THE GRUESOME FINDS IN THE CAVE
Another week had thus passed by--seven days of unceasing toil. The
Professor again brought up the subject of the cave. The subject did not
need any argument. It fell on willing ears.
"How shall we take the boat around?" was the matter which interested
George.
"Sail it around, of course," was Harry's view.
Both looked at the Professor. "If we sail it there, which will be an
easy matter, how can we haul it up the sides of the cliffs? From my
present recollection the mouth of the cave is fully thirty feet or more
from the water line. The air pocket is not over eight or ten feet. At
any rate, it is much lower."
"Then why not haul it around on the wagon, and lower it down the walls?"
"That seems the most feasible plan."
They now knew what preparations were needed for the exploration. Two
lamps had been taken before, and one was lost in the cave. Since that
several more had been made, so that three were provided, together with a
supply of matches.
When the wagon was ready the Professor brought out several boards, and
deposited them in the wagon. The boys looked at the boards inquiringly,
as the Professor turned back from the wagon. "Oh, yes, the boards; we
want something to write on so that we can chart the cave. We must not be
caught as we were the last time."
"But how can we possibly chart the cave when we have only one boat?" And
George laughed at the idea of making a plan of the interior by standing
at one point.
"You measured the height of the falls without going to the top, if you
will remember."
He had forgotten that. But the boat was at last secured in the wagon,
and proceeded to the cliffs. It was fortunate that the team could be
taken to a point directly over the mouth of the cave, and in a little
while the ropes were attached to it and slowly lowered, Harry taking the
precaution to follow it down and to dislodge it from the steps which
appeared in its path.
The team was then securely hitched, and taking all their implements,
such as lamps and boards, together with two of the guns and an ample
supply of ammunition, descended to the entrance. The boat was at the
mouth, and it was suggested that a preliminary survey of the interior
should first be made, in order to ascertain how far the boat would have
to be carried before reaching the water.
The lamps were lighted, and the boys led the way. After passing the
point, about two hundred feet from the mouth, and at almost the
identical spot where the water was found at the first exploration, the
water glistened before them. Returning toward the opening a loud beating
sound was heard, which at first startled them. It was evidently at the
mouth of the cave. It sounded like the beating of a stick against some
hard substance.
The nearer they came to daylight, the more distinct were the sounds. As
heretofore explained, near the entrance the cave made a turn to the
right at an angle, so that when at a distance of fifty feet from the
opening it was impossible to see daylight, except what little was
diffracted from the angle at the turn.
This angle was reached, and the beating, rather irregular, was plain
enough to cause some alarm. The boat was beyond the open mouth and at
one side, so that it could not be seen by anyone within the recessed
walls.
All stood still, while the beatings continued. Occasionally there would
be a cessation, to be repeated again. Whatever it was it was not far
away. The Professor whispered: "Get the guns ready; we must take some
chances."
Cautiously the company moved forward; the end of the boat first appeared
in sight, and as George peered beyond the projecting point of the ledge,
he threw up his hands and burst out in laughter. Angel was in the boat,
imitating Harry in the building operation. The sudden appearance did not
startle him in the least, nor did he stop beating his lullaby, after he
noticed the broad smiles that greeted him.
With an eye to every advantage, Harry had attached to the sides of the
boat, amidships, two short standards, about three feet high, on top of
which two of the lamps were mounted, so they would be out of the way,
and thus give them freedom to handle the oars and the weapons, as well
as afford them a better light, than if carried by hand. The Professor
was much pleased with this arrangement.
The boat was not particularly heavy, but it was a task to drag it over
the uneven floor and along the tortuous path which had to be taken by
their burden, but when the water was reached they were repaid for the
labor by the ease with which they could explore the interior.
Before starting the journey the Professor, as usual, uttered a few words
of advice: "One of us must sit in the bow, one at the stern, and the
other amidships. The one at the stern must propel the boat, as we cannot
row through many of the places, and as the water is not deep, that will
not be a difficult task. The ones at the bow and amidships should have
the guns, and if there is no objection, I will take my place on the
middle seat, where I can best take the observations on the way. The
other places you should decide between yourselves."
"I am willing to take the bow, if Harry agrees." Harry sanctioned the
arrangement, and when the lamps were securely fastened, Harry pushed the
boat forward through the cavern. It did not take long to reach the
slight turn which led to the large chamber, which was over one hundred
feet long.
On the way to the chamber Harry had an opportunity to measure the depths
of the water, and at intervals the Professor would call out for the
depths, as he was making notes of the descent formed by the floor to the
chamber. The oars gave a pretty fair idea, showing that the floor was
only about five feet lower at the chamber than where the boat was
launched.
Reaching the chamber Harry was directed to steer it to the right and
skirt the wall going to the left, so that every part of it could be
examined.
