The times., 1898-01-23
IN ERoATEkAc CAVE
As Told by One Who Was There, ana
Edited by Hayden Carruth.
PART Nv.

out OF It's 3urrow, taking me by the collar
ana jerking me around Without the least
ceremony. Then he sna tened out has re-
volyer, / Thought to si.ccU me without
any more ceremony, oUt A was only to
shoot at Dauphin, which he uid not 90 after
ali az the feiiow was out of sight along
Bal street in no time at All. Seeing which
London sa id, quick a fia sh.
= Joe, you ana Tom 70 after hiin. Don't
fetch h1al tack -uauo1 sS.t44sl.' Iae5 start
cd and London said TO tileoeasr lnsi. You
40 hack and get Pete. Put out tile fire
here SVu lcave.t' linen lsolfeou lei1 up
has Lantern anu had Dei Ter l00A at iile.
Yes" he Sala. II rec kVIaea 4 was
right. | aln1 generally NIoiig. I've SAW
you before. fhls trouble all comes oi my
Deing - sort ano easy. Alut LrlcDu o
yourn IN the bank alii Lotnlrlll, rs any
ana YOU " oaldn L pe nShaer Il = WASH a
reg Tar 0lG WDliS15i. NOW Noi. az sH vi rIsnt
What You doing In tins acre cave
We areeNpioring lt,' 1 aiis~ erea.
=" rs. .fssh WRrf- eAplGflh ia4 Ae ilSApiore
you. What was hat SHOOTING 1 8Saru!"
.-One OF your men shot al NE.
'Uili AZ Ire DOM leu 10 SHOOT better
I'll snoDe num- Noss, where's tiiitU cid
Cap. Archway that's along with YOU
He chnbed up tae rope and think
your men h3Ve got him.
They have, have 1ney? Wen Just go
up and see. And then Wei just nave Tie
Two OF You give 5t1le pitlc lars, Tie tfootil-
1ul particulars, bout Mfele you got an, and
noR many here Is OF ypu. ana v Aa6 YOU
want. Then mebbe youn just mention =
S0Frer jus. illention, You uhutlrst ailsi--iiow
you expect TO get out" 8Hd ne parst into
iaagh and lea me down the Gun Barrel
" men we came 10 the Pat L could see Jllat
lignl OF SOME sort VAS burning ia the
tunnel above. London calieu but got no
answer. Reckon They've look tine old
man to the Fort, - he SAID. Then ne opened
ms lantern and took odG the caRuie, very
thick one with a large wick, stuck IT III a
an 4,
said TO me.
II reckon YOU can climb this hereri' My
hands we're raw from lstNing sla GOWN be-
bore aud L showed Unela 10 hiln anG sdiu
that was afraid coGldn' G. That don't
make any difference, ne replied. just
Come along close TO me-" ana lie started
up He mad not gone two arms lengths
when ile dropped back and said: II L
don't watch out you'll be running away
again. just you 70 up first, ana II you
run wiieu g0G get up there we II SOON lind
1 started up, but the pain was SO great
From MY blistered haHds that L could
scarce keep my hold the rope; he kept
shouting au me 80 cllIl4s rasoeT. however,
or he wou-d shoot at my legs, which neliB-
ed good deal, and 1 got on pretty Ia 81
after ala.
the top and stopped To rest, the rope
drawn taut under my knees by Lonaoa
coming up like "A squirrel | think was
ever SLOW minded tI know il, inueea), but
my stupid Wits togCsFers - just as Lon
don : candle came aDOv@ the edge snatch
ed out my knife, and with one desperate
stroke cut the rope. 4 here was a lighted
lantern and a basket OF food ami other
things at the top of the incline. | took
the lantern on one arDl, lllled one hlGe
pocket with candles and the oUher with
cold ueat and cheese, put TWO DOAeS OF
matches ia nay trousers pockets, tucked
a loaf OF bread under The other arm, and
ran away into tile cave Win all speed.
l ought To have said Just ROW that after
| slashed Off the rope ! heard London
strike the rocks pretty solid at the bottom
of the pit: but thought 1t was good enough
for s,icii a great scOundrel-
/ ran on looking with all my eyes for
q pit or hole, and soon l found one, that
was exactly what l wanted; III seemed
deep, but the sides We're slanting and
rocky, and 1 thought person IBlEut, II
he had little care for his neck. scra mDle
down il. On the brink OF this, then, |
sat down my lantern anu scattered about
a few bread crumbs. / then lit candle
ana started back as hand as could run
for tile pit out OF which had just come.
