The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-03
No one spoke. and Ned continued:

No one spoke. and Ned continued:
1T was, lenme sect was six, seven.
1t was eight years ago. Two fe}leFs
was worxin one of them prospects
what our fren' from England tODDied
inter, an / KEN along L see what was
happenin'.
Stood round awhile, and then
thot I'd KEN in yere fer drink.
Wall. an I lay down, an were jus a
putin my lipS TO water, when l see
the doggondest, greenest things starin
at me from over yander Che pointed
toward a corner of the chamber yer
ever cast blinkers on. / suttinly was
scared.
Il kin tell a cat. an I knew what
il was. The Scoundrel began craWlin
clOster up. reached into my pocket
for my jackknife-it was the only wep-
ping I had. kinder er0uehed on my
knees. The Cog gone cat come slidin'
up. AL to once she give q jump.
Il Hvered my face winder with one
arm and struck at the cat with the
knife. But the cat missed me an
missed him. He landed back of me-
1 had barely turned back when he
come again. Jest then I had an idea.
/ dropped fiat and the sOn-Of-a-aea-
cook went plump down yander in the
water
We'll, eff there's one thing a cat
hain't got no use fer no way, it's Wa
ter. and this Teller come slinkAl' out
like some old tom that'd bin dropped in
a well. Then I went for him. But he
didn't wait. He run to where the other
chaps was diggin' like a skinned race
boss. Them fellers was scared, they
was; an l was, too" Ned arose, and
holding his candle high. started on a
trip further into the cave. AS he led
the way, he said: EFF you felIers think
ye know what cave travelin' is by
comm this far yer wrong, fer yer don t
by durn site"
The naXt few moments verified his
assertion. The walls of the second
chamber began to converge Finally
they narrowed down to a tunnel in
which one could barely stand erect
Still the passage grew smaller. Then
Ned lay down fiat and commenced TO
wriggle along. So did the others. Quar-
ters were narrow and progress diff
cult. But after a. time another cham
Der was reached.
By perseverance and perhaps by the
spur Of pride which would not permit
one to stop while another would go fur
Their, the cave was penetrated for per-
haps three times the distance that had
already been gone over. AS one liter
ally rubbed elbows" with the rocks
they began to feel hard, rather than
mysterious. The general trend Of the
cave seemed to be downward, and
presently the floor became damp and
at times muddy Finally the walls be-
gan again to close in, and it was ap-
parent that another marrow place was
coming. Ned stopped and said:
KANT make it no further, I guess;
that place is gently full of water"
All stopped, glad perhaps that a spot
had been reached where nobody would
essay to go forward.
But Ned did not start back. He stood
still awhile, and then spoke again:
TOO bad it's wet season; there's a
mighty strange thing on the other
side"
whats that?" was asked.
ITS a doggOne tough crawl at any
time" continued Ned, somewhat irrele-
vanity, you've got to slide along about
! fifty feet, with one side in the water
an with yer candle and matches held
up. But alter that We come out into the
biggest room 1 ever see in a cave. You
! can heP yer light up and stare all you
want to; but doggone me eff ye can see
any roof. The floor slants down. an s
slippery and wet, so I jus stayed wheT
I was fer could hear Tunnin' water
I not lust a. mite like thet spring, but a
regular stream. Me and Luke Martin.
/ he come with me, we suttenly was
/ scared.
/ Then we see somethin' white near
US, only IL was a little to the right.
/ [ crawIed over, and, dOggOne me, Of it
wasn't somebody's bones. Yessir dog
| gone me fer a Dutchman. eff it WASH
! the bones of two or three fellers. who d
1 died Their.
! Il KEN back, and I says: Luke, let's
move Luke he didn't keer eff we did,
so we dug back"
f. Then Ned turned and led the way
I back. His guidance was as much need
/ ed to return as to come. for the main
cave had many inteTsecting branches,
/ that probably had no outlet.