The herald., 1898-01-09
Los ANGELES HERALD. SUNDAY MORNING JANUARY 9, 1888

what had found to the Captain, who
told me. to cast off so that he
might haul up the rope and lower
the things.
The basket and gun soon came spin
ming down. had not much more than
made them safe when the Captain fol-
lowed, coming down hand over hand
without a pause, having tied the upper
end of the rope around the middle of
the poplar stick. We stood the things
safely to one side and drew the end of
the rope into a hole and tied 1t round
a stone. we had emptied fiat bottle
Of coffee at breakfast, and as it was
now dry I put handful of matches In
1t, corked it UP tight, and put it in
my pocket, so in case the others which
we had were spoiled by water, we
should not be left without the means
of making a light. Then we hurriedly
ate few mouthfuls, the Captain lit
his pipe, and we started, he carrying
the lantern and the candle.
We went down the steep passageway
but found it short. At the end it spread
out into 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, I instantly saw
that was in a genuine limestone cave
such as 1 had known at home. And
suppose that there is not another
thing in the world so irregular and
mixed up as such a cave. Many times
I have said that if the potatoes in q
hill could be removed with all the roots
without disturbing the soil, the
holes and spaces left would make g
fair model of small cave, though
verify believe not nearly so uncertain
and confusing.
For a long time we went on, now
walking upright under an arched cell
ing twenty or thirty feet high, nov
crawling through places so small thai
we had to draw ourselves along by oul
elbows; this moment walking on hare
rock, the next on sticky clay, the mex
on dry sand. In a few places we saw
stalactites, all dripping with water
and we passed one pit which we judged
from stone thrown into it, to be al
least one hundred feet deep. OF course
we soon lost all sense of direction, but
we had hoped, and we had no reason
to think that it's general course
changed. We were certain that WE
were going down much more than up
We had reached a fine, large room
and had stopped to rest, when the
Captain looked at his watch, and said
''Why, Harry, It's three o'clock. We've
seen enough, and I believe we're right
When we go farther it ought to bs
with a large enough force so that Il
we come up to those fellows we car
take care Of them as they need to bs
taken care Of"
We had left smoke marks on the
lower ceilings as we came along t,
help us In getting out, but even with
these we went wrong a dozen times
and at least half dozen were com
pletely lost. Once we turned up al
the place we had started from, ant
had to begin all over again. But al
last, after vast creeping and crawling
and climbing, we struck into a place
which we knew was not far from tht
entrance. AS we did SO we first tool
notice Of a strange humming sound
something like a swarm Of bees. w,
went on. and soon 1t became a roar
We stood looking at each other, per
picked and a little scared, when w,
caught CLEAN of something through
low arch, and on running to it foun,
it was a stream of water.
"Ah," cried the Captain, Ht's raining
and the water is coming down the sink
hole-that's all. Let's hurry up an
get our basket before 1t is washe
away"
We blundered along as fast as w
could, my candle going out in our hur
ry. We caught glimpses of our frs
bats, dipping and plunging about
When we came up to the foot of tn
steep tunnel, we found a torrent o
water coming down it like a mill-race
with vast cataract falling into 1
at the upper end with a roar like an,
Niagara.
Captain in my ear, and we crept ant
stumbled away up a rocky hole till w,
could look in under the dome wher
the water was crashing and boiling.
darted through the mist and seized tn,
basket and gun, brushing against tn
rope, down which a clinging strean
of water was coming with a rush. w
backed a little into the room behind u
and stood facing the torrent, though w
could see little with our fain
light.
tits probably only thunder shower
and We'll get out after it stops" sal,
the Captain, close to my ear
He had scarce got out these word
when there was a crash like the fall q
mountain, and a great coil of the rop
splashed down at our feet and some
thing rolled out of the whirlpool Ii
front Of us.
TITS our log and rope come down.!
I cried, and at that moment the waite
column took a new leap and splashe,
over us, drenching us to the skin an,
putting out the lantern. The torren
was running half way to our knees a
the Captain grasped my arm, and W
CROPPED back into the total darkness
like rats being drowned out at the bot
tom of hole.
We fell and stumbled backward til
we got to a place where the flood di,
not threaten to carry us along an,
where we were no longer choked b,
the spray. Then we felt about on tn
wall till we found little pocket in tn
rock into which we crawled and Il
which we could just sit upright. TIL
Captain had never once let go my arm
and now he began to say in my ear
"We'll get out, Harry; We'll get Out
Harry, "halfa dozen times, as if to ohee
me up. Then he added, "I've been il
worse n1acaS fha n fhic uybap r fo11o,,z