Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-02-28
ADVENTURE IN A CAVE.
Stranded Hunter Battles With q Big
Seal.

Stranded Hunter Battles With a Big
Seal.
| 1t was in the autumn OF 1897,
while on a visit to the Outer He
brides, off the west coast Of Scotland,
that I met with the following adven-
ture. The coast along the west side
of the Long Island, as 1t is called, is
dotted with innumerable small
rocky islands, which, during the fish
ing season, swarm with wild geese,
ducks, curlew, golden plovers and
flocks Of the hundred and one varie-
J ties Of the diver species. Stalking
geese, however, is exceedingly trying
work. Crawling along on hands and
knees over rough, sharp rocks, you,
perhaps, get within yard Of par
ticular ridge, where you know you
can get a shot, only to find that q
curlew or plover has been stalking
you, and, thinking you have gone FAR
enough, gives his warning signal
which is instantaneously followed by
the whir Of wings-the geese have
gone for the day. He is q lucky
sportman who, after nearly a nights
vigil, brings home a brace IN the
morning. On the other hand, ne
NAV have the time Of his life and bag
a score or more.
| It was on an expidition Of this sort
that I left the Bay Of Berneray, on
board a fishing boat, one autumn
morning, bound for the celebrated
seven Hunters Islands, which lie
twenty miles or 80 west or that pay.
We got there late In the aIsernTom, Sn,,
and while the three men ana q Doy
who composed the crew were securing
the boat and preparing some fishing
lines, I got into the dinghy which was
towing behind and went on TO nave
a look around. 1t was a calm, sui
evening, and, having rowed round 70
| the opposite Of the largest island OF
the group at which we had anchored,
1 lay on my oars and looked apout
for signs Of life. Suddenly q mock OF
bluerocks appeared and, after clrchng
about for time, entered a cave, OF,
rather, a fissure, low down in the race
of the cliff, which at this spot rose
sheer out Of the sea to height OF
200 feet or more. Not having noticed
the opening in the rock until now, l
rowed in to investigate, and found
THAT as the tide was out, and the moor
of the cave therefore dry, 1t would
perhaps be an easy matter to eaten
one or two young birds to send TO
q friend in England, to whom l had
promised pair. This was an oppor-
ltunity not to be lost.
| When landing on a rough shore OF
this sort a special kind Of mooring
is used. A rope Of about five fathoms
or so in length Is coiled down in the
bows, and to one end there Is fastened
a stone heavy enough to act as an
anchor. This stone Is thrown ashore
or into shallow water, as the case may
be, and on landing the boat Is given
a sharp push, which carries 1t out
and away from any danger Of being
stove in on the rocks. All this I did
and then stepped into the cave. 1
found it to be about sixty feet In
length, twenty In height and Of an
average Of five feet in width, but with
walls so polished and smooth, except
Iup above, where the birds roasted,
that getting at the pigeons was out OF
1.-The question. The floor sloped up
ward from the entrance, 30 that the
high water mark was nine or ten feet
short Of the extreme end. Here were
piled up shingle, seaweed, drtftwood,
ldecaying fish and all the odds and
lends incoming tides usually brtng.--
Making my way out again, after
a leisurely survey, I stopped down to
pick up my stone anchor, which was
now covered with water, as the tide
had risen in the interval. was pre-
pairing to haul when, to my utter
amazement, I found that there was
no boat on the end Of the line. Look
ling seaward I saw the dinghy a
quarter Of a mile off, floating on the
tide. 1t afterward appeared that the
man who had put the moortng on
board had forgotten or had not trou-
bled to fasten It, so that when
pushed the boat away from the land
ing place the line simply ran out aud
left the craft free.
| 1 was in a tight fix now IL ever
any one was. However, there was
nothing for 1t but to put the best
lface on matters and hope that the
dinghy would be seen from the smack
and that they would set out to search
lfor me. It would only mean a night
spent on that heap of decaying sea
weed and fish, I thought. On the
other hand, If the wind got up and
a surf came on, I should be drown
ed like a rat in a trap.
rising water to the gloom Of the inner
end of the cave, and although at this
time of the year the sun scarcely
ldips below the horizon In these lati-
tudes, and there Is little or no night.
still the cavern was soon buried In
Stygian blackness.
It would be as near as I could
guess between and IN the morning,
when I was awakened from an In
comfortable doze by an unearthly
noise. The echo was SO loud that
tiny pebble dropping from where the
birds roasted sounded like distant
Ivolleys of musketry, but this noise
seemed to make the very shingle rat
tie. The cause OF 1t, I soon ascer-
tanned, was some animal, indis-
tinguishable in the darkness, which
had entered the cave, shaking itself
like a dog before quite leaving in the
water. In the light Of the resulting
phosphorescence. which shone mar
velously brilliant, 1t looked to be
some huge, weird mammoth Of anoth-
er age. The sudden appearance Of
such a monster, under such circum-
stances, unnerved me for few mo-
ments, but on remembering that my
chance Of life in any case was very
small and that I might as we'll die
game, / got ready my only weapon,
a strong, single-bladed pockcl-knife,
and prepared for eventualities.
The creature was now rapidly ap-
preaching me, its glaring yellow eyes
being the only part visible, while it's
gruntings and breathing reverberated
cave, returning a thousand times in
tensified, until it sounded like one
continual roar. I must have moved,
or else 1t saw me, for with a snarl-