The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-18

him. 1 thought 1 heard distant whir
I in the darkness. Before I could con-
vince myself that it was all magma
ton, the noise increased until it roared
and Numbered in the great emptiness.
was terribly frightened-too fright
ened to cry out.
\ great black shape suddenly doomed
in front Of me. 1t looked as big as q
blanket. 1t was suspended in space,
and two fiery eyes shone from its cen
ter. Though apparently stationary, L
knew it was coming straight at me.
My blood froze, my hair raised and my
tongue Glove to the roof of my parched
mouth. ] could neither move nor cry
out. The horrible thing was upon me,
it dashed the torch out of my hand,
knocked me off the rock and passed on,
continuing that terrifying whirring.
The sudden onslaught and Egyptian
darkness released my tongue, and for
the second time / made the cave ring
with my frightened yells. 1 started, as
l supposed, for the entrance, but i'm
mediately fell over a rock, barking my
shins painfully. With my senses thus
rudely restored, l sought for matches
to relight my torch, only to remember
that / had handed the box to Tommy.
Would ne never return? l crouched on
the cold. hard stone and wished my
self anywhere but there.
Again heard that awful whirring 1t
seemed familiar All, yes. 1 knew now,
it was a bat. l congratulated myself
on having escaped the humiliation of
exhibiting my fears to Tommy. 1 wasn't
afraid of a bait
But what was that? Something, some
animal, was approaching now; l could
hear it picking its way along the loose,
stones. Now. indeed, 1 had something
to fear; this was no bat. Whatever it
=
the cave, and could no doubt see me-
though 1 could not see it. had my gun
and my pipe torch-holder. L decided TO
fling the heavy pipe at it first A lucky
hit, or even the noise, might discour-
age the thing, and drive it back. If not,
/ would club my gun and try and hold
it at bay until Tommy returned with
the matches. l had an idea that these
subterranean dwellers feared a light;
If so, we could escape, and let the old
cave go hang.
l had the heavy pipe poised for a shot
in the dark. when voice came from the
creature-Tommy' voice-crying loudly:
Where are We, Frank? / cant see your
light
direction became. confused. 1t was Tommy
returning. We soon had light again.
Presently the passage enlarged both in
height and width. The light from the
torch was flashed back to us from many
Drlillant points, ana we knew lnat We
We're now in q. regular cave. Our excited
cries of admiration as these new and
beautiful sights burst upon us, and our
continued caliings to each other to Look
a here" and to .'See this" prevented the
hats. whom we could hear flying about
overhead from approaching near enough
to extinguish our light.
The place had grown out of all resem-
blance to a tunnel; in fact. the sides had
receded entirely out of sight, while al we
could see of the roof was the occasional
scintiliation of ray of light as ii en-
countered a biz of bright crystal. The
floor was comparatively smooth, and quite
hard Here and there great white stalag-
mites. like miniature icebergs. would loom
suddenly out OF the surrounding black
ness startling us at first. and afterward
exciting our admiration.
From the roof stalactites. like giant
icicles, descended sometimes nearly to