Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-01-22
CHAPTER VIII.

Ing ABOUT WORKING IN lnlS cave, Sdfd i,
when | had brought myself into a prac-
teal state of mind again. THE first
blow might bring another avalanche down
on US, and ones enough in a day It's
still less a bit of good making any at
tempt in French Peters cave for, to
begin with, don't care to risk my neck
in scaling the slope without a light, and
candles are too precious to burn; and
secondly, those blocks would be found
more treacherous TO work on than these
before us. Very well, then, if we cannot
attempt anything in these two caves, there
remains only your bedchamoer to go at
That is certainly the safest of the three,
and think we can chop away at the cliff
there till we can't chop any longer, with
no fear of dying by anything worse than
starvation. Now how can | tell you
that | want to be led into the little cave,
Psyche? Do you know what this means?
Splash, splash, dabble dabble, splash =
You're a better thought reader than ever
I've known" l added, as she began to
lead me along. with a purl of satisfaction
in recognizing my wish.
had not been in this cave before with
out candle, and it surprised me now TO
find how much lighter it was than ex-
pected. | could make out the form of
Psyche, and when we came Immediately
below the strip of blue 1 could here dis
tinguish her features, although the open
ing through which the light came was
mere crack. The tide had cbbed, and
there was no longer pool in the cavity,
but Psyche running down the bottom and
scooping away a few handfuls of sand
showed me that there was still water not
far below the surface. was sorry to see
this, for it had occurred to me on seeing
the water gone that we might be able to
tunnel under the rock instead of through
it, and so make our escape by the shore.
Still there was hope that the tide was
not yet at its lowest.
/ looked up to see if it might be prac-
ticable to get to the opening, and by
enlarging it to escape thence. But the
mouth of this cave was closed, not by
mass of rubble and scattered blocks as
in the others, but by clean cut mass
sloping outward below, and presenting
no irregularities that would facilitate
climbing The walls of the cave again
which it had ground its way in falling,
arched over and were even more i'm
practicable. The opening was, as |
reckoned, fifty feet over our heads.
If that great heap of rubbish in the
next cave were only piled up here,
Psyche" said l, finding that / had laps
ed into silence.
She answered by rubbing her cheek
against my shoulder and murmuring
some unintelligible sounds
but it isn't, and we have to do with
out it somehow. We might drag it in lit
tie by little, to he sure but It would take
us months TO make pile that would reach
to that opening, and I'm afraid we have
not got months to live. If we dared to
pull down one of the timbers that shore
up the roof in the big cave, with a view
to notching it for ladder, I'm not sure
that we could drag it in here; but | am
sure that we could never se7 it I'D on
end. So that's no good, is il? No, we
must either cut through the chalk or bur-
row under it. Now, supposing we tap it
all the way along, and see if any one
part sounds less solid than the other"
We went to the extreme end on one
side, and with the back of the Ratchet
/ knocked upon he face of the chalk
till we reached the other end. 1t amused
Psyche. but it disheartened me, for |
could make out no difference in the sound
anywhere.
1T doesn't matter where we begin,
Psyche. We shall just make a mark to
show some future discoverer where we
tried 70 escape before we lay down to
die, and that's ALL"
That's ALL" she said, catching the
words and echoing nay mournful tone.
well. here goes for a beginning" said
l, in desperation: and disengaging her
hands from my own, / gave a cut at the
chalk with my ak. Chipping first of all
square about two feet each way, which
/ considered sufficiently large for us to
wriggle through if ever we got the chance,
l worked on steadily till l was tired out.
Psyche stood by looking on in silence
while | was engaged; but the moment
laid down the ak she took X up and car
ried on the work nor would she give up
the AK until her strength would go no
further.
well done, Psyche. you are a brave
little helpmate," said L but when | took
the Ok from her hand l felt that she way
trembling with exhaustion, and her arms
and face were wet with pe-spiration.
wiped her face gently with my handker-
chief ard made her sit down by my side,
with words of sympathy and admiration
that sprang from my heart. As for her,
l believe that this was the happiest hour
of her life, for she cooed with delight as
she nestled close to my side.
We had been working the best part of
-, i aNA nN civ
head was getting dark. from which l con
cluded it must be abogt seven o'clock, it
Being now the end of March.
we have done enough for to-day,
Psyche said l, greatly elated by our
progress. land you have done admirably
quite as much as l have. | daresay
we've knocked the hole six inches deep
between us. That's good. One thing
l perceive now that l might have fore
seen at first. We haven't got il large
enough by two-thirds. We may have
fifty feet of the stuff to work through.
and we must, therefore, make the hole
big enough to stand upright and work in.
That's discouraging. but we won't think
of it. viii weT'
She attempted TO respond. but her voice
had lost its clear sweetness. and was
husky and thick. Ny own voice rasped
my throat: but the knowledge that she
was already suffering from thirst was
harder to bear than my own craving. and
the anticipation of what she must Yet
suffer before the end came maGdened me.
I'VE must have water l cried in des-
pesation. What can / dofs
She nestled yet closer TO my arm. as if
to comfort me in my evident distress.
Suddenly / remembered the water at
the bottom of the well. and the bucket