A couple of Welsh spelunkers came to Arizona to help map lava tubes. They were quite a pair of tricksters, yes sir! It got so bad that no one would believe anything they said, 'cause if'n they did, the Welshman would make them look like a fool. But they were popular. The spelunkers dearly loved a laugh after a hard day working mapping caves.
Now one evening the two Welshman started down the stope of the near by lava tube. They were working a late shift, and as they descended they began hearing the sound of hammers striking metal, punctuated with the sound of voices. Neither man recognized the voices, so they assumed it was some youth causing trouble. The men grinned at each other. They liked pulling jokes on young people.
The Welshmen followed the sound of the hammers and came into a chamber flickering with the light of a single lantern. The Welshmen were amazed to see two hammers floating in mid-air. They could hear a murmur of voices, but could see no one.
Giving a startled yell, the Welshmen beat a hasty retreat. Climbing to the top of the lava tube, they gasped out the story to a few of their friends. No one would believe them. It was just the sort of practical joke them men had learned to avoid.
Finally, the Welshmen grabbed two of their fellows and dragged them, protesting, down the entrance. When the four men entered the chamber, the invisible hands were still hard at work, hammering the walls of the cave, as they talked to each other.
"It's the bucca," shouted old Ned. The bucca (Tommy Knockers) were small imps or spirits who haunted lava tubes. "I'm getting out of here!"
The spelunkers ran out of the tube and hurried up into the starlight.
The Welshmen were not so quick to play jokes on their friends after this incident. And they stopped investigating mysterious noises.