On cogning up TO 1t and looking about
] spied a little bench or sben above my
head Just at the top OF the steep incline
where the wall logged back. 1t appeared
two feet wide ana ten long. TIE only
way % reach il seemed TO be by ieaping
up, and 1 uoubted much il l Were good
for il. Just tIen / saw the CLEAN of
light along the tunnel. l puffed out Dy
candle and tossed it and the loaf OF bread
onto the ledge, stripped off nay coat and
sent il after the breauaBG candle Thensliil-
ping MY fingers over the ledge 1 gave
such leap as | had never given before,
landed fairly on top OF tie coat, and
stretched out on the shelf flat as a
founder. Al this time / could hear
London roaring below, SO a knew he was
not dead.
The man with the light came up, hold
ing the candle above his head, SO that
1T slaone in nay left eve as ! lay flat
tened out on my right ear. Then he
scrambled down the slide as L could
tell by his giant shadow on the rool, and
called TO London and asked what was
Get another roper roared back Lon
don. I'm hurt. Hurry up''
The man rushed away his shadow dane
ing all over the roof and side OF the
pit, growing bigger ana bigger, till il
swallowed up everything. But before he
could get hack some OF the other men
came Gown below-Pete and the one W no
had gone after him. as soon told from
what they said.
Are YOU much hurt?'' asked one of
them.
my left arm is broke. and / don't
know wilat else. Give me lift and
I'll see il can walk"
He seemed to find that he could walk;
then suddenly he broke out in a torrent
of abuse of me for cutting the rope,
adding tnat lie would hunt me down and
pitch ne hea dlong from the top OF the
highest pit in the cave. And YOU NAV
perhaps imagine the lit of terror into
which this cast me, lying not four feet
ireTn where he would soon come, and
Knowing full well that he would have
no least scruple in doing IS he said.
The other man was soon back with the
rope, and after the two below had come
up they hauled London up. He leaned
against the rock below me to rest and,
with bis lips not one yard from my ear.
rolled out the most frightful language
about me, ending by swearing to 20 to
Jhe ends oil the cave for NE, and To
n ha Ds.ff H.. 7 l..
had heard Dauphin tell of. and the
deepest m the cave. So | lay there not
daring TO breathe.
why uldu't you hit him when YOU shot
you ljhber," he demanded at last
The man broke into ne most violent LaIYph-
Ter and kept it up till | thought he would
never stop: nhen ne could speak he said:
"Why didn't hit him, hey? Why hey?
just wait tall You get TO camp and II show
you why. i II stand off and let YOU shoot
az me WIN that gum and the man began
10 laugh again.
You've got the old Cap'n, have you?"
said London.
Yes" answered the man.
Ineg all wenton, after one of them had
inaue sing Tor Lonoon'S arm out of the
ilnlnG or nis coat, and | was left on my
shelf III tue blackeSt darkness. / turned
over htp an easier position, but it took
me verify believe, an hour TO get calill
enough 50 4 could think. Then i decided
hed best eat something, as l knew it was
hours since had done so. md after got
never, | think, did food taste so good be-
fore, and when l thought of fish / wished
| might never see any again. nor should /
have cared much since if / had had nav
w ish.
When 4 had done eating, 1 found that
was very thirsty but | could see no way of
eetUfilg an UrOp TO drink. / then fell to
az what was best to do, and at
first L thought wOuid slip down the rope
and get back 10 the part or the ca We where
we had been 50 long. but / soon decided
al md nos
FL: stly, should stand-a chance of running
plump INTO the arms of the men who were
looking for Dauphin, Secondly, my hands