The times., 1898-01-16

low to get into F'rontenac cave ana
| catch him and his former mates. But
when we had got out of the hearing OF
it he again became cheerful enough, at
ter his way, and set in to curse Lon
don and then his own ill-luck in break
ing with the gang before the division OF
the plunder from the bank robbery.
That's the way he CRIED" there's
never no show for an honest man in
this here world. The others seen him
taking more'n his share and what do
they say? They says nothing! Old
Gil Dauphin pipes up for honesty and
fair play or blood. and what does he
get? He gets blood, and his own blood
brought by throwing of him alive down
a Dit hundred and fifty feet deep.
with his neck broke and the bats bunt-
ing at him three days While he lays
there waiting for his neck to get right;
and not drop of liquor to drink.
But whatever Dauphin's luck had
been we soon had some bad luck of our
own; and a very i'll kind of bad luck it
was. too. When we got back to Fish
Camp we found the captain standing
proudly beside his pole -,
s'It's all done" he cried. 'and there IL
never be a better time to try 1t than
this. Here's a plenty of torch-stlcks
ready and fish enough to last III we
can get out, i guess. Lay hoid there,
1t was a half hours travel to the
place, which we had come to call Dau-
phin's Pit: but the time did not seem
long TO me: 1 was excited. We went
down the Gun Barrel almost at trot,
but still as mice; though It mattereu
not and we might as we'll have gone.
with a brass band. For when we
turned the sharp corner just this side
OF the nit we came smack upon two
men. London and Joe Rusk. with two
more above at the mouth of the tunnel
and one coming down the rope. the
two men on the ground clapped their
hands on their revolvers and we
dropped our pole and ran back, better
scared than ever before, as was right
enough. with those fellows shooting
and coming behind; and known, as they
were, to be good shots, too.
Our torch-ights were well soaked
with fish oil and burned so freely that
not one of them went out. though we
ran like race horses. Before the men
could get around the corner and fire
again we were clear OF The Gan Barrel,
and though not one word was spoken
we all made in the direction of the
Pocket Gopher hole. There were a
dozen ways of going and we soon be-
came separated, though it was my own
fault that | did not keep with the Cap
tain / was. in fact, half scared to
death, not being used to being shot at;
and Dauphin, Notwithstanding his
rough life, had such a terror of London
that 1 think he was no better off than 1.
AS for Captain Archway, / believe him
to have been too brave a man to have
ever been truly frightened. but he we'll
saw that there was nothing else to do
except to run.
/ think we all knew that part Of the
cave better than London. nor did he,
of course. know for where we were
headed: so very shortly he lost us and
| doubt not we were all soon running
faster than there was any need. When
/ got to Gopher Hole I heard Dauphin
going up it faster than any gopher
ever went up his hole. Just then the
captain came in sight.
Go on, Harry" he cried; were all
right now" so in ] crawled, and he fol-
lowed.
When half way up the captain stop
ped and moved a square stone few
inches, saying:
There, that closes up the hole and
makes it look as if no one could get up;
though if they know he place they will
see what has been done and can easily
move it. But if they don't know il
they may never find the entrance at
all
AT the top we found Dauphin waiting
for us, but behind a pillar and ready
To run again if. it should prove to be
the terrible London. l think he was a
little ashamed of himself for running
so fast and made haste to explain that
il he had had any weapon he should
have stood his ground against the
whole gang.
But Cap'n what will you do now
he asked. after the captain had made
him stop cursing London.
Wen see" answered the captain, as
calm as if at home eating his break
fast Il think first we had pest go
down into your part of the cave. There
are few torch-sticks at the Star
Chamber and little wood and, II l am
not mistaken, some bits OF cold
fish, Perhaps. too, we may there get
some glimpse of the outlaws down the
pits. and find what they are doing, ana
s., know what we had best do our
selves.
This we accordingly did. going by a
massage Dauphin showed US. which we
named Dauphin's Door, and ABOUT
which we knew no more than uio ne
about the Trap Door: which very Wen
shows the nazes into which the cave
was cut ND. since we had all searched
for days to find openings between the
two parts | here bethink me to say,
too. that when we came upon the out
laws I had dropped the fish l was car
rying.
When we neared the pits we left our
torches back and crept up, very eau
tious. to both Rope Pit and Fire Plt.
but saw or heard nothing of the men.
We hid what was left of the rope in
hole and carried the wood, torch
sticks. and fish from the Star Chamber
o,.l 70, .lf
distance away. which / named Inc
Robins Nest, since it was round and
with hard mud sides just like the nest
of that bird After we had eaten
little of the cold fish the Captain or
dered Dauphin and me to take some
sleep while he stood watch. One loren
we had to keep burning since we had
no matches. the few Dauphin had nav
ing become at last spoiled by the
dampness of the cave, as we found on
trying them.
Dauphin seemed to sleep we'll enough,
but / woke a hundred times, the awful
report of those pistols still ringing in
my ears Surely. I thought. no sound
was ever so loud before, and they had
echoed ten thousand times, and must
| still believe have gone from one end
to the other of the whole cave. Though,
to be sure. | heard louder reports be-
fore / got out of the wretched place.
After some time being again awake.
I made the Captain lie down while l
stood watch. For what | thought to De
three or four hours / sat at the mouth
of the little tunnel leading back and
up to the Robins Nest. If you have
ever sat alone in cave then you know
what silence is, nor will you ever know
till you do. But you may well pray
that YOU shall never know 1t long, for
Il RI, iC 60 81 an