The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-03-09

had reached the great. dark room
again, the others being close behind
him. when he saw the dull glow OF
a torch far away on the side FROM
which they had come. 1t was the
black sailor. Cufe. coming back with
more splints for torches.
Several times as they had come
through the lofty room they had no
ticed low swapping sounds, accom-
panied by a vague stir as of living
creatures. 1t seemed TO Mcclure. too,
that he caught glimpses OF minute,
family shining points all about But
although the explorers frequently
stopped to listen, they had determined
nothing with certainty.
The Arab captain now called out to
his servant to advance slowly and
mind his steps. But the Zanzibar,
being probably frightened, rushed to-
ward the sound OF their voices. with
the result that moment later ne
fell headlong into one of the chasms
in the floor. AS he went down ne
uttered frightful yell, and that
single loud cry appeared to act as a
note of invocation to all the uncanny
spirits of the cave.
Instantly there broke forth 4 chor'
us of wild, harsh shrieks. a swapping
and clacking as of million jaws anu
beaks, a strange, hoarse squeaklng as
of ten thousand rusted hinges, and
a deafening burst of noise like rum
bling thunder in suhterranean vaults
The three explorers, who had start
ed to hasten to Cufe's assistance, were
suddenly overborne and pushed bodily
backward down the steep descent to-
ward the hole by rushing torrent
of furry bodies and madly Tapping
wings. 1t was only by the utmost
exertion of their strength, lying face
downward and clutching at creVlces
and angles of the rocky floor OF the
passage, that they saved themselves
from being carried, out at the hole
and hurled into the abyss below.
The strange winged creatures we're
bats, as large as barn fowls, OF spe-
cies hitherto undescribed. Cutes
torch, or his shrek as he fell. had
startled them from their roostlng
places on the walls and roof OF the
cave, and set them flying out. For
more than twenty minutes the out
ward flight of the bats continued
without abatement
The men dared not stir or lift their
heads, since the flying bodies were
constantly hurtling past SO close as
to Craze them.
The living torrent slackened after a
time and gradually ceased. Then NC
Clure and his two companions MADE
their way cautiously back into the
large. dark room from which the oats
had emerged, shouting to CUTE. Ob-
tanning no answer, they lighted their
last splint and made hasty search Tor
him. The narrow chasm into which
he had fallen looked very deep.
Again and again they shouted, but
got no response. They dared NOT
lnger lest they should be lost in the
darkness of the cavern; they beat
hasty retreat, reaching the first OF the
lofty rooms just as the spllnt was
consumed. From this room they had
literally to grope their way to the en-
trance.
The sun had already set when they
emerged from the cavern, and before
more torchwood could be prepared, .
fierce squall, accompanied by light
ming and thunder, swept the noun
tainside. But they at last procured
another armful of splints and re-en-
tered the cave, to renew the search
for the missing Zanzibar. The chasn
proved to be very deep. Spllnts
dropped into it fell sheer down TOR
forty or fifty feet. The explorers were
unable to find Cufe, who had undoubt-
edly been killed outright.-Youths
Companion.