American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1921-11-11

must be the entrance TO the cave!
For hours | clambered among the
rocks. risking mangled limbs and sun
strickland found no cave. | came
back al last. YEARLY, TO the grave.
There lay the dust of the brain that
had known all-and n wild impulse
came TO me 10 tear away the earth
with my bare hands, to dig deep,
deep-and then with listening ear walt
for a whispered word.
81 put the delirious fancy from me
and moved away TO the edge of the
cliffs. Looking down, saw a narrow
sloping shelf which dropped from the
brink to a distance of ten or twelve
feet below, where 1t met a slight pro-
lection of the rock. | had seen 1t be-
fore, of course, but Ii had carried no
significance for my mind. Now l
stepped down upon the ledge and fol-
lowed it to its end in the angle of the
rock.
"Snugly hidden in the angle was a
low doorway leading into blackness.
"Now, of course | ought in prudence
to have gone back TO the hut and got
matches and q lantern and n rope
before l set foot in the darkness of
that unknown place. But what had l
to do today with prudence-Fortune
had me by the hand In | went bold
ly, Benny at my heels, The passage
turned sharply, and for a little way
we walked in blackness. Then 1t
veered again, and a faint and far-ofr
light seemed to filter Its way TO us
through a web woven of h very stun
of night. The floor sloped a little
feet, and came to a step-another. l
was going along a descending passage,
cut at its steepest into rough, irregu-
lar stairs. With either hand could
touch the walls. All the while the
light grew clearer. Presently, by an
other sharp turn, l found myself in a
cave, some thirty feet in depth by
eighteen across, with an opening on
the narrow strip of beach l had seen
from the top of the cliffs.
1.-THE roof is high. with an effect OF
Gothic arches. Near the mouth Is a
tiny spring of ice-cold water. which
has worn a clean rock channel for
itself 10 the sea. Otherwise the ave
Is perfectly dry. There is no doubt
in my mind that in the great buc-
caneerlng days of the Seventeenth
century, and probably much later, the
place was the haunt of pirates. One
fancies that Captain Sampson of the
Bonny Lass may have known of 1t be-
fore he brought the treasure to the
/, island. There were queer folk to be
met with in those days In the west
| ern ocean. Yes, the cave has seen
{ many a fierce, sea-tanned face and
! tarry pigtail, and echoed TO strange
oaths and wild sea-songs. Men had
carved those steps In the passage
< thlrty-two of them. In the sand OF
the floor, as | kicked Is up with my
8 feet, hoping rather childishiy TO strike
I the corner of the chest, | found thu
Y hilt and part of the blade of a rust,
cutlass, and a chased silver shoe
v buckle. | shall take the buckle hom'
t to Helen-and yet how trivial 1t will
seem, with all else that ! have to OF
fer her Nevertheless she will priz'
o II as my gift, and because it come
3 from the place to which some kin,
angel led me for her sake.
n 81 left the cave and hurried back Il
the cabin for II spade, walking on air
n breaking with snatches of song tn
d. terrible stiffness of the woods, wher
e. one hears only the high htful slghin'
10 "a A. .-G,I - tIA, AtaryNn1 Fnstffar n
L the sea.
s Back in the cave. / set to wor
feverishly, making the light sand fly
N At the end of half an hour, ut IL poin
- close to the angle Of the wall m
p. spade struck a hard surface. II la.
I'd l should judge, under about two fe'
as of sand. Soon | had laid bare u pate
| of dark wood which rang under N
~ knuckles almost like iron. A HIT
Sc more, and | had cleared away Il
sand from the top of a large che
M with q convex lid, heavily bound
w brass.
"Furiously ! flung the sand asiC
Il until the chest stood free for half 1
adj depth-which Is roughly three feet.
~ li5 bAIibifo "a ~ FiiASB ShtoA bsRi
. wrought loops of metal. tugged II
NJ hardest, but the chest seemed fast
WI Its place as the native rock.
W laughed exultantIy. The weight mea
"a gold-gold! | had hammer and CHS
lM with me, and with these ] forced q
m massive ancient locks. There we
vi three of them, one for each strip
brass which bound the chest. Then
flung up the lid.
mo gllttering treasure dazzled u
| saw only a surface Of stained ca
sssS vas, tucked In carefully around [
III edges. This / tore off and flung asi
81 -eclipsing poor Benny, who was
81 most interested spectator Of 1
I'd strange proceedings. Still no CLEAN
q gold, merely demure rows Of plur
al brown bags. With both hands
M reached for them. Oh, to grasp thu
- ,IIf Y I.I a. - $4,000. .ufsl .,,.