The times., 1898-01-02

| ieet struck on the shelf where the stone
had rolled over. This ledge went all
| around, leaving tie opening into the depths
below. ten or twelve feet across. slid
over IL, though by this time pretty dizzy,
/ having spun around IL good deal on account
| of the new rope untwistipg.
lnow found that was under the ledge and
| could no longer see the light of the opening
/ above. My poor lantern made little Inn
| pression on the darkness. Sometimes l
| brushed against the wall, and again 1
! WAS 50 far Tron IT. that l could not tell
| where IL was / kept turning round, but
| pumped onto the bottom at last, with my
| head whirIing like top. When lit my
+, other candle 1 found myself in pretty
| large space, with a floor almost as steep Us
| roof. l ventured down it rev steps and
/ Saw IL was a high, arched tunnel, crooked
| and Irregular, leading down to lower
| depths. There were other holes and tun-
! neis on all sides, but smaller. When L
| looked up could now see the sink mole
| opening, and shouted what had found to
/ the captain, who told me to cast off 50
! that he might maui up the rope and lower
| the things.
| The basket and gun soon came spinning
| down. i had not much more than made
| them safe when the captain followed,
coming down hand over hand without
| pause having tied the upper end ofthc rope
| around the middle of the poplar stick. we
! stood the things safely 10 one side and
| drew the end or the rope into hole and
| tied ii round stone. We had emptied
| fiat bottle OF coffee at breakfast, and as
! IL was now dry put handf nj OF matches
| In 1t, corked IL up tight, and put IL in my
| pocket, so In case the others which we had
| were spoiled by water we should not be
| left without the means or maxim a light.
| Then We hurriedly ate few unouthtulS, the
| captain lit his pipe, and we started, he
carrying the lantern and j the candle.
ne went down the steep lassageway.
| but found ii short. At the end il spread
| out into a low and nearly level room.
from which Others branched. some higher,
| some lower, and the walls full OF holes,
| tunnels, up and down and every way.
| Indeed, / instantly saw that i was in a
| genuine limestone cave, such as | mad
! known at home. And l suppose tina There
is not another thing in tie world so ir-
| regular and mixed up such cave.
| Many times have SAID that IL tie potatoes
| III n hill could be removed with all the
| roots without disturbing the soil, Tie holes
| and spaces left would make a fair model
! OF a small cave, though l verify believe
| not nearly so uncertain and confusing.
For long time we went on, now walk
| ing upright under an arched ceiling twenty
or thirty feet high, now crawling through
| places 50 small that we had u draw our
| selves aIoug 10y our eiLoMs, lnis moment
| walking on hard rock. the next on dry
4 IL
! all dripping with water, and we passed
| one pit which we judged from q stone
| thrown into it, TO lie at least 100 feet
| deep. OF course we soon lest all sense
| or direction. but the cave had seemed to
| start the way we mad hoped, and we had
| no reason to think that its general course
| changed. We were certain that we We're
| going down much more than up.
We had reached fine, large room, and
had stopped t. rest, when the captain looked
at ms watch, and said:
WHY, Harry, it's 3 O'Clock. We've
! seen enough, and | believe we're right.
| W hen we go farther it ought TO be wilma
large enough force 50 that If we come up
To those fellows we can take care OF them
as they need To be taken care off,
We mad left smoke marks on the lower
| ceilings as we came along To help us In
getting out, but even with tnese we went
wrong dozen times, and al least half
| dozen were completely lost. Once we
turned up at the place we had started
| from, and had to begin all over again
| But at last, a fter vast creeping nd cra wing
and climbing, we struck into a place
which we knew was not far from the
| entrence. AS we did we first took
notice OF a strange humIning sound.
| something like a swarm OF lees. We
| went on, and soon 1T ihecame a roar.
| We stood looking at each other, per
picked and a little scared, when we
! caught a CLEAN OF something through
| a low arch, and on running to ii found
| it was a stream or water.
"Ah,' cried tie captain, it's raining,
and the water is coming down the sink
| hole that's all. Let's hurry up and
get our basket before il is wa shed
away"
We bIundered along as fast as we
could, my candle going ontsip our hurry.
We caught glimpses OF !irst hats
dipping and plunging Ibant- When we
came up TO the foot of tffe steep tunnel,
we found a torrents=of water coming
down ii like a mili-race, with vast
cataract falling intoz it at the upper
end with a rear like any Niagara.
Around this wayiT' shouted the cap
tain in my ear, and we crept and stumbled
away In a rocky hole till we could look
in under the dome, where the water was
crashing and boiling. / darted through
the mist, and seized the basket and gun,
brushing against the rope, down which a
cinging stream OF water was coming with
4 rush. We backed little into the room
behind us, and stood facing the torrent,
though we could see little with our faint
light.
Its probably only a thunder shower,
and we'll get out after it stops said
the captain, close to my ear.
lie had scarce got ont these words when
there was crash like the fan OF noun
Il
down at our feet and something rolled
out OF the whirlpool in front Of us.
Its our log and rope come downn' /
cried, and at that moment the water
column took a new leap and Splashed
over us, drenching us to the skin and
putting ont the lantern. The torrent was
running half way to our knees as the cap
tain asped my arm and we CROPPED back
into the total darkness, like rats being
drowned out at the bottom of a hole.
We fell and stumbled backward till we
got to place where the flood did not
threaten to carry us along, and where we
were no longer choked by the spray.
Then we felt about on the wall till we
found little pocket in the rock into
which we era wled, nd In which we could
Just sit upright. The captain had never
uDce let go my arm, and now he began
To sa in my ear: Wen get out, Harry;
We'll get out, Harry half a dozen times,
as if to cheer me up. Then he added:
i've been in worse places than this when
/ followed the sea- but have never been
able to conjecture where they could have
been: nor did he ever explain to the
day of his dea th though he had fifteen
years in which to do so.
l got q match out OF my bottle and
struck il on the handle OF my jackknife,
and so lit the lantern. This showed uii
not much, however, except our own white
faces, though the captain seemed not
much scared, a nd soon began to talk as
cheerfully as you please.
If we thrust our heads out Of our
plgeonhole we got the spray, So We only
sat and watched the flood go by. At
first it bad flashed upon me. what if the
lower part Of the cave fills up, then we
must drown where we sit; but soon con-
ol1,,led therp WAS small danger Of this