from the water,
nor was it probable that they had come down the shaft, for its rocky
sides appeared as straight and smooth as those of a well. Why should
they have come at all to a place that could not contain a crumb of
food, except the scanty supply that he had brought? If that alone had
attracted them, why had they not found it hours before, while he was
asleep? Might it not be possible that they had come from a distance in
search of water after a night of feasting elsewhere? They had, at any
rate, run back into the gallery; and by following the lead thus
presented he might find some place of exit from that terrible
subterranean prison. Even if it were only a rat-hole, he might be able
to enlarge it, now that he had tools with which to work.

At this moment how he blessed the dear old friend at whose insistence
he had provided himself with the matches and candle that now rendered
it possible for him to explore the dark depths of that prehistoric
drift! Before starting on the trip that he was now determined to make,
he ate the portion of biscuit left by the rats. He also so far
overcame his repugnance as to skin and clean the dead rat, which he
placed on a ledge of rock for future use in case he should be driven
to it. Then he lighted his candle and set forth.

For a considerable distance the gallery was open and fairly spacious,
while everywhere the young explorer found scattered on its floor the
ancient and quaintly shaped tools that told of the great number of
workmen employed in its excavation. After a while his way began to be
encumbered by piles of loose rock that seemed to have been collected
for the purpose of removal.

Now his way grew narrower and rougher, until in several places it was
nearly blocked by masses of material that had fallen from the roof or
caved in from the sides. Over some of these he was forced to creep on
hands and knees, flattening himself into the smallest possible
compass.

At length the gallery came to an end, though from it a small "winze,"
or passage, barely wide enough to crawl through, led upward at a sharp
angle. At the bottom of this Peveril hesitated. His precious candle
was half burned out, and would not much more than serve to carry him
back to the place from which he had started. Besides this, the passage
before him was so small that a person entering it could by no
possibility turn around if he should desire to retrace his course. It
was even doubtful if he could back o