Jack and His Seven Foes — page 174: what you’re looking at

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w ees, er Ts » phe diipacadaae aii What would become of them if they did not succeed in reaching the outer air before their means of getting light were exhausted ? A slow and terrible death seemed to be the only end to their adventure. Tt was galling to Jack, too, having failed in his search. He had no doubt about the Swagegerer and the Panther having, by their cun- ning, escaped him for a time, and if he perished in that gloomy place the triumph would be theirs. His heart was very bitter, but he did not allow his anger to master his head. Coolly he arranged the plan for escape. “Now that we are here,’ he said, “we will go on. By-and-by we may find our way back to a familiar spot.” They started again with hopeful hearts, but a long and weary wandering through a series of narrow tunnel-like passages brought them to nothing better than a small cave which they had never seen before. It was the termination of their journey in this direction, for there was no other means of egress except through a narrow opening of a few inches high. This could be of no service to them, and had evidently been made by a spring that bubbled near, as the water escaped that way. They laved their faces and drank at the spring. Afterwards they took a portion of tood, and to save the precious torches, blew them out, and ate in the dark. Itwas thestrangest meal, perhaps, that was ever partaken of by five persons. But they all had need of food, and ate heartily. ‘A novel dining-room,” said Harold Deane. ‘“Iwonder whatdepthwe are?”’ “Some hundreds of feet down,” replied Ralph. ‘‘ Near the level cround at the foot of the mountain, or it may | be, under it.” ~ Nd ee wo AMS a a a ain as 5 4 : ; moe ‘ .t® P a re Oe . ‘ JACK AND HIS SEVEN FOES. —- ‘Tt’s an awful business,” said Martin. “Keep cool,” said Jack. ‘ Our hope of escape les in ournerve. Let us take things easy. Before we go on, I think you had better smoke.” Tobacco is a great boon to toiling men, and a pipe of the familar weed had a beneficial effect upon Jack’s followers. He smoked a single cigarette, then sat thoughtful and silent until the torches were relighted. “How many have we left?” he asked. “Only twelve,” said Ralph. “How long do they burn? ” “About half-an-hour,”’ said Deane. “That, with two burning, gives us but three hours’ leht,’’ said Jack. ‘We must economise with one.” “Tt will only make darkness visible,” murmured Deane. With one torch they harked back through the narrow ways. they came to great fissures in the walls that looked like passages, and went down them with the hope of finding a way to light and air. Three of them came to an abrupt termination, and, disheartened, they re- turned to the original route, to lose even that in the end, and find themselves in a complete underground maze. They stood in an open spot upon a pile of broken rock. On the right and left, and around them, were the strange fissures radiating with almost the regularity of the spokes of a wheel. “Which way now?” asked Deane, and Jack did not answer. “Tt has been tiring work,’ said Martin, after a pause, “and I, for one, am near tired out.” ‘We had better lie down and have some sleep,” said Jack. ‘‘ Choose where you will lie, and Ralph put out the ~ torch.”’ DEDEWDUAT A DVT ANT NIU TUN CHAPTER LXYVI. FURTHER ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND-——AN ACCIDENT—DISASTER AND DEATH IMPENDING. STRANGE as it may seem, they all slept. Their couch was a bed of stone, but, Not even the deadly peril ahead, each | for the time, it was as down to one and minute growing darker and deeper, could keep their weary eyelids open. all. Ralph was the first to awake. Sometimes. rN a ahr ‘ “va a i . a oy Coie ge 24") ee AA Ay Pith als | wae Zz 4 . AW me | ar, ‘ mS ay Ty ba ha 165 . r he a I ay f ant } * ? . * i . afd @ ’ . - . © 7 . ‘ y a . 4 a Ms ‘ AMUCS cS (EO) (E() 0)(0\(6)