Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1907 — The Child of the Cave [ARTICLE]

The Child of the Cave

By FRANK BARRETT

CHAPTER. X«-=W=s»»'my***.U As wo hatTOotje so ixvTT Tin** drty 1 thought Ve might afford 'o 1 uvo *i little, light with <Mir supper I’sv. ho being as ' tatiablo Ttt. u>xeel 'sev-Ja u.?Ai...daxtefte.ss •—so 1 g(}t out TTio c-Hi'il’’. wliioh even our hunger had spared, an.’, Mtwk a match. Although the light was still trying. to l’syohc's eyes, she was greatly interested in the means'of'producing it: end w hen 1 made her strike a match, she gave a Jpng-firawn oxt Jamation ah wonder In -seeing * tlx* light burst forth. And - continued to hold it at arm's length until the flame- approached her fingers. when she divm-ed it with a try of terror; -for Jieat was ;gs new experience to her as light• Put the crowning surprise came when I drew out my watch, which' had run down, wound it up. and set it *»» what 1 thought might fee the hour. She beut over it in mute ' "astonishment; 'pointing to w -swims band as it traveled round, anil repeating softly the sound it made. 1 think she ■""looked upon it as a lit ingjlrng. a kin.) of "caw." for she murmured that word dubiously among the strange musical sou mis she made w hen I ceased to talk to her. and when I put it in her hand she smoothed it with her cheek, and tv on Id by no.means allow it to lie on its face, though the shining back drew fetth a cao of admiration. 1 took it to her alcove and put it below the blanket that served for her piliovv. and she was content to lie rirovn at cnee and kj'op—yt ooptpttny. ""fancying. 1 imagine, that hy my Keeping, it in nry jioekot it was. a J-liehte sort of creature, that must he kept warm and comfortable. 1 heard her singing to it in a low tone for some time afterward as 1 sat in tin- dark pondering over tire strange things that had happened to me. 1 was awoke in the .morning by the whistling us old Peter down the shaft. "Send up the pitcher, you. little varmint,*’ he called, as 1 took the things from the basket, "and the bucket likewise if you want any water'.' “The bucket is down below, and the pitcher's broken.’’ I answered. He drew up the cord once more, and slammed the cover down, without waiting to hear the song of thanks which Psyche, who had qnaiokly followed me. offered. She put the watch with tenderCst cart- into my hands. 1 left her to set " out ofif tiTeirkfnW. which she instinctively saw was her business rathejr than mine. •nd went to have a peep at the blue sky. I found the water high in the hollow, and after a refreshing dip I peered flown into ouripit to see. if it was as to bad left it. that the rise and fall of the water had caused a slip in the sand, and above two feet of our work would have to be done over again. This was no more than I had exiHH-ted, hut 1 saw that we must devise some means of shoring up the sides lie fore we could make more progress. Returning to the large cave. 1 bade Psyche go and take her dip—an instruction which she readily understood and accepted—while 1 sat down to coi sider the Subject of shoring up the p-t ; hut somebow I could hit on no device until Psyche, having taken her bath, came back and sat down by my side, and I told her what was on my mind, in the hope that some idea would come to me. For I began to see that this method of thinking aloud brought a clearer perception of things than silent meditation, besides being agreeable to my companion. “You see. Psyche,” said I. breaking "the loaf in half and giving her one portion. “wo may have to go n good way further down vet, and all the time we ere working Jsetow the level of high water we shall be subject to continual washing down and washing ip of sand and rubbish. If it were shored, the water coming in would be an advantage, for it would loosen the stuff, and we could pul! it up in the bucket that hangs down the well. The only way I can think of is to wall it round, below the water level with chunks of chalk. The job will be to bring them in from the heap out there —and a long job. too, carrying them in one at a time. If we only bad a barrel that he could fill and roll along now! Barbels there are enough "tn" French Peter's cave-—I saw some intact, as if they were still full of spirits. And there's just about enough candles to fast sis through. I wonder If We might venture in there. It’s worth trying—what do you think, my quiet, attentive little friend?” What she did think I csnmy tell, but taking her encouraging manner for approval of m.v idea. I determined to make the attempt. That morning w»- climbed the great slope, and happily with such ■unexpected escape from accident that I have nothing to tell of our passing into French Peter's cave this second time except that we found the slip had conaiderably opened the gap at rhe top. and that ’my descent to the bottom of the Inner side was less igniminious and terrifying then before. I saw no material Change in this cave. A couple of - barrels sheltered by an angle of rock had escaped destruction. I knocked in the heads and found them full of spirits, which I ruthlessly emptied away. The empty tubs we got up the slope, and rolled down into the inner cave, having first filled them with old •taves, might serve us in the future for a light; and also we took a crowbar and another ax from Psyche's jUtar. The gold lay there in mockery »f the power of wealth; I would have aiven as much of it as a man could take |b return for an iron shovel. Having got ail that we wanted for our present use, we returned to the, big cave, •nd carried our treasures -o the edge of the pit. The water had now ehbed, and In order to see better' what the face of the cliff looked like at the bottom I chopped up a couple of staves, into thin •trips, and, having built tbem up in a cone on the edge, I set fire to them. And thiaied to an unanticipated result which}

