The Subterranean Cavern
The Ringborough Hydropathic was not only celebrated for fishing and
golf--the neighbourhood itself held many attractions. The mountains
round, grim stony ridges, contained curiosities of nature such as are
only found in a limestone district. There were wonderful subterranean
caverns, full of stalactites and stalagmites; underground lakes and
rivers, and mysterious "potholes" leading no one knew whither.
"We ought to make an excursion to Lingham Cave," said Percy Helm one
day. "It's one of the local sights, and it seems a pity to miss it.
Couldn't we arrange to go altogether in a big party? To-morrow would be
a good opportunity."
When to-morrow came, none of the elders seemed disposed to fall in with
Percy's plans. Dr. Longton and Mr. Clarke were bent on fishing, Mrs.
Longton was tired and preferred to stay in the garden, and Mr. and Mrs.
Helm wished to play golf. Mrs. Clarke would not hear of Alison's going
on such an expedition.
"I've been before to Lingham," she said, "and I know from experience how
damp and cold it is inside the cave. You were coughing last night,
Birdie, and I don't want to risk your catching a bad cold. You must be
content to do something quiet to-day."
Dorothy easily obtained Mrs. Longton's consent, so she and the three
young Helms took packets of lunch and started to walk over the fells to
Lingham, a distance of about four miles. The weather was still cold, and
the crests of some of the highest hills were tipped with snow. The keen,
bracing air felt like a tonic. The four strode along briskly over the
short moorland grass, admiring the rugged gorge whence the river flowed
first between two sheer walls of limestone, and then through a chasm
that seemed to have been made by the rending asunder of a mountain of
rock.
"It's a primeval kind of place," said Gabrielle. "One can understand
what a terrible upheaval there must have been to split the cliffs and
twist all the strata out of shape. What enormous force it must have
needed! One wonders if any human beings were there when it happened."
"If there were, they wouldn't be there long," said Percy. "The smallest
of those rocks would be enough to crush an army."
"It's a pity Alison isn't here," remarked Dorothy. "She's rather keen on
geology, and one gets a much better general view of the gorge from here
than from the Hydro."
"Yes, I'm sorry she wasn't allowed to come," replied Gabrielle. "I think
Mrs. Clarke is fearfully nervous. I'm glad Mother doesn't fuss over me
to such an extent. Still, it has another side to it--it must be rather
nice to be a treasured only child!"
"Then you should have been born in a different family; you made a bad
choice in ours," said Eric.
"How many of you are there altogether?" asked Dorothy.
"Seven; we've left the little ones behind."
"Only Norma goes to the Coll."
"Yes; the other three are nursery children. You don't know what it is to
be eldest daughter. Be thankful you haven't three small nuisances at
home."
"I wish I had!" said Dorothy.
"All right; you may change places with me. I'll hand over the whole set
of brothers and sisters, Percy and Eric included."
"A happy exchange for us!" murmured Percy, with a look at Dorothy.
"You horrid boy!" said Gabrielle.
"I want to know why Percy has brought that coil of rope with him,"
enquired Dorothy. "I've been wondering ever since we started."
"Well, I'm quite prepared to satisfy your curiosity. Let us sit down
and eat our lunch while I expound; there are some jolly stones here for
seats."
All four were very ready for lunch, though it was only twelve o'clock.
The keen air had given them fine appetites, and the ham sandwiches and
chicken drumsticks disappeared quickly, not to speak of the bread and
cheese and cakes.
"They don't put up bad lunches at the Hydro.," said Percy, aiming his
last chicken bone at a bird that flew overhead.
"What about the rope?" asked Dorothy again. "I'm still inquisitive."
"It's an idea of mine. You know, everybody goes to Lingham Cave; it's a
regular show place. You pay your shilling, and you're taken round by a
guide who tells you where to step, and not to knock your head, and all
that kind of stuff, and prates away about geology and natural
curiosities and the rest of it, as if he'd learnt it off like a lesson.
