Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-12

hard days work Balser looked at his watch
and said it was five o'clock.
l. SO There S no treasure here, he said regret
fully; but am glad We came. We have been
rewarded for our trouble by the sight of this
wonderful cave.
al believe We have examined every square
foot of it, l answered. There are no more
caves to be conquered. think there is not a
spot in all these rooms that We have not gone
| over a dozen times. This is not Wyandotte 5
| cave; or he lied about the treasure. The Old
fellow was drunk when he told us the story.
- don't believe it is his cave, said Balser.
Well find the right cave one of these days,
| and We'll get the treasure Tom Andy Bill just
as sure as my name is Balser!
Well said l for perhaps the hundredth
time, L hope you're right: but We have no
more business here, SO let us get out and go
home.
WE took up our smoke trail, and had no
w difficulty in finding our way back to the
entrance of what we had chrlstened the mar
BILE chamber Just as we stopped to pass under
the low arch of the doorway. we heard back OF
us in the darkness whirring noise not unlike
that made by strong wind blowing through
leafcss forest. The noise increased rapidly,
and was most uncanny in its effect. 1t fright
ened us; but before we could learn the cause,
we were struck from behind as if by shower
of small stones. Our torches were dashed from
Our hands and We were thrown to the ground
Our lights were instantly extinguished. and
the noise continued for perhaps thirty seconds.
After it had ceased We lay on the floor OF
the cavern. and presently Balser said. Bats
saw them by thousands clinging to the roofs
and walls of the cave
He was right. Thousands of bats con-
gregated in the cave during the daylight, and
few out in great focks when the evening APP
preached. The explanation was simple enough
but the result was far from simple for Balser
and me. For the first time in my life | realized
what total darkness meant.
1--WE sat where We had fallen. and every few
minutes the whirring noise would pass over us.
1t seemed that we had suddenly dropped from
heaven into terrible inferno. After short
time the noise ceased, and we knew that the
bats had all gone out for the night We sup
posed that it was dark outside. We rose to
our feet. and began to grope around to ind. IT
possible, the passageway leading out. OF
course our smoke trail would be OF no help to us
in the dark. Life of mel how black it was
I'VE could not find the outgoing corridor.
Several times we thought we had found it. but
we invariably came up against stone wall.
We had been in great trouble at the lower end
of the slippery chute: but now we were in ut
ter despair. Our heads got many hard bump.
and we learned the lesson to make haste
slowly We kept firm grasp on each others
hands; for should we become separated We
might not be able to get together again The
reverberating echoes Of our voices were mis-
leading, and we had little chance of finding
each other by calling out, should We once be
parted.
Il gripped Balser's hand so hard that he
cried out in pain; but you never saw tue boys
stick closer together than we did in the black
heart of that awful rock If we must die. we
should die together ard l tell you, it looked
very much as though that fate was in store
for us.
A FTER bruising ourselves in every bone and
= muscle, we concluded to give up the fruit
less search; SO we sat down on the floor to rest
and, if possible to compose ourselves. We had
been in the cave long while, and were very
tired
"'How long do you suppose we have been
here since the torches went out? asked Balser.
"'I:m blest if l know, l answered; but it
has surely been eight or ten hours. Perhaps
it has been more.
1--WE lay down and tried to sleep. remem-
The S