The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-11-09

of a group of animals about half a mile
away that, after careful scrutiny we
were we'll satisfied were the very crea-
lures for which we were hunting.
''The ground was not very favorable
for an advance, but we managed to steal
along until we were almost within gun
shot, and were quite confident we were
going to be given our pick out Of the
group.
"Maxville was slightly in advance,
and we kept our relative positions, both
advancing upon our hands and knees,
while the Glands continued nibbling at
the rank grass, until it seemed to me
we were near enough to risk shot.
"As Max didn't stop, | warned him
in whisper that he would brighten the
game.
"He turned his head and pointed to
streak of low, dense bush, yard or
two in advance, which he signified he
wished to reach before firing.
81 hadn't noticed the cover, which
lay little to the left, and it struck me
as such good plan that I nodded for
him to go on.
'He timed his progress so that when
he reached it, minute or two after
ward, | was directly beside him.
"'Eow,' said he, we've got them just
where we want them, and we can take
our choice from the lot. I'll take that
big fellow off there to the left; and
there's another with his head up, as
if he scented danger. Suppose you
take him?'
I'm agreeable l replied, and it
isn't safe to fool away any more time.
with that we brought our guns
around, and hitched forward to make
the aim more certain, when, without
the least warning, the ground gave
way beneath us and we found ourselves
going down somewhere.
"MaXville gave a shout, and dropping
our guns we made a desperate effort
to save ourselves. He grabbed at the
bushes, but as l saw them going, too,
| gave a backward spring, or rather
| tried to do so.
"As is generally the case at such
times, some little impediment pre-
vented. My foot caught in vine, fell,
and down we both went amid a lot of
bushes, earth and pebblestones.
when we fetched up on the bottom,
| and found that neither of us was hurt,
we laughed; but after we looked into
the matter little further, we didn't
laugh quite so much.
1--WE had fallen into seam or fissure
| about so feet in depth, and of indefinite
| length. 1t was one of those cracks such
as are met with in tropical countries
and the dense vines growing on the
| margin so hid it from view that we
| never suspected its existence, and went
SO near that it crumbled, and we both
tumbled over the edge together.
"The underground and rafting debris
| so broke our fall that we were not hurt
| in the least; but when we examined fur.
| ther, we found that, somehow or other
| both our guns were so injured as to be
useless until repaired. The locks were
only slightly broken, but it was just
| enough to prevent their being dis
charged WIllle IN tnat flN.
THE fissure into which we were pre-
| cipitated was no more than four feet
in width. We supposed at first that by
going either forward or backward we
would find some way out.
MAX walked ahead, while | went the
opposite way. A hundred feet or more
and was stopped by the narrowing OF
| the crack, which seemed to come to.
| gether a short distance further on
When | attempted to push ahead, l was
| nearly covered by the dirt that ratified
| down upon my head-so, of course,
turned back to hear what Max had to
say.
II met him at the very spot where
we had fallen in, and he shook his head
| There was no door by which we could
| walk out. He had been obstructed in
the same manner as /; but he found a
little spring at the extremity of his
walk, the water of which seemed to es-
cape by some underground outlet.
"'How are we to get out?' was the
question which came to our lips stimuli
| taneously as we looked in each others
| faces.
1T was already growing dark, and
we had no reason to hope that any of
our friends were within five miles: but.
as nothing else suggested itself, we
took turns in shouting until we were
| compelled to cease from exhaustion
No response came; and as night wore
on, Max and | sat down to discuss the
situation, which indeed, was no joking
matter.
For long time it seemed as if there
must be some way by which we could
climb up the sides of the ravine. and II
was not until we had repeatedly tried
and failed that we concluded that ONE
| other means must be found. You see
that, while there were plenty OF places by
which we could catch hold, yet none OF
| them would hold. Every time we tried
it, the dirt and gravel came rafting
| down on our heads; and more than
once we really feared we were going &c
| be buried alive.