In A Cornish Cavern--an Escape

It was il cleaï, btilmy day in Juno when I, Richard Dawson, midshipmaiii at lióhte in Cornwell aftera twoyoarg cruiso, looked Dp Umie of my olil sulioolmates for a rw along tin ■ cuist in áyawl hirod of a w itcrmaii, and well froighted with all th'tt was needed to mako the dajr a merïy uno. Awav wc went, fotir of the most lighth a tea Jad living. Bob Treluu ny stroke, mysulf with a pair of sculls, Torn Davies in the bow- ■ rowing at random ; and Lillie Fineli, onr littlc coxswain, saucily hugging himself on the dwnrfish stature which exempted hilii from any greator share in our labors. With many a quip at caeh othor's expense, our laughtur waking up the eohoos Of the cüriously vríiuhI clifl's towering abovc us, We glided along-the piöturosque coast ; somotiinos passing bencath huge blocks of griinite, which seemed to need but a touch to topplo thom down tlpon our frnil craft ; Sometimes catching glimpses of tihy coves, whose beauty no foreign seonery I havo over visitod cxcuodod. Into one of theso our coXswain Bteered us wlutt we begatl to show symptoms of fatifiue, skillfullv takiii"1 us through the narrow inlct bitwcen thé rocks that concealed it froin catu il observers. Perhaps the dark hours tbat folloWcd holped to imprint on my memory the peaceful beauty of that spot, for I cim conjure up - even now that yoars havo paased over my head - overy detail of the fair picture ; tlio high banks heinming in the rainiic bay, eovorod to their suniinits with heather and the endless variety of ferns that flourisli in tho rieh tlluvial soil ; tho trees crowning the heights the sighing of tho soft breeze that stirroil the branches, and the musical cadenee of falling water innumerable littlo rivulets boundcd from rock to rock in glistening cascades, or like silver serpents threaded their way towerd the murinuring sea. The scène was so lovely that even the mercurial spirit of our co&swain was impressed ty it, and ho stopped In tho midst of one of nis favorite ditties to exclaim, ' By Jove, it's sublimo ! " In reminiscences of our happy Isohool days, and song after song from the Mario of our compatty, tho time quickly passod a way, till the deepening shadows warned us that we must depart, Oiir distimshed stores were rcplaced in tho yawl, andi )endiitg to our work, we soon emerged trom the peaceful covo into the broader expanso of Sh Michael's bay. While we were lingering in the cove, the breeze had freshened, so that our little boat danced merrily over the swelling waves, the bmmding motion adding a Fresh ímpetus to the lniith which was exuberant enough at st:ii'tin_r. We had travorsed about half our liomoward waj' whon Toni Jj.iv es pr ipuoa ii row in one of the glooiuy looking cava 1U frequently to be ;on on lli : Conrisu OOtwft. Evcry one agreeing tti the proposal, the bont was bacled tbr a l'iiw yards, tho head pointod toward tl noarest opening, and half a dozen vigorous strokes sent us into the yawning cavitv. As we darted ander the n;inow aren. We perceived that at its hfghest point tho cavirn rose but a t'uw feet abovo our lirada, while to i u ■ greut constornation, vi' luid ourèelves irresistibly carried much lurther than yro hal inteiidcd penetrating into this abttdé' of Bfcrange eohoas. As aaother wsve uanie üp', impelting us tt:ll onwftrd in spite of onr most vigorous effültsto provont it, we lookiid towanl each other anxiously, and our eoxswain's voiue sounded hollow and unusually subdued, as he exclaimed : '■ Isay, yru fellows, this won't do at uny pric. . Stern all ! " Tuis, to our incroasing undasinnss, We found it inipcsible to accomplish. We had but backed a few yards when, with a whirl and a rush aj;.inst which wo coald iiiiikr no head, anotlier w.ive rulled in', and we clnng desporately to the sides ot' tho cavein to p e vent our boat boing dushed to pieces on sdine hidden boulder. Though olive to t!ic danger of the position, and bitterly regretting our tooástiness in making t .c venture with so rough a sea running, we did not fully cómprïliend our diliieulties until we looked toward the mouth of thu cavern. To ouv norror we perceived that it was growing loss and loss. As tho next wave eame dashing in, its crost