o at all?"

"Let it eat us, Dinny," shouted Dick; and his voice sounded echoing and
strange.

"Oh, an' is it ate us, Masther Dick? Shure ye'll have--murther!
murther! murther!" shrieked Dinny. "I towld ye so. Oh! Help, here!
Help!"

Down went Dinny's torch into the water, to be extinguished upon the
instant, and the scared fellow kept on yelling with all his might.

"What is the matter?" cried his master angrily.

"Shure I towld ye so. A great big thing, wid awful black wings, flew at
me and bit at me face, sor, and I belave he'd ha' killed me if I hadn't
put me light out so as he shouldn't see where I was."

"Oh, Dinny, Dinny. If I were you I wouldn't be frightened of a bat,"
cried Dick.

"An' is it freckened of a bat I'd be, Masther Dick? I tell ye it was a
great big thing as large as a man, wid long black wings, an' it sent a
shudder all through me, sor, to see the great baste come at me."

"Which did you see, Dinny, the bat or the shadow?" asked Dick.

"Ah, ye're laughing at me," said Dinny; "but wait a bit and ye'll see."

Dinny's torch was fished out of the water, and after a good deal of
beating and shaking to get rid of the moisture they managed to get it to
burn once more, when Jack volunteered to carry it, and Dinny grumblingly
took his place in the rear.

"Ah," he muttered, in Dick's hearing, "it's a dirthy counthry this
Afrikky. Wild bastes, and shnakes, and holes under the airth. Faix, it
isn't fit for a dacent boy to live in at all."

Dinny and his mutterings were little heeded, and they went on and on
through the interminable place, following its windings and zigzag turns,
where the rock had split, till they were tired, and Dick said that they
had seen no more during the last hour than during the first five
minutes, for the place was almost all alike--one great jagged rift with
the little stream flowing over the floor. Now the roof looked far above
them in the gloom, and now again it was close enough to crush their
heads, while by the same rule there were times when they could touch the
walls on either side by stretching out their hands, while at others the
sides receded so that the space was quite a chamber.

"Well, then," said Mr Rogers, "suppose we turn back. Dinny, as you are
last now you'll be first going back, and ought to make a good leader; so
take the light."

Dinny did not reply.

"Do you hear what my father said, Dinny?" cried Dick.

Still there was no answer.