tered Ned. "Come on then,
sir. They can't see us now. Perhaps there's a narrower place farther
in, and the darker it is the better for us and the worse for them."

The change in the poor fellow was wonderful. He did not seem like the
same. It struck Jack for the moment, but he had something else to think
about, and he followed his companion quickly, at the risk of slipping
into some precipitous place.

It was too dark to see much when they stopped again, but they could feel
plenty of rough pieces of stone beneath their feet, and the place was
narrow enough to make the chances of a successful defence greater.

"It's an ugly job, Mr Jack, sir," said Ned, "and I feel precious shaky
about my throwing, though there was a time when I'd hurl a cricket-ball
with any man I knew. If they think they're coming nobbling us about
with their war-clubs and getting nothing back, they're precious well
mistaken, so scuffle up all you can, and--Oh! Murder!"

Ned dropped down on his face, and Jack crawled against the wall, for at
the first attempt made to pull a stone from a heap there was a sharp
rustling sound, a little avalanche of fragments was set in motion, and
they fell with a tremendous splash into some subterranean natural
reservoir; a loud reverberation followed, and instantaneously, as the
echoes went bellowing out through the passage by which the fugitives had
entered, there was a strange rushing fluttering, and the sound as of a
roaring mighty wind unchained from some vast chasm where it had lain at
rest.

Jack felt the wind touching him as it passed. Then in a flash he knew
that it was caused by the beating of thousands of wings, and then, with
his heart beating heavily, he was listening to an outburst of shrieks
and yells, and lastly nothing was to be heard but Ned groaning and
muttering:

"Oh dear! oh dear! it 'd frighten any man, let alone a poor chap who's
been wounded mortal bad!"

A few minutes of time only were occupied by the whole of what took
place, from the first rattle of the stones to Ned's piteous
ejaculations, and Jack crouched there listening till the poor fellow
exclaimed--

"Mr Jack, sir, where are you? Don't say you're dead."

"No, Ned, I won't."

"Oh, my dear lad, where are you then?" gasped the poor fellow wildly.

"Here, quite safe; but don't move, there must be a terrible gulf close
beside you."

"Yes, sir, and I thought it had swallowed you. I say, is it all over
with us?"

"