Jack and His Seven Foes — page 172: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

/ ' on a fay * ueat~ .\4 O% ‘ - “is ia 44 tebe a. a *h. al * oa An coy! - res pity oe 8 4 gr: tk mes aS, SACKS AND HIS SS ps 9 i A oo : s Ping } ‘ ' ; tk aren widening brought them to “ How lone have we been ee o ” nh a. : en ctier cave or hall, with stalactites | asked Jack. . iy _ hanging in great profusion from the Harold Deane carried a watch, to oo roof. Some of the points of these | which he referred. Ye extraordinary productions of Nature « We started at half-past three,” he aa. were within reach, others were sixty feet said, “and it isnow twenty minutes past “ed above. four.” Bacay. It was a weird-looking spot, and it | seemed as if it was more than probable that some of the spikes would fall and impale them; so they hurried on and | crossed this my sterious workshop of | Nature, and came to another passage, really an underground rift in the heart of the mountain. And up to this time they had found no signs of the men they sought. Jack paused. “Are we really on their track? ”’ he asked. He spoke generally, but his eyes were | on Ralph, who answered, shrugging his shoulders— ‘““T am out of my line here. The “Making allowances for stoppages and obstacles,” said Jack, “we must have travelled nearly two miles.” [t was an awe-inspiring revelation, and they looked at each other in silent amazement. ‘How many torches have been burnt?” asked Jack. “Three apiece,” replied Ralph, “and we have used twelve.” ‘“Tlow many have we left? ”’ “About two dozen.” “Carry only two, and let us hurry on. he end of this series of gigantic caverns cannot be far away.” Two torches were extinguished, and trail must be very broad for me to see _ with two burning they moved forward it 3) —~P _ swiftly and silently. DAUDPUOKLOIELTHAUNDAUNARCAALOALO ' CHAPTER LXV. | ON THE TRAIL WITHOUT A TRAIL—THE SECRET FORCES OF NATURE—NO THOROUGHFARE. . It was a narrow dismal way they now trod. The melancholy of it cannot be described. In the first place 1t was narrow, and in the second the air was close and stifling. Ralph’s keen nostrils detected a slight odour of sulphur. “TY don’t think there is any outlet fromhere. This air isn’tfresh enough,” he said. ‘“‘ All the better,” replied Jack, “‘ our men cannot escape us.” “For my part,’ remarked Harold Deane, “ { cannot think they came this way. They cannot walk in darkness; now how could they go on without hight ? ““That’s something worth thinking of,” said Jack, pausing; ‘‘it never occurred to me.” lt was a thought that was very dis- piriting, and gloom and doubt settled upon the little party. The result of their search now assumed problematical character. ‘Tf we go back,” said Jack, “‘ we may be throwing away our chance of securing the villains when within our reach.” “If we go on,” said Deane, ‘“‘ we may be leaving them behind us.” ‘“‘Can we possibly have done so ?”’ “Tt occurs to me that there may be many hiding-places in these caves.”’ “ But there is no exit for them with- out being captured,” said Jack; “let us go on.” As he led, they followed, but there was not a very strong hope now in either leader or followers. It seemed impossi- ble, or nearly impossible, for the Swag- gerer and the Panther to have retreated so far. The road which had hitherto been fairly level, though broken in places, now began to descend rapidly, and the a very incline mach moment increased until at last they had to move warily. *. Gomiicdoo <SGOimM