Evening star., 1925-01-15
Continued from Yesterdays star.l

the stores In this work Philip Mar
Gnis of Devonridge, sweated like any
1aborer of blood untinged by blue,
and the three other men about town,
Messrs. Haynes, F1tzalan and Grey
son, as also the two American boys,
1ippencott and Curtis, took their
coats off and worked with equal zest
They were willing and handy beyond
my dearest hope. Brooks and Dane,
the two mechanics, threw themselves
into the work with the cool precision
of men accustomed to handling ma
chinery all their lives and their eyes
cleaned over the fine pieces of plant
they saw among the cargo. Little
Thetford installed himself as tally
man and checked the inHofces, while
Sam Smithers took his great bulk to
wherever 1t was handiest and, l i'm
aEfne, began TO. have hopes OF de-
creasing his weight by the violence
of his exercise.
Smithers' chief job after the unload
ing of the Clutha was the putting
together of two fat-bottomed barges
for, as indicated earlier, Sam had
been a shipwright in his day. Until
that task was accomp plished Sam was
in charge of operations, and his work
was excellent. We had brought two
small power boats on the deck of the
Clutha, and these were transported
TO the creek behind the storehouse.
It was a matter of weeks before we
had the barges on the backwater and
our stoEes-or part of them-loaded
into them. We would have to make
at least two. journeys before the
whole of the Clutha's cargo could be
got up to the caves.
Sam Smithers was left behind in
charge of the storehouSe and the
moored Clutha, and at last had ac-
quired the job where he could just
of isolation did not daunt the stout
warrant officer in the least, and
knew that in the unlikely event of
visitors no inquiries would get past
his tremendous placidity and bovine
lack of expression. Sleepy Sam was
out last link with the outside world.
Our gre to the plateau was toll
some and arduous 10 the point nearly
Of torture. There was now no ques-
tion of portages, as with the canoe.
Time and again we were held up
until we could clear our passage. We
might move fallen tree that lay
across the riVer-no simple task
where thee tough underground and
silted weeds of years impeded us
only to find a kilometer further on
that a similar task awaited us. We
carved and dug our way with saw
and AK and spade. Our skins and
clothing were scratched and rent by
thorns. Insects bit US, bloodthirsty
brutes that they were, until our faces
were swollen out of recognition. But
We kept on, ever with commendable
cheerfulness where my crew was con-
cerned, and we tugged our barges
behind US all the way. And after
weeks and weeks of toll the nine rag
amuffins that we had become sailed
into the cavern of the plateau with
perhaps a trifie more dignity than
our appearances were warrant for.
We found the garrison OF three in
good order. The master--if 1t cannot
be said he was in good health, for
he never was that-at least was his
self-contained and indomitable self.
Grumsteek and Higgins grinned
cheerfully and took pains to tell me
that they had never been so hard
driven in their lives. nor had they
ever met any one for whom they
would sooner work than for
the master. That they had been
working was evident The living
room floor had been Ievelled. and big
windows had been hewn to the face
of the north cliff. Space enough had
been provided for over so men. and
clean healthy barracks II made. The
two seamen had become fair hunters,
as witness the store of dried venison
provided, which, with bacon from
wild pig, had been cured under
directions from the chief.
The masters laboratory now was
well set out, and II only needed the
Instruments we had brought up and
electrical power to be as complete
and up to date as any in the world.
The chief welcomed his new ad
herents in a way that bound them TO
him at once. The tremendous per-
sonal magnetism OF the man leaped
out Of its fran tenement TO master
them even as it charmed He ex-
planned the possibilities of the cavern
TO them, and did not minimize the
amount of work which would have
10 be done. but Notwithstanding the
starkness of his doctrine of labor he
fred them with the romance of the
scheme. If he promised to drive
them hard, they welcomed the
promise.
That night as we rested after the
Tabor of our voyage to the plateau,
Steve Curtis was not too weary to
play his guitar and sing to US, or to
whistle. 1t was a marvellous per-
formance which enthralled my two
seamen, Higgins and Grumstock, so
that they were open of. mouth and
eye to an astonishing degree. The
haunting that the morning found
every man humHaing or whistling at
his work. A good sign, l thought
The chief looked in at the concert
and stayed a little, then went back
TO his work L found him in his
laboratory before going to bed.
"Ah, Seton" he said. II am glad
you looked in. Your crew is distinctly
promising. I like that boy Curtis
with the guitar He is an acauisition
And the rest seem good metal. I con-
graduate you--and myself"
I'm glad you're pleased, sir"
'The little man-Thetford, is it?-
he has skilful hands and intelli-
gence-"
That's our instrument maker, sir.
I think you'll find him useful in the
laboratory"
II am sure I shall, If I am any
judge of men. Goodnight, Seton.
You have done we'll"
Nsxt morning was devoted to un-
loading the barges. We landed the
various pieces of plant as near their
ultimate bases as we could; the OIL
plant to its proper cave, the machines
IN their shop. the instruments by the
laboratory
When the unloading was done, the
whole gang with the exception Of the
two mechanics, Brooks and Dane. and
Thetford. went off under the charge
OF DeVonridge to fetch up the re-
mainder of the stores, while my men
concentrated on fixing a temporary
electric supply to the laboratory. The
power for running the dynamo we got
from a small petrol engine, and both
these we bedded on the solid rock
Win deep-set bolts and concrete
the accumulators and transformers
Tor bringing the yoltaee me- ~.