1 1 huso-ii lie tell. Tie* fire bad nob been j fm'biiihg t-n minutes wli -n tve. heard 1 old Pet. r 'whistling furiously down the shaft. ! "What..are \.>u at - now V" he railed. I \\lieu I answer-T Ifls \yujsjh- fro,:n Mio bottom of the shaft. "Ain't -you got no feelin' of yi-sper's for the • k • that you I go a choking your poor gran lfathcr with tit..- here smother «f- smoke? li> wotT want niie to come down and knock your heads off? You’re got to-put. that fin? • mi! at once, do you understand that, there?” * .. >' .- “We must have litjit.” 1 answered; i "Must have light! _ Ho you . think we're rollftC" 1n rlclies that we tan afford to feed the hoih on you and keep yoji in lights as well. Put out that there fire. Your grandfather’s ft chokin', don't you hear him?” .d "I'll put out the.fire wnon you send me down enndh-s/* He went away and returnedwith'amazing eeb-rj Iy. " There's candies for a w -ek, and you shall have more when" they’re gone per"TiHltlg you put out that fin- at once, and don't light it no more. It’s all for my poor Ben's sake. I'd never give you food nor eandb-s nor nothin* else. I'm doin’ of it to- idea so nn- bov'. mind that." But 1 knew better, and now saw through "this pretended paternal sympathy, The smoke was not eta ending the well, but'streamin'!; up through the gap' in the cave over the pit. and he feared that it would attract the attention of the coast guard. That a.so was why the noise we made in cutting the cliff had brought him to reason, CHAPTER XI. “It’s as clear, my little friend, as tile blessed blue sky up there,” said I to Psyche. “Those" old rascals have given us food to cease hammering and candles to-put onj the fire for ft-ar we should succeed in betraying our imprisonment to the coast guard. Who passes probably once or twice a day along the cliff. It never occurred to me tha,t we might attract attention by those meins; but now it is obvious, the question' nijisos whether, instead of going on with cur tunnel, which wo cannot hope to complete without weeks and weeks of patient toil, if wouljl not Is l better to d-vote all our energies in this new direct ion, shouting. hammering, sending up a cloud of smoke, 'ml doing anything else that might .excite, the curiosity of anybody "pt|S3Blg v ßßir: '• We might even make ti rod long enough • p thrust through the hole -ip there, by splitting the staves and binding them together. and tying my handkerchief to the end we might agitate it from morning till night in addition to the means we already have. The notion is tempting: wliat arc.the arguments against it? I’m not more nfntid of old Peter than he is of me. But he might square the coast guard, and he might find means -if rolling rubbish down to choke up the hole above us, and he certainly would stop the supply of food. \Ve know what that means. If we did not make ourselves heard in a few days it would he all up with any chance of escape, so that, on the whole. I doubt if any openly offensive policy- is wise.” —-—- ——-- Psyche, listening with the greatest attention. shook her head .dubiously, seeing me do so. “Besides,” I continued, "there is this to consider. If nn investigation sixfold be made these two old reprobates would cut and run, and we shouid never see them again. At first sight that does not look like a misfortune, ..But there's your future welfare to consider, my poor Psyche, and that depends wry much upon bringing the wretches to justice who have blighted your youth. Revenge can do us no good, but we must wring out the secret of your captivity; we must find out your family, and restore you to those from whom you were taken, that you may have friends to love and to take care of you when we two part.” "When we two part," she echoed bhyakly, and yet in a tone so full of mournful regret that I coil'd almost believe she understood the meaning of my words. The sound alone was language To her. * "Th-'n we'll make up our minds to take the slow and safe course, and go pegging away at this hole steadily till we burrow through to freedom. Gloves, Psyche.” That word being one that was quite understandable she dashed i.ff with delight and returned with the stockings on her arms ready for anything I might bid her do. Dropping down into the pit. I lit- a candle, and scraping the sand away, examined the face o! the cliff. Near the bottom 1 discovered nn angular fraettHv-. With t-ho erowiww-e had broililjt away from French Peter's cave I succeeded in wrenching out a large block of chalk, when to my great delight 1 found that there was nothing below but sand and shingle, showing that we had come to the bottom of the fallen cliff. * The disengaged block I pried into that portion of the pit which had fallen in through the action of the water as n beginning to the wall with which we had to surround the lower part, and then as there was still water at the bottom I fetched the bucket from the well, and getting down again into \—. ,iit filled it with the loose sand, and pushed it up while Psyche hauled from the top where she emptied it. Worktng down lower and lower, the vertical line that marked . the bottom of the chnlk became more and more distinct as the sand dropped away from its base. In a couple of hours I had reached a depth that seemed sufficient to permit of opening the lateral borihg, but as it was neet-s-nry to secure the sides of the pit from falling in with the next rising tide, we spent the rest of the morning in shoring <t round with the barrel staves, kept in place by -lumps of chalk, which we rolled in from the great cave in the empty tubs. This was

