it all mean?' was the cry that had begun to reiterate through
my brain.

A sudden idea struck me, and I searched 'round for a piece of stone.
Presently, I found a bit of rock, about the size of a small loaf.
Sticking the candle upright in a crevice of the floor, I went back from
the edge, somewhat, and, taking a short run, launched the stone forward
into the chasm--my idea being to throw it far enough to keep it clear of
the sides. Then, I stooped forward, and listened; but, though I kept
perfectly quiet, for at least a full minute, no sound came back to me
from out of the dark.

I knew, then, that the depth of the hole must be immense; for the
stone, had it struck anything, was large enough to have set the echoes
of that weird place, whispering for an indefinite period. Even as it
was, the cavern had given back the sounds of my footfalls,
multitudinously. The place was awesome, and I would willingly have
retraced my steps, and left the mysteries of its solitudes unsolved;
only, to do so, meant admitting defeat.

Then, a thought came, to try to get a view of the abyss. It occurred to
me that, if I placed my candles 'round the edge of the hole, I should be
able to get, at least, some dim sight of the place.

I found, on counting, that I had brought fifteen candles, in the
bundle--my first intention having been, as I have already said, to make
a torch of the lot. These, I proceeded to place 'round the Pit mouth,
with an interval of about twenty yards between each.

Having completed the circle, I stood in the passage, and endeavored to
get an idea of how the place looked. But I discovered, immediately, that
they were totally insufficient for my purpose. They did little more than
make the gloom visible. One thing they did, however, and that was, they
confirmed my opinion of the size of the opening; and, although they
showed me nothing that I wanted to see; yet the contrast they afforded
to the heavy darkness, pleased me, curiously. It was as though fifteen
tiny stars shone through the subterranean night.

Then, even as I stood, Pepper gave a sudden howl, that was taken up by
the echoes, and repeated with ghastly variations, dying away, slowly.
With a quick movement, I held aloft the one candle that I had kept, and
glanced down at the dog; at the same moment, I seemed to hear a noise,
like a diabolical chuckle, rise up from the hitherto, silent depths of
the Pit. I started; then, I recollected that it was, probably, th