Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-03-24
oHAPrpR XVII.

CHAPTER XVII,
f~lHE next day We continued our
explorations by land and SO
for week after that /
- thought It best not to relin-
quish all authority, so organized reg
ular expeditions and ordered their d.
rection. The men did not object. It
was all good enough fun to them.
The net results were that we found
resting place Of sea birds-too late
In the season for eggs-a hot spring
near enough camp to be useful. and
that was about all. The sheep were
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 or
overlaid with fertile earth. In any
case it 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
of these places. But returning close
to the coast we happened upon a
cave mouth more or less guarded by
an outlying rock.
The day was calm. so we ventured
in. At first thought 1t merely a
gorge in the rock, but even while peer
ing for the end wall we slipped under
the archway and found ourselves in q
vast room.
Our eyes were dazzled SO we could
make out little at first. But through
the still, clear water the light filtered
freely from below, showing the bottom
rs through sea glass. We saw the
fish near the entrance and coral and
sea growths Of marvellous yividness
They waved slowly as in draft Of air.
The medium in which they foated was
absolutely invisible, for of course
there We're no reflections from its sur
face. We seemed to be suspended In
midair, and only when the dipping
oars made rings could we realize that
anything sustained us.
Suddenly the place let loose in pan
demonium. The most fiendish cries,
groans. shrieks broke out. confusing
themselves so thoroughly with their
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
O1aHvah hnn1rodc ~ 10
Of fire-on level with us, above US,
almost over our heads. Two by two
the Goals were extinguished.
Below us the bottom was clouded
with black figures darting rapidly like
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 stupefed, our thinking
power blurred by the incessant whirl
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
scrambled from their elevations and.
diving to the bottom, scurried to the
entrance of the cave.
We lay on our oars for ten minutes.
Then silence fell. There persisted a
tiny drip. drip drip, from some point In
the darkness. 1t merely accentuated
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.
The chamber was very lofty. AS we
rowed cautiously In 1t lost nothing of
its height, but something in width. 1t
was marvelously colored, like all the
volcanic rocks of this island. In addi-
ton some chemical drip had thrown
across its yivldness 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
squarer cave. 1t was now high tide.
The water extended scant ten faith
oms to end on an interior shale beach
The cave was perfectly straight pas.
sage following the line Of the cleft
How far in 1t reached we could moi
determine, for 1t, too, was full Of seals
and after we had driven them back a
hundred feet or SO their fiery eyes
scared us out. We did not care to put
them at bay.
The next day I rowed out to the
Laughing Lass and got q rife. !
found the captain asleep In his bunk
and did not disturb him. Perdosa and
I. with infinite pains, tracked and
stalked the sheep, Of which killed
one. We found the mutton excellent.
The hunting was difficult and the
quarry as time went on more aud more
suspicious, but henceforward we did
not lack for fresh meat. Further
more, we soon discovered that fine
trolling was to be had outside the
reef. We rugged sail for the extra