rger rocks and bowlders than
those on the surface above, and looked utterly pathless and desolate.
"What do we do first?" he asked dubiously.

"First," said the Doctor, smiling at the Big Business Man, who lay upon
his back staring up into the sky and paying no attention to them
whatever, "I think first we had better settle ourselves for a good long
rest here."

"If we stop at all, let's sleep a while," said the Very Young Man. "A
little rest only gets you stiff. It's a pretty exposed place out here
though, isn't it, to sleep?" he added, thinking of the sparrow and the
lizard.

"One of us will stay awake and watch," answered the Doctor.

CHAPTER XVI

THE PIT OF DARKNESS

At the suggestion of the Very Young Man they located without much
difficulty a sort of cave amid the rocks, which offered shelter for
their rest. Taking turns watching, they passed eight hours in fair
comfort, and by noon next day, after another frugal meal they felt
thoroughly refreshed and eager to continue the journey.

"We sure are doing this classy," observed the Very Young Man. "Think of
Rogers--all he could do was fall asleep when he couldn't stay awake any
more. Gosh, what chances he took!"

"We're playing it safe," agreed the Big Business Man.

"But we mustn't take it too easy," added the Doctor.

The Very Young Man stretched himself luxuriously and buckled his belt on
tighter. "Well, I'm ready for anything," he announced. "What's next?"

The Doctor consulted his papers. "We find the circular pit Rogers made
in the scratch and we descend into it. We take twelve more pills at the
edge of the pit," he said.

The Very Young Man leaped to the top of a rock and looked out over the
desolate waste helplessly. "How are we going to find the pit?" he asked
dubiously. "It's not in sight, that's sure."

"It's down there--about five miles," said the Doctor. "I saw it
yesterday as we came down."

"That's easy," said the Very Young Man, and he started off
enthusiastically, followed by the others.

In less than two hours they found themselves at the edge of the pit. It
appeared almost circular in form, apparently about five miles across,
and its smooth, shining walls extended almost perpendicularly down into
blackness. Somewhat awed by the task confronting them in getting down
into this abyss, the three friends sat down near its brink to discuss
their plan of action.

"We take twelve pills here," said the Doctor. "That ought to mak