The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-04-03
Blu UlCTOR ROUSSEAU

found himself again clinging to the
interior wall of the chasm.
Here the artificial excavation of the
rungs ended, but there was a fairly
/ easy descent down the lower portion
of the cliffs, which afforded plenty of
hold for the hands and feet. Lee
quickly scrambled down, and, swing
ing free of the wall, found himself
standing at the bottom of the gorge
whose inclining walls shut him off
completely from the sight of any one
above. Only by standing in the very
center of the defile could he see the
summit of the cliffs, with their dense
covering of scrub.
The base of the chasm was a little
wider than he had supposed, perhaps
fifty PAGES across between wall and
wall. Along the center a thin stream
trickled over sandy bed, issuing from
one end of the chasm, where it burst
out through the granite, carrying with
it the debris of the alluvial land above
mud, gravel, and sand.
This sandy deposit, carried along
by the stream, had been heaped up,
probably in times of overflow, against
the granite walls, and within the little
| limestone caves that studded their
lower surfaces.
Looking about him, Lee saw that
some two or three hundred yards from
the place where he had emerged out
of the face of the cliff, the gorge made
sharp bend, almost at right angle,
and here the ground was strewn with
mass of fallen boulders, ranging
from huge rocks to small debris.
Above it was gap in the lower Sec
ton of the cliff, from which it had
been detached.
Lee made his way In this direction
At once he came to the conclusion
that dynamite had been the cause of
this collapse Of part of the surface of
the granite wall, which, smooth as
steel lining, could have been disrupted
by no natural force such as gravity.
And then he came upon something
that confirmed the obvious deduction.
1t was a rotting wooden cradle.
Beside it lay rusty pick. Not far
away were two huge iron pans, their
bottoms eaten out with rust, so that
they resembled fretwork in steel.
Under them were still the ashes and
charred residue of the wood that
had been used to thaw out the frozen
earth.
All about among the fallen rocks
were mounds, the residue from the
pans after the extraction of the gold,
now covered with tangles of dead
vegetation.
There was no longer any doubt that
this was Pelly's gold mine.
Before making further investiga-
lions here, Lee decided to explore the
remainder of the chasm. 1t ran on be-
and then came to an abrupt termina-
ton. Without any gradual lessening
of the depth it simply ceased, the two
cliff walls coming together, In the
same way as they did near the rocking
stone at the other end. The chasm
was, in fact, simply an elongated
crater.
Returning, Lee made his way to the
cave formed by the explosion. If Pelly
was in the district, there was hardly
any doubt but that he would be hid
ing in that inaccessible spot, where
he would be safe against discovery.
1t was not unlikely that he was in the
cave itself at that moment.
Lee first examined the snow about
the mouth of the cave for footprints,
but he found no tracks except his own.
Drawing his automatic, he advanced
into the opening. The sand in the in
terror bore the marks of continued
with clear edges, and 1t was certain
that no one had been there for long
time.
Unfortunately, Lee had brought no
candle, but he advanced some dis
lance within the cave, lighting his way
| with matches. However, it was fore
gone conclusion that Pelly was not
In there, for the sandy interior bore
no fresh footprints as far as he went.
A faint, distant roaring, as of
waterfall, came to Lees ears, and the
air was fresh, as if the cave were con-
nected with some opening in the noun
tain side. Lee resolved to explore it
another day. But 1t was clear enough
that Pelly was not in the chasm after
all. Another thing that led Lee to
that conclusion was the fact that no
mining operations had been carried
on there for a considerable time-long
enough for the pans to have rusted
through.
If Pelly had taken refuge within the
gorge, it was incredible that he would
not have resumed operations.
And these seemed to have been In
terrupted Unexpectedly, to judge from
the exposure of the pans to wind and
weather.
Perplexed and disappointed, Lee
turned his thoughts toward the cap
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