The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1932-10-11
Chapter a
OftdptCI II
a VISITOR APPEARS

Chapter A.
a yIsEToR APPEARS
> HERyIs did not know how Ibng
- he had been Listening: to the tide.
There. had been q moment OF horrid
panic when he knew that the tide
yves coming III.
= had been high tide last night
Tuesday niaht~-at nine o'clock.
It would be high tide, ana spring
tide, at ten minutes past eight on
Wednesday morning. That made
low tide just after two. It must
have been somewhere about three
O'Clock when he was knocked out.
Say that was an hour ago. 1t
Twas very difficult to, gauge time,
and he had no watch. He regretted
his watch, with it's luminous dial.
Well, II IT was four o'clock or
Whereabouts. the tide had turned two
hours before, and had another three
hours to go. The question was.
how far up was 1t going to- come?
He was on the landwardl side Of the
bars in the inner cave. Where did
Foxy store his kegsg he didn't Just
leave them banging about III the
Underwater.
A little careful exploration
showed him that he was on a raised
ledge about SIX feet by eight. On
one side It was bounded by slip
perry tilted boulder Of unknown
height. and on the other three sides
by an equally unknown drop. He
couldn't climb the boulder; it was
Iwater-worn and as slippery as glass.
Water-wcrn-and that tide was
coming in. he could hear it moving
lstsalthily.
There must be some ledge to
which he could climb. The
thought Of the passage came iatD
Ihis mind. Leonard must have
brought him here By the passage.
Then there must be a way down into
the cave-and not too, hard way,
because Leonard couldn't have car
rIed him down much Of slope
re wondered If there were steps
cut I'M the wall.
He must wait until there was
enough water to float him. and then
awfm round the cave feeling fOr b
1ucthold. HIS head was better now
'hut he felt terribly thirsty. The lap
ping OF the water suggested q long
cool drink. His thirst became In
tense. Thirst. and the tapping Of the
tide. -.
81 should hate that death BAN
dagsd my eyes. and foTsbore and
crepf past"
wnere did that come fsomf Nc
didn't know. He must have read Il.
And there was something farther on
about the "black minute" Black
minute-black eternity--the lap.
ping. rising water. II he could only
see. 49,.
With the word IN his mind. he
saw.
A harsh dragging, grating sound
made a confusion among the echoes
Of the cave. and cutting through the
black darkness and the confusion,
came 3 white and brilliant shaft Of
light.
JsFvis looked up at It, tingiing
with q sense OF shock Light--a
level ray OF Il overhead.
Il sprang ont OF the darkness into
which he was staring. and ne saw
black SCARED rock all wet and shin
ing, with assures that ran moisture
Someone had come down the
passage from Old Foxy's house and
was standing IN the mouth Of 1t with
: powerful electric torch In hts
hand. Then suddenly the beam
swung down and hit him IN the face.
He threw up his arm involnntarily.
as II TO ward i blow: and from the
black month OF the passage Robert
Leonard laughed,
so you've come to. have you?s
take that damned light OF met"
aAid Jervis furiously.
He FELT Il so. and then flick back
and catch him blinking.
Robert Leonard laughed again.
Mot looking quite your best are
lyons Like a wash and brush up.
on. ! see you've had the wash.
What about a drink? You've got d
nit Of q head. hayen't your AS he
spoke he swung the light to and FRO
Jeryis steadied himself against
lths Intermittent dazzle, and got
what ho could from II. onisRa four