nds and knees, and looked. They
were over what seemed a natural cave in the rock, to which apparently
the river had access, for, at a great distance below, a faint light was
gleaming upon water. If they could but reach it, they might get out;
but even if it was deep enough, the height was very dangerous. The
first thing, whatever might follow, was to make the hole larger. It
was comparatively easy to break away the sides of it, and in the course
of another hour he had it large enough to get through.

And now he must reconnoitre. He took the rope they had tied him
with--for Curdie's hindrances were always his furtherance--and fastened
one end of it by a slipknot round the handle of his pickaxes then
dropped the other end through, and laid the pickaxe so that, when he
was through himself, and hanging on the edge, he could place it across
the hole to support him on the rope. This done, he took the rope in
his hands, and, beginning to descend, found himself in a narrow cleft
widening into a cave. His rope was not very long, and would not do
much to lessen the force of his fall--he thought to himself--if he
should have to drop into the water; but he was not more than a couple
of yards below the dungeon when he spied an opening on the opposite
side of the cleft: it might be but a shadow hole, or it might lead them
out. He dropped himself a little below its level, gave the rope a
swing by pushing his feet against the side of the cleft, and so
penduled himself into it. Then he laid a stone on the end of the rope
that it should not forsake him, called to Lina, whose yellow eyes were
gleaming over the mattock grating above, to watch there till he
returned, and went cautiously in. It proved a passage, level for some
distance, then sloping gently up. He advanced carefully, feeling his
way as he went. At length he was stopped by a door--a small door,
studded with iron. But the wood was in places so much decayed that
some of the bolts had dropped out, and he felt sure of being able to
open it. He returned, therefore, to fetch Lina and his mattock.
Arrived at the cleft, his strong miner arms bore him swiftly up along
the rope and through the hole into the dungeon. There he undid the
rope from his mattock, and making Lina take the end of it in her teeth,
and get through the hole, he lowered her--it was all he could do, she
was so heavy. When she came opposite the passage, with a slight push
of her tail she shot herself