llerin' wherever you lead, and
if you chooses 'ell itself, well, 'e's ready ter be roasted and fried in
the devil's saucepan, so long as 'e keeps yer company."

Without waiting for the end of this gallant, if rather prolonged speech
Cleek knelt down, set his two hands upon the iron ring and pulled for all
he was worth. But the ease with which the door lifted came as something
of a surprise. It came up silently, almost sending Cleek over backward,
as indeed it would have done a man with less poise, but he easily
recovered himself. He and Dollops cautiously approached the edge, and in
the half-light which the moon shed upon it (they did not use Cleek's
torch) saw that a flight of roughly-made clay steps led down into
darkness below. They sat back upon their heels and listened. Not a sound.

"Coming?" whispered Cleek in a low, tense whisper.

"Yes sir." Dollops was beside him in an instant. Cleek took the first
step carefully, and very slowly descended into the darkness, with Dollops
close behind him. Down and down they went, and on reaching the bottom,
found the place opened out into a sort of roughly-made tunnel, just as
high as a man's head, which ran on straight into the darkness in front of
them.

"Gawd! gives yer the fair creeps, don't it?" muttered Dollops as they
stood in the gloom and tried to take their bearings. "What yer goin' ter
do, sir?"

"Find out where it leads to--if there's time," whispered Cleek rapidly.
"We've got to find out what these human moles are burrowing in the earth
like this for. I'd give a good deal to know. Hear anything?"

"Not a blinkin' sound, sir."

"All right. We'll try the torch, and if any one turns up we'll have to
run for it. Now." He touched the electric button, and a blob of light
danced out upon the rough clay floor, revealing as it swung in Cleek's
swift fingers the whole circumference of the place from ground to
ceiling.

"Cleverly made," muttered that gentleman in an admiring whisper. "It
reminds me of the old 'Twisted Arm' days, Dollops, and the tunnels that
ran to the sewers. Remember?"

"I should just jolly well think I do, guv'nor! Them were days, if yer
like it! Never knew next minute if yer were goin' ter see daylight
again."

"And this little adventure of ours seems a fair imitation of them!"
returned Cleek, with a noiseless laugh. "Let's move a bit farther on and
get our bearings. Hello! here's a little sort of cupboard without a door.
And ... look at tho