The times., 1898-01-09
TN FRONTENAC CAVE
AS TOLD BY ONE WHO WAS THERE. AND EDITED By
HAYDEN CARRUTH.

heads But there was no other reply,
though ne called again and again, and
we waited for a long while.
1t was hopeless To uilink OF getting down
the pit, for at best [ he sides were straight
up ana GOWN, anu mostly uney sia nted un-
der. Besides, the tunnel enueu with the
edge or the PIT, ana there was no footing
on any OF the or her sides.
'.we must ges down "a tnat fire, Harry"
exclaimed tine captain. 1t means fooa!''
For Dalf an hour we searched Tor a pas
sage down, but Iound none, though there
Were many large rooms near. inen we
again stopped on the euge OF the pit above
ine fire.
1--WE must go back and get the rope
and let ourselves down, saiu the captain.
"our candle Will not last lunger than the
time it viii take TO do this, and we must
get down before that is gone. You stay
here and | will fetch it,
Let me go, 1 said.
You Went back after the gun--it's
my turn. You have not the strength
TO go, anyhow.
n IN afraid | haven't" answered, for
felt hardly able to rise.
Il can get II, Harry he cried. You
stay here. Well get down u the fire and
food,'
He started away almost on run, with
the little blaze OF the candle clinging to
the wick ike Il flag. 4 watched the point
OF the 1jdil1e ds IL iON
tunnel which led straight pa Ok toward where
we had come from. 1 caught the faint out
! line of a thick pillar a ) lie turned round
! il; then 1 saw the hight 60 down suddenly
/ and next fly dozen feet t. one side, and
the captain hand, which mad thrown IT,
sweep over the other way as he rolled
on the ground. leaped up, and there
he had gone over the edge OF a pit and
fallen into aeepi water below.
a.. <.a,,Lrf.,g fI.s "A c,,na aut wn an IT,
I struck tile 'gro,ulil, so 1 dropped TO my
| hands and tklhes and crept men by inch
! through this fJiiark ness, ieeling fof the
edge OF tbes pit, The connotion had
started the .yb;lts, and twice 1 ieit them
fan my race with their skinny wings.
| AT last 'ihy Y ffSfid went over the edge of
! the pf6 aiidi 'eailed again and again, but
! got only ceaiees aud more bats III reply.
/ Then l began a search for the candle.
! How long L felt about That vet and rocky
| floor 1 know not, but il seemed hours
! often coming up TO the PIT and putting
| one hand suGuenly over. but at last
! i found IL near the pillar, and lit it, aud,
| forgetting my weakness once more, went
away through the long cave for the rope.
| Hall the way, 1 think 4 crepr on my
hands and knees, bus noe once dad make
/ u mistake and go wrong. l Went by our
! bedroom, and heard the strange thurnp,
! thuup. Which now fillsd the tunnel at the
/ Sltlt- Ou anu Oh ttH
to the foot OF the steep tunnel leadlng TO
the sink noie dome. 1 looked eagerly
on the ledge for the rope, where 1 had
seen 1T when L got the gun; but il was
| gone.
/ need not say that / was astonis he'd.
! The candle was down tot lie last inch, and
the melted tallow was running over
| and harnening on my fingers. could only
hurry back To he pit where the captain
| had gone over. Here land speak Within
| due boundel j was even more astonisned.
| the matter W hicn struck me speechleSs
with wonder was the rope which l had
gone after, one end tied above the pillar
anu the feS5 cofleu on the edge OF tie pit
not four yards from where the captain
had gone over.
MY candle mad some time before got
too short to carry, So | had stuck it in
the hollow OF the larger end OF small
stalactte which | had broken off. The
melting tallow had fill ed { his, though there
was not teaspoonful Of IL left ma king it
more Xix e a small lamp. When ! saw the
rope l Instantly pushed the coil over the
edge into the pit. l heard the end splash
in the water. L hen l stuck the sta lactite
in my cap and started down the rope,
knowing I.ytning, how IA il might be, nCr
ever having tried TO go down any rope
before; indeed, in my right sense TOR was
truly out of my mind L doubt If had had
I the courage to do IL.
Down 4 went, hand under hand, till
| ] found my feet III the water; but push
! ing gainst the wall, managed 10 swing
out enough to land on the ground. Then
! peeped into the darkness and called out
''captisin!i' with nay last strength. Here.
Harry ! heard, as if coming from deep
underground. / could not tell which way 10
20, SO / stood still with my lamp blazing
| finely in my cap, and in a moment the
captain came falling over some rough
rucKs, and ! ran forward to him. Then
| 1t happened that my very last grain of
strength was gone. and | remember only
of beginning z 10 sink down, and not even of
| striking the ground; and the next thing
knew as / opened my eyes was great
bla ze OF flame as If the cave had been on
fire; then saw fl was a torch sticking
in The ground, and that the captain was
kneelng beside me splashing water in
my face, and ca ting something, taking
fierce bites, like wild beast it seemed
To me.
Eat it, Harry; eat iti' he cried, thrust
ing something into my hands, and l fell
TO doing so, also like beast of prey, l
think: only Knowing this, that what i was
devouring was soft and greasy, and /
truly tJelieva il was five minutes before
came TO realize that i was Lolting cold,
half-roasted fish.
TIL the last of the fish was gone we
neither of us spoke one word, any more
than two dogs might have done, and some
times haze tfieeght that we growled at
each other and fought over the last mouth
ful, but suppose .we did not: it was only
after We Asstsfifs1shed tthere was little
enoUgh OF ths fis.ls.t hough We ate II tones
snti All ! JatIa drsiiiE at the river that We
could afford tfLtie TO talk; then the captain
said:
Harry, y55s g atte in the nick of time
with that f1pes Hew did you ever man
age TO get it here at all, and you SO
, weak"
whereupon / told him the whole story
as have written it here. The captain s
ewes opereu wider and wider as went on,
we being now both enough refreshed so
that we had the life TO be surprised; and
, when i had done he thought some minutes
and then said:
We'll, Harry, ] don't know how it got
here, but it must have come by hands.
suppose Isaac london or some Of his gang
brought it for his own purpose, and you
missed each other on the road in some
way They must he all around us, and
we had best keep out of their sight, if We
can We have had little food, and per-
| haps we can get more and then find our
way out"
.But tell me how yoa got out OF the
water after your FAM" / said sniXiouly.
II don't rightly know, but l suppose
: j had sense enough left in me after I
struck to founder out because after
while / came to myself, lying half on
the ground and half in the water.
could see nor hear nothing; then L called
to you, and getting no answer. thought ]
would crawl about and find the fire.
/ went the wrong way, and had been
creeping among rocks and pits, and pools
of water, for what seemed like hours
when heard Won call After YOU flopped