The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1908-04-11
Ole
MYSTERY
By Stewart Edward White
And Samuel Hopkins Adams
Copyright, 1907. by Mcclure, Phillips & Co.

CHAPTER XVII.

- 4
ular expeditions and ordered their di
rection. The men did not object. 1
was all good enough fun to them.
The net results were that we founC
resting place OF sea birds-too late
In the season for eggs-a hot sprins
near enough camp TO be useful. ant
that was about all. The sheep wer,
the only animals on the island, al
though there were several sorts OF
birds. In general the country was as
have described it-either volcanic oil
overlaid with fertile earth. In any
case 1t was canyon and hill. We soon
grew tired of climbing and turned our
attention To the sea.
With the surfboat we skirted the
coast 1t was impregnable except IN
three places-our own beach. that near
the seal rookery and on the south side
of the Island. We landed at each one
6f these places. but returning close
to the coast we happened upon q
cave mouth more or less guarded by
an outlying rock.
| The day was calm SO we ventured
IN. At first | thought II merely n
gorge In the rock. but even while peer
IN for the end wall we slipped under
the urchway and found ourselves In n
| vast room.
Our eyes were dazzled so we could
Make out little at first. But through
the still. clear water the light fltcred
freely from below, showing the bottom
rs through sea glass. We saw the
fish near the entrance and coral and
sea growths OF marvellous vivldness
They waved slowly as IN draft Of air
The racdiu;n In which they foated was
absolutely invisible. for OF course
there were no reflections from its sur.
face. We seemed to be suspended IN
midair AMI only when the dipping
oars made rings could we realize that
anything sustained us.
Suddenly the place let loose In pan
demonium. The most tiendlsh cries,
groans. shrieks broke out. confusing
themselves So thoroughly with thei
own echoes that the volume of sound
was continuous. Heavy splashes shook
the water. The boat rocked. The in
visible surface was broken into facets.
We shrank. terrified. From all about
us glowed hundreds of eyes like Goals
Of tire-on a level with us. above us,
almost over our heads. Two by two
the Goals We're extinguished
Below us the bottom was clouded
with black figures darling rapidly like
a school of minnows beneath boat.
They darkened the coral and the sands
and the glistening sea growths, only
the OSCILLATIONS and brightenings sue
ceeded each other much more swiftly.
We stared stupefied. our thinking
power blurred by the ineessant whlrl
Of motion and noise.
Suddenly Thrackles laughed aloud.
Seals" he shouted through his
trumpeted hands.
Our eyes were expanding to the twi-
light. We could make out the arch OF
the room, its shelves and hollows and
inches. Lying on them We could dis
Germ the seals, hundreds and hundreds
OF them, all staring at us, all barking
and believing. AS we approached they
diving 10 the bottom, scurried to the
entrance of the cave.
We lay on our oars for ten minutes
Then silence fell There persisted a
TINY Grip. drip drip, from some point In
the darkness. 1t merely accumulated
the hush. Suddenly from far In the
Interior of the hill there came long.
hollow boo-o-om. 1t reverberated, roar
ing. The surge that had lifted our
boat some minutes before thus reached
its journeys end. f|n,t a.
The chamber was very lofty. As we
rowed cautiously In II lost nothing OF
Its height, but something In width. 1t
was marvelpusly colored, like all the
volcanic rocks Of this island. In addi-
ton some chemical drip had thrown
across its vlyidness long gauzy stream
ers Of white. We rowed In as far as
the faintest daylight lasted us. The
occasional reverberating boom of the
surges seemed as distant as ever.
This was beyond the seal rookery on
the beach. Below 1t We entered an !
open cleft of some size to another I
squarer cave. 1t was now high tide. |
The water extended a scant ten faith j
oms TO end on an interioI shale beach. !,
The cave was a perfectly straight pas
sage following the line Of the cleft. |
How far In 1t reached we could not
determine, for II, too. was full of seals, i.
and after We had driven them back n |
hundred feet or so their fiery eyes !
scared US out. We did not care to put |
them at bay.
The next day | rowed out to the |
Laughing Lass and got a rifle.
found the captain asleep in his bunk |
and did not disturb him. Perdosa and !
l., with infinite pains, tracked and \
stalked the sheep, of which I killed /
one. We found the mutton excellent. |
The hunting was difficult aud the q
quarry as time went on more and more
but henceforward we did
not lack for fresh meat. Further
more, We soon discovered that fine
trolling was to be lad outside the
reef. We rugged a sail for the extra
dory and spent much Of our time ar
the sport. | do not know the names
Of the fish. They were very gamy,
indeed, and ran from five TO an indie
terminate number of pounds In weight.