outh.

He quickly climbed up, and hurried on as fast as he dare move in the
dark, holding out his hands to avoid running against the sides, or to
save himself should he fall.

He knew that there were no pitfalls or other serious dangers, or he
could not have ventured to move even so fast as he did.

He shouted out as he went Jack's name.

"How foolish I was not to bring a lantern with me," he said. "Jack is
sure to have taken one if he went to get more gold, and that I suspect
is what he has been after; if he has a light, I shall see it, but I
don't."

"Jack! Jack!" he again shouted out; but the cavern only echoed with his
voice.

Bill was a fine-tempered fellow, but he felt very much inclined to be
angry with Jack. All their plans might be upset by his having left the
wreck. Even should he soon find him, they would have to swim on board,
and set off in their wet clothes; but that was of little consequence
compared with the delay.

At last his hands touched the rock near their camping-place, and he
thence groped his way on; for having so often traversed the cavern in
the dark, he found it as easily as a blind man would have done.

He soon felt his feet treading on the ashes of their former fires, and
feeling about, he discovered the things which Jack had thrown out of the
basket.

Among them was a candle and the tinder-box. Jack having a lighted
lantern, had not troubled himself to bring it.

The basket was gone! This convinced him that Jack had been there. He
quickly lighted the candle, and as there was not a breath of air, he was
able to walk along with it in his hand.

The stalactite formations, which appeared on both sides, looked as weird
and strange to him as they had to Jack, but he, knowing perfectly well
what they were, did not trouble himself about their appearance.

He went on, keeping his gaze ahead, in the hopes of meeting Jack. He
was sorry that he had not made more determined attempts to persuade
Captain Turgot and Pierre to accompany him; for if anything should have
happened to his companion, they would have assisted him. But what could
have happened? that was the question. Sometimes he thought that Jack
might, after all, not have come to the cavern; but, then, who could have
carried away the basket?

Brave as he was, the strange shadows which occasionally seemed to flit
by made him feel that he would much rather not have been there all
alone.

Suppose, too, the smugglers sho