The Cave in the Mountain / A Sequel to In the Pecos Country

e Expe

Table of

rrect idea of the distance passed, and so he, in attempting to run the shadowy wolf to earth, had traveled twice as far as he supposed. The case is altogether different when

ff soundings." Several times he was forced to leap over openings, or rents, similar to that into which he had stumbled, and the broadening out of the cave made it out of his power to confine his path to anything like reasonable limits.

nd the captain is compelled to "go it blind." He was forcibly reminded of this difficulty by unexpectedly finding himself face to face with the side of the cavern. When he thought that he wa

frightened at this discovery. "I never tramped over such a plac

espair began to creep into his heart. Worse than all, he became aware that his torch was nearly

utterly worn out. He had been traveling for hours, or, rather, working, for nearly every step was absolute labor, so precipitous was the ground and so frequent were his detours. He had acc

the capacity of the Irishman in the way of slumber, he could not remain unconscious all the time. And then nothing seemed more probable than that he was placed for ever beyond the power of response. If a

e people was such that he did not doubt but that, by some means or other, they would learn the true signal with which to reply. As yet, however, no such attempt had been made, so far as his ears informed him, but his misgivings were none the less on that account.

hich he had read frequently when at school, and had learned to recite for his father. He found himself repeating th

orld w

and powerfu

less, treeless,

ath, a chaos

es and ocean, a

r'd within their

himself, and, although Fred dreaded to see it burn itself out, when the chances were that he was likely to be in sore need of the same, yet he had wrought himself up to such a pitch t

s he drew the weapon from his belt and held it up to inspect it in the light of the flaring torch. "

e muzzle toward the cave

t that the ammunition was equally so, and the slight moisture that characterized the atmosphere of the cave had not been sufficient to injure the cha

ld escape filling the subterranean world from one end to the other, and s

then, when quiet came again, it was like that of a tomb-deep, profound, and impressive. The bent and listening ear could detect nothing that c

, when he had waited for the reply until convinced that it

nd a half hour in that fashion as in any other. The echoes and pains of his bruises had departed,-or, more

hed out his limbs. "It seems to me that I won't be

at he was not conscious of

his feet, and held it there until it was entirely extinguished, and he was wrapped again in the same impenetrable darkness. So far as possible, he had become accustomed to this dreadful state of affairs. He had bee

ad is thoroughly and completely tired, it is difficult for him to think of anything else; and although, while walking, the fugitive was tormented by all manner of wild fancie

ere frolicking all around, sometimes grinning in his face, and then skurrying far away through the aisles of the gloom. At last he slept. The sl

start of exclamation and terror, and the animal growled and darted back several feet. A pair of gleam

o do it in self defense. So he shoved the weapon back in its place, where it could be seized at a moment's warning, and sat still. In a few moments

not knowing what he had in tow, was only intent upon getting away, and he plunged ahead as furiously as if a blazing torch was tied to his tail. Fred was fully imbued with the "spirit of the occasion," and resolved not to part company with hi

way the

hile the wolf was clutching and clawing to get away. They were in such a narrow passage way that Fred could not rise. Unclasping one hand, he held on with the other, while h

e in the mountain, and was