Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-08-09

; know my daughterE Whatever han
! pened TO me. she would come cut al
right. As her brave shape flashed be
: fore my minds eye. down there under
r the earth. could have no doubt oE
that
MY instinct had been right In giving
way TO my drowsinesS, for woke M
: from my sleep a new man. How Eoag
| had been there. OF course. had ne
means Of knowing; but fancy musf
have slept good while. for felt 50
refreshed and fun OF determination to
tackle my escape In good earnest.
Il I had hardly relit my lantern when
IFS rays revealed something which .it
seemed impossible for anyone witA
eyes however weary. to have ever-
looked.
In the right-hand corner Of the
/ little cavern, i've or six feet ahors NY
head, was a dark hole. like the en-
trance to tunnel, or, more properly
speaking good-sized burrow-for if
was scarcely more than a yard in d.
ameter. II seemed to be something
more than a mere cavity In the rock.
for, when flashed my lantern un ts
til could see no end To climb an
to Il at first seemed difficult; bnt
providentially, / had stout elasp
knife In my pocket and with this L
cut a step or two in the porous rock.
and SO managed It. Lying fat on my
stomach. looked In.
It was, as had thought. a narrow
natural tunnel, shaking through the
roeks-as often happens In those euri-
GUS fantastic coral formations-for
all the world, indeed, as If 1t had been
made ages ago by some mOnstrozz
primeyal serpent, a giant wormhoIe.
no less, leadlng-heaven alone knew
where.
There was just room to crawl along
1t on all fours, so | started eautiousIy.
making sure l had my precioaS
matches and my jackknife all safe.
l progressed, | should say for some
twenty or thirty yards, when, to NV
fnexpressible relief. / came out. stiH
on all fours. onto spreading floor:
then, standing up, I perceived that I
was in cave of considerable Ioftf-
ness aud some forty feet or so across.
It was good to breathe again such
comparatively free air; vet, as Il
looked about and made the circuit Of
the walls, ! saw that had but ex-
one prison for another. There
was this difference, however: whereas
there had only been one passageway
from the cave had Just left, there
were several similar outlets from that
III which | now stood. Two or three
ot them proved TO, be nothing but al
coves that ran few yards and then
stopped.
But there were two close by. each
lther which seemed to continue ON.
mere was not much choice between
mem, but as both made In the same
nrection, so far as could Judge the
hrection In which l had so far pro-
'ressed, decided to take the larger
me. II proved to be a passage much
IKE the tunnel I had already tray-
rsed, only little roomier, and there
ore IL was easier going, and II, toe.
rought me out, as had the other. on
mother cavern-but one considerably
arger In extent.
l had stumbled on something like
Monte Cristo suite of underground
partmentsN And here for a moment
released my Imagination from hnr
ilnders, and allowed her to NAV
round these strange halls. And IN
ne OF her suggestions there was soma
omfort. 1t was hardly likely that
averRs OF such extent had waited far
le TO discover them. They must sure
nave been known TO Teach, or what
ser puceaneer 1t was who had oceH-
led the ruined mansion not so very
If above ground.
set about the more carefully to
Eamine every nook and corner. Two
on staples imbedded In one of the
ans, with rusting chains and man
ies attached, were melancholy proor
one OF the uses to which the DIace
ID once been put. Melancholy for
'rtain unhappy souls long since free
all mortal chains, but for me-need
say itl-exeeedingly Joyous. Fer
there had been a way to bring prIs-
lers here 1t was none the less evil
mt that there had been a way TO
ke them out. But how and whereT
sain searched every nook and cram
: There was no sign of entrance
ywhere.
Then a thought occurred TO me.
hat If the entrance were after the
MINER Of medieval oublIette-
rough the ceiling There was =
ought indeed TO send ones homes
airing. | ran ia my eagerBess
rough one cavern after another.
lding my lantern aloft. That must
the solution. There could be no
ler wey. | sought and sought. bat
IS It was false hope, and threw
self down In a corner in despair.
Gliding that the prisoners must have
en- forced to crawl In as I had
'ugh IT was hardly like jailers to
themselves to such inconvenience.
leaned back against the waIl and
zed listlessly upward. Next me-
nt | had bounded TO my feet again