gle in the
roof tree. You brace yourself against the wall, and I'll stand on your
shoulders."

The two moved away with the others close behind them. Jack mounted on
Tom Barnum's shoulders. He found the ceiling sloped up to a lofty
peak. Running his hands up each slope, he could discern no
irregularity. But, suddenly, nearing the top, where the sides drew
together, he felt a strong draught of air on his hands.

Their positions at the time were this: Tom was leaning against the end
wall, with Jack on his shoulders, and facing the wall. The ceiling
sloped upward on each side and it was up these slopes Jack had been
running his hands. Tall as he was, and standing upright, his head
still was some feet from the roof tree above, where the sloping
sidewalls joined.

When he felt the inrush of air on his hands, which were then above his
head, Jack reached forward. He encountered no wall at all. But, about
a foot above his head, instead, his fingers encountered the edge of an
opening in the end wall and under the roof tree. Trembling with
excitement, he felt along the edge from side wall to side wall, and
found the opening was more than two feet across.

Not a word had been said, meanwhile, not a whisper uttered. Now,
leaning down, and in a voice barely audible, Jack whispered to the
anxious group at his feet:

"Fellows, there's an opening up here under the roof tree. I can't tell
yet what it is, but if you hand me up Tom's flashlight I'll have a
look at it."

Frank passed the little electric torch upward, flashing it once to aid
Jack in locating it in the darkness. Again Jack straightened up
carefully. Holding the flat little flashlight between his teeth, he
gripped the edge of the opening and chinned himself. Then, holding on
with one hand, with the other he manipulated the flashlight.

One glance was sufficient. It revealed a tunnel-like passage under the
roof tree. This passage was triangular in shape, with the beam of the
roof tree at the peak, the sloping, unplastered sides of the roof and
a flat, solid floor. It extended some distance forward, apparently,
for the rays of the flashlight did not reveal any wall across it. The
floor was solidly planked, probably a yard wide, instead of two
feet-plus of Jack's original estimate, and the height from floor to
roof tree was all of two and a half feet.

Laying down the flashlight, Jack drew himself over the edge of the
opening. Then, moving cautiously forward in the dar