2
THE TIMES, NEW 11L00MFIELI), VA. JUNE 1. 1880.
THE SECRET OF THE CAVE.
AT THE time my story begins, the
hunters am! the Indians, making
the vicinity of Wind River Mountlans
their home, had a strange superstition,
founded on a tradition that had been
handed down from father to son for
many preceding generations. It ran
very nearly as follows : That amid the
loftiest peaks of the snow-covered range
referred to, was situated a cavern, which
as the story is was supposed to be in
habited by a supernatural being, who
possessed the power of taking away the
life of any adventurer, who was suffi
ciently audacious to intrude on her, or
his, or its domain for it was not clear
ly established what form It was usual
for them to assume, for the reason that
no one as yet, had ever gazed Into the
cavern's mysterious depths; at least, if
any had, they never came back to reveal
Its secret. No one, however, of the
present generation had been able to re
cord the death of any person caused by
visiting this spot. Yet it was consider
ed a fact, impossible of denial, that,
many long years before, persons had
been found lying murdered in its vicini
ty, but having no visible wouud. Thee
uiroumstances combined to make it a
place talked of by few, visited by none,
and hardy would that person be who
dared to dispute its existence, for the
ridicule and taunts of the sturdy moun
taineers would either compel him to vis
it the spot, or stand before his associates
a confused braggart ami coward. Thus
weeks rolled on, when, one bright beau
tiful day, soon after the genial sun of
spring had released all nature from the
icy grasp of winter, and brought the
..mountain Btreams, leaping joyfully in
their freedom, from the snow-capped
summits of the rocky range to the little
community, situated at its base; was
thrown into a state of gosslplug excite
ment by the advent of a Btranger among
them. The new-commer was a man of
slight stature, but with a frame that
showed him to be athletic, as his flash
ing grey eyes denoted him to be fearless.
On the Instant of his arrival he was, of
course, the centre of attraction, the ob
served of all observers, and was soon
ensconsed in the best house of the vil
lage, with a general Invitation from the
hospitable mountaineers to stay as long
as he could make himself comfortable
and happy. After a stay of about two
weeks, he had made up his mind to pro
ceed on his journey ; and, in order to
beguile the hour till starting, the guide,
who had volunteered to accompany him
related some of the many legends of his
wild, rocky home, and, among others,
the one we have referred to. As the
mountaineer concluded, Ed. Webber
for that was the listener's name ex
. claimed : 1
" Impossible 1 the people here do not
believe this 1 Surely they seem too sen
sible." " Don't they, though V" interrupted
the guide, called by his comrades, Fhill
Hibbs. " Stranger, I don't wish you no
bad luck, but I wish you'd go up thar,
p'haps you might b'lieve an' ag'ln you
moughtn't, but this critter's got an Idee
that you mought."
" Well Phlll," replied the other, " I
expected, ere this, to have been many
. miles nearer Salt Lake City, but now
, you challenge me to visit this place, see
it, I will, let the cost be what it may."
Having expressed this determination,
he started for the settlement, for the
purpose of carrying it out, all his com
panion's entreaties to the contrary not
withstanding. They soon again had
the villagers gathered, and Webber told
to them his purpose in assembling
there. They used their utmost endeav
ors to prevent him, but all to no purpose
'. and finally his taunts, and offers of re
ward even induced six of them to agree
to accompany him.
Ed. now gave directions for them to
procure a basket of provisions, a coil of
stout rope, and two long iron shod poles
similar to those used by the mountain
eers of Europe ; for it was his intention
to start immediately, it being near noon
Having seen all tne arrangements com
pleted to his satisfaction, and the men
well armed, according to the custom of
the time, with rifle, bowie-knife and
lariat he started toward the mountain,
- followed by tne guiues ana tueir weep
ing friends and relatives. Arriving at
the base of the mighty range, Ed. part
ed with the villagers who accompanied
him thus far and bidding those of bis
party to be of good cheer, they moved
slowly up the mountain side, amid a
eeneral " God speed you", from those
. around. . Onward and upward the ad
venturers toiled, the way every moment
becoming more difficult and broken.
Ere the sun had reached the point dis
tant an hour from the meridian, the
small party might have been seen at the
line which separates the verdure of sum
mer from eternal snows. Here they
paused, In order to regain their energies,
In a few moments they were again on
their feet, and moving forward under
- the guidance of Phil, he being the only
one of the party who was informed as to
the exact location of the cavern. They
now, Instead of ascending, took a course
parallel with the summit of the moun
tain, keeping along the " frozen edge."