Well, instead of going where everybody else goes, I think it would be
much better fun to explore a place of our own. There's another cave at
the other side of Lingham, on the spur of Whernscar. I saw the entrance
to it last Friday, when I walked over with Dr. Shaw. He pointed it out
to me, and said very few people had been down it, but it was quite as
fine as the other, and had splendid--what do you call those
thingumgigs?--oh yes, stalactites, and an underground waterfall."
[Illustration: A LESSON IN GOLF]
"Is there a guide there?" asked Eric.
"No; that's the best of it--no shillings to pay, and no bothering
lecture. People fight shy of it because it's so out of the way and
rather difficult to go down--the passage is narrow, and there's one bad
place. I thought if we had a rope, though, we could manage it easily;
and look! I've brought all these candles and three boxes of matches."
"It would be ripping to see an underground waterfall," said Eric. "There
isn't one in Lingham Cave."
"Yes; we might never get such an opportunity again. Who votes for
Whernscar?"
"I do," said Dorothy promptly. The idea of an adventure tempted her. She
was always attracted by the unknown.
"I suppose we should be all right? It will be quite safe, I mean?"
queried Gabrielle, a little doubtfully.
"Right as a trivet, with a rope and candles," replied Percy. "I expect
if this cave were nearer Lingham village it would be more popular than
the other. It's fearfully far from the station, though, which doesn't
suit trippers."
"We're trippers ourselves if we make a trial trip," laughed Eric.
All the four young people were excited at the prospect of exploring a
little-known cavern without the assistance of a guide. They felt like a
band of pioneers in a fresh country, or the discoverers of a new
continent. None of them in the least realized the risk of the
proceeding, and no older person was there to preach wisdom. Percy, who
had been over the fells before, knew the way, and therefore assumed the
direction of the party. Instead of going down to Lingham, they turned up
the hill instead, and struck across the spur of Whernscar. It was a
grim, desolate part of the country; the bare rocks, upheaved in strange
shapes and unclothed by any greenery, seemed like the skeleton of the
earth exposed to view. Stone walls took the place of hedges, and there
was scarcely a human habitation within sight. Scattered here and there
over the moorland were curious natural pits called "potholes", deep and
dark as wells, and with a sound of rushing water at the bottom. Into one
of these a small stream emptied itself, and was swallowed up bodily.
"They're fearful places," said Dorothy, holding Gabrielle's hand, and
gazing half-fascinated over the edge of the pit into the bubbling depths
below. "It's like a witch's cauldron; you feel there's 'double, double,
toil and trouble' going on down there."
"People must have been fearfully superstitious about these holes in
olden times," remarked Gabrielle.
"Rather! They attributed them to His Satanic Majesty--thought they were
the blowholes of the nether world, in fact. I don't suppose any of the
natives here would care to go near them at night," said Percy.
"Come along! It makes me dizzy to stare down," said Gabrielle. "I feel
as if something were drawing me in."
"The wizard who lives at the bottom!" laughed Dorothy. "We're certainly
in a very peculiar part of the country. Is it far to the cave now?"
"No, we're quite close. I have my bearings, and I'm pretty sure that
it's just round the other side of that crag."
"How exciting! Do let us be quick!"
The mouth of the cave proved to be a small, narrow opening in the side
of the hill, no taller or wider than the little postern gate of an old
castle. For a few yards inside there was a brown glimmer, but beyond lay
inky darkness. The girls, after a first peep, drew back with a shudder,
half of real fear, and half of delighted anticipation of a new
experience. Percy had taken out the candles and was busy lighting them.
"There's one for each of us," he said. "And we must each have some
matches in our pockets, in case of emergencies."
"What emergencies?" asked Gabrielle.
"Well, suppose we got separated?"
"Separated! Don't talk of it. You're not going to lose me, I can tell
you. I shall hold on to your coat the whole way. I shan't go in at all
if you mean to play hide-and-seek. Promise you won't lose me!"
"Don't be silly! Nobody wants to lose you," said Percy. "I'm only taking
proper precautions. There! Are you ready? Eric and I will go first, and
you and Dorothy can follow."
