have a good meal, and then come
back.

He left his task with reluctance, but nature would not be refused, and
without much difficulty he found his way to the basket, ate heartily,
sat still to think a few minutes, and thought too much, starting up
suddenly and rubbing his eyes.

"How stupid of me!" he exclaimed. "I must have just nodded off to
sleep. Nearly wasted a lot of time."

Afraid to remain where he was, lest he should yield to the temptation
again and fall dead asleep, he eagerly made his way back to the slope
and the rough steps, to stand there wondering as he got to the top.

For there, straight before him, was a pale ray of light, and the place
smelt cool and fresh.

Surely a star or the moon must be up, he thought, as he knelt down and
resumed his task, feeling somehow a good deal rested.

The explanation was not long in coming, for to his astonishment the ray
of light grew brighter and brighter, and broadened out full of dancing
motes when he had been an hour at work, teaching him that he had not
dropped off to sleep for a minute or two, but long enough to give him a
good night's rest sufficient to prepare him for the toil to come.

He felt vexed and called it laziness, working the harder to recover lost
time, and as the hours glided by listening intently for the slightest
sound from the quarry below that should indicate the coming of Ram with
his daily portion of food.

On previous days he had looked forward to the lad's approach as
something that would break the monotony of his captivity, but now he
would have given anything to have known that by some accident the lad
would be kept away.

Still Archy toiled on, the stone he had attacked as tight as ever, but
quite a little heap of rough mortar increasing beneath where he knelt.

"It's only getting out the first one," he argued; "the others will come
easily enough."

And so, full of hope, he kept on, till feeling that it must be near the
time for the visit, he reluctantly closed his pocket-knife and went
down, gazing back first at the tiny ray of light which pointed the way
to liberty.

His arms ached and his fingers were sore. There was a blister too in
the palm of his hand where the knife had pressed; but these were trifles
now, and he seated himself in his old spot ready to receive his
visitors, and so full of hope that he could hardly refrain from shouting
for joy.

He could see it all, now. This was quite an ancient mine, one perh