on Trot stood
safely beside Cap'n Bill on the level floor of a big arched tunnel. The
sailor-man was very glad to greet his little comrade again and both
were grateful to the Ork for his assistance.

"I dunno where this tunnel leads to," remarked Cap'n Bill, "but it
surely looks more promisin' than that other hole we crept through."

"When the Ork is rested," said Trot, "we'll travel on and see what
happens."

"Rested!" cried the Ork, as scornfully as his shrill voice would allow.
"That bit of flying didn't tire me at all. I'm used to flying days at a
time, without ever once stopping."

"Then let's move on," proposed Cap'n Bill. He still held in his hand
one lighted candle, so Trot blew out the other flame and placed her
candle in the sailor's big pocket. She knew it was not wise to burn two
candles at once.

The tunnel was straight and smooth and very easy to walk through, so
they made good progress. Trot thought that the tunnel began about two
miles from the cavern where they had been cast by the whirlpool, but
now it was impossible to guess the miles traveled, for they walked
steadily for hours and hours without any change in their surroundings.

Finally Cap'n Bill stopped to rest.

"There's somethin' queer about this 'ere tunnel, I'm certain," he
declared, wagging his head dolefully. "Here's three candles gone
a'ready, an' only three more left us, yet the tunnel's the same as it
was when we started. An' how long it's goin' to keep up, no one knows."

"Couldn't we walk without a light?" asked Trot. "The way seems safe
enough."

"It does right now," was the reply, "but we can't tell when we are
likely to come to another gulf, or somethin' jes' as dangerous. In that
case we'd be killed afore we knew it."

"Suppose I go ahead?" suggested the Ork. "I don't fear a fall, you
know, and if anything happens I'll call out and warn you."

"That's a good idea," declared Trot, and Cap'n Bill thought so, too. So
the Ork started off ahead, quite in the dark, and hand in band the two
followed him.

When they had walked in this way for a good long time the Ork halted
and demanded food. Cap'n Bill had not mentioned food because there was
so little left--only three biscuits and a lump of cheese about as big
as his two fingers--but he gave the Ork half of a biscuit, sighing as
he did so. The creature didn't care for the cheese, so the sailor
divided it between himself and Trot. They lighted a candle and sat down
in the