Part 21 (1/2)

”Yes, if you are”

Mike did not feel at all ready, but he held the lanthorn up high and took a step or two forward and doard, which left the sunlit part of the place behind, and then began cautiously to descend a long rugged slope, which was cu evidently fallen frorotto being worn s water whichin places nearly to the roof just above the boys' heads

The as very steep, and winding or rather shooting off here and there, after for a deep, wonderfully rounded hollow, in which in several cases huge rounded stones lay as they had been left by the torrent, after grinding round and round as if in athe walls of the hollow, and at the sa kept in constant ist would call theh in torrents, where a heavy stone is borne into a whirlpool-like eddy, and goes on grinding itself a deeper and deeper bed, the configuration of the rock-walls where it lies having prevented its being swept down at the first, while every year after it deepens its bed until escape becoain, as they went on, places of this kind were met with; while twice over they had to pause at spots where the waterfrom a shelf ten or a dozen feet down into a basin which it had hollowed for itself in the course of ti itself Mike stopped with the lanthorn

”Here's the end of it,” he said ”Goes down into a sort of bottoo back”

Vince stepped close to his side and gazed down into the black depths with a feeling of awe, the place looking the more terrible from the fact that the tunnel had narrowed until there was only just rooranite walls

”Looks rather horrid,” said Vince ”Worse than a big well Let's see how deep it is”

He stepped back and picked up a stone that had fallen fro to where Mike held up the lanthorn for him to see

Doent the block of stone, and they prepared the far away in the bowels of the earth; but it stopped instantly with a loud clang, and Vince cried,--

”Why, it isn't deep at all! I can see it”

A ring or two of the rope was cast loose, passed through the handle of the lanthorn, and upon lowering it down block after block presented itself sufficient to enable them to descend into what proved to be quite a hollow, froain into another, each being a fall of only a few feet After which there was another great pot-hole, like a vasttherein

Beyond this the water had carved out a rugged trough, steep enough to form a slide if they had felt disposed to trust theested that they should glide down

”Only it wouldn't do,” he added ”We can't tell what's at the bottoh of it?”

”Yes, ever since we started,” replied Mike

”Then you want to go back?”

”Oh no, I don't,” retorted Mike ”One can't help feeling that one oes to, even if it does make you turn creepy

Doesn't it you?”

”Well, yes, I suppose so,” replied Vince thoughtfully; ”and I wouldn't go on, only it's so easy to climb back, and the air feels fresh and sweet, so that except that it's dark there's nothing to mind”

”But suppose the candle went out How much is there left?”

As Mike spoke, he opened the door of the lanthorn and looked at the light anxiously, but they had not burned an inch

”We could easily get another light,” said Vince; ”and we o down first?”

”No; I'll keep to it,” cried Mike ”I' me I was afraid But look here, Cinder: you can't walk down--it really is too steep”

”Let's try the rope: I'll fasten it, and then you can hold on”