The times., 1898-01-09


1t, but IL you do you've got to have 1t.
But lea rned at sea and wnatcan youdo on
watcn at nlg mt except smoken
We were soon sleepy, and knowing. f1
must be far into the night, stretched
out by the fire and had the best sleep,
il seemed, since we had come into the
cave, as our hunger went nearer to be-
ing satisfied than at any time before,
and the fire warmed US up, and cave
is, as j have said, somewhat too cold
for comfortable sleeping without blank
ct. Our fire brought out good many bats,
however, and the horrid things would come
flirting about on their web-fOoted wings.
They tell us we should hate no living
thing, but saw plainly that hate bat.
In the morning, or at least when we
woke up, since Ne chew no more than
anything IL it WAS morning or evening,
we fixed the fire and then went to Fish
River as we ca}led--it for more 1isf.
We stuck to it, this time the captain
having made q better harpoon TIL we
had got a dozen fish, half OF them cats,
tile OIL Of which We wa1ted FOR torch-SicRs
We went back and mad meal fit for
king Indeed, l think / ate one fit and
sufficient for two OF three kings. Thus
it was we prepared ouyt torch sticks: Laying
bundl, OF them in q hollow OF the rocks
we cut up the catfish and put them on top.
On this we then rolled red-hot stones,
and the oil frying out pretty well soon
soaked into the sucks, though there was
o good d.al Of flavor OF scorched flsf
round about. We named the place Fish
Camp, which was natural enough.
Now if anybody ever reaus tnis, and
1T chances ne gets SO, far as this, he VIII
thank me that | do not tire him with the
account OF our life FOR the next three
or four days. ! say three or four days,
but of course it may have been more or
less. only know that we slept three times,
and ate about twenty. though this needn't
, To signify, as if could have had my way
we snouid have been eating all the tlfhe'
But we 1onged for some sait for our fish'
and some beefsteak or potatoes, or bread
and butter would not have gone bad, espe-
ctally after the fifte enti or twentieth neal
of plain fish Though, to be slre, we Tried
sotne OF the fish ON rock and broiied
Others over the Goals on u sharp sta iacite'
and thus made some variety.
But not Inucn happened tnese days now
eyer lnaiJv of thein there We're. We hunt-
ed constantly. when not sleeping or eating
fish for a way out, but haQ no SORT OF
reward. We We're very CAUTIOUS at frst,
Lut soon became convinced that tnere Were
none of the outlaws IN thatrpart OF tne
cave The lire .yhicn we had at first
s,,eu at the come was not kept up. Inc
rope where l had CONE down was drawn
up. and we never saw anything more or II.
We wanted very much To explore this part
between The pit where we looked down iIrst
at the fire ana the place where we prled
away the stone with the gun, which We
Ca He'd the Trap Door and the other Ire ft'
We suspected the gang might be there;
nevertheless, we We're anxious TO get INTO
It thiuking it was our only nope OF finding
n WAY out. We ueCtded that there must
be some way TO get up besides rope, since
from the fire We saw Jhey had been down;
for If there was no such way, ana they hau
a rope before, why did they take ours?
We had found a way which seemed TO
lead up the second day, but u was 80
small that l had become stuck In 1t
and the captain had To pull HE out by
tn. legs. But we decided to try IL
again. So We covered up the fire care
fully, and taking plenty OF torch'Sticks.
started. Never had we had such crawling
and wrigglIug and crooking, and turning
as we experienced In this place, which we
called the Pocket-Gopher Hole. But we
got through at last, and We're surprised TO
find ourselves in the first part and beyond
the Trap Door. So we went on to Sink
Hole Dome, but found nothing new As
for the beating sound at the Bedroom,
we could not hear IL at ALL
We went back through the Trap Door,
noticing our gun beside the hole; but as we
had only snot for IL, and no powder or caps,
we left IL where it was. We went ontoWafd
rtrr rit, As,jIns very cautiously ana looking
out for any sign OF the robbers. We got TO
Rope Pit, hut found the rope gone. We
turned to 90 back and do the exploring
we had planned when l very tUulisnly
proposed going into the room Just back
from the pit, which we had seen as
we first came along and called the Star
Chamber, on account OF the SHINING stall
actita points ON the roof far above. was
.ya II 4,
the greater light OF the torches, or my
torch, rather, as we were carrying but
one, to reduce the'chanca OF being seen.
1t was truly a beautiful sight in that
room You would have sworn as you
looked up that You were outdoors of q
clear night, with all the stars in the
heavens locking down at you and
twinkliug, l was going on with my chin
in the AR and the captain behind, when
suddenly I stumbled over something yield
ing and Went down head first, ourying my
torch in the sand:JbIt hada glimpse or
! mans face on tire ground, with scraggy
black whisi.ars and eyes like bat S.
Then / felt him spring up and grapple
! with the captain in the dark, and harsn,
I shrill voice, which, from what IL SAID, III
/ seemed natural should be the captain $,
/ cried out: I'll fix you, Ike London! Well
j go down that pit together this time But
/ if | had had even my wits about me
/ should have known ii was not TIE capita IN
( voice, but the other man $.
For once in iny lie thought of the right
! thing first, and that was TO get a hght,
/ il | could, knowing the man with Whoil
! the captain was struggling i'll the dark ten
wards from the mouth of that pit probably
I knew the ground much letter than he did,
! ana that if a light would help either it
would help the capt ain. / Still had one
match, no more, in my bottle, and l made
I haste TO get It out, though my hands were
trembling like a wild poplar leaf. Then
| crawled away little, 50 that the men
might not trample over me in their strug-
/ gle. and struck the match ON little stall
| aetita hichf had in my pocket The Inatch
/ went, but the black end of the torch-stick
would not, the oil helng so much burned
out was that stupid that let II burn
/ almost to my fingers before thosght 10
! turu the stick around and try the other
! end. When did SO il caught fast enough,
and / stuck the black end in the sand and
| leaped up TO do what l could to help the
captain. But as the light flashed upon
| them gripping there at each other not
| six feet from the pit-briuk, the man let
go his hold and cried in his harsh voice:
Hold on there! Who be you? I thought
you was Ike London!'
They stood there glaring at each other,
the man wit h his thin face looking out OF
his matted hair and torn, scraggy beard
his fingers SO crooked and claw like That
YOU might have thought he had been hook
| ing himself up to the roof like bats, and
| his clothes the most ragged and dirty L
| ever saw.
(To be continued.)
Three Sacred Jokes.
(From the Chicago Recordo
ro,ooru;nr N a xy1y afriyed Years it ma y D6