Now for
it--but this time I happen to have brought along a revolver."

He crept through the hedge and crouching behind it ran to the spot where
they had found the open trap-door upon that memorable occasion three
nights before. There was nothing to be seen. The ground presented an
absolutely unbroken appearance, so far as they could make out in the
moon's rays.

"Clever devils!" snapped out Cleek, in angry tribute. "We'll have to use
artificial light after all; but keep your torch light on the ground. It
won't do for any one to spot us just now."

For perhaps a moment or two they explored the ground inch by inch,
crawling round in the long grass upon their hands and knees, until a
little tuft of brown earth sticking up through a piece of turf, like the
upturned corner of a rug, showed them what they were looking for. With
infinite care Cleek lifted up the square of turf and set it upon one
side. The sight of the flat dark surface of the trap-door rewarded them.
He ran his fingers along the two sides of it, and discovered a bolt, shot
this, and then catching the iron ring once more in his hands, swung the
top upward and laid it back upon the grass.

A minute more found them once more in the cavernous, breathless depths.
Cleek handed the torch to Dollops.

"You hold that while I do a bit of sketching," he said, fidgeting in his
coat-pocket for his fountain-pen. He then snapped open the flap of the
note-book and began to sketch rapidly as they moved forward. Cleek was an
adept in drawing to scale. The thing took shape as they continued their
progress, keeping this time to the left instead of to the right. Cleek
paced off the distance and stopped every now and then to check up
results.

The place was as silent as the grave. Obviously no one was about here
upon these nights when there was no loading and unloading going on. In
that, at least, chance had been a good friend to them. They were going
to make the most of it. Through little runways, narrower than the main
route, and so low that they had to bend their necks to get along in
safety, they went, measuring and examining. Every few yards or so they
would come upon another little niche, stacked high with sacks of a
similar hardness to those others back there at the beginning of their
journey. Cleek prodded one with his finger, hesitated, then slipping out
a penknife, slit a fragment of the coarse sacking and inserted his
thumb....

He pulled it out with a look of