"Shades of Pluto, it's spooky!" exclaimed Eric, leading the way.
The passage ran level for about fifteen yards, then began abruptly to
descend into the hollow of the mountain. The walls were jagged and
uneven, there were frequent turnings and windings, and the floor was
rough with small stones or lumps of rock. In two or three places it was
very damp. Moisture dripped from the roof and oozed in limestone tears
down the walls, forming slimy, milky pools under foot. In the distance
they could hear the gurgling of water. The two boys, as pioneers, walked
slowly, holding their lights so as to examine well the ground in front.
The girls followed them closely.
"I should think it's like this in the Catacombs," said Gabrielle.
"It reminds me of the story of the Princess and the Goblin," said
Dorothy.
"Haven't read it."
"You benighted girl! What you've missed! It's the most gorgeous tale
that was ever written. The goblins lived in a mountain just like this;
they had a great underground hall, and dwellings in mysterious corners
and caves. They wanted to steal the little Princess Irene, to marry her
to their Prince, only Curdie outwitted them. I feel as if we're
following Irene's thread at present."
"I hope you're following me," said Eric. "We're coming to a bad place,
so you'd better go carefully."
The floor of the passage, which had been growing more and more uneven
and rugged, suddenly shelved down like a ladder.
"Yes, this is a bad bit," muttered Percy. "It will certainly need care.
What a good thing I brought the rope!"
"Are you sure it's safe to venture?" asked Gabrielle.
"Yes; it's difficult, but it's safe enough. Dr. Shaw told me about this
place. It's called 'The Chute'; it's something like a long smooth slide.
We must lower one another with the rope."
"Who is to lower the last?" said Dorothy.
"Oh, I'll manage to climb down all right without. Eric can go first,
then he can help you two girls at the bottom."
Eric, with the rope tied round his waist, and his candle held well
overhead, started cautiously down the incline in a sitting posture.
"It's as smooth as a slide," he called. "Don't pay out the rope too
fast, old chap. Let me down gently. That's better. I'm getting along
famously now. I can steady myself with one hand on the wall. Whew! That
was a scorcher! There's a nasty twist here. Steady! Let go a bit!
Right-o! Here I am!"
The tension on the rope stopped, so he had evidently reached his goal.
The others, peering into the darkness, could just see the glimmer of his
candle round a piece of projecting rock.
"Where are you?" they shouted.
"In a much wider passage. Come on! I've untied the rope, so you can wind
it up. It isn't really difficult at all going down, if you're careful of
this corner at the end. I'll climb up and give you each a hand as you
come round."
"You go next, Dorothy," said Gabrielle.
It was rather a horrible experience, Dorothy thought, after the rope was
tied round her waist, to start on that steep, dark descent, even though
Eric was waiting to help her at the bottom. The chute was moist, and as
slippery as ice; she felt dreadfully helpless, and if it had not been
for the staying power of the rope, she would have shot down as if she
had been tobogganing. She managed to aid herself a little by grasping
angles of the wall, though one hand was incommoded by holding the
candle.
"It's all right. Don't squeak--you've got over the worst now," said
Eric, extending a welcome grip at the awkward corner. "Put your foot
against that ledge; now then, swing yourself round.--Hi! More rope, up
there!--Let yourself slide now--it's only a few feet. You've done it!
Hooray!"
Dorothy felt like a heroine as she scrambled to her feet and untied the
rope. She peeped anxiously up the chute to see how Gabrielle would fare.
The latter, after protesting vigorously that she daren't and couldn't
and wouldn't, was at length persuaded to try, and accomplished the
descent with many squeals of terror.
"Pooh! What a fuss you girls make!" said Eric. "There's nothing to be
frightened about."
