A False Step Or Real Life in Australia Author:Marc Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. THE CAVEKN. Godfrey wondered that no one had observed this extraordinary object before, bat it so happened that the others scarcely ever went a... more »cross to this western coast. The way there was rough and uneven, neither was there so much probability of sighting a ship. However that might be, there was the arrow pointing downwards to a smooth place on the rock beneath, on which a cross was rudely cut. He felt sure this must lead to some discovery, so he put his shoulder against the rock, and pressed hard. The impetus he gave it forced in the stone, and Godfrey nearly fell in with it, to a chamber apparently cut out of the rock. Nature indeed had hollowed a large fissure, but man's labour had been expendedin smoothing the floor, and fashioning the stone which secured the entrance, and kept the interior of the cavern dry. Ranged round its sides were casks of salted and dried provisions, cases of dried fruits, tins of biscuits, and a large quantity of tear and of coffee berries. Godfrey stared in amazement around him, he thought he must be dreaming, or that his senses had forsaken him, till he saw a book lying on a flat tablelike piece of rock in front of him, and the words "Open and Read," in large letters on the cover. But Godfrey was by far too much astonished to do so at first. Indeed, on consideration he decided not to look into the book by himself, but hasten to bring Captain Williams and the rest of the party to the cavern that the Captain might be the first person to read what was written. So opening a tin of biscuits, he carried several in his pockets, and eating some with thankfulness himself, he hurried back at his utmost speed. " I suppose, Godfrey, you are bringing ussome fine fish, by your hasty steps and sparkling eyes," said Captain Williams. " Here ar...« less