else was a dim haze, out of which few remembrances ever came. They
were in a large room, opening into another behind, a heavy door
between. She was dragged forward, and thrust through this with no
knowledge of what it was like. She could not think; she was only
conscious of a deadly, paralysing horror. Cateras slammed the
intervening door, and strode past.

What occurred was not clear to her mind; but suddenly what appeared to
be an open fireplace seemed to swing aside, leaving revealed a great
black opening in the rock. To the lieutenant's snarl of command, one
of the men released his grip of her arm, and lit a lantern which he
took from a near-by shelf. The dim flicker of light penetrated a few
feet into the dark hole, only serving to render the opening more grim
and sinister. The girl shrank back, but the fellow still holding her
tightened his grip. Cateras seemed to have regained his good humour,
although the red welt across his face stood forth ugly in the flare.
His thin lips smiled, and he bowed hat in hand, hatefully polite.

"Go ahead with the light, Silva; not too fast, my man; the room beyond
the _senor's_. Now, Merodez, release the girl."

"Ah, so you can stand alone, _senorita_; that is well. Step in here,
ahead of me, and follow the lantern--there is nothing to fear."

She hesitated, and the smile on the Mexican's lips changed into a cruel
grin.

"Shall I make you again?"

"No, _senor_."

"Then you will do as I bid."

"Yes, _senor_; I cannot resist."

The passage was clean and dry, and seemed to lead directly back into
the cliff. The faint light revealed the side walls and low roof, and
the girl, again partially mistress of herself, recognised the nature of
the rock to be limestone. Occasionally the floor exhibited evidences
that human hands had been employed in levelling it, and there were
marks along the side-walls to show where the passage had been widened;
but the opening itself was originally a cave, through which water had
run in long past ages--a cave wide enough to allow six men to walk
abreast, but with an average height of about seven feet. For twenty
feet it ran almost straight in; then they came to a sharp turn to the
right, and entered a much narrower passage. The air was so pure and
fresh, even after this turn was made, as to lead her to believe there
must somewhere be another opening. The vague thought brought with it a
throb of hope.

Her view was limited to the