[Illustration: _Fig. 13 THE TREASURE CAVE_]
"I have another reason for this careful examination," remarked the
Professor, as he was intently engaged in making notes on the board
tablets. "It may be likely that the chamber has more than one outlet and
if so, we must explore it also. Of course, I am most interested in the
outlet to the south."
A circuit was made until they reached the outlet to the south, which
Harry had discovered when the light on the ledge disappeared. The water
throughout the cavern within the chamber was not over eight feet deep,
and at the outlet to the south he could not touch bottom with the
twelve-foot pole they carried. This outlet was contracted, and, judging
from the width of the boat, could not be more than eight feet across,
but it gradually widened, and the waters became shallower as they
advanced.
George, who was in the bow, held up his hand as a warning. "Stop!" was
all he said. All peered forward. The lights threw their beams forwardly
through a broadening channel, beyond which appeared to be white forms
ranged along the opposite wall.
"What depth have you, Harry?" asked the Professor, without seeming at
all concerned.
"About five feet."
"Move straight ahead, until I tell you to stop."
The pole was thrust down and the boat moved forwardly fully fifty feet
before a halt was called.
"I think we are now in the middle of this chamber. Before exploring it
let us make a thorough examination of its characteristics."
"Look at those wonderful icicles hanging from the roof!" George gazed on
them with wonder and admiration. Harry, on the other hand, with the
utilitarian idea in his mind, inquired: "Why couldn't all that chalk be
utilized for making plaster?"
"That product is used in the arts, but it costs too much to transport it
from the places where it is found in its natural state, as science has
found a much cheaper way of producing it from limestone."
"Are all these rocks limestone?"
"Beyond question. Only a few of the caves so far found are in any other
formation than limestone."
"What kind of cave are those?"
"Where they have been produced by volcanic action. There the walls are
of volcanic rock."
"Why is it that these underground channels are formed in this way?"
"They are formed by the erosive action of the water wearing out the
softer portions of the rock beneath a harder roof or wall. This action
is brought about by carbonic acid acting on the rock and producing what
is called carbonate of lime, and the stalactites and stalagmites found
in all these caverns are of that material."
"What is the difference between the two names you have just mentioned?"
"Stalactite means trickling or dropping, and as applied to these
formations it means conical or cylindrical accretions of the carbonate.
Stalagmite is the term used to designate the calcareous formations found
on the floors of caverns, which are usually the droppings from the
roof."
"Where are most of the caves found?"
"They occur most frequently along rocky shores of open seas, as in this
case. Some of them are celebrated for their great extent, others for
their gorgeous interiors, like this chamber. Some show the most
beautiful draperies, or veils; in some cases portions of the ceiling
have representations of magnificent inverted candelabra, and what appear
to be carvings in the purest white."
"In what parts of the world are most of them found?"
"It does not seem that any portion of the world has a monopoly. The most
celebrated are the grotto of Antiparas, in Greece; the Adelsberg caverns
in Carniola, and the Mammoth in Kentucky. The latter is the largest in
the world, the windings of which extend forty miles and through which is
a subterranean river. In the river are eyeless fish, and fish with eyes,
but sightless. Others are the Luray, in Virginia; the Wyandotte, in
Indiana; Weir's, in Virginia; the Big Saltpeter, in Missouri, and
Ball's, in New York. Of seashore caverns, the most famous and remarkable
is Fingal's, on the coast of Scotland. Extensive caves are also found in
the Azores, Canary Islands, in Iceland, in various portions of England,
France and Belgium. Many of them are of immense value to the
paleontologist."
"In what way are they of any use?"
"They have been of the greatest service, because in the early days of
man, and before he knew enough to build his own habitation, he made the
cave his home. You have heard of the 'cave man,' have you not? During
the old stone period in England and other European countries, these
caverns were the only abodes of man, and in them have been found layers
from twenty to thirty feet thick, of successive accretions of bone,
stalagmites and various articles of human manufacture."
This information added interest to the examination of the walls, and the
eagerness of the boys to discover something new and startling was at its
keenest edge. Before they had made a half circuit George announced that
he could see a large opening, which turned to the right, and thus formed
a bend to the general direction that the cavern had made.
A digression is necessary, in order to be able to understand all the
elements in this remarkable voyage. The mouth of the cave was northeast
of the Cataract home, and distant about a half mile, in a straight line.
The opening for the first six hundred feet, which had been charted by
them on the previous occasion, ran directly south, but from that point
it turned toward the southwest, and this now, in a measure, explained
the eagerness of the Professor to explore it, as he believed the cavern
led to a point near their home.
"There is no water in the opening," was the further information from
George, as they approached the contracted end of the chamber.
"Before we land let us see the other side of the chamber," was the
Professor's suggestion.
