The horrible conclusion which had been
gradually intruding itself upon my
confused and reluctant mind was now an
awful certainty. I was lost completely
hopelessly lost in the vast and
labyrinthine recess of the Mammoth cave.
Turn as I might in no direction could my
straining vision cease on any object
capable of serving as a guidepost to set
me on the outward path. That nevermore
should I behold the blessed light of day
or scan the pleasant hills and dales of
the beautiful world outside. Hope had
departed. Yet indoctrinated as I was by a
life of philosophical study I derived no
small measure of satisfaction from my
unimpassioned demeanor. For although I
had frequently read of the wild frenzies
into which were thrown the victims of
similar situations; I experienced none of
these but stood quiet as soon as I
clearly realized the loss of my bearings
nor did the thought that I had probably
wandered beyond the utmost limits of an
ordinary search caused me to abandon my
composure even for a moment. If I must
die I reflected then was this terrible
yet majestic cavern as welcome as a
poker as that which any churchyard might
afford. Starving would prove my ultimate
fate of this I was certain. Some I knew
had gone mad under circumstances such as
these my disaster was the result of no
fault save my own since unknown to the
guide I had separated myself from the
regular party of sightseers and
wandering for over an hour and forbidden
avenues of the cave had found myself
unable to retrace the devious windings.
Already might light had begun to expire
soon I would be enveloped by the total
and almost palpable blackness of the
bowels of the earth. As I stood in the
waning unsteady light I idly wondered
over the exact circumstances of my
coming end. The underground world with
its steady uniform temperature pure air
and peaceful quiet,
had found instead death and strange and
ghastly form. So summoning all the powers
possessed by my lungs I set up a series
of loud shoutings in the vain hope of
attracting the attention of the guide by
my clammer.
Yet as I called I believed in my heart
that my cries were to no purpose.
All at once however my attention was
fixed with a start as I fancied that I
heard the sound of soft approaching
steps on the rocky floor of the cavern.
Was my deliverance about to be
accomplished so soon? And was the guide
seeking me out in this I'm stone
labyrinth? I was on the point of renewing
my cries in order that my discovery
might come the sooner when in an instant
my delight was turned to horror as I
listened for my ever acute ear now
sharpened an even greater degree by the
complete silence of the cave
these footfalls were not like those of
any mortal map the tread of the booted
guide would have sounded like a series
of sharp blows these impacts were soft
and stealthy as of the paws of some
feline besides when I listened to
carefully I seemed to trace the Falls of
four instead of two feet
I was now convinced that I had by my own
cries aroused and attracted some wild
beast perhaps a mountain lion which had
accidentally strayed within the cave
accordingly I became very quiet and the
hope that the unknown beasts would in
the absence of a guiding sound lose its
direction as had I but this hope was not
destined for realization for the strange
footfalls steadily advanced the animal
evidently having obtained my scent i
grouped about me the largest of the
fragments of rock and grasping one in
each and for immediate use awaited with
resignation the inevitable result
meanwhile the hideous patterning of the
paws drew near
it must I thought be some unfortunate
beast who had paid for its curiosity to
investigate one of the entrances of the
fearful grotto with a life long
confinement it doubtless obtained as
food the eyeless fish bats and rats of
the cave I occupied my terrible vigil
with grotesque conjectures when
alteration cave life might have brought
in the physical structure of the beast
then I remembered with a start that even
should I succeed in felling my
antagonist
I should never behold its form as might
lighted long since been extinct
nearer nearer the dreadful footfalls
approached it seemed that I must give
vent to a piercing scream I was
petrified rooted to the spot
I doubt it if my right arm would allow
me to hurl its missile at the oncoming
thing when the crucial moment should
arrive now the steady pat-pat of the
steps was close at hand now very close I
could hear the labored breathing of the
animal and terror struck as I was I
realized that it must have come from a
considerable distance and was
correspondingly fatigued
suddenly the spell broke my right hand
guided by my ever trustworthy sense of
hearing through with full force the
sharp angled bit of limestone which had
contained toward that point in the
darkness from which emanated the
breathing patterning wonderful to relate
it nearly reached its goal for I heard
the thing jump landing at a distance
away the breathing continued in heavy
gasping inhalations and expirations once
I realized that I had no more than
wounded the creature and now I'll desire
to examine the thing ceased and I did
not approach the body suddenly I heard a
sound
it was the guide then I shouted yelled
screamed even shrieked with joy as I
beheld in the vaulted arches above the
faint and glimmering effulgence which I
knew to be the reflected light I ran to
meet the flare and before I could
completely understand what had occurred
was gibbering despite my boasted reserve
in a most meaningless and idiotic manner
pouring out my terrible story and at the
same time overwhelming my auditor with
protestations of gratitude
the guide had noted my absence locating
my whereabouts after a quest of about
four hours by the time he had related
this to me I am bold 'end by his company
began to reflect upon the strange beast
which I had wounded but a short distance
back in the darkness and suggested that
we ascertained by the flashlights aid
what manner of creature was my victim
accordingly I retraced my steps this
time with a courage born of
companionship to the scene of my
terrible experience
soon we described a white object upon
the floor an object whiter even than the
gleaming limestone itself for of all the
unnatural monsters either of us had in
our lifetimes beheld this was in
surpassing degree the strangest it
appeared to be an anthropoid ape of
large proportions escaped perhaps from
some itinerant menagerie its hair was
snow white a thing due no doubt to the
bleaching action of a long existence
within the inky confines of the cave but
it was also surprisingly thin being
indeed largely absent save on the head
where it was of such length and
abundance that it fell over the
shoulders in considerable profusion the
face was turned away from us as the
creature lay almost directly upon it
from the tips of the fingers or toes
long rat like claws extended no tails
seem to be present the respiration had
now grown very feeble and the guide had
drawn his pistol with the evident intent
dispatching the creature when a sudden
sound emitted by the latter caused the
weapon to fall unused it was not like
the normal note of any known species of
simian the sound which I might feebly
attempt to classify as a kind of
deep-toned chattering was faintly
continued all at once a fleeting spasm
of energy seemed to pass through the
frame of the beast with a jerk the white
body rolled over so that its face was
turned in our direction for a moment I
was so struck with horror of the eyes
they were black those eyes deep with
jetty black and hideous contrast to the
snow-white hair and flesh
as we gaze it upon the uncanny sight
presented to our vision the thick lips
opened and several sounds issued from
them after which the thing relaxed and
death
I make no motion but stood rigidly still
my horrified eyes fixed upon the floor
ahead
the fear left and wonder awe compassion
and reverence succeeded in its place for
the sounds uttered by the stricken
figure that lay stretched out on the
limestone had told us the awesome truth
the strange beast of the unfathomed cave
was or had at one time been a man
