Part 28 (1/2)

My fingers groped along the moist rock I felt stunned Now that the test had been made it seemed insanity to connect a chant that I heard at Levuka with a waterfall in a cavern on the Isle of Tears But why had Toni been killed? Why had Leith exhibited such curiosity about the song when he heardthe incident to the two sisters on board the yacht?

My fingers came to a crevice in the wall as the question presented a bold front to the doubt that had gripped me The fissure was some four feet wide, and my exclamation made Holman put a question

”What is it?” he asked

”Nothing,” I answered Wrecked hopes had made me cautious Still I felt certain that I had remembered those words for some purpose I recalled how they had puzzled”Pilgriress” when he had roused oing back to get a drink,” said Holman

”Hold on!” I stammered, as I uncoiled the piece of spare rope from my shoulders; ”I want you ato explore it Take the end of this rope and hang on”

”Hadn't I better go with you?” he asked

”Not this trip,” I answered ”I've just got a feeling that I'd like to see where it leads to Hold tight!”

I stepped cautiously into the narrow passage and immediately found that it narrowed to such an extent that I had to turn sideways to squeeze through The floor sloped upward, and as the rock was damp and slippery, I dropped upon my knees so that I could climb more rapidly The place seeh botto Hope was still alive The Maori had said that the road to heaven was sixty paces frouided Edith to the waterfall, it was surely decreed that ould make our escape from the clutches of the devil who had us at his mercy

”We will surely escape,” Imyself up the slippery path ”We will escape! I know it!

We will escape! I know--”

The muttered words died upon my lips The crevice turned and then broadened suddenly, and a blinding flash of light forcedmyself face doard upon the rock For ahad happened to ht of day I had seen light--the light of what?

Slowly I liftedforce

It was God's own sunlight that I had seen! The chute ended within three paces of the spot where I lay, and ih which I looked was a patch of verloriously as the rays of the afternoon sun struck full upon it I knew that rock! It had thrilled me as I looked at it on the afternoon when Leith had introduced us to the greatest natural wonder of the Pacific I was at the end of a passage that opened into the Vermilion Pit!

From where I lay I could not see the top of the crater When the passage had suddenly broadened, the roof cah which I looked at the opposite side of the great pit was about ten feet wide but notlip of rock preventedup, but I understood that I was lower than the slippery Ledge of Death that we had crossed to reach the Valley of Echoes It seemed years since we had crossed that path, yet it was less than a week

I thought of the others waiting in the darkness, and I turned and slid down the chute up which I had scrambled The path to liberty was not yet plain, but there was fresh air and sunlight at the top of the chute, and one could see the faces of those they loved bued rocks I went at a terrific speed to the botto, I shouted the news to the four aited there

”It opens into the Verasped ”I can't see hoe can climb out, but there's hope--there's hope!”

I was foolish in lorious sunbea down into the abyss, had made me blind to the difficulties that were yet to be faced! And the Maori's chant ht, I could not but believe that it would bring us to liberty

The slippery chute brought a suggestion froirls and the Professor remain at the bottom while he and I took one end of the rope to the top so that we could haul them up the wet track that I had scaled with difficulty

”We won't be five nal”

I didn't think, as Holman and I crawled to the top of that place, what an eventful five s of life are cra one of our lives toward us as we scrambled up the chute Our adventures upon the Isle of Tears were to have a climax that fitted them

Holman stopped as I had done and thrust his face down upon the rock as his eyes caught a gli wall of the crater that ca down upon the stained sides of the mysterious pit made the veins of colour appear like brilliant snakes The patch that was fraazed was a wild riot of scintillating, blinding colours that dazzled our eyes as we stared at therily of the hot air, then he attempted to discover our exact position in the crater

”We must be somewhere near the top,” he declared ”Don't you remember that the colour of the walls darkened rapidly below the Ledge of Death?”

”I remee”

”If we could look out fro piece of rock,”