When his sister was safely landed at the bottom, Percy managed to
descend unaided, and the four started once more on their march of
exploration. They were now in a long gallery, much loftier and wider
than the passage above. It extended for about a hundred feet, then
narrowed and lowered abruptly, so that for a few yards they were obliged
to stoop to get along. Suddenly they all stopped with a cry of
amazement: the passage ended with a natural arch, and they found
themselves staring into a vast subterranean chamber. The cavern was
oval in shape, and had probably once been an underground reservoir for
water. From the roof, like huge icicles, hung innumerable stalactites,
many of which, meeting with stalagmites that rose from the floor, formed
pillars as beautiful as the marble columns in a Greek temple. In the
faint light of the four candles the scene was immensely impressive. The
cave seemed to stretch before the spectators like the dim aisles of some
great cathedral. They could not see to its farthest extent, but from
somewhere in the distance came the noise of rushing water. Walking
carefully between the stalagmites, they commenced a tour of
investigation, holding the lights high above their heads, so as to gain
as good a view as possible.
"If we only had a piece of magnesium ribbon to burn, wouldn't it be
magnificent?" sighed Percy.
"Or even a motor lamp," added Eric.
Guided by the sound of the water, they reached the corner of the
chamber, where a natural wonder presented itself. From a hole about
fifteen feet above them issued a cascade, which poured in a foaming fall
over a ledge of rock, ran for a distance of about eight yards over the
floor of the cavern, then plunged into a deep hole and disappeared.
"I wonder where it comes out--if it ever comes out at all?" said
Dorothy, shuddering as she watched the black water whirl into the dark
abyss.
"Lower down the mountain, probably, but I shouldn't care to try the
experiment of jumping in to find out," said Eric. "It's a weird place,
but it's worth seeing. I'm glad we came. I believe it's finer than
Lingham. And we've done it on our own, too, without any bothersome
guide."
"We've got to go back yet," said Gabrielle. "Hadn't we better make a
start? It must be getting late."
"Exactly twenty minutes to four," said Percy, consulting his watch.
"Then we must go at once. Remember, we have a long walk before us."
Quite loath to leave the marvels of the subterranean chamber, they tore
themselves away, each first breaking off a small stalactite as a
souvenir.
"I shall treasure my limestone 'icicle'," said Dorothy. "I shall score
if I take it to the geology class at school."
"I've got an extra one to give to the College museum," said Gabrielle.
"I hope they won't break in my pocket. I've wrapped them carefully in my
handkerchief."
Arrived at the chute, Percy climbed up first, with one end of the rope
in his hand, then, stationing himself firmly at the top, announced his
readiness to haul up the others. Gabrielle started next, crawling on
hands and knees, and helping herself as best she could by the
projections of rock at the side. It was much more difficult to ascend
than to descend, for the surface was so smooth and slippery, it was
impossible to get any grip. Almost her whole weight depended upon the
rope; she was a heavy girl, and the strain was great. Percy at the top
heaved with all his strength.
"Oh dear, it's dreadful!" cried Gabrielle. "It's cutting my waist in
two. Wait a moment, Percy; don't tug so hard. I want to catch this
ledge."
"Let go of the rock, and I'll give one good pull," commanded Percy. "If
you'll trust yourself absolutely to me, I'll have you up in a jiffy."
Gabrielle loosened her hold, and for one moment threw herself entirely
upon the rope. Perhaps it was not strong enough for the purpose, or
possibly it had been frayed in the descent by contact with a sharp rock;
there was a snap, a sudden, agonized cry, and Gabrielle was precipitated
to the bottom of the chasm. She fell heavily, extinguishing her candle
as she went, and rolling almost to the feet of Eric and Dorothy, who
were standing at the bottom of the chute looking upwards.
"Good gracious! What's happened? Gabrielle, are you hurt?" ejaculated
Percy, descending to the rescue with more haste than discretion, and
bending over the prostrate form of his sister. "Hold a light, Eric; I
can't see her face."
"Oh! Oh! I thought I was being killed!" gasped Gabrielle, raising
herself to a sitting position. "Give me your hand, Percy. Oh! Stop,
stop! My foot! I believe I've broken my ankle!"
The explorers stared at one another in blankest dismay. This was indeed
a predicament. What were they to do, buried in the depths of the earth,
and miles away from help of any kind?
"Are you sure it's broken, or could you manage to get up if we each took
your arm?" suggested Eric.
