They sat down with their eyes turned up to the specks of blue, and watched the sun-shafts dip from the west towards the centre till they poured their white light straight down. Then they started for the long downward track, Mr. Hume this time leading the way with his rifle ready.

When they came again to the cavern of the skulls, the Hunter paused before pushing the mat aside. For some seconds he stood listening; then, cautious still, with the point of his knife he forced apart a couple of the rush strands and peeped through. The place seemed as it had been, and he was about to step in when he remembered that Venning had placed the skull on the block of stone. There was the block, but there was no skull upon it. Standing back, he whispered to Venning to keep where he was; then, with his rifle ready, he quietly moved the mat aside.

There was a howl, as some creature, squatting on the floor, turned a lined and hideous face towards the corner, and then scuttled out of view. Mr. Hume leapt to the floor, and ran to seize the creature who had taken refuge under a hanging mat. His hand, however, met with no resistance, and, brushing the mat aside, he saw an opening leading down.

"It went down there," he said, as Venning, showing a startled face at the opening, called out to know what had happened.

Venning jumped down, and looked into the new outlet. "Let us follow," he said eagerly.

Mr. Hume shook his head. "We know one has gone. There are probably others; and we don't know that it would lead us out. The other way would."

"It makes me ill to think of the other way," said Venning, vehemently.

"It looks like a rabbit-hole."

"I'll go first."

"It may mean another night, if it takes up much time."

"I'm sure it's right," persisted the boy.

"Very well, here goes;" and the Hunter submitted against his judgment, because he feared beyond anything the breakdown of the boy's nerves.

He was obliged to slide down this black opening, and when he found a footing in a dark, cellar-like place, he at once struck a match under the belief that he stood in a mere pit and nothing else, but a puff of wind blew the match out.

"Come along; there is an opening."

The opening they found, and, as they entered it, they heard a shuffling noise behind.

"It's that hag gone up into the room," cried the Hunter, "and she'll give the alarm. We must go after her."

Venning, however, pushed on. "This is the way," he said wildly; and Mr. Hume could do no less than follow, frowning as he went.

But it did seem that the boy was right. The little black hole of a pa.s.sage suddenly opened out into light that almost blinded them by its brilliancy. It was a broad track. On the right was the wall of the cliff pierced with little holes, through which they looked down again on the canon itself, the opposite walls seeming very near.

"Wasn't I right?" asked Venning, with an excited laugh. "We can't be very far above. I fancy I can hear the river."

"Well, there is this about it, if the worst comes, and we can't find a way out, we can signal from one of these holes to people in the valley."

"And d.i.c.k would find a way to rescue us--d.i.c.k and Muata. Hurrah!

Then we won't have to go down into that awful darkness."

"No; but we may as well see where this leads to."

They had to skirt a Y-shaped fall in the track, and this accomplished, their course, after many windings, terminated at a totally unexpected spot, no less than a point high up the face of the cliff rising sheer up from the Deadman's Pool. They stepped out from the pa.s.sage into broad day, and raised their hats to let the wind blow upon them, but they found that they were as far off from escape as before. Below, the cliff sank hundreds of feet; above, it rose like a wall without foothold; but they were thankful for the sunlight, for the far view over the dark forest, for the privilege to look once more on the unruffled sky. Now that they were in the light, they could take stock of each other, and found it in their hearts to start a feeble laugh at the covering of mud, smoke, and green mould that almost disguised their ident.i.ty.

But it was a comfort to stretch their aching limbs in the sun, to take the pure air into their lungs, to look restfully away over the trees that marched unbroken to the uttermost horizon. They dozed under the influence of the sunlight, blinking their eyes like cats, and when Mr. Hume stirred at last, the sun was slipping down the western slope.

"We must be going," he said, looking down.

"I suppose so," said Venning, wearily.

"There's something astir down there. Men are moving up the slope towards the gorge--and, by George, they are Ha.s.san's men too!"

Venning stood up, and looked down upon a file of little figures breasting the slope.

"Good thing I had that wall built. d.i.c.k will be having his hands full. Come along; we may get out in time yet to take a share in the fight, for his sake."

Venning remained staring down, with a look in his face that brought the Hunter back.

"What do you see?"

"Of all the idiots," said the boy--"of all the miserable, shortsighted, thick-headed, addle-pated duffers and a.s.ses we are the worst! We took pains to find a way into a fiendish maze of tunnels, pits, and caverns, occupied by vampires and enveloped in darkness, in search of a thing that was never there."

"As what?"

"Look there!" and the boy pointed down. "There's our boat--down there, out in the broad daylight."

"You're mistaken, lad."

"There--straight down--in that patch of reeds on the right of the pool."

"That's her, right enough," said Mr. Hume, excitedly.

"And to think we've been wandering about in fear of our lives on a false scent."

"It makes me feel bad; but the mistake has been made, and now we've got to get out, and get out in time to help d.i.c.k."

"Oh, d.i.c.k's all right," said Venning, crossly. "He's got plenty to eat, and a warm bed."

"Chew this;" and the Hunter handed his last bit of biltong.

Venning took it, and followed on into the pa.s.sage, chewing and growling over their folly.

"We will laugh over our troubles," said the Hunter, patiently, "when we get out."

"When we get out! I don't believe there is a way out. Anyhow, I am not going a step further beyond the place where we found the loopholes."

Mr. Hume made no reply.

"I have been thinking over it," Venning went on.

"The place cant be very high above the level of the ground outside.

We could easily attract attention by filing a shot out. Then we would make a rope out of the rushes in these mats, lower it with a bit of stone at the end, on which we could write directions to d.i.c.k with a bit of burnt stick, to hitch on a rope. We would haul in the rope, make it fast, and then shin down."

"But suppose d.i.c.k is busy beating off the attack of Ha.s.san's men?"

"Then we'll wait. I'm not going further--not a foot. If you like, sir, you can go, but I will stay. I am not going down into those horrible caves." His voice rose to a shout.