Brown had gotten the rope, and we made a ship's ladder for Sam. We quickly lowered it through the small opening in the ground, and I never saw a man climb a rope ladder so fast before. Sam was mighty glad to see the light of day again.
Now that this ordeal was over I couldn't contain myself any more. I had to tell Sam and Brown of my discovery, and I wanted them to explore it with me. Certainly there was adventure ahead.
3
A Business Venture Appears
"Early this morning," I began, "while waiting for you to return, Brown, I took a walk around and noted a lot of bats going into a large cave,—a really large cave. Let's go have a look at it."
Sam didn't need to say a word. I could tell from his expression and his disappointment that he had no desire to go into any more caves, even if the entrance was on the side of a hill where he could safely get out.
"Not me," he exclaimed in no uncertain terms. "Damn your cave. I'm going back to Carlsbad, and the quicker I get started, the better."
Sam would have it no other way, and since I felt partially responsible for his feeling the way he did, I decided to take him back to Carlsbad.
However, I couldn't get my mind off the new cave. I had to know what it was like inside. So, I made immediate arrangements to return.
I didn't want to go alone, so I inquired around and found two men who said they would be interested in going back with me and explore the cave.
The three of us set forth on the 28 mile journey to Donahue Springs, Andy Fairchild, a fellow I knew only as Lynn, and myself.