hard work, and we had to lose bo time for fear the water should rise before the job was yjtyjo, but, happily, wc'.got the sides fairly well protected before the tide rose. so. that I don't think there was above n dozen bucketfuls ofoand to take away when it fell again, and the I>,» • part <‘f this had "sashed in from under the cliff in the direction our boring was to take, which was so- much to ouy- advan- age. ' ' . ‘ . , I had looked at mv wacch when the walep disii ppeared from the bottom’of the pit, and again when it rose, and - found that tin- interval -»a& a little i over four hours, sa that we could reckon I on haying eight limits uninterrupted work in ..r'ii'e. boring put :of the twenty-four,; which l<-ft -ttw sixteen -foe- efitpring. aw.ay tin- s.iud thrown up from tlx- pit. for any other incidental work, and for rest. And, in this order we worked, thenceforth, never failing to take advantage of low water..' only that as the days went on we found it necessary to change our hour's oi i-e-t, .sometimes, si-mplng-in-the., day to take 'advantage of the ebb that came iti tip' night. But this was of little consequence to ns, for Sis we burrowed further under tlx- cliff \ge*worked constantly by' candle light and could make night in the ca ve at any moment by simply blowing out the tight. It must not be imagined that we had jno difficulties or hardships to contend with. -\Ye had to proceed like moles, scraping the wet stuff away before us. and pushing it back until the bucket in our rear was full, when it had to he dragged out injo the shaft and allot up to the surface. The mere labor of dragging the stuff out and returning for more occupied much time, and increased materially ns" Wo got further from 'he pit. At dm- point we found our progress completely stopped by. a rock embedded in the shnd, tfflSF after attempting for three" days to work it out by means of the crowbar, we were* forced to turn aside and burrow round it. The rising tide was a continual source of trouble and anxiety for besides washing in the sidea of our tunnel, it sapped the shoring of the pit, which gave way twice, despite our watchfulness. In addition to this, we were in continual dread of being blocked in by the fall of the ragged and unequal mass above us. I shall never forget our horror one night, on feeling a difficulty in breathing and, observing our candle burn low. On backing along the tunnel I discovered that the thing I dreaded had come to pass; a mass of sand and shingle had fallen in and completely blocked our retreat. The more we thrust with our feet the more compact the obstacle became. The water was rising in front of us, and it .seemed inevitable that we should be drowned like rats in a drain. Every moment the difficulty of breathing; became greater, and an awful singing in the head warned me that wo were being suffocated. It was the terrible sensation we may all have experienced in dreaming of being buried alive. The water advanced steadily, but we still stuck in the same place, We lay in water up to our necks, keeping our months tree by raising our Heads against the top of the tunnel. To make the horror greater, our light went out. I clasped Psyche’s hand, thinking it was all over, and resigned myself as well as I jcould to the death that seemed close at hand. But the water that threatened to drown us saved us by loosening the sand bchiixl, and suddenly, to our inexpressible relief, we breached freely as the sand melted away befo-e the pressure of our feet! YY’hen we got out into the cave I fell upon my knees instinctively, and knelt there, sick and trembling with emotion, while Psyche raised her little hymn of gratitude above me. This terrible accident made me decide that night that we would run the awful risk no more, but the next morning hope overeame my fears, and I went again into the tunnel, leaving Psyche, however, in the cave to do work that I reckoned would occupy her till I came out. before I had been there an hour she came to my side with a joyful cry, Laving done in that* time all that I had set her to do, and done it well. I lot her stay. “I do not think you could live alone now, Psyche,” said I. “And so, if I am to perish in here, you may as well die with mo.” But wo were mot again caught in this way, and despite all the difficulties we had to overcome, at the end of two months from the time we first began our tunnel we bad penetrated under the cliff a distance of not less than forty feet from the pit. And this I reckoned might fairly be considered about half the distance we h;\(T to go. (To be continued.)