he entrance again?"

"Which entrance--the hole down which I was thrown, or the one through
which I crawled out?"

"The one by which you were introduced to them, of course. From your
own account, the other is altogether too small for comfort, and the
chances of being shot for trespass are altogether too great in its
vicinity."

"I expect I could find the locality, but I hate the idea of ever going
near it again. I don't think you can imagine what I suffered while
down there. I am sure the place will haunt my worst dreams during the
remainder of my life."

"By going down again with plenty of light, company, and an assured
means at leaving at any moment, the place will present a very
different and much more cheerful aspect. Besides, the ancient tools
that you mention as existing in such numbers down there are becoming
so scarce as to be very valuable and well worth collecting. So, on the
whole, I think we had better go and take a look at your prehistoric
diggings this very day."

"Very well, sir. Since you insist upon it, I will act as your guide;
but I must confess that I shall be heartily glad to leave this part of
the country and return to the civilization of Red Jacket."

"Civilization of Red Jacket is good!" laughed the other. "How long
since you considered it as civilized?"

"Ever since I left there and found out how much worse other places
could be."

As a result of this conversation, four men left Laughing Fish soon
after the tug again dropped anchor in its cove, and took to the trail
that two of them had followed before. These two were Peveril and
Connell. The others were the White Pine manager and Captain Spillins.
Arrived at the point from which "Darrell's Folly" could be seen, they
turned abruptly to the right and plunged into the woods.

Only too well did Peveril remember the path over which he had been
dragged a helpless captive only three days before. But the way seemed
shorter now than then, and he was surprised to discover the dreaded
shaft within a few hundred feet of the trail they had just left.

They had brought ropes with them, as well as an axe, and candles in
abundance. Now, after cutting away the bushes from the shaft-mouth,
and measuring its depth by letting down a lighted candle until it was
extinguished in the water at the bottom, they prepared for the
descent. The major was to go first, and Peveril, whose dread of the
undertaking had been partially overcome, was to follow. The othe