of his
effort to release my clutch. "Lie still now, or, by all the devils in
the pit, I 'll shut down harder on your throat. Ah, so you can keep
quiet, friend? Then I will let you go, for I would be free to explore
this passage."

I could perceive, by means of the faint light streaming through the
narrow opening, that he was busily engaged in rubbing his sorely
lacerated sides, and I noted his brown jerkin had been fairly wrenched
off his shoulders.

"Where did you leave your coat?"

"Yonder in that accursed hole! It has store of provisions in its
pockets. Lord save me, but was there ever such a time!"

He turned, groping anxiously about in the scene of his late adventure
until he finally brought forth the missing garment. Carefully testing
the pockets to see their contents remained intact, a smile lit up his
leathern face, and he flung it across his shoulders, like a pair of
well-filled saddle-bags. I reached in also, lowered the drapery, and
then led down the dark tunnel as rapidly as the grim uncertainty of the
way would permit.

The passage proved long and tedious; at least so it seemed to us
compelled to grope slowly onward through the darkness. However, it ran
straight and upon a level, although the numerous supports of the roof
gave us occasional foul blows, and proved so confusing we were
considerable time in traversing its distance. All I have already
pictured as occurring since I departed from the presence of Madame, and
first plunged blindly into the underground labyrinths, had required
several hours, and it must have been close upon sunset when we emerged
from the gloom of the tunnel into the fresh sweet air.

The passage traversed so long terminated abruptly, and with a sheer
turn to the left, coming forth between two huge rocks. To all
appearances, it ended at the high bank of a noisy stream, and was
partly hidden by the overhanging cliff. The latter, devoid of path or
chasm, now barred our progress, towering aloft until its ragged summit
appeared to press the blue sky. At first view I thought the way ended
here, but Cairnes pointed silently toward the right, and then I
perceived where a path led upward, along the merest narrow, jagged
shelf, skirting the boiling water, yet ever rising higher above it,
until, as my eyes followed its serpentine windings from terrace to
terrace, I grew dizzy contemplating the possibilities of so mad a climb.

"I suppose it must be tried," I admitted sobe