Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-02-22

the entrance the cave became more
lofty. Owing to its 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 flight 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 feetfwlde in the center
and seven or eight feet high.
AT the farther end was 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 large
stone serving as rude bench were
some tin utensils, some knives, sex
tant and quantity of empty cartridge
cases. Between the stone and what a
miner terms the face" of the rock was
four foot space. Here, half imbedded
in the sand which c. sered the floor,
We're two pickaxes, u shovel, n sledge
hammer, a fine timber telling ax 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 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 were I'M
touched. With almost feverish haste
he ascertained that the half filed tin
did really contain oil.
"What n find!" 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 revolver
Of heavy caliber. AT n short distance
from the doorway they were present in
dozens.
"The remnants of a 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 well, proba-
bly, at night"
He wildly pictured the scene-a
brave, hardy European keeping Mt bay
a boat load Of Dyak savages, enduring
manfully the agonies Of hunger, thirst
perhaps wounds; then the siege, fol
lowed by wild effort to gain the life
giving well, the hiss of Malay parang
welded by 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 castaway. There is the indi-
cation of purpose, of preparation, of
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 We're 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 well and threw
the litter over the skeleton. At first
he was inclined to bury it where 1t
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 OK he shouldered.
you are successful explorer" she
cried when lie drew near.
Eyes, Miss Deane l have found we.
ter, implements, shelter, even light"
"What sort of lightY
COIL"
"And the shelter-is it house?"
NO cave. If you are sufficiently
rested you might come and take DOS.
session."
Her eyes danced with excitement.
He told her what he had seen, with
reservations, and she run on before
him to witness these marvels.
why did you make new path to
L tho wA11Vb Sha ,ft 4
survey.
"a new PATH" The pertinent ques-
ton staggered him.
Eyes, the people who lived here must
have had some sort of free passage"
He lied easily. 81 have only cleared
away recent growth" he said.
"And why did they dig a cave? It
surely. would be much more simple to
build house from all these trees"
"There you puzzle me-" he said
frankly
They had entered the cavern but a
little way and now came out.
"These empty cartridges are funny.
They suggest fort, battle" Wo-
manlike, her words were carelessly
CHOSEN, Dut they were crammed with
inductive force.
Embarked on the toboggan slope Of
untruth, the sailor slid smoothly down
ward.
Events have colored your imagina.
ton, Miss Deane. Even in England
men often preserve such things for fu-
ture use. They can be reloaded"
"Yes, have seen keepers do that.
This is different. There is an air off,
"There is lot to be DONE" broke
In jerks emphatically. 1--WE must
climb the hill and get back here in
time to light another fire before the
sun goes down. I want to prop cam
vas sheet in front Of the cave and try
to devise n lamp"
"Must sleep inside" demanded Iris.
"Yes. Where else?"
There was pause, mere Whit of
awliwardness.
Il will mount guard outside" went
on jerks. He WINS trying to improve
the edge Of the ak by grinding it on