THE HERO OF THE GOBLINS' CAVE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2076, 7 December 1893, Page 45

THE HERO OF THE GOBLINS' CAVE.

•'What is the Goblins' Cave, mother?" asked Arthur Balham, a lad of 13. "Is it really full of sprites ? " "Of course not, Arthur. What a silly question to ask! You are old enough to know better ! " " Then why is it called the Goblins' Cave ? " asked the boy. " Ever since we came here people have spoken time after time about the cave ; and I want to see it." "You must be very careful how you attempt it," replied his mother. "It is underneath the falls, and if the path is slippery you may be dashed to pieces. Wait until the men can go with you, there's a good boy." Mrs Balham then went to her housekeeping duties, and Arthur went out to chop wood. In Canada, where these people were then living, they had to work hard for themselves. The Balhams had to build their log hub and- to fill in the spaces between the timbers with mud and rnosF. They had to sink a well, and build a bakehouse and a dairy, for they were not near a town. No baker or butcher or milkman called regularly " for orders " ; so you will understand thai Arthur had not much time at first to go hunting after the Goblins' Cavern, of which he had heard the farm helps speak. It was not until the winter came that he had a chance to visit the cave. But he had made inquiries. He had found out something about this wonderful cave. The men had told him that once upon a time a great black bear had been hunted by some dogs and men, that the bear had fallen into the cave, and that hunters, dog?, and aU had gone after. They had all been killed ; and now goblins danced there on moonlight nights. Mr Balham laughed at this nonsense. He knew the people said these things to prevent the children from going to the cave, -which was Bometimes dangerous to approach for fear of Indians. They had heard the story of the bear hunt, and had repeated it. But Arthur was not satisfied. He knew there were no goblics or sprites, and he was very anyious to see the beautiful cave with pillars and lofty chambers ; a grand roof in which "icicles" hung all the year round— splendid ! "Like the cave in which Aladdin' found the wonderful lamp," he thought. But all his plans were changed by a curious thing happeniDg in the settlement. There were several families living in the settlement, and every week in the late autumn a cow^was missed ! One cow lost every week. Now if the cows had all gone together the fact would nob have been so curious ; but one cow after another from different fields disappeared. The farmers hunted high and low for the cattle. They rode in all directions, but found no trace of them. At last, after losing six valuable animals, the arrival of winter put a stop to the robbery or straying. The cows were housed and made warm, the lost were replaced when possible, and the farmers could only wonder where the cows had gone. Arthur and his young friends enjoyed winter in Canada. It was such fun to go sleighing and tobogganing, lushing over the snow, or skating on the lakes or ponds. They would go out sometimes by moonlight, and have lovely sleighing parties. People from the town would come out also, wrapped in furs and rugs, to meet the settlers, and wish them A Happy Christmas. One afternoon, when Arthur and a young friend were coming home from some shooting expedition, they were surprised to see, at a little distance from the settlement, a tall, dark figure. This figure was standing up on its hind legs, and had an immense head. It was dressed in furs and skins to keep it warm. "Ib'a a bear!" whispered Arthur to his friend. " I wish we had our rifles, these guns are not much good against a bear." "Look, there's another!" cried Joseph Stans, his friend. " Bun, Arthur ! Bun like steam ! " ♦ Joseph did not wait to see whether his chum followed his example. He ran away as fast as he could, and never even fired his gun to alarm the people near or to frighten the two bears. Arthur was brave enough. He could see the two bears, which were approaching each other, but as he was in the brushwood they could not see him. He took his guii from his shoulder, where it was slung, and prepared to load it ; but he had not a single cartridge left. What could he do ? He was ashamed to run away, and he had only a small hunting knife in his belt. He could not pass the bears, which had hidden themselves. " Queer bears," thought Arthur ; " they were walking on their hind feet ! , Perhaps they are Indians. If so, the tribe will attack us at night. Oh ! what shall Ido ? " Joseph had run away ; so Arthur, a brave boy, made up his mind to go home the quickest way he could and give the alarm. He did nob think about Joseph at all. Arthur hid his gun, buckled his belt tighter, threw the birds he had shot in the brushwood near his gun, and turned back to the river. The river was not a big one, and it was frozen across. In the spring ib would be a torrent, in the summer almost dry at times ; in winter it flowed under the ice, which formed thickly above it, and hung like a frozen cascade in places where the fall was. Down thi3 fall he would have to climb, and in the twilight too. Yes, he would go ; he was not afraid. He reached the ice and got on ib ; then he climbed very carefully on his big snow shoes, which prevented him from sinking in the snow. Jusb as he was getting very carefully on the ice fall he remembered the chasm below — the great gap of the Goblins' Cave— and he felt frightened. As he turned to go back by another way he slipped, his legs went flying down, and in another moment he would have been dashed to pieces had he not fortunately grasped some bushes close by ; but his weight pulled him on. He struggled to regain the ice ; he slipped and slipped, until he hung almost over the great chasm of the fall — over the reck in which the terrible cave was situated. He looked behind him, and dug his feet into the snow and ice deeply and rapidly. Hardly held up by the bush, he might have fallen and been killed outright had not a quantity of snow got loose aud fallen in a kind of avalanche past him. Poor Arthur had to let go at last ; he was actually torn away from his hold, and fell plump on the snew, some 10ft or so below. Ha sank deeply into the soft snow, but managed to Btruggle out unharmed. He found himself close to the Goblins' Cave. The evening was closing in, so he would have hurried home had he not heard voices, and after a while a low moaning sound. He waited and listened. By degrees he managed to creep nearer and nearer, and then found out that a body of Indian warriors were occupying the cave, and the moaning noise which he heard was the lowing of a cow. "So the Indians have stolen our cattle," said he to himself, "Then, when I

get home, we will have a fight. But let me get home first. I wonder how ib is that we never suspected Indians nor searched the Goblins' Cave." The Indians had often used the cave for their inroads, and had given it a bad name. Hence the settlers rather avoided ib. But this time Arthur had found out the truth. He crawled home, and when it was quite dark he slunk into the village like an Indian and told what he had seen. The settlers assembled as quickly as possible, and at night made an attack on the Goblins' Cave. But the Indians had run away, taking two cows with them. Only the bones of the others were found. The cows had been killed and eaten. Arthur was greatly praised for his bravery, but Joseph got very much laughed at for running away. Next morning Arthur picked up his gun and the birds, which were frozen hard. When spring came Arthur and Joseph explored the Goblins' Cave, and found that it was the hiding place of the Indians. Arthur found it rather alarming in the snow when he fell in the friendly avalanche which saved his life and made him the hero of the Goblins' Cave. N. Crawford.