r hero.

"No, no; I will soon be with you. For Heaven's sake. Thyra, do not
hesitate now, or we shall all be lost. Go quietly; it is my wish."

Thyra resisted no more, but with Harry's assistance descended the steps
into the vault.

"Now, Mr. Mole, down you go," said Jack. "Here, Figgins, you take his
legs and go first, or they'll be running away with him again. Tinker,
follow behind, supporting his head."

But Mr. Mole objected to this arrangement.

"What! do you think I'm an infant, to need carrying?" he said, with
offended dignity. "No, though I have got patent self-controlling cork
legs, I can walk down by myself."

And to prove this, he began jauntily descending the steps.

But the next moment he lost his footing, and with a cry, tumbled right
down to the bottom, on to the body of the unfortunate orphan.

Luckily, it was not very far to fall, and Mr. Mole was very little
hurt, though Figgins got the worst of it.

"Now, boys, down you go," cried Jack. "Hark! they are battering down
the gate with artillery."

At that moment a ball tore through the doorway, shattered the top of
the barricade, and at length lodged in the solid masonry.

Yells of triumph broke from the Turks.

"Quick! Tinker, Bogey, for your lives!" cried Jack.

"Is it that we are to desart ye!" cried the Irish diver. "No, Mr. Jack,
I'll see you down first."

"Please make haste," said Jack almost imploringly. "Of course I shall
save myself; but I'm the captain, you know, and I mustn't leave the
ship till the last."

Thus reassured, the rest descended, and no sooner was the last safe in
the vault, than Jack Harkaway shut down the stone in its place, thus
closing the opening.

Then he hastily laid earth in the interstices round it, and tried to
efface all signs of its having been recently removed.

With equal rapidity, he gathered up the crowbars, chisels, etc.

All this time the firing continued.

The door would soon give way and the enemy pour into the courtyard.

Was our hero mad, thus to remain behind while his friends escaped?

No.

His conduct was part of a desperate and deep-laid design.

He saw that if he had followed them in their rapid flight, the Turks
would be sure to perceive that the stone had been removed, and this
would at once enable them to discover the retreat of the whole party.

By remaining outside, he could restore the stone to its original
appearance.

And this he had now done.

But his own safety?