Part 21 (1/2)

”It's up to us to h, Hal; it may be our last one If we only had our knives! But there are thousands of 'em”

”But if it comes to the worst--”

”Then--I'm with you Forward!”

We started, and as we did so one of the four who had approached darted from behind and led the way Not a hand had touched us, and this appeared toexactly why

”They seeotten their manners,” Harry observed ”The approved method is to knock us down and carry us I shall speak to the king about it”

We had just reached the wall of the cavern and entered a passage leading fro, from the farther end We had heard it once before; it was the saht some days before Then it had saved our lives; to what did it su one At its end we turned to the right, following our guide Once I looked back and saw behind us the crowd that had surrounded us in the cave There was no way but obedience

We had advanced perhaps a hundred, possibly two hundred yards along the second passage when our guide suddenly halted We stood beside hi to us to follow, began to descend a narrow stairhich led directly frolimpse only of black walls and the terrace immediately beneath our feet; so ent slowly I counted the steps; there were ninety-six

At the bottoht Just as we turned I heard Harry's voice, quite low:

”There are only a dozen following us, Paul Now--”

But I shook my head It would have been h, we could never have made our way back up the steps This I told Harry; he adht

We now found ourselves in a lane so low and narrow that it was necessary for us to stoop and proceed in single file Our progress was slow; the guide was continually turning to beckon us on with gestures of i us The guard that followed gathered close in the rear, the guide made a curious upward movement with his arm, and e stood motionless repeated it several times

”I suppose he wants us to fly,” said Harry with so genuine a tone of sarcas was soon evident It took some seconds for my eye to penetrate the darkness, and then I saw a spiral stair ascending perpendicularly, apparently carved from the solid rock Harry must have perceived it at the sah:

”Going up? Not for o alone”

For around uncertainly at the dusky for closer upon us We were assuredly between the devil and the deep sea

Then I said, shrugging , Harry

Co up!”

I placed my foot on the first step of the spiral stair

Harry folloithout coether, but slowly The stair was fearfully steep and narrow, and more than once I barely escaped a fall

Suddenly I beca on us frohter, until finally it was as though a noonday sun shone in upon us

There came an exclamation from Harry, and we ascended faster I remember that I counted a hundred and sixty steps--and then, as a glih my brain into certainty, I counted nome from below, and we took the last few steps almost at a run Then the end, and we stu scene with stupefaction and wonder

It was not new to us; we had seen it before, but frole