n meditation beside his flickering blaze. Why
he should feel more hopeful he could not imagine, for no glimmer of a
plan for escape had presented itself.

It was not until he had once more stretched himself on his flinty bed,
with a block of wood for a pillow, and was trying to forget his
wretchedness in sleep, that he knew. Then he sprang up with a shout.

"What an idiot I am! What an absolute idiot! Where did the draught
that blew out my light come from? From up that sloping passage, of
course, and a draught can only be caused by an opening of some kind to
the outer air. If I can only find it, I believe I shall also find a
way out of here. So, old man, cheer up and never say die! You'll live
to stand on top of the world again, yet--see if you don't!"

CHAPTER XVIII

FROM ONE TRAP INTO ANOTHER

The light of another day was dimly penetrating those underground
depths before our prisoner was prepared to make his last effort for
liberty. For all the aid he would receive from the pitiful amount
allotted to him he might as well have started hours earlier; but while
he longed to make the trial he also dreaded it. The thought of that
box-like passage, through which he would be obliged to force his way
without a chance of retreat, was so terrible that he shrank from it as
we all shrink from anything dangerous or painful. Then, too, if he
should escape, he would want daylight by which to guide his future
movements. So, after tossing for hours on his hard bed and considering
every aspect of his situation, he finally fell into a troubled sleep
that lasted until morning.

For breakfast he had only water, but of this he drank as much as he
could, for he knew not when he would find another supply. Then he
selected such of the copper tools as he thought might prove useful.
Into one of them, which was a sort of a pick, he fitted a rude wooden
handle, while the others, which had cutting edges and were in the
nature of knives, he thrust into his pockets. Having thus completed
his simple preparations, he took a long look, that he well knew might
be his last, on the daylight that was now so doubly precious, and then
resolutely faced the inner gloom of the ancient mine.

Determined to save his candle for use in the unknown winze, he slowly
groped his way through utter darkness, and finally reached what he
believed to be the end of the drift. Now he lighted his candle, and
for a moment his unaccustomed eyes ached from the gla