e.

"Then the next thing for us to do is to find some way of climbing up
to that same fissure," the leader explained, showing that he meant to
lose no time in trying to open negotiations with the unknown denizens
of the quarry, whose actions were becoming more and more mysterious
as time passed.

"Which means that we're going to beard the tiger in his den," quoth
Owen, gripping his gun more firmly as he edged a little closer to Hugh;
for since he was the only member of the expedition who could be said
to possess a weapon it was proper that he should be found in the van
at such a crisis.

They walked on, not hastily, and showing no outward sign of the tumult
that must have raged in each boyish heart. Now it was no longer
possible for them to discern that faint glow; but such a little thing
did not daunt them. Hugh had marked well the exact location of their
objective point, and Hugh seldom made mistakes, those other confident
fellows were telling themselves as they cheerfully trudged along.

The foot of the cliff was at hand. Rains and winds and snow avalanches
had, during the years that had passed since the hands of men worked
those diggings, served to cut loose great quantities of debris from
the face of the height, so that here and there at the foot irregular
pyramids of earth and rocks could be seen. Hugh now seemed to have
turned his attention from above and was bending half over, as though
examining the ground. Owen knew what this meant. The other anticipated
finding a track leading directly to the route by means of which that
cavern halfway up the cliff might be easiest attained.

And, as often happens, such reasoning proved to be the wisest thing the
searchers could have undertaken, for hardly had half a minute elapsed
an Hugh was heard to give vent to a low ejaculation of gratification.

No one spoke, but they understood that he had found the trail he was
looking for. Indeed, he at once started to move along, still bending
over, holding his lighted lantern low, so that its not too good
illumination would best serve him.

Now they reached a sort of strange little gully, here the silt had
washed down more heavily ring the period of erosion than at any
other lace. Looking up, the boys could see that it afforded a steep
but accessible avenue by means of which an agile person could ascend
the otherwise impregnable height towering above their heads.

Hugh halted not, but started up. Owen came close b