The Irish standard., 1915-06-05

torches, and in my hands, which clasped
both 1t and the rope, skewer to serve
as handle for those torches. For a
short time had to keep myself away
from the rock with my second foot,
that which was not in the stirrup. Pres.
emily l felt myself swinging in midai1
in black darkness and certainly in some
vast hollow. In few minutes more !
would be clasping the hands of the poor
lost lads. Then shouted. Vast hollow
echoes and reverberations travelling
through what seemed interminable
spaces and endless galleries responded
to my shout-echoes and reverberations
and nothing else. That surprised me-
but did not much surprise me. The
cavern was plainly enormous, and there
were faraway winding corridors into
which my voice might not travel. More
over, the boys might be and probably
were asleep. 1--WE will soon find them
and wake them up" said. continued
at intervals to shout, "Jack!" "Ned!'
and as loudly as could roar. Still
there came no response but the huge
echoes which now sounded in nv ears
like the laughter and mockcry of sub
terranean giants. Whether l was de-
ecending or not could not tell. Above
me 1t was as dark as below, and of
course had long since ceased to hear
the voices Of those at the caves mouth
and the running of the rope over the
block of timber which my miner had
laid on the edge Of the precipice. No
doubt I was descending, but for all
could feel and perceive might be fixed
and stationary in the darkness or even
descending. The minutes now began to
seem like hours. Would ever reach
the bottom Of this awful abyss. and to
think that those pleasant young friends
Of mine, 80 gay, bright and good ma
tured, so full of life, vigor and activity.
should be immured here, one of them
for many months. Again and again
shouted, "Jackl" "Ned!" Ned
"Jackl" "Are you there?" "Halloa!"
"Halloal" and still no sound reached
my ears but hooking laughter and su-
pernatural echoes which seemed to grow
greater as I descended and rolled like
thunder round the cavern.
At last I heard sharp click un,
der my feet and experienced a soft
shock. was ON the bottom. The click
was the noise Of my iron stirrup strik-
ing on a rock or stone. Still keeping my
foot in the stirrup, I threw off my bag
Of turnes, opened 1t, stuck one on the
point Of my skewer, struck a match and
ignited tho torch. It sent out a good
blaze, but revealed where stood moth
ing but great powders and on one side
the walls Of the cavern rising sheer and
black. gave the preconcerted signal,
two strong jerks at the rope, which was
at once drawn up. The rope and stir.
rup looked very curious dangling there
above my head as they disappeared into
the thick and black darkness. l contin.
ued to shout at intervals, but eventual
ly desisted until the coming of my as.
sistants. Either the Freemans were
sound asleep or were in some far gal.
lery Of the cavern beyond the reach OF
my voice, or they were now-terrible
acknowledgement the reach of human
help, and we were too late, perhaps only
few hours too late.
The next to descend was my head
constable; then in succession the two
boys, Harry and Joseph, then my or
DERBY and last a subconstable named
Mulvaney. These and no more hat
permitted to descend. I had the order
ly remain with the rope and keep hi.
torch burning there. All together nov
we raised our voices and shouted al
loud as we could bawl and did so agar
and again. Save tho echoes, now grown
more vast and appalling, there was NJ
response. l was becoming more ani
more alarmed. If the boys were alive
they must have heard that shout. TIL,
part Of the cavern in which we found
ourselves seemed to be lcng and mo-
very wide gallery. We explored this
to the end, and as we had plenty o.