The boat was veered around to the left, and before they had proceeded
fifty feet it was apparent that a similar opening led out to the south,
and a dry floor was visible, like in the other outlet. The boat was
landed, and drawn up, two of the lamps taken out and the guns examined.
The opening led into a second chamber, which looked like a canopied
grotto of marble. Where they stood the chamber had the appearance of a
huge letter A, the side walls of which ran together in the distance, but
these walls were broken up by the most enchanting series of columns, and
delicate entablatures, and the outlines of the figures were like
blanched frescoes. It was such a weird and startling sight that the boys
could not repress their amazement.
After they had fully entered the chamber Harry's quick eye caught a
peculiar formation to the right, on a raised sort of platform, behind
which seemed to be a recess. He had noticed it because it contrasted so
strangely with the uniformly white glare of all the surrounding
surfaces. He quickly made his way across, and as he reached it, stepped
back in alarm.
"Come here, quickly; are those skulls and skeletons?"
The Professor did not need a second invitation. Scattered about on the
elevation were found four skulls, and the bones comprising the remains
of four human beings. The skulls were first arranged side by side, and
the Professor intently examined them.
"These are skulls of the Caucasian race, beyond a doubt. All are,
apparently, well formed and normal. But what is this?"
In the side of one skull was a perforation, with the bone fractured on
all sides of the orifice.
"Do you think it is a bullet wound?"
"It has that appearance. As there seems to be no corresponding hole in
any other portion of the skull, we may be able to find the missile
inside, if death was caused by that means."
Harry had noticed a rattling sound when the skull was put in place, and
mentioned this. After some hesitation the course of the fractured
opening was traced through, and embedded near the top and on the
opposite side, was a large lead ball, or what had been, undoubtedly,
spherically shaped before it entered and passed through the bones.
"This is evidence to me that these remains have been here a long time."
"Why; because it is in the form of a ball, and not a bullet?"
"Yes; and there is also another reason why these people came here and
met their fate many, many years ago."
"What is that?"
"In this calcareous formation the preservative qualities of the
carbonates would prevent rapid decomposition. These skulls are turning
to the same material that we see all about us. See how brittle the bones
are. Our bones are of lime formation, being largely composed of the
carbonate, the same as the stalactites."
The other substances now lying about were noticed. The excitement
engendered at the sight of the bones was enough temporarily to blind
them to the numerous things found scattered about. Here was a dirk, the
edges entirely worn away, and whitened. There were the metal ribs of
what seemed to be a case, or a receptacle of some kind. Lying at one
side was an ancient type of firearm, long, heavy, and with an immense
bore. Another and another were found--a regular arsenal, with the
scattered remnants of peculiar little copper receptacles with whitish
powder in them.
Harry, who was about to remove the powder, was stopped by the Professor.
"We must retain everything as we find it, as nearly as possible. We do
not yet know what the little vessels contain."
Not an article of clothing thus far had been found. A little higher up
on the platform, two more skeletons were seen, both of which had
fractured skulls, one of them showing two cavities which could not have
been accidental, as both showed the same kind of fracture, and inclined
across the skull in the same direction on the left side.
Alongside these skeletons were more of the long, wicked-looking firearms
which had been found previously near the other bodies. There was every
evidence to show that a terrible fight had terminated the existence of
the band. More long knives, with curiously wrought handles, were lying
behind the last skeletons, and on a more careful examination, a knife of
an entirely different pattern was found within the ribbed cavity of one
of them.
Still farther back, new articles appeared. Articles of furniture, many
of them coated with the fallen carbonates; and here were the first
articles of clothing, some of which were so decomposed as to crumble at
the touch. Others were still firm. Some of the articles, like a mantle,
had threads intact running in one direction, and the other cross thread
all converted into dust, which disappeared when the garment was held up.
On some of the garments were metal trimmings. "They look like silver,"
said George, excitedly; "and what is this? It seems to be silver," as he
brushed a bracelet-like piece of ornamentation with the sleeve of his
coat. As they advanced new articles came in sight; a bench; a veritable
chair, or couch, the covering of which was there merely to give it form,
but the substance had gone. Only the wood remained and that largely
decayed.
And now on every side, at the rear and along the walls of the recess,
were evidences of human habitation. Cutlasses, knives, and at one side,
what appeared to be the kitchen, were numerous pots and kettles of
various sizes and descriptions, nearly all of them of copper.
"How could they possibly cook in here without being smothered to death?"
asked Harry.
"The cavern seems to be large enough to take care of all the smoke," was
the Professor's reply.
"Well, I don't understand why they should have taken the trouble to come
in such a long distance, when they would be just as safe nearer the
mouth?"
"Before we leave this place we may be able to answer your two questions
in a way that will surprise, if not startle, you," was the Professor's
answer.
This vague reply did not detract any from the interest which the boys
took in the search.