This bottle
of oil I've got in my pocket will provide stuff to burn, and a strand
of worsted out of one of my socks will make a wick. Hurrah, Master
Eden! we'll get a light burning presently, and find out what sort of a
place we're in."

"I don't see how you're going to make a lamp," I answered, "unless you
hold the oil in the palm of your hand. We've got nothing left--not
even that metal cup the men took from poor Tom's flask."

The question was a difficult one to answer. Reduced to the possession
of practically nothing but the clothes we wore, it seemed at first
impossible to manufacture any implement or vessel, however simple. But
necessity is the mother of invention, and certainly the necessity in
our case was sufficiently pressing to quicken any inventive faculties
we might possess.

After some minutes' thought, and the making of one or two suggestions
which had to be abandoned as impracticable, my companion slapped his
thigh, exclaiming,--

"I've got it--my old watch!"

With the aid of his knife George managed to remove the works from the
old-fashioned turnip-shaped silver case, which was so commonly seen in
those days. This formed a sort of cup to hold the oil, which was
supplied with a sort of floating wick made of a thread of worsted and a
tiny bit of wood, to obtain which we were obliged to descend the iron
steps, and bring up the fragment of broken plank from the bottom of the
shaft. It was hardly possible that the tiny flame could be kept long
alight if exposed to the strong draught which swept through the tunnel;
but with a piece of leather cut from the top of his boot, and the big
bull's-eye glass of the watch, Woodley managed to fashion a rough but
effective shade, and at length the lamp was pronounced ready for use.
If we had been a couple of boys about to let off a big sky-rocket, we
could hardly have felt more excited as we struck the flint, blew up the
spark in the tinder, and ignited first the sulphur match and then the
tiny wick. The result was poor enough, but the lamp certainly did
burn, giving out perhaps as much light as a modern night-light. To us,
however, after having been so long in total darkness, it seemed quite
brilliant; and with its aid there was at all events a possibility of
our being able to examine our surroundings.

A part of the passage had evidently been cut through the solid rock,
but farther along the roof was of earth, and had been propped up with
wooden supp