The track was now easy, compared with
that they had just passed over, and
some six miles slipped by before they
had been noted. The party were now
in high spirits, and, they passed swiftly
on, making the huge crags answer them
in return, as they gaily chanted tome
huntiug chorus, when an apparently
unsurmountable difficulty presented It
self, falling coldly upon their new
formed hopes. They had reached the
side of one of those numerous gorges,
with which the North American moun
tains are so thickly strewed, through
which many feet beneath them, a moun
tain stream, swollen by the melting
snow, to thrice its usual size, surged
wildly. This they saw no visible way
of crossing, and surely It was not ford
able, for huge trees, logs, and even rocks
whirled by, hurled hither and thither
by the Impetuous stream, as though
they were but straws.
As they gazed into Its angry depths,
and listened to the grand music it dis
coursed, as it went roaring by, all lost
their courage, save the strauger and Thll
his guide, and avowed their determina
tion of Instantly retracing their steps,
and of proceeding without delay to their
homes.. Webber was now placed In a
disagreeable positions, left almost alone,
and with a deep and rapid river flowing
between him and the object of his
search. Yet, seeing that Phil still re
mained true to him, and as he was to
use a common phrase" as obstinate
89 a mule" ; he resolved to proceed, If It
was in his power. So having taken
leave of their recreant associates, the
t
wo started up the bank of the river,
for the purpose of rinding a place more
suitable for making the attempt of
crossing. After reaching a place some
distance above the starting, and seeing
that night would speedily surround
them, they made up their minds to en
camp until the following day. They
slept but little during the night, owing
to the extreme cold and scarcity of wood
at that high point. And the gray of
dawn found them stirring. Raising to
their feet, they partook of a slight re
past, formed of several handfuls of
parched corn, and hugh draughts of
clear water, aud, proceeding further up
the stream, soon came to the place,
which Phil pronounced passable. The
gully, or ravine at this point, was of
the width of thirty feet, and after sever
al vaiu attempts, Phil succeeded In fast
ening his lariat to a crag on the opposite
edge, and instantly seizing the cords in
his hands, went across hand-over-hand,
Ed. in the meau time having securely
fastened his end, in a Bimllar manner,
as soon as Phil landed. Webber follow
ed, and the two friends stood again to
gether with nothing interposing between
them and the cave. Leaving the rope
still tied, eo that they could return, they
proceeded ou their way, and a brisk
walk quickly brought them to the en
trance of the cave. They now adjusted
their shoes, the soles of which were
filled with long spikes, in order to pre
vent slipping ; and preparing some
torches from the branches of the moun
tain pine, they boldly entered. Surely
it was. not singular that such fearful
stories were told about this place, for, as
the hollow echoes of their own footsteps
fell upon their ears, they sounded
throughout the gloom like unto demoni
ac laughter. But it did not terrify Web
ber, he kept steadly on, followed by
Phil, who to use his own expression
" was goln' to get out o' the place quick
er 'n llghtnin', ef any o' the devils did
show thar faces." As they passed along
holding their torches high above their
heads, In order to throw their light In
advance of them, Phil was every mo
ment startled by the new and grotesque
figures which were presented to hla
view. The walls of this cavern were
formed of solid rock, and in some places
were coated with grayish substance,
seemingly caused by the water which
trickled from the splendid stalactites
which formed the roof, while here and
there rose from the bottom of the cave
beautiful stalagmites, glittering with the
light of the torches as of diamonds, and
assuming all manner of fantastic shapes.
The friends had proceeded thus for
about ten minutes, when the passage
branched off in two directions, one tak
ing a course almost parallel with the
one they were in, and the other leading
to the right.
" I geuss we'll keep straight ahead
Phil," exclaimed Webber, and " phll,
phil phil I" shouted a voice from the in
most recesses of the cave.
" Thunder and lightning!" ejaculat
ed Phil, scared so bad that he was al
most Incapable of action.
" Llghtnin llght-nln !" replied the
voice, the last intonation dying away to
a whisper.
" I know'd it I I know'd I'd be getin
Into some slch scrape ef I'd cum along
with you I" cried Phil ; the cave mean
while resounding as with the din of a
hundred voices, all shouting " Along
with you !"
. Thll was now ready to drop, so great
was his consternation. But Webber,
seizing him by the collar aud shaking
him violently, said : " Coward, what's
the matter with you V Its nothing but
the echo, and one called repeating, I
suppose, Listen' now, and you will hear
the last word t speak repeated three
times!"
