ready for
use. If hands trembled considerably during this operation, causing
several matches to be used before the desired results were obtained,
could anyone blame Owen and the other possessor of a lantern? It was
a most remarkable thing that no one evinced the slightest disposition
to stay by the car, and guard it against thieves. It was a case of
"follow the leader," and where Hugh went they were all bound to go
also. To be honest, the chances were that Horatio, for one, could
not have been coaxed to separate himself from the company of his four
chums; because there was a great deal of truth in that old maxim, "in
union there is strength."

Hugh now led the way. He had been given one of the lanterns with
which to light a passage across the heaps of broken stones, earth,
and rubbish, cast there at the time in the remote past when the
quarry was in full blast, with workmen delving into the hillside,
blasting away sections through the use of dynamite or powder, and
sending out many wagon-loads of building-stone each of the six
working days of the week.

They did not string out in single file, but kept bunched together.
Indeed, this came through no accident, but there was a method in
their madness; because, you see, no fellow would want to be the
hindmost in the file.

Hugh showed a wonderful amount of knowledge of the place, considering
that he had never before in his life placed a foot upon the ground
and had to depend entirely on his former observations. But he kept
on as straight as could be expected, and presently Owen managed to
muster up courage enough to say in a low and most carefully guarded
tone:

"Hugh, did you take note of the _exact_ spot where the light showed
up? I'm asking because you seem to be heading direct for somewhere."

"I believe I know where it was," Hugh told him simply. "You see, I
noted several things about the face of the quarry that day we stopped
to look it over; and when I saw that dancing trail of fire I figured
out that it must be at just such a place, which spot I'm heading for
right now. And just as you spoke I had ample proof that I was right
in my guess."

"Why, what happened, Hugh?" demanded Horatio eagerly.

"I caught a faint glimpse of light up there," Hugh told him. "I
wonder none of the rest of you happened to notice the same. It made
me think that some person might be in one of those holes we saw in
the face of the wall--caves, the natives call them, Hora