Part 38 (1/2)

”How ive?” said Ra, and the midshi+pman's heart made a bound

”You shall have five pounds, if you'll let o now, at once”

”There's as en,” said Raet you as I didyou some more--I say!”

Archy looked at him fiercely

”Don't try to drink what's in theht kill you”

”Stop a ht? You kicked the last over, and thought you'd get out in the dark You may have the one you kicked”

”But it is so dark here,” said Archy, as the boy picked up the eht,” said the boy coolly; and swinging the lanthorn as he rose, he continued, ”You'll find the road to youryou a knife, because you're such a savage one”

”Where is my dirk?”

”What d'yer ot it all right; said it was a dangerous thing for a boy!”

Ra, the prisoner following at a distance, and getting pretty close up to the beginning of the slope as the lanthorn disappeared round a corner Then, as he listened, it see the while to his co, then there was a pause, the dull thud of a closing door, the drawing of bolts, and soon the rattling of heavy stones, and once more all was silent

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

A strange depressing sensation ca prisoner as he stood there once more alone, but he turned sharply round with his teeth set, thought for a fewreat delight found that it was possible to becoht he was near a pillar, he stretched out his hand to find that he touched it, and with very little difficulty he walked straight up to the old sail, felt about, and there was the basket of food, which he attacked at once, and soon after fell asleep

Four more visits were paid him by Ram, but whether they were at intervals of days or half days, the prisoner could not tell, for any questions he asked were laughingly evaded, and all attempts at persuasion and bribery proved useless

He did learn that the cutter had just returned and gone away again And it seehly lost heart, and during this time he had accustomed himself to the darkness, and educated his feet wonderfully in the topography of the place

Of one thing he had fully satisfied hi out by the way his visitors cauarded; hence the prisoner felt that if he knocked down and stunned the frank, good-tempered boy who seemed disposed to be the best of friends in every way but that of helping him to escape, he would be no nearer freedoone up the slope twice, and the last ti up a well-like shaft by ot about twenty feet up he handed the lanthorn to the , and then a trap-door was shut down, locked, and bolted, and what sounded to be a number of heavy pieces of stone were drawn over

As far as he could judge, after venturing up and nearly having a severe fall in the darkness, escape was impossible that way, so he returned after each trial to think, and come to the conclusion that if the place had been used for the purpose of digging out stone, of which there could be no doubt, there ged up to daylight

With a lanthorn or torch he ht easily have satisfied himself upon this point To achieve it without was a terribly risky task

Still he deteraolers had paid their last visit, he started off in the opposite direction to that which led to the trap-door, and proceeding cautiously, taking the precaution to keep on throwing pieces of stone before him, to satisfy himself that there was no well or pit in his way, he went on and on

Now he threw a piece of stone to his left hand, to his right, and after going many yards at as but a snail's pace, he discovered that the place had suddenly contracted, and after creeping a little farther, the place was more contracted still, and ascended So narroas it now that a couple of steps in either direction enabled him to touch a wall, while about twenty short paces farther on the ascent grew ht, and there was no fear of a pit or shaft in the way, for he found that roughly square blocks of stone were laid like a flight of steps, up which he cla of joy which had flooded his brain

Hethe slope along which he had walked, and here he was at the top of the flight of cluht before him there was a chink so narrow that he could not have thrust a hand through it, but wide enough to allow the passage of a gleaht; there was a familiar odour, too, of salt air and seaweed, and as he placed his ear to the chink he could hear, as if far below, the wash of water