Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-16

back. If not 1 would club my gun, and
try and hold it at bay until Tommy re-
turned with the matches. | had an idea
that these subterranean jewellers feared q
light; if SO, we could escape, and lei the
old cave go hang.
l had the heavy pipe poised Tor sho. In
the dark. when voice came from the
creature-Tommy's voice-c:yng loudly
Where are ye, Frank? ! can't see your
light"
When I fell over the rock my ideas OF
direction became confused. It was ! ommy
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 brilliant
points. ard We knew that we were now In
a regular cave. Our excited cries of admi-
ration as these new and beautiful sights
burst upon us, and our continued callings
to each other to look a here" and to "see
this" prevented the bats whom we could
hear flying about overhead. from approach
ing near enough to eXtinguish our light.
The place had grown out Of all resem-
bance to tunnel; in fact, the sides had
receded entirely out of sight, while all we
could see of the roof was the occasional
scintillations Of a ray of light as it en-
countered bit of bright crystal The floor
was comparatively smooth. and quite hard.
Here and there great white stalagmiteS,
like miniature icebergs, would loom sud-
denly out of the surrounding blackness,
startling us at first and afterward exciting
admiration.
From the roof stalacttes, like giant
icicles descended sometimes nearly to the
floor. We had both read of these things,
but had never expected to see them. AS
was waving the torch about l saw what
looked like a great hole in the wall Come
here, Tommy" said 1 lets see what this
Looking straight ahead, entered the
place. II seemed to be great room Tom
my stumbled over something that ratified.
and l fell against stack Of bones and
rags. A smothering cloud of dust from the
pile enveloped us at once.
My land Frank, what's that?" asked
Tommy. as he picked up what looked like
whitish cannon ball. We were nearly
torch. We found ourselves gazing into the
empty eye sockets of a grinning human
skull.
Tommy dropped 1t as though it had been
red hot, and l had no desire to pick it up
Gracious, Frank said he, somebody S
been murdered" We backed away from
the gruesome thing, and as 1 held the
torch aloft we saw that the pile of bones
was fairly studded with skulls, ribs and
fieshess feet and hands. ! poked the mass
gingery with my gun. Bits of leather
colored rags and bones came tumbling
down.
It's an old Indian graveyard" 1 re-
marked, must have fallen through some
time"
That's it. that's it!' cried Tommy, ex-
citedly.
I put the last of my splints in my torch
holder. and told Tommy we would have to
return now.
"Al right said he come on-oh
Frank He looked in my face with eyes
like saucers, and held up the ball of Irvine.
We forgot unwind the string
We stood and stared at each other like
couple of idiots for a minute.
How'll we ever get out now?" asked
Tommy, his chin beginning to CULVER
I'm give it up" / replied, almost as
ready to cry as himself
Tommy lit his torch and held 1t above his
head. 1t Illuminated discouragingly
small circle. We'll, we've got to make a
start" said he, with poor attempt at
bravado. Come on: l guess we can find
the way. We didn't come very far"
We scrutinized the ground for tracks, but
there were none. I'VE better start" said
l. There's no use standing here and let
find it all right. We've got to-
We turned our backs to the pile of In
dian bones, and walked along in silence for
five minutes, Tommy ahead with the torch
l following with my gun and arrow. Sud-
denly Tommy cried:
"Hooray, Frank, we're all right now!
See this rock that looks like windmill?
Don't you remember that?'
BEFORE
We'll. did. just after we got out of the
narrow part of the tunnel Wen be out
now in short order"
Sure enough, the cave began to narrow
rapidly, but instead Of the ground rising,
us II should nave done, 1t began to fall
but he said we had not noticed the change
OF grade when We came in. that was all.
We stumbled and Numbered along another
nve or ten minutes. ! thought the place