The times., 1898-01-16

/ nftX 1Hel across, anu So HlSll lldt We
| could get no notion of the top. But
up on one side at the height of about
| twenty-five feet, as the Captain
| guessed II there was a big hole which
| Dauphin told us was the end Of a tun-
| mel leading to the Fort and the rest
| of the cave He said that going UP
from the edge which we could see, the
| tunnel was almost as steep as the roof
of a house for fifteen or twenty feet,
after which it went slowly downhill,
We were careful not to make any noise
| near here for fear some of the outlaws
! might be lurking about above. Dau-
i phi said there was q rope tied to
! sharp corner of a rock which the men
used when they, wanted TO come down
for fish or for any other purpose.
/ We had no sooner got back through
the Gun Barrel than Dauphin broke
out in Il string of abuse of Isaac Lon
don, but the Captain refused to listen
! to it at all, telling him that he was
no better than London, and that he
4 would have pushed his chief into the
] pit just gladly as London threw
| him in if he had had The chance. This
| Dauphin seemed to take as a great
J compliment as he ehuckled over it in
| a most shameless way.
| We were all by. this time pretty hun
| CRY, and Dauphin offered to lead us to
! another place where fish might be
| taken and where there was fish
! spear which the band had used for "a
| long time. and which he had used since
he had lived alone. i mentioned that
| | was, surprised We had not found the
| way to this place when Dauphin said:
You don't find that there place
| thout you fall into ii and break your
neck 1t goes straight down like a
| chimbiy, and then you go through an
/ other raj hole and come out in the river
| itself and walk with the current, with
your head down SOS you don't pound
out your brains on the roof, and your
head up SOS you don't get drowned,
and then you come out and go this way
and that till You come TO it,.
He led the way again and it was
much as he had said. The fish-spear
was good three -pronged one. and, af-
ter we had got two or three fish and
he had carefully put the spear where
we had found il so that London might
not know it had been touched, we went
back listening a long time before we
went up the chimney for fear we might
! meet some OF the gang coming down.
! We went 10 our fire. which was not
yet quite out. and had good meal.
After supper the captain, who had
been very thoughtful ever since seeing
the dome To which Dauphin had taken
us. began to pace the floor by the fire
AIln MS Ntdu DONcu. L SOON iiOlitsu
that he had his pipe in his teeth
When Dauphin saw il he got up, drew
a black pouch out Of his pocket and
said:
"Cap'n. you amt got no tobacker
know. Take some o mine, Cap'n you're
welcome. ] say"
Capt Archway stopped wheeled
around and said:
Have You got tobacco. Gil?"
=, hrrt
The captain took the pouch and Dau-
phin added: You like tobacker sames
like whisky, Cap'n-'
The captain stopped in filling his pipe
and ! thought would hand the pouch
back but he didn't, only saying, more
gently than he had spoken TO him be-
| fore. YES. and it's no credit to either
| of US, Dauphin. Why diunt you make
pipe for YOURSELF
1T was too much for me, Cap'n. /
| didn't have no knife. L didn't have
nothing when they throwed me down,
| 'cept some matches and a candle IN
nay pocket
Make him pipe, Harry. said the
| Captain To me. as he lit his own, ana
/ ! noticed his hand tremDled, he was
| that excited as he put on the coal,
| I took my knife and Whitfield a bowl
out of a half-rotted knot readily
enough. but l was at a loss for stem.
Get a stalactite," said the Captain
| between puffs, seeing the fix l was IN
| This / did. finding a little one that
was hollow like a piece of macaronl;
and soon they were both smoking
away as comfortable as you please.
The pipe seemed to revive the Cap
| tain's spirits wonderfully. and when
| he had done. he said:
Harry. we're on the right road at
| last. and We'll be out of this in two
| days-that 1 promise. Dauphin you
go and bring me ten or a dozen feet
| of our rope
Dauphin set off. and l found myself
! catching the enthusiasm of the Cap
| tain
yes" l said. things look better.
! Dauphin will be great help to us.
especially if we get up in the other
part of the cave where the men are
"Ay. Harry. | don't wonder at your
SAYING that" he returned, lat your
age. If You were as old as l am and
knew men as we'll as 1 believe | do.
YOU would think twice before you said
it. Dauphn may help us, but it's not
much dependence 1 shall put on him
He talks strong enough against Lon
don now. but it's all because he hates
him, and hate is a poor foundation TO
build on in such a case as this. tie
hates London because he is afraid OF
him. and has been driven out of the
band But don't you see hoW easy 1t
would be for him TO get London's ia
vor again by betraying u.s. | don't
say he would do it, but we can't safe
ly trust him."
This / had not thought of, but 1 saw
that the Captain was right.
But we must get up into the other
part of the cave went on the Captain,
because / don't doubt he is right
about there being no place to get out
in this part. My plan is to make
pole of these small sticks binding
them together with strands of the rope,
long enough to reach up to the mouth
of that tunnel
He set to work that moment and
stopped no more than to eat hurriedly
and sleep a few hours for what must
have been two or three days. Thus it
was he worked: First he took a dozen
of the small sticks, each three or four
feet long, and spliced them together
with strands of the rope, making a
slender pole full thirty feet long Then
he took other sticks or all lengths
from two to four feet and gradually
overlaid the first pole, letting no two
joints come together. and binding and
winding every splice with the rope
strands AS much as he could he
twisted and wove the sticks together.
but this was not much, because
they Were so dry and brittle; so mostly
they lay parallel. like the stems of a
bouquet of flowers. all wound and band
aged with the rope strands. When |
the pole was at last done it was three |
or four inches through, and very like |
a cable of twigs.
While work on the pole was going on