The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-17

ny loren, only 10 remember that l had
named the box to Tommy. Would he
never return? 1 crouched on the cola.
nara stone and wished myself anywhere
but there.
Again 1 heard that awful vbirrinp r
seemed familiar An. YES. knew now
II was a bat. l congratulated myself on
having escaped the humiliation of exhib-
itihg my fears to Tommy. / wasn't afraid
of a bat! AZ
But what was that? Something. some
animal, was approaching now: l could
near 1t picking its way among the loose
stones Now, indeed, l had something
to fear; this was no bat. Whatever II
was, II was coming from the interior of
the cave, and could no doubt see me
though l could not see it. / had nv gun
ana my pipe torchholder | decided TO
nlhg the heavy pipe at it first A lucky
MT or even the noise. might discourage
the thlng and drive it back If not 1
would cub my gun and try ana hold ii
at pay until Tommy returned with the
matches. ! had an idea that these sub
terranean jewellers feared a light; if so.
hang.
had the heavy pipe poised for shot
IN the dark, when a voice came from the
creature-Tommy's voice-crying loudly:
light"
When I fell over the rock my Ideas of
direction became confused. II was Tommy
returning. We soon had a light again.
presently the passage enlarged both in
night and width. The light from the
torch was flashed back to us from many
brilliant points. and we knew that we were
now in regular cave. Our excited cries
of admiration as these new and beauti-
full sights burst upon us. and our contin-
ued callings to each other to took a
mere, and 10 see this" prevented the
bats, whom we could hear flying about
overhead, from approa ching near enough
to eXtinguish our light.
The place had grown out of all resem.
blance 10 a tunnel; in fact, the sides had
receded entirely out of sight. while all we
could see of the roof was the occasional
scintiilationS of a ray of light as il en-
countered bit of bright crystal. The
floor was comparatively smooth. and, quite
hard Here and there great white sta.ag-
mites, like miniature icebergs, would loom
suddenly out of the surrounding blackness.
startling us al first, and afterward excit-
ing our admiration.
From the roof stalactites, like giant
icicles, descended sometimes nearly to the
floor We had both read OF these things.
but had never expected to see them As
| l was waving the torch about l saw what
looked like a great hole in the wall. Come
L
is"
Looking straight ahead, we entered the
place. It seemed to be a great ROOM Tom
my stumbled over something that ratified
and 1 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
a whitish cannon ball We were nearly
thrown into fits when on holding it to
the 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 had no desire TO pick 1t up
Gracious, Frank" said he, Somebody's
been murdered" We backed away from
the gruesone thing, and as l held the
torch aloft We saw that the pie of bones
was fairly studded with skulls. ribs and
fieshless feet and hands. | poked the
mass gingerly with my gun. Bits Of
| leather, colOred rags and bones came tum-
bling down.
It's an old Indian graveyard" I re-
marked; Unjust have fallen through some
time"
That's 1t, that's it." cried Tommy ex-
citedIy
put the last of my sp,ints in my torch
| holders and told Tommy we would have
to return now.
All flSnl, Sald ne, come on-O
| Frank He looked in my face with eyes
! like saucers, and held up the bail of twine
I'VE forgot to unwind the string.
We stood and stared al each other like
a couple of idiots for a minute.
How'll we ever ger out now?" asked
Tommy, his chin beginning TO culver.
I'll give it up" I replied, almost as
ready to cry as himself.
Tommy lit his torch and held it above
hi n 1crft
" small circle "Well, we've got 10 make
a start" said he, with poor attempt at
bravado. Come on; l guess we can find
the way We didn't come so very far"
We scrutinized the ground for tracks,
but there were none. I'VE better start,
said /; there's no use standing here and
letting the torch burn out. l guess We can
find it all right We've got to-"
We turned our backs 10 the pile of In
dian bones and walked along in silence
for five minutes, Tommy ahead with the
torch. l followed with my gun and arrow.
Suddenly Tommy cried:
"Hooray, Frank, we're all right now!
See this rock that looks like a windmill?
Don't you remember that?"
NO" said I, gloomiy; Il never saw it
before"
wen, 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 10 narrow
rapidly but instead of the ground rising,
as it should have done, il began TO fail
away. I called his attention TO the fact,
but he said we had not noticed the change
of grade when we came in, that was all.
We stumbled and blundered along another
five or zen minutes. | thought the place
was unfamiliar, but Tommy insitsed that
he was continually finding landmarks.
eve amt in the tunnel at all, said /,
noticing that the sides had again receded,
leaving us in a large open space. Tom
my took a look around and reluctantly ad-
mitted that | was right
I've may as well go back" said he, and
back we went 70 I don't know, for we
neither found the tunnel nor the Indian
bones from which we had just come. We
economized our splints; only using two at
a time. but in spite of all we could do, the
bundle dwndied with alarming rapidity
Tommy stumbled over black stone
which. on account of its being of the same
color as the floor, he had not seen, and
mi the light out A moment later he de-
cIarod he had lost the matches, end be-
San 10 cry Z was on the point of joining
hin, huf baDptIV | TemQm baTed that after