The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1900-10-23

aged.
But at last he put down his feet
once more. and touched the rocky bot
to. Now he waded. and when he came
To sbOal water. stopped and put on
his boots again. Then he moved on
slowly and cautiously.
As he was creeping along with his
hands against the wall he came TO Il
vacant space. lie advanced into it a
few feet. and by feeling for the walls.
found that it was another cave branch
ing off from the one he was following.
He thought of the danGer.if he should
have TO retracc his way Of wandering
into one Of these branch caves and
getting hopclesSly lost. Probably he
had already passed several OF them
without Knowing it.
There would be no danger from this
one. for ii was nearly dry. But some
of tn" others might have streams How.
ing out of them. which lie could mis-
take for the main stream
This thought made Lem feel very
uncomfortable, particularly rs he re-
called stories of several persons who.
becoming lost in caves. had wandered
ON until they died Of starvation. But
the danger was already incurred. and
he decided TO go ahead With hands
extended in front of him he moved
ON. feeling his way step 10y step
through the hlackncss.
At last his forehead struck some
thing cold ana wet. ana me- started
back. 1t proved to hC the limestone
roof of the cave. which here an
preached the floor. STOPPING. hc made
his way under it, Lower and lower it
came. and he had To get down on his
hands and knees and crawl through
Che shallow water. Then the roof he
gan TO rise. and soon aftcrward he
could stand upon his feet again.
For some time hc had been hearing
sound that differed i'm character ana
volume from that made by the shoal
water The further lie went. the loud
or this sound grew. until il roarcd like
some great cataract. At first hr was
filled with awe and dread: but little
reelection told him that very small
waterfall down here would make all
the sound lac heard So he kept OH
until hr was only Il few feet from
where the stream plunged down
He stood and listened to the dcafcn-
ing roar, trying to find how far the
water was falling. At last he picked
up stone and threw ii over the clirf.
Ii struck i'm rather deep water four
or five feet down. ms nearly as he
could Judge from The sound. lie threw
several moro stones. which confirmed
his belief that the water was not fail
ing far.
Here again he was tempted to turn
back. hut the thought of all the dis
lance he had come. and of the danger
of losing his way. as wen rs of the
long waiting after he got back, made
him decide TO keep on his course.
He got down on his hands and knees
and felt the ledge over which the shall
low water was tumbling. Finally.
with some hesitation. he put his fin
gers in Il crcvicc in the rock and began
TO let himself over the ledge. Lower
and lower lie went and the water
pouring over him
Suddenly his fingers slipped out Of
the Shiny crcyicc aud he fell back
ward!
Down he plunged into a pool. with
n great splash that echoed and kept
cchoing strangely i'm the cave. His
head went under, but he quickly got
upon his feet in water little more than
waist deep.
When he recovered from his surprise
lie approached the fall and while thc