routine, with its bullying Commandant and
guards, with its sordid surroundings, and its sorry accommodation and
short commons. Thrusting on, therefore, pushing his way along the
tunnel, squeezing himself into as small a compass as possible, Stuart
forced a passage deeper into it, one hand feeling his way, while the
other gripped the implement which Henri had discovered. Ten yards,
twenty, perhaps thirty were covered before a growl came from the leader.

"The end!" they heard him say. "I'm up against the far end of the
tunnel, and that officer was quite right when he stated that it rose
toward this end. Now, hold your breath for a moment and listen while I
thump the roof. There--hollow--eh? Not much earth above us. Then
stand back a little whilst I make a stroke for the open."

They heard the thuds as the shovel was dashed against the roof, and
listened to clods of earth and debris falling. It was precisely at the
fifth stroke that a grunt escaped Stuart, while an instant later Henri
felt a breath of fresh air, a cold gust sweeping past him.

"The open!" he exclaimed. "Go easy, Stuart, for it might not be dark
enough yet, and impatience on our part might lead to our instant
discovery. Put your head up quietly as soon as you've made room."

There were more grunts in front, while from behind came a low, warning
exclamation from Jules.

"S--s--sh!" he said. "I can hear someone in the hut behind us, for the
sounds are travelling down the tunnel. Push on into the open as fast
as you can go, while I turn back and see what's happening."

There were more sounds then, as Jules, less bulky than Stuart, yet of
formidable size when it came to free movement in this narrow tunnel,
contrived by some acrobatic feat to turn himself about and face the pit
from which they had started this adventure. Then he crawled back
towards the hut on all fours, listening to the suspicious sounds which
he had heard, wondering who caused them, fearing that the German guards
had come to make a nearer investigation of the pit and tunnel. Yes, it
was that, without a doubt; for there came to his ears now the sound of
a man's two feet alighting at the bottom of the pit, a heavy thud, and
the fall of earth as it tumbled from the sides of the pit to the
bottom. Then rays of light reached him as the person who had dropped
into the pit switched on an electric torch and surveyed his
surroundings. Once more then Jules performed that acrobatic