ick_--_crick_--_crack_--and a flash of light.

"Hooray!" cried Ned, as the tiny taper blazed up and burned steadily,
showing that the holder was close to the edge of a huge chasm, down
which a couple of strides would have taken him, and as the light burned
lower Jack crept quickly to where Ned still crouched by the side of the
passage.

"Why, Ned, I could not see much, but this opens out here into a vast
place."

"Yes, sir; I got a glimpse of it. Shall I light another match?"

"No, no, save them."

"But we ought to get out of here as soon as we can, sir."

"Of course, but we shall see a faint gleam from the entrance directly
our eyes have grown used to the change."

"Shall we, sir?"

"Of course."

"Well, I don't want to show the white feather again, but I can't help
feeling that we ought to be out of this."

"Wait and listen."

"Can't hear nothing, sir," said the man after a minute's pause.

"No, and I can see the faint dawn of light there gleaming against the
wall yonder. Let's begin to go back very quietly in case the blacks are
still there."

"I'm more than ready, sir."

"Then lead on, Ned."

"Mean it, sir?"

"Yes, go on."

Ned rose, and Jack followed suit, to begin stepping cautiously on, till
by slow degrees they reached the sharp angle in the passage, and could
look straight out to the entrance and see that all was clear, while
there before them was the bright sunny sky, and away in the distance the
gleaming sea.

"I say, who's afraid?" cried Ned excitedly. "But, Mr Jack, sir, what a
rum thing darkness is! I felt twice as much scared over that as I did
about the niggers, and--Oh, I say, look at that!"

Before the lad could grasp what he was about to do, Ned ran forward
toward the light till he was half-way to the mouth of the cavern, when
Jack saw the dark silhouette-like figure stoop down again and again, to
pick up something each time, and he returned laughing, bearing quite a
bundle of spears, bows, and arrows.

"There, I was right," cried Jack; "they were frightened--so scared that
they dropped their weapons and ran."

"Yes, sir, and set us up with some tools. Oh, if it had only been our
guns!"

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

THE EVIL OF NOT BEING USED TO IT.

But the blacks had not left the guns, and utterly unused as these two
were to the use of such savage weapons, they felt a thrill of
satisfaction run through them as they grasped the means of making one
stroke in defence