The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1906-03-28

my steps, slut Che door and procee,o
| ed to reclimb the stairway, but ii the
act of doing so | paused, for the Ian
tern flashing on the obscure corners re-
vealed to HE a second fight of steps
leading still downward from this Level.
Without hesitation and moved by some
excitement l abandoned my first inten-
ton and plunged down this new well.
The second flight led downward even
farther than the first, and must.
reckoned. have brought me under the
foundations of the castle. At the bot
tom l WAS in a square, damp hole, ana
before me stretched a tunnel the height
of tall man and very black and miry
The thought of entering upon that
mysterious and horrid gallery gave me
4 momentary pause. but, dissipat.ng
my fOrebodingS, | marched forward
and was soon buried III the bowels of
the earth.
The tunnel was barely six feet in
height. and | was obliged to walk with
a slight stoop. TO add to my dscom-
fort the roof, which was rudely put to
gether of huge stones, was very wet
and water trickled at intervals Oh my
head. Moreover. l was being grad
ually coated with filth from the sticky
nature of the clay through which the
gallery was driven and which had. in
the course of time. percOlated between
the stones. But | was now resolved to
see the end of the adventure, and 50
pushed on. undeterred by the incon
veniences and almost oblivious of my
fears.
y sense of Suffocation accompanied
Inc, but soon that feeling wore Off, and
| strobe along at Il sharper pace, light
ing my way as well as | could with the
lantern and stumbling at intervals over
the debris OF earth and stoue which
numbered the f0otway. | must have
gone some 800 yards in this fashion
when began to find tne passage grow
ing lighter Some time afterward
discovered ahead, but shining as it
seemed from a great distance, point
of brightness that grew as | advanced.
This was undoubtedly the mouth of the
tunnel, and, assured now of rea ching
some goal and no longer oppressed by
the terror of that dismal alley. l in
creased my pace, moving forward to
the light with Il cheerful alacrity.
Thus / drew near to the jaws of that
exit and came presently from the gal
lery itself into a wider space OF cavern
facing the heavens and rained upon by
stars. About me the hollow. Swallowed
and hidden under the thick autumn TO-
liage, was very gently luminous.
had now to determine my position.
and l will confess that l could not
make the least guess of my where
abouts 4 noise of water ran in my
ears, coming from my right hand. and
toward this l pushed my way. The
trees We're close, and the underground
of bracken and bushes rendered my ad-
vance very gradual, but by degrees |
| arrived at my point and found, what |
had lately begun to suspect, that the
sound rose from the little brook, which
here descended the face of steep
slope in pleasant gushing waterfall.
A great govt of water, flung from the
stones, dashed in my face quite mer
rily, and, heated with the confinement
! of the gallery and my long and trouble
some passage, | stopped and Dathed
my face and hands in the running
stream. | now began to see where |
was. This was a point in the Gwent
below the castle where the brook left
the park and where the hill fell sud
denly away into the valley, clothed
with a dense forest and traversed by
few save charcoal burners.
To BE CONTINUED