lope twice, and the last time crept near enough to
see that Ram was climbing up a well-like shaft by means of rugged
projections in the wall, that as he got about twenty feet up he handed
the lanthorn to the man, climbed out through a square opening, and then
a trap-door was shut down, locked, and bolted, and what sounded to be a
number of heavy pieces of stone were drawn over.

As far as he could judge, after venturing up and nearly having a severe
fall in the darkness, escape was impossible that way, so he returned
after each trial to think, and come to the conclusion that if the place
had been used for the purpose of digging out stone, of which there could
be no doubt, there must be some other way by which the great pieces had
been dragged up to daylight.

With a lanthorn or torch he might easily have satisfied himself upon
this point. To achieve it without was a terribly risky task.

Still he determined to try, and after a hasty meal, directly his gaolers
had paid their last visit, he started off in the opposite direction to
that which led to the trap-door, and proceeding cautiously, taking the
precaution to keep on throwing pieces of stone before him, to satisfy
himself that there was no well or pit in his way, he went on and on.

Now he threw a piece of stone to his left hand, to his right, and after
going many yards at what was but a snail's pace, he discovered that the
place had suddenly contracted, and after creeping a little farther, the
place was more contracted still, and ascended. So narrowed was it now
that a couple of steps in either direction enabled him to touch a wall,
while about twenty short paces farther on the ascent grew much more
straight, and there was no fear of a pit or shaft in the way, for he
found that roughly square blocks of stone were laid like a flight of
steps, up which he clambered, and then sunk down, overcome by the
feeling of joy which had flooded his brain.

He must have come up quite fifty feet after ascending the slope along
which he had walked, and here he was at the top of the flight of clumsy
stairs on a kind of platform of rugged stones, and straight before him
there was a chink so narrow that he could not have thrust a hand through
it, but wide enough to allow the passage of a gleam of light; there was
a familiar odour, too, of salt air and seaweed, and as he placed his ear
to the chink he could hear, as if far below, the wash of water.

"Why, this must be at the sid