raight into the tumbling cataract. Mukoki
followed close behind and preparing himself with a long breath Rod
hurried into this new experience. For a moment he was conscious of a
smothering weight upon him and a thunderous roaring in his ears, and
he was borne irresistibly down. There was still air in his lungs when
he found himself safely through the deluge so he knew that its passage
had taken him only a brief but thrilling instant. For a time he could
see nothing. Then he made out a dark form drawing itself up out of the
water. Beyond that there lay a chaos of midnight blackness, and he
knew that his eyes were staring into the depths of a great cavern!

Gripping the edge of the rock ledge he dragged himself up as both
Wabigoon and Mukoki had done, and found his feet upon a soft floor of
sand. Suddenly he felt a hand clutch his arm. A half-shout, rising
faintly above the wash of the cataract, sounded in his ear.

"Look!"

He wiped the water from his eyes and gazed ahead of him. For a moment
he saw nothing. Then, so faintly that at first it appeared no larger
than a star, he caught the faint glimmer of a light. As he looked it
became more and more distinct, and to his astonishment he saw that
it was slowly rising, like a huge will-o'-the-wisp that had suddenly
risen from the floor of the cavern to float off into the utter
blackness of space above. And even as he stared, gripping Wabi's arm
in his excitement, the strange light began to descend, and quickly
disappeared!

The two boys saw Mukoki slip off into the gloom, and without
questioning his motive they followed close behind. As they progressed
the sound of the fall came more and more faintly to their ears. A
blackness deeper than the gloom of the darkest night environed them,
and the three now held to one another's arms. Rod understood why his
companions lighted no torches. Somewhere ahead of them was another
light, carried by the mad hunter. His blood thrilled with excitement.
Where would John Ball lead them?

Suddenly he became conscious that they were no longer walking on a
level floor of sand but that they were ascending, as the light had
done. Mukoki stopped and for a full minute they stood and listened.
The tumult of the fall came to them in a far, subdued murmur. Beyond
that there was not the breath of a sound in the strange world of gloom
about them. They were about to start on again when something held
them, a whispering, sobbing echo, and Rod's heart