finished Dollops, with a little giggle of amusement.
"And 'e wouldn't 'arf be astonished, would 'e, sir?... Crumbs! but the
chaps wot made this bloomin' tube did their job fair, didn't they? It
goes on forever.... Whew! I'm winded already."

"Then what you'll be by the end of this affair, goodness knows, my lad!"
responded Cleek, over his shoulder. He was pressing on, hugging the wall,
his eyes peering into the gloom ahead. "It seems to be continuing for
some time. Hello! here's a turning, and the question is, shall we go
straight on, or turn?"

"Seems as if them two blighters came round a turnin', judging from the
nearness of their voices, sir," said Dollops, with entire sense.

Cleek nodded.

"You're right.... More sacks. If I wasn't so anxious to get out of this
place so that you shouldn't be late for your 'appointment' with our
friend Black Whiskers, I'd chance my luck and have a look what was in
'em. But there's no time now. We don't know how long this peculiar
journey of ours is going to last."

They pressed on steadily along the rough, rudely made floor, on and on
and on, the little torch showing always the few feet in front of them,
to safeguard them against any pitfalls that might be laid for the unwary
traveller. It seemed hours that they walked thus, and their wonder at
the elaborateness of this extraordinary tunnel system grew. There were
turnings every now and again, passageways branching off from the main one
into other patches of unbroken gloom. And it was a ticklish job at best.
At any moment someone might round the next corner and come upon them, and
then--the game would be up with a vengeance. At Dollops's suggestion they
followed always the turnings upon the right.

"Always keep to the right, sir, and you'll never go far wrong--that's
what they teaches you in Lunnon. An' that's what I always follows. It's
no use gittin' lost. So best make a set rule and foller it."

"Well, at any rate there's no harm in doing so," responded Cleek a little
glumly. "We don't know the way out and we might as well try one plan as
another. Seems pretty well closed up for the night, doesn't it? It
certainly is a passage and if the door at the other end is impassable
after all this wandering, I'll, I'll--I don't know."

"Carn't do no good by worritin', sir. Just 'ave to carry on--that's all
we _kin_ do," responded Dollops, with some effort at comfort. "There's
summink in front of us now. Looks like the end of the bli