ed down the steps, mumbling fiercely to himself all the time. I
soon found that this stairway was very crooked and often small. I
imagined then, what I have since found to be true, that the house in
which I had been imprisoned had been used as a place of storage for
smuggled goods, while the way by which I was trying to escape was a
secret way to it.

We had not descended many yards before I heard voices above, while I
knew that feet were tramping on the floor of my late prison. Evidently
the noise I had made in closing the trap-door had aroused my warders,
and they would now do their utmost to capture me.

My senses were now fully alive, and I determined that it should go hard
with those who tried to hinder my escape. To my dismay I discovered that
I had left my iron bar behind, and that I had no weapons, save my two
hands, which had naturally been weakened by my long imprisonment.
However, there was no time for despair, so I followed close on Eli's
heels, who wriggled his way down the crooked and often difficult
descent.

We must have got down perhaps one hundred feet, when, turning a corner,
a current of air came up, blowing out Eli's light and leaving us in
darkness.

"Can 'ee zee, Maaster Jasper?" cried Eli.

"Just a little. Can you?"

"I cud allays zee in the dark," he grunted, but his statement was not
altogether borne out, for his speed was much lessened. Still we managed
to get on fairly well, for Eli could see in places which to most people
would be impenetrable darkness, and I had been so much accustomed to the
dark that I was not altogether helpless.

After all I suppose it is difficult to find perfect darkness. Light is
only a relative term, and depends very much on the nature of our eyes.
Thus it was that while we could not go nearly so fast as we had been
going, we could still with difficulty find our way.

Presently we heard the sound of footsteps, and I knew by their rapid
movement that our pursuers would gain upon us. Eagerly we hurried on,
and each minute the sound of the footsteps behind us became plainer.

"How much farther, Eli?" I panted.

"A long way yet, and a hard job when we git to the end," he replied.

"How?"

"The mouth of this 'ere addit es fathoms above the say," he replied.

"How did you get here?" then I asked.

"I'll tell 'ee when we git away," he said, impatiently.

Then I chided myself for asking so much, for even these few words must
have somewhat lessened our spe