arkled as the light was held up, and they could note that in places
the marks of the miners' picks and hammers still remained.

Roughly speaking, the place was about a hundred feet across, and the
floor in the centre was piled up into a hillock, as if the ore that had
been brought from the passages around had been thrown in a heap--for
that it was ore, and apparently rich in quality, they were now learned
enough in metallurgy to know.

Gwyn had a fancy that, this being a central position, if the party they
sought were still in the mine they would be somewhere here; and he made
Joe start by hailing loudly, but raised so strange a volley of echoes
that he refrained from repeating his cry, preferring to wait and listen
for the answer which did not come.

"It's of no use," he said; "let's turn back; they must have got out by
now."

"Yes, I hope so; but what an awfully big place it is. I say, though,
where was it we came in--by that passage, wasn't it?"

Gwyn looked in the direction pointed out, but felt certain that it was
not correct. At the same time, though, he fully realised that he was
quite at fault, for at least a dozen of the low tunnels opened upon this
rugged, pillared hall, so exactly alike, and they had wandered about so
much since they entered, and began to thread their way in and out among
the pillars, that he stared blankly at Joe in his weariness, and
muttered despairingly,--

"I give it up."

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

A NOVEL NIGHTMARE.

From that hour they both "gave it up"--in other words, resigned
themselves in a hopeless weary way to their fate, and went on in an
automatic fashion, resting, tramping on again over patches of sand and
clean hard places where the rock had been worn smooth. The pangs of
hunger attacked them more and more, and then came maddening thirst which
they assuaged by drinking from one of the clear pools lying in
depressions, the water tasting sweet and pure. From time to time the
candles were renewed in the lanthorn, and the rate at which they burned
was marked with feverish earnestness; and at last, in their dread of a
serious calamity, it was arranged that one should watch while the other
slept. In this way they would be sure of not being missed by a body of
searchers who might come by and, hearing no sound, pass in ignorance of
their position.

Gwyn kept the first watch, Joe having completely broken down and begun
to reel from side to side of the passage they wer