"No! No! Don't touch me! It's agony if I move."
"Better let me pull your boot off, quick!" said Dorothy, dropping on her
knees by the side of her friend.
It was a very different matter applying First Aid here from what it had
been at the ambulance class in the gymnasium at the College. Except
pocket-handkerchiefs, there were no materials of any kind to be had.
Splints were an impossibility. Dorothy bound up the foot as well as she
could, but her every touch was painful to her poor patient.
"You're sitting in such a wet place! Couldn't we lift you just a
little?" she suggested.
"No; please leave me alone. Never mind the wet."
Gabrielle's rosy cheeks had grown very white. She looked almost ready to
faint. The two boys turned to each other in desperation.
"We can't haul her up that chute with a broken ankle," said Percy. "I
must go back to the Hydro. for help, and you must stay with her. I'll be
as quick as I possibly can--I'll run all the way."
"Mind you don't tumble into any 'potholes', then," called Gabrielle
anxiously, as he scrambled up the chasm and departed.
Then began a long, weary vigil of many interminable hours. The candles
had burnt so low that the trio did not dare to have them all lighted
together, in case they should be left in the dark before assistance
came. They therefore used one at a time, and by its faint gleam the deep
shadows of the rocks appeared more dim and gloomy than ever.
"It's almost like being buried alive!" shivered Gabrielle.
"I'm glad Alison didn't come with us," said Dorothy.
"We've landed ourselves in an uncommonly tight fix," remarked Eric.
Would the time never pass? Hour after hour went by. Wet, cold, and
hungry, and chilled to the bone, the unfortunate trio sat and waited.
They were almost in despair when at last they heard a distant shout, and
a few moments afterwards a strong light flashed down the chasm. The band
of rescuers proved to consist of Mr. Helm, Dr. Shaw (the medical
attendant of the Hydropathic), Dr. Longton, Mr. Clarke, and two
gardeners who were well acquainted with the neighbourhood, Percy, of
course, leading the way. They had brought motor lanterns, ropes, and a
number of other appliances, the most important of all in the eyes of the
three shivering young people being a Thermos flask full of hot soup.
The first duty for the doctors was to set the broken ankle; then came
the more critical task of removing the injured girl from the cave. Her
father, who was fortunately the tallest and strongest member of the
party, took her in his arms, and, aided partly by ropes and partly by
the help of Dr. Longton and Mr. Clarke, he succeeded in carrying her up
the slippery chute on to the level above. Even there their troubles were
not over--the many twistings and windings and angles of the tortuous
passage were difficult to negotiate without giving undue pain to poor
Gabrielle, who was already suffering enough. Her rescuers were only able
to proceed very slowly, and with frequent intervals of rest, and by the
time the party reached the surface of the fell it was past eleven
o'clock.
None of them ever forgot that weird midnight walk back to Ringborough.
It was a wild, windy night, with heavy clouds chasing one another across
the sky and obscuring the light of the waning moon. Hirst and Chorley,
the two gardeners, led the way with the lanterns; then came Mr. Helm
and Dr. Shaw, carrying Gabrielle on an improvised stretcher; and the
others followed closely behind, Dr. Longton helping Dorothy. The ground
was rough and stony, and every now and then their guides had to stop to
take their bearings, for there were several "potholes" and other danger
spots to be avoided. The first grey streak of dawn was showing in the
sky when the party, thoroughly exhausted, at last arrived at the
Hydropathic.
"Gabrielle won't be at the Coll. again for ever so long," said Alison to
Dorothy next day. "Dr. Shaw thinks it may be six weeks before she's able
to walk. Uncle David says it's a miracle she wasn't killed. I'm glad I
didn't go--and yet" (rather wistfully) "I don't suppose I shall ever
have the opportunity of a real adventure again. It must have been so
exciting!"
"It's nicer to read about adventures than to have them," said Dorothy.
"It wasn't thrilling at all at the time--it was cold and wet and horrid.
I'm delighted to have seen the cave, but I wouldn't go through last
night again--not if anyone offered me a hundred pounds!"