gainst anything and goes off, they say, at the same angle, and then
perhaps it's only in one position that you can see it. Same here:
there's one part down below where we can catch this rumbling, hissing
echo."

"But you don't call that finding water? What a horrible place! How are
we to get at it?"

"Oh, easily enough," said Griggs coolly. "You'll have to go down with
all the bottles and fill them."

"What! Down there?"

"Yes. Shouldn't you like the job?"

"Of course not."

"Well, then, I must," said Griggs, laughing.

"No, that wouldn't be fair."

"Never mind; we'll argue that out afterwards," said Griggs merrily.
"Anyhow, we've found what we wanted."

Clapping his hands to the sides of his mouth, he shouted "Water!" and
the rest of the party began to move towards them, delighted with the
news.

"Any snakes about?" cried the doctor, as they reached the foot of the
slope.

"Haven't seen any up here," was the reply; and the party climbed up to
stand at the edge of the great pit-like place, gazing down and listening
to the hollow, echoing roar of what was evidently a large body of water.

"Well done!" cried the doctor. "Why, there must be quite a tunnel below
here."

"I think not, sir; it's only a narrow path in the side of the place,
partly filled up with the big stones fallen from above; but there's
evidently a great well-like place going right down ever so deep to flow
underground."

"But how are we to get at the water now we have found it?" said Wilton.
"I for one am not going down there."

"It ought to be some one light and active, not a big, strong man," said
Griggs dryly. "P'r'aps Mr Ned here wouldn't mind."

Ned's face underwent such a change, becoming contracted in so absurd a
manner, that Chris burst into a roar of laughter and began to stamp
about.

"Oh yes, it's very funny," cried Ned, in an ill-used tone. "Perhaps
Chris would like the job."

"Not I," cried the boy. "Nobody could go down there."

"I'm afraid not," said the doctor, peering down and listening to the
deep, hollow roar. "Then we've had all our trouble for nothing."

"Oh no, sir," said Griggs; "the hole doesn't go straight down. We're
all thirsty, and it would be a long job to go all the way back to that
fall. We'd better give the animals what we have in the tubs, and I'll
go down with one and fill it again."

"No, no; we must go back."

"Before we've explored this place, sir? Why, as likely as not we s