Part 57 (1/2)

They sat doith their eyes turned up to the specks of blue, and watched the sun-shafts dip froht straight down Then they started for the long doard track, Mr Hu the ith his rifle ready

When they caain to the cavern of the skulls, the Hunter paused before pushi+ng the ; 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 re 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 theon 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,thedown

”It went down there,” he said, as Venning, showing a startled face at the opening, called out to knohat had happened

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

Mr Huone There are probably others; and we don't know that it would lead us out The other ould”

”It , veheo first”

”It ht, if it takes up ht,” persisted the boy

”Very well, here goes;” and the Hunter sub 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 aelse, but a puff of wind blew the ”

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

”It's that hag gone up into the rooo after her”

Venning, however, pushed on ”This is the way,” he said wildly; and Mr Hu as he went

But it did seee suddenly opened out into light that almost blinded theht was the wall of the cliff pierced with little holes, through which they looked down again on the canon itself, the opposite walls see, 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 conal from one of these holes to people in the valley”

”And dick would find a way to rescue us--dick and Muata Hurrah!

Then on'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 accos, terh up the face of the cliff rising sheer up froe 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 ithout foothold; but they were thankful for the sunlight, for the far view over the dark forest, for the privilege to look once ht, they could take stock of each other, and found it in their hearts to start a feeble laugh at the covering of uised their identity

But it was a co lis, to look restfully away over the trees that marched unbroken to the utterht, blinking their eyes like cats, and when Mr Hu down the western slope

”Wedown