" Times, times, times!" .came back
from the voice.
" There !" exclaimed Ed, triumphant
ly 5 "did you hear that V Come pick
up your torch and follow me 1" So say
ing he led the way along the passage,
when suddenly Phil cried out : " No It
wasn't an echo. Look! look! it's the
devil himself. Don't you see him ?
See ! see there !" He minted to a small
sldu-nlche, aud sure enough, there stood
a figure that made even Webber start.
It was about twelve feet In height, ar
rayed In spotless white, and in the act
of moving forward.
" It's timing I" exclaimed Phil.
"Let's run I"
As he said this, he turned to flee, the
report of a pistol rang upon his ear, ac
companied by a loud crash. He waited
to hear no more, but . bounded forward,
like a terrified antelope, toward the
mouth of the cave. The next moment
he was seized aud thrown upon his back
by Webber, who producing a stout cord,
proceeded to bind the terrified man, who
seemed to think of nothing else but the
horrors that surrounded him. He was
soon sb securely fastened that he could
not move hand or foot.
" Now !" exclaimed Webber you cow
ardly devil, do you mean to go quietly,
or must I keep your hands tied behind
your back, and with a pistol at your
ear, force you to do so ? The figure
has gone : you have nothing more to
fear.
' You kin hold a pistol at my ear, an'
fire too, ef yer a mind to I ain't afeerd
of a bullet , but ye can't get me to go
any further In this ar hole to be swal
lowed alive I" sullenly responded
Phil.
Well, then I'll carry you up as far
as where the figure fell, and let yoa see
that it's nothing but stone ; then if
you won't follow, I'll take both the
torches, and leave you in the dark until
I return 1"
So saying, he raised the scared Phil,
and bore him to the place where he
found a large pile of substance similar
to that covering the walls. Throwing
his burden down upon the top of it, he
said :
There, tool, do yoa see what it la t
Now, will you accept my proposition to
stav here until I explore the remainder
of this place V"
Receiving no answer, he picked p
the torch, and prepared to leave, but lie
had not proceeded far however, when
Phil cried out plteously : " Oh, captain
please don't leave me here ! I ain't
afeerd to fight mortal man, but I can't
fight the devil, nohow !"
Well stay here then I" replied Web
ber as he again turned.
" Hold on a minute ; I'll go. Shoot
me ef I don't I Then ef we do meet
the old fellow, he can take us both."
Upon hearing this, Webber returned,
and quickly releused Phll, who, on gain
ing his feet, gave himself a shake, say-
iuir : " I'm ready now. Show us the
way I"
Webber now felt assured by Phil's
manner that he would not desert him
so he walked quickly on, with Phll res
olutely following. The way now began
to descend, and soon became so steep
that they kept their feet with difficulty.
They proceeded thus about one hun
dred yardB, when further progress was
ended by their reaching a yawning
chasm lying directly across the path.
On throwing into it a piece of rock, the
hollow echo that came back told them
of its great depth. They now fastened
one of the torches to the rope and low
ered it into the darkness. As it ap
proached the bottom, Webber, to his
extreme horror, discovered a heap of
grlnlng skeletons. Turning to Phll.and
pointing down, he exclaimed :
The is the spirit which protects this
place. It is more thon likely that those
who have heretofore attempted to ex
plore this place, have lost their footing
here, been precipitated -into that hole,
and thus met a most horrible fate. But
let's retrace our steps'aud explore the
other passage, I have no desire to look
further here !"
They accordingly went back to where
the other passage branched off, and
entered It, neither speaking. They had
proceeded a short distance, when Phil
cried out:
"Look here!" at the samo time
pointing to a small cavity, in which
appeared a small door.
" Ah !" exclaimed Webber, " perhaps
this solves the mystery!" And step.
ping up to It. with a vigorous kick he
threw it from its rusty hinges far Into
the room. On entering, what was their
surprise to see, leaning against the wall,
a table with a drawer in it, underneath
was an earthen jar, to all appearance of
European manufacture, while on the
opposite side lay a pile of skins, envel-
oped In whose dusty folds was a human
skeleton of so contracted an appearance
that the hunters at once knew Its owner
died In the greatest agony. '
In the meantime, Phil had been ex
amining the table and now handed to
Webber a roll of parchment, who on
rubbing off the mould a and dirt, seem
ingly the accumulation of years, found
thereon Inscribed 11 Confession of
Robert Donevan." The substance of It
was, that the man had long years before
been a pirate, and, on being driven from
the seas, had taken refuge In this lonely
cave his hand against every man's as
every man's hand was against him.
