The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-06-22

II
I'M in his alarm. He picked it up
and resumed his progress
along the pathway. So closely did he
now examine the ground that he hard
~ noted his direction. The track led
straight toward the wall of rock. The
distance was not great-about forty
yards. At first the brushwood imped-
disappeared, and a we'll defined passage
meandered through a belt of trees,
some strong and lofty, others quite i'm
mature
More bushes gathered at the foot of
the cliff. Behind them he could see
the mouth Of a cave. The six months
old growth Of vegetation about the en-
trance gave clear indication as to the
time which had elapsed since human
foot last disturbed the solitude.
4 few vigorous blows with the stick
cleared away obstructing plants and
leafy branches. The sailor stopped and
looked into the cavern, for the opening
was barely five feet high. He per-
ceived instantly that the excavation
q
fault in the hard rock A sort of nat
ural shaft existed, and this had been
extended by manual labor. Beyond
the entrance the cave became more
lofty. Owing to it's position with ref
erence to the sun at that hour jerks
imagined that sufficient light would
be obtainable when the tropical luxu-
rance of foliage outside was dispensed
with.
AT present the interior was dark
With the stick he tapped the walls and
roof. A startled cluck and the rush Of
wings heralded the fight Of two birds
alarmed by the noise. Soon his eyes,
more accustomed to the gloom, made
out that the place was about thirty
feet deep, ten feet wide in the center
and seven Or eight feet high.
At the farther end was a collection of
objects inviting prompt attention. Each
moment he could see with greater dis
tinctness. Kneeling on one side Of the
little pile, he discerned that on a large
stone serving as a rude bench We're
some tin utensils, some knives, a sex
tant and quantity of empty cartridge
cases. Between the stone and what q
miner terms the "face" of the rock was
four foot space. Here, half imbedded
in the sand which covered the floor,
were two pickaxes, a shovel, sledge
hammer, a fine timber telling ak and
three crOWbars.
In the darkest corner Of the caves
extremity the "wall' appeared to be
very smooth. He prodded with the
stick, and there was a sharp clang Of
tin. He discovered six square kerosene
oil cases carefully stacked up. Three
were empty, one seemed to be half full,
and the contents of two We're I'M
touched. With almost feverish haste
he ascertained that the half filled tin
did really contain OIL
"What fndv' he calculated aloud.
So far as he could judge, the cave
harbored no further surprises. Return
ing toward the exit, his boots dislodged
more empty cartridges from the sand.
They were shells adapted to a revolver
Of heavy caliber. At a short distance
from the doorway they were present in
DOZENS
''The remnants of fight" he
thought. ''The man was attacked and
defended himself here. Not expecting
the arrival of enemies, he provided no
store of food or water. He was killed
while trying to reach the we'll, proba-
bly, at night
He wildly pictured the scene-a
brave, hardy European keeping at bay
boat load of Dyak savages, enduring
manfully the agonies of hunger, thirst,
perhaps wounds; then the siege, fol-
lowed by a wild effort to gain the life
giving we'll, the hiss Of Malay parang
welded by a lurking foe and the last
despairing struggle before death came.
He might be mistaken. Perchance
there was less dramatic explanation
But he could not shake off his first i'm
pressions.
"What was the poor devil doing
here?" he asked. "Why did he bury
himself in this rock, with mining uten-
sils and few rough stores? He could
not be a castaway. There is the indi-
NalioAA " l$uApOSS, VI pIcpdIdL1Ou, Ol
method combined with ignorance, for
none who knew the ways of Dyaks and
Chinese pirates would venture to live
here alone if he could help it, and if he
really were alone''
There was relief in hearing his own
voice. He could hum, and think and
act. Aiming himself with the ak, he
attacked the bushes and branches of
trees in front Of the cave He cut a
fresh approach to the we'll and threw
the litter over the skeleton. At first
he was inclined to bury it where it
lay, but he disliked the idea of Iris
walking unconsciously over the place.
No time could be wasted that day. He
would seize an early opportunity to
act as gravedigger.
After an absence Of little more than
an hour he rejoined the girl. She saw
him from afar and wondered whence
he obtained the ak he shouldered.
'You are a successful explorer" she