d have no
little difficulty in getting back to the part where the men were at
work.

But there was no occasion for so loud a cry; the words had hardly passed
his lips when a hand holding a candle suddenly appeared against the wall
in front, and upon stepping to it, he found that the sheet of stalagmite
there, instead of touching the wall, was a foot away, leaving room for
any one to creep up a steep slope for thirty or forty feet, and continue
the way through a long crevice, whose sides looked as if they might have
separated only a few hours before.

"This is the way," said Dummy, and he led on for a quarter of an hour
longer, with a peculiar rushing noise growing louder, till it became a
heavy dull roar, as the narrow crack through which they had passed
suddenly opened out into a vast cavity which, below the ledge on which
they stood, ended in gloom, and whose roof was lost in the same
blackness; but the echoes of the falling water below told them that it
must be far enough above their heads.

"What a horrible hole!" cried Mark.

"Yes; big," said Dummy. "Look: I climbed along there. It's easy; and
then you can go right on, above where the water comes in. It's warm in
here."

"Yes, warm enough."

"Shall we go any farther?"

"No, not to-day. Let's stop and look. Shall I throw down my candle?"

"No, Master Mark: it's no good. Goes out too soon. I'll light a
match."

He took an old-fashioned brimstone match from his breast, lit both its
pointed ends, waited till the sulphur was fluttering its blue flame, and
the splint was getting well alight and blackening, and then he reached
out and let it fall, to go burning brightly down and down, as if into a
huge well. Then it went out, and they seemed for the moment to be in
darkness.

"I don't think it's very, very deep," said Dummy quietly; "but it's all
water over yonder. Seen enough, Master Mark!"

"Yes, for one day. Let's go back now."

Dummy topped the long wicks with his natural snuffers, to wit, his
finger and thumb, and led the way back, after Mark had taken a final
glance at the vast chasm.

"So you found this place out, Dummy?"

"Yes, Master Mark. I'm always looking for new holes when I've nothing
to do and the men aren't at work."

"It's of no use: there's no lead."

"No: aren't any ore. All spar and stones like this."

"Well, we must bring hammers and find some good pieces next time we
come."

"And go on along by the water, Master