Here he had lived for a number of years,
subsisting on roots and the few animals
he could kill. His victims were chosen
of those travelers who sought shelter in
the cave, and while they were sleeping
he would steal from his hidden chamber,
and slay them by means of a small
needle, Inserted In the region of the
heart; this would kill them instantly,
yet leave no perceptible wound. Once
dead, he would cast their bodies either
into a pit or carry them outside on the
mountain, as the whim took him. The
murderer himself had evidently met
that horrible death starvation. Thus
was the problem solved, and the two
proceeded to the village, where Webber,
1 for and in consideration " that the
villagers would furnish him a help
mate, agreed to spend the remainder of
his days.
SUNDAY READING.
A TEMPERANCE STORY.
A
GENTLEMAN, who for years has
been more or less under the in
fluence of liquor, and whose red nose
and bloated figure stamped him as an
inebriate, had gone home to his wife and
children in his usual condition. He
was not unkind in act or in words. It
was his delight to play at games with his
little ones, as he was able, and to enter
tain them with wonderful stories. On
this occasion the family were all togeth
er in the slttinor-room, and the usual
games having been played, little Fred
die, a lad about six years of age, had
climbed upon his father's knee, and
was asking him all sorts of boyish ques
tions. He talked as a child will of
what he would do when he was a " big
man," asked if he would be like pap
then ; and finally, after a long and se
rious look into his father's face, with
every shade of childish curiosity in
Voice and glance, put to him this be
wildering query :
Papa, when I grow up to be a man,
will my nose be red like yours, and my
face all swelled V"
Ah! why should that swollen face
grow redder than 'twas wont to be ?
Why should his arms so quickly draw
that boy to his breast V And why
should tears flow and voice tremble as
he replied in words and tone that made
mother's heart clad :
No, Freddie! please God, you won't
be like me when you get to be a man ;
and neither will your father, my boy,
for from this hour be will ' lead a sober.
life."
" Be like him !" He had not thought
of that before, and the bare possibility
staggered him. Ail the love in his
father's heart cried out agalnBt such a
fate. That boy, his pride, going about
with a rtlnnrpri fanA Anil nnlnnnpri hrpnih?
No, no ! he was not prepared foil that 1
Never before had he seen his own looks
so clearly ; they were reflected in the
boy's the boy grown to manhood ; and
honor, affection and reason came to the
rescue. The child had preached a ser
mon no orator could deliver, and Inno
cence and Ignorance had accomplished
what learning and logic bad aimed at in
vain. Those words " went noME."
Wooden Swearing.
The Sunday school in Kockvllle was
assembled for their monthly concert.
The lesson was about swearing, and
when the children had repeated their
verses, the minister rose to talk to
them..
"I hope,- dear children," he said,
" that you will never let your lips speak
profane words. But now I want to tell
you about a kind of swearing which I
heard a good woman speak about not
long ago. She called it wooden swear
ing. It's a kind of swearing that many
people besides children are given to,
when they are angry. Instead of giv
ing vent to their feeling in oaths, they
slam the doors, kick the chairs, stamp
on the floor, throw the furniture about,
and make all the noise they possibly
can. "Isn't this just the same as
swearing?" said she. "It's just the
same kind of feeling, exactly, only they
do not like to say those awful words ;
but they force the furniture to make the
noise, and so I call it wooden swear
ing." I hope, dear children, that you
will not do any of this kind of swear-
ing either."
It is better to let alone wooden swear
ing, and all other kinds of Bwearing.
M
USSER & ALLEN
.CENTRAL STORE
NEWrOllT, IENN'A.
Mow offer the public
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J. M. GlKTIX.
J. II. Oibvth
J. M. GIRVIN & SON., .
FLOUR, GRAIN, SEED Sl PRODUCE
Commission Merchants,
No. 61 South Gay, St,
BALTIMORE, MD.
We will pay strict attention to the sale of all
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Notice Is hereby given that John A. Nesblt.ot
Madison township, Perry county. Pa., executed a
deed ot voluntary assignment lu trust for the ben
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al and mixed, to the undersign ed, on the 29lh day
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All persons knowing themselves indebted to the
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ANDKBW ADAIR, Assign.
March 29, 1SSH, C has . H. bmlley. Att'y-
1