Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1900-02-08

by Jove. he CALCULATED, 1.-THE ante
diluvian condition brought down to the
nineteenth century! Don't you see
The hot spring makes the nimbus of
vapor and Steades the temperature. the
stream irrigateS the place. and this
rich nitrous earth forms the soil.
Shades of the argonauts, what dis
covery-if fellow could only get back
to earth with it,.
Yes" said l. eff What are these
They look like sweet potatoes"
'Tlley are See here!'' He stopped
to examine Il tuber the size of an os-
trich's egg and in the act picked up a
queer shaped implement like a short
handled spear. with Il fiat head of alb
normal proportions.
Isis it a spear?" I said it with an
involuntary glance over my shoulder.
Hargreaves shook my head NO;
it S an implement, a shovel or a spade"
Then with sudden emphasis: Say,
your theory about the rope is wrong.
This place is inhabitedr'
"'Was,' you mean
No; is This spade has been used
recently. This big hotbed is no freak
Of nature. 1t is man made. an under
ground farm
Good heavens. and we haven't so
much as policeman's billy between
us. Let's get out of here."
HargreaveS grinned. $50 saw L.
I'm with you if we can find the way.
Come on and bring the spade. 1t won't
be such bad weapon at a pinch.'
Since our only hope lay in regaining
the higher levels of the great cavern,
we chose Il corridor which led upward
The new route proved most difficult
Without the torch we should have been
dashed to death in the first hundred
feet and, lacking the rope, we should
have been stopped at the first of the
crevice precipiceS which cut the gal
lery at short intervals
When we had burrowed a guessed
half mile. Hargreaves flung himself
down and filled his pipe.
Not another step before | have a
smoke" he declared. and before |
could stop him one of the two priceless
matches was tlaring over the bowl Of
his pipe
"For Gods sake" L yelled, "are
matches SO plentiful that you can
waste them? What's the matter with
the torch?'
He gaZed blankly at the charred
splnt aud thrust it absently into his
pocket.
THAT'S commentary on the force
of habit" he said, "but it's done now
and can't be helped. Let's have look
at that spade"
l passed it to him.
GOOD bit of workmanship, that, and
a fine specimen of an art older than
Christianity"
Glow is that:" l queried
Its copper"-he raped the blade
with his knuckles, and it rang like tenn
pered steel" hardened copper, and we
can't do it with al our ingenuity. It's
Aztec or Toltec. The Indians are not
metal workers"
What is the handle made OFF,"
"Fiber of some sort-fern fiber prob
ably, plated and soaked in bitumen.
Listen! What is that noiSe?"
A curious rumbling, muftled and dis
tant and yet strangely familiar filled
the air. Il grew apace and at it's loud
est was dominated by four mellow
cries, like the augmented boots of a
great owl. glanced at my watch.
what was it?" said Hacgreaves,
starting up,
Didn't you recognize it? It's train
the night express from Nashville to
Chattanooga. II it is on time, it left
Bridgeport less than 10 minutes ago"
Hargreaves sprang to his feet and
knocked the ashes from his pipe.
"Come on he cried. IF we're that
near, there must be another opening.
Give me the torch"
Continued Next week.