reached to within a couple of feet of the erown of the ruggod arch above us. The tide wns sill rising, and tho dreadful roa i y fi ree Htsol i pon us, that in a short time re sliould po closod in from liglit and hovio ; in a word that we should be buried alive in the cavern ! With indescribable sensafions we watobed eaeh wave rise Wghér and hignrft, and the faint. liglit grow dimmer ; wliile, to inerease the horror of our situation, our boat was' daahed to ottd t'ro with suoh fearful violence that we knew not how long wc ïnight hope to prevent tts being broken up. Olinging with our bloeding fingers to the projecting roeks, we at with onr hét s turned in mute despair to the opening ; nd the " God help us ! " that buist from Trelawnys Ups sounded liko the words of doom to all. Highor and higher crept tho insatiate waters, now roaching the vory suuimit of the arch, and oblitorating the glimmer of light that ynt stole in ; then, as if to mock us, reeoding till tho faint ray was once more visible. Again and agaiu thi happened; but at last we w "re envcloped in pitohy darkness. The wall of water had barred us in, and, unless God helped us wo had taken our last look at the bright world without. It was hard to die so young ; and even iow I think it no shamc to onr manhood ;hat choking sobs and earnoot cries i'or mercy tbrongod to our lips, as we strugled to hold on ngainst the volume of wrater striving always to dash us onward mto the deeper renesses of tho chasin. In our haste and alarm we had forgotton that a small auchor was lying at the hottoin of the boat ; but now, as a largor wave than wo had hithorto contended with, carne pushing on us, Trclawny gaspcd out : " The anchor ! over with it or wo are lost! I can hold on no longer." In an instant I had it over the sido. On isiiii' the bellowing wavo, tho boat was liftcd upon it ; our hands forced to relinquish their grasp of tho jagged tonos to wliich we had been clinging, nnd llke an arrow we were driven forward ; but tin :mohor held, and, for a time, we lelt that we were saved. Up to this moment very few words had been uttered, for the transition had been too great from the mirth and sunsliiiu without, to the darknoss and terror with in, to permit of speech. We all knew b; what a frail tenure we lieldour lives, an. silently huddled together liateaing to th wash of the billowa as the y (MUne whirl ing and tumbling past our boat, to dasi with a r.oricussion like thimder agains some recesa of the eavern, whioh geemei to bo far, away. Slárange teeún stole over rs as we pray ed inooherently that the anchor miL'li hold and the wind drop, or clung in stinttively to the si'lcs ot' our vcsscl, whi-i the eddying watt -rs liurried by, leaving behind theln a transieut calm, so profound thal we coul 1 hear ( ur own deei breatbing and tho bittor grief of our erBtwhile happy little coxswain. Were not his thoughts witli the widowed mother who, if shu lost hiro, lost her all f Prtístíritly the awfül stilltiess was broknn )y a rock orumbling froni tho roof and alling with a dratening crash not many "eet from wherc wo lay, the sound rever)ratiug along the caveruous vaults until t died away in the distanóéi After a while, we faiiüied wc heant tho lomiing oi the wiiid outside our prison. lad it incroased ? And if tlie ïosult hould bo as we l'oreboded, would our fate ver be known to those who wuulil monrn Dr DS? Would any vestige of tho y.uvl )r her unfortunate crew', be washod OUt to oa to t:ll tho sad talo ? At last Mtd what an pternity it seemd - we could discern a fitint glimmer of ight. A few seconds, and it had vanixhd. Thon, like a bright star dawning upon us it steadily increased, and Vo tncw the tido was fallitlg. Brcalhlessly ve watchod the bright harbinger of hopo ill, with eycs that biimmed over, and Toices tremulous witli thankful joy, wu old each other that we migllt ntakü an ttempt to dopart. It Was Hot Utttil after ulany narrow esapöS of boing dashod on the partly sunkn rooks that wo succeeded in reaching lio outer world. Wfiat we then thouglit, r how we acted, may be botter imugiuod lian described ; and I supposo I need carcely say that we hare nnver since tlicn xplored a Oornish cavern when tho tide vas rushing in.