Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-10-03

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Copyright by Dou bleday, Faye Il Company
My instinct had been right in giving
way to my drowsiness, for / woke NJ
from my sleep a new man. How long
had been there, Of course. had no
means Of knowing; but I fancy I must
have slept . good while, for telt 80
refreshed and full OF determination to
tackle my escape In good earnest.
had hardly Srelit my lantern when
its rays revealed something which ii
seemed impossible for anyone with
eyes, however weary. to have over
looked.
In the right,hand corner Of the
little cavern, i've or six feet above my
head, was a dark hole, like the en-
trance to tunnel. or, more properly
speaking good-sized burrow--for II
was scarcely more than yard In d.
ameter. 1t seemed to be something
more than q mere cavity In the rock,
for, when flashed my lantern up to
it / could see no end. To climb up
to It at first seemed difficult; but
providentially, I had a stout clasp
knife in my pocket, and with this /
cut a step or two In the porous rock,
and so managed 1t. Lying fat on my
stomach, looked In.
It was, as I had thought, narrow
natural tunnel. shaking through the
rocks--as often happens in those curl
GUS fantastic coral fornations-for
all the world, indeed, as II it had been
made ages ago by some monstrous
primeTal serpent. giant wormhole,
no less, leading-heaven alone knew
where.
There was just room to crawl along
It on all tours, SO started cautiously,
making sure I had my precious
matches and my 1ackknife all safe.
I progressed, should say, for some
twenty or thirty. yards, when, to my
tneypressible relief, I came out, still
on all fours, onto spreading floor !;
then, standing up, I perceived that l
was in q cave Of considerable lofti-
ness and some forty feet or so across.
1t was good to breathe again such
comparatively free air; yet, as /
looked about and made the circuit of
the walls, I saw that / had but e1-
changed one prison for another. There
was this difference, however: whereas
there bad only been one passageway
from the cave had Just left. there
were several similar outlets from that
in which now stood. Two or three
Of them proved to be. nothing but al
coves that ran few yards and then
stopped. -
But there were two. close by each
other which seemed to continue on.
There was not much choice between
them, but as both made In the same
direction, 50 far as I could Judge the
direction in which I had 50 far pro-
crossed, decided to take the larger
one. It proved to be passage much
like the tunnel I had already trav-
ersed, only q little roomier, and there
fore 1t was easier going, and 1t, too,
brought me ont, as had the other, on
another cavern-but one considerably
larger In extent.
had stumbled on something like
Monte Cristo suite Of underground
apartments. And here for q moment
I released my Imagination from her
binders, and allowed her to play
around these strange halls, And IL
ono nf hor crpcocfinns +hara WAC ann a
comfort. 1t was hardly likely that
caverns Of such extent had waited for
me to discover them. They must sure
ly have been known to Teach, or what
ever buccaneer 1t was who had occu-
pied the ruined mansion not 80 very
far above ground. f
I set about the more carefully to
examine every nook and corner. Two
iron staples Embedded in one Of the
walls. with rusting chains and man.
acles attached, were melancholy proof
Of one Of the uses to which the place
had once been put. Melancholy for
certain unhappy souls long since free
OF all mortal chains, but for me-need
I say tt?-e1ceedingly joyous. For
If there had been way to bring pris-
oners here 1t was none the less evil
dent that there had been way to
take them out. But how and where?
Again I searched every nook and cram
ny. There was no sign Of entrance
anywhere.
Then a thought occurred to me.
What II the entrance were after the
manner Of medieval oubliette
through the ceiling! There was 1
thought indeed to send ones hopes
soaring. I ran In my eagerness
through one cavern after another,
holding my lantern aloft. That must
be the solution. There could be no
other way. I sought and sought, but
Mas 1t was 4 false hope, and ] threw
myself down in corner In despair,
deciding that the prisoners must have
been forced to crawl in as ] had
though 1t was hardly like jailers to
put themselves to such Inconvenience
leaned back ass!ns. the wall and
gaSed listlessly upward. Next mo-
ment had bounded to my feet again
surely / had seen some short, regular
lines running up the face Of the rock,
like ladder. I raised my lantern
Sure enough, they were iron rounds
set In the face Of the rock, and theJ
d. H.A 10 =. u