Part 22 (2/2)

”No, not yet: I'll do it The tinder ot damp”

”Turn it over, then,” cried Mike piteously ”Oh, do ers into the tinder-box to follow out his companion's instructions, and uttered an impatient sound

”What is it now?”

”Such an idiot!” cried Vince ”I never took the tin off the top of the tinder”

And so it was that after the disk, which daht had been obtained, was removed, the first blow of the flint on the steel sent down a shower, a couple of which caught at once, and were blown into an incandescent state, the an tocandle once htly behind the se sound did not now seeh, ”isn't it easy to feel scared when you're in the dark?”

”Scared? It ful!”

”But we're not going to give up till we've seen where the water runs?”

Mike remained silent

”We must do ea deep breath, which was followed by a gasp

”Co his teeth firmly, Vince once more attacked the unknown, and came upon another sharp turn, where the water must have eddied round, and was reflected almost back upon itself, and then turned away, after another rounded hollow, alles

Here the slope becaress difficult; but as soon as the tindings had been passed, they knew that the goal they had marked out for themselves was at hand, for the noise suddenly beca over stones

”Take care!” cried Mike warningly ”You're close to it”

”Yes,” cried Vince excitedly; ”we are close to it;” and he stopped and held up the lanthorn, so that his hand struck against the roof ”Look there!”

Mike pressed close, and looked at the object which had taken his co save that the passage had grown more contracted, and that the roof seeranite leaning together

Then he looked down and saw that the floor, which was smoother than ever, ran down suddenly, while a faint, damp, salt odour of sea-weed struck upon his nostrils as a puff of air was suddenly wafted up

”Mind, mind!” he shouted ”Ah!”

For the lanthorn was onceextinct On the contrary, it was burning brightly still, but hidden by Vince drawing his jersey suddenly over the sides

”It's all right,” cried Vince, for there before hie ht ”Can't you see? We've been fancying we've coht: the hole has led us to the shore”

But Vince was not quite right, for, upon his drawing the lanthorn out-- and none too soon, an odour of singed worsted beco perceptible--they found that the sudden sharp slope of the granite flooring went down soht by means of the rope the lanthorn caht down there,” said Vince, whose feelings of nervousness were being rapidly displaced by an intense desire to seein and out round here You don't want to go back now, do you?”

”No,” said Mike quickly ”Who's to go down first?”