they hnd
mined land which they could not conquer
1t Is not Difficult ito imagine that this ma1estio
and desolato cite should have seduced one OF tho
vanqlshed ones in life. one who had absolutely
decided TO separate himself from the society oil
man. Tho real hcrmits are becoming moro
and moro rare; indeed, 1t was believed that
they had completely Disappeared; but II vo-
cation for that slngularly abandoned profess
sion could still be felt by any one, 1t might be
In the presence OF the marvellous spectacle OF
that sea whose waves never subside, OF those
grottos whose pillars and vaults possess a
power which tho art Of the architect can mover
equal. Nature herself seems to have created In
those rocks refuge for the shipwreScKea' ,.a ior
the prescribed, and perhaps also for those who
ua made Sis 6c%e in Tie srottos q the coast Of
seemed to inspire him with an invincible te.
pugnance. AS soon as the cavern which ne
had sseosd for h' refuge Ss BY
twenty or Thirty Eometres ane sSS fuTther on in
Bile. For a few months his domicile was in an
old abandoned mine the principle gallery OF
tanse Of about Ave- 1el tilomstres; @ but, as the in
habitants Of the nearest village had long be-
fore carried away the beams that sustained the
vault, to convert them into hrewood. the her
NIT was obliged to quit that dangerous refuge
where he was constantly exposed to the dan i.
self in q grotto, tho access TO which was more
easily discovered, hut II was loss obscure. less
humid, and less liable to cave In. There he nat,
tered himself that he would find at least some or
the condi lions OF existence that belonged to the
men of the caverns. But y was in vain that
OF prehistoric humanity: he was Obliged to pay
tribute to the eXigenties of civilization and to
manifest less repugnance for all contact with
One day he found an empty barrel that the
tempest had tossed upon the shore, and he
could not resist the temptation OF bringing it
home to serve as u boi. Some indiscreet per.
sons, taking advantage of his absence to visit
for cooking his food. Where did that cooking
utensil come FRONT Was it also piece OF
wreckage rolled up upon the sand by the furi
GUS waves, or was II the last souvenir OF civil
lied life carried away by the anchor!te who,
while endeavoring to return to the conditions OF
could not abandon the habit OF cooking, his
foodf That is n question which has never been
answered; and II is also impossible to find out
where he gets the potatoes upon which he lives
Did they come from the discreet charity OF the
poor hhherinen Of the neighborhood, who ut the
proper time removed his provisions. or, In sep
arating himself from the world did he make ar
rangements for the transportation OF his modest
provisional That is also mystery which has
never been fathomed. One point, however. il
certain, and that is that the hermit determined
% to live upon pot}stoes alone One dSy sailo,
pretended to be glad to accept the gift, but he
never touched the food. In the absence of the
kind d-hearted sailor he tossed it into the sea-
Apparently he also vowed that he would never
enter house and never touch piece OF money
lie kept his resolutions. Nothing could ever
induce him to cross the threshold OF any one o
the little houses OF the fishermen, who began tC
have sort OF affection for him. and never once
was he known to beg. The only lIberaity that
he would accept and that he solicited from the
munifceDce OF strangers was match TO light
the hrewood gathered for cooking his potatoes,
The Rev. J. II. Bernard endeavored to lift the
veil that hid the origin and antecedents Of thi:
mysterious personage; The man OF the cavern.
one sign that he has received good education
From time to time he reads to the fishermen
some passages from the Bible; but he never
comments upon them. There Is no evidenc,
going to prove that the man has any particular
form OF insanity beyond perhaps the harmless
and neat in appearance and seems to be SOUND
and vigorous in body He speaks with no &C
cent, so that il is impossible to fix the locality
| from which he came. He seldom smiles, bu
| he doesn't look sad on the contrary, he has
| resigned and perfectly satisfied look Who h,
| Ia and why IN the world he lives such al eN
| traordnary life nobody can tell. The Rev. J
II. Bernard has been unable to unrave th'
mystery; but il isa task which he has set fol-
himself. and doubtless he expects to find at las
weird story in the life Of the hermit OF Antrim