s by our side, sometimes almost
on a level with our feet, at others, where the path rose, running in a
deep chasm whose black darkness made one shudder.

We must have penetrated, I should say, the greater part of a mile when
the narrow rocky shelf upon which we were walking came to a sudden end,
and holding down our candles, we tried to penetrate the depth before us,
but in vain; we could only see a vast black abyss, over which we were
standing upon a tongue of rock, while to right, to left, it was
precisely the same--an awful falling away of all that was palpable--and
we knew that a slip would have sent us to a horrible death.

"This is a fearsome, unked place, Mas'r Harry," whispered Tom; but his
words went floating around as if taken up by a chorus of mocking voices,
and a strange shudder crept through me.

It was indeed awful, that vast obscurity, with death threatening us if
we took another step; and I could not help thinking how easy it was for
a people of a low order of intellect, blindly superstitious, to make
this solemn hall the home of their poor idol. It was a place that took
no little courage to explore, and often I felt my heart fail me ere I
recalled the errand upon which I had come.

Was it likely that, sooner than it should fall into the hands of the
Spaniards, gold almost invaluable had been cast into this awful gulf?
It was probable; but, as far as I could see, recovery would have been
impossible, unless, after all, it was not so profound as the darkness
made it appear. But then, how to descend? To swing by a rope over the
fearful chasm would have unnerved the stoutest of heart, and I felt that
I hardly could have dared such an adventure.

This, then, must be the extent of the cavern--or rather of our power to
explore it in this direction--for, as I have before said, we stood right
out upon a projecting piece of rock from which descent was absolutely
impossible, and there was nothing for it but to turn back.

"Think it's deep, Mas'r Harry?" whispered Tom loudly.

"Deep--deep--deep--deep--deep--deep!" came whispering back from all
sides, making Tom shiver; but he recovered himself directly, and taking
a piece of greasy newspaper from his pocket he loosely crumpled it
together, knelt down close to the brink of the abyss, lit the paper, and
then threw it from him to blaze out brightly, and fall down--down
rapidly--as it burned lower, and lower, and lower, till at a vast depth
it burned out, but