ars. What followed was never very clear to him afterward. He
remembered a dash of icy spray in his face, and then a terrible
collision that landed him somewhere on his hands and knees.

He was stunned and dizzy for a little while, and when finally he
staggered to his feet his first thought was of Nugget. He called him by
name, and a hollow groan was the only reply. Even that was better than
silence, and with a trembling hand Ned drew out his match box and struck
a light.

Both canoes lay upset at his feet, and between them was Nugget leaning
on his elbows with a very dazed expression on his face.

Three more matches enabled Ned to right the Pioneer, procure his
lantern, and light it. Then, seeing that Nugget was uninjured, he
scrutinized his surroundings more closely.

He understood at once what had happened. The underground stream made a
sharp curve at this point, and the force of the current had thrown the
canoes far out on a sandy beach. From above, the yellow flood came
roaring and tossing through a passage some twenty feet wide, and nearly
the same in height. Below the angle it plunged on under the same
conditions.

The beach was about ten yards long, and sloped back half that distance
to a slimy wall of rock. On the opposite side of the stream the wall
fell sheer into the water, and overhead was a jagged roof that glittered
and sparkled in the rays of the lantern.

Ned formed his own conclusions as to the nature of the place, and they
were not entirely unfavorable, for the speed and impetuosity of the
muddy stream had given him a good deal to think about. He dismissed his
reflections until a more favorable time, and placing the lantern on the
sand turned to Nugget, who was in a pitiable state of fright.

"Are you hurt any, old fellow?" asked Ned, "or only a little stunned?"

"Oh, I don't know, I don't know," moaned Nugget. "What awful place are
we in, Ned? It seems like a dream. I hardly remember what happened. And
where are Clay and Randy?"

"I hope they are safe," replied Ned evasively. "In fact, I really think
they are, Nugget. They landed some distance below us, and no doubt found
a place to climb out before the flood caught them."

"And what happened to us, Ned? Didn't the current drag us into a hole in
the cliff?"

"Yes," said Ned, "that's it exactly, and we are now in an underground
cavern. Don't be alarmed," he added quickly, noting the sudden pallor on
his companion's face, "our situation is