which the day before had looked light and loamy to the eye,
was stiff and hard enough when one came to tackle it with naked hands,
and in an hour's time I had done little more than further weary myself
and bruise my fingers.

Then I was forced to rest; and, sitting down on the ground, saw that the
glimmering streak of light had faded, and that the awful blackness of
the previous night was creeping up again. And now I had no heart to face
it, being cowed with hunger, thirst, and weariness; and so flung myself
upon my face, that I might not see how dark it was, and groaned for very
lowness of spirit. Thus I lay for a long time, but afterwards stood up
and cried aloud, and shrieked if anyone should haply hear me, calling to
Mr. Glennie and Ratsey, and even Elzevir, by name, to save me from this
awful place. But there came no answer, except the echo of my own voice
sounding hollow and far off down in the vault. So in despair I turned
back to the earth wall below the slab, and scrabbled at it with my
fingers, till my nails were broken and the blood ran out; having all the
while a sure knowledge, like a cord twisted round my head, that no effort
of mine could ever dislodge the great stone. And thus the hours passed,
and I shall not say more here, for the remembrance of that time is still
terrible, and besides, no words could ever set forth the anguish I then
suffered, yet did slumber come sometimes to my help; for even while I was
working at the earth, sheer weariness would overtake me, and I sank on to
the ground and fell asleep.

And still the hours passed, and at last I knew by the glimmer of light
in the tomb above that the sun had risen again, and a maddening thirst
had hold of me. And then I thought of all the barrels piled up in the
vault and of the liquor that they held; and stuck not because 'twas
spirit, for I would scarce have paused to sate that thirst even with
molten lead. So I felt my way down the passage back to the vault, and
recked not of the darkness, nor of Blackbeard and his crew, if only I
could lay my lips to liquor. Thus I groped about the barrels till near
the top of the stack my hand struck on the spile of a keg, and drawing
it, I got my mouth to the hold.

What the liquor was I do not know, but it was not so strong but that I
could swallow it in great gulps and found it less burning than my burning
throat. But when I turned to get back to the passage, I could not find
the outlet, and fumbled roun