"

With his hands he felt of the rocky sides of the place where he stood.
The walls were rough, with many niches and protrusions.

He resolved at once to make the attempt, well knowing it might cause
another fall of earth and rocks, which would crush him to death.

He found a niche on one side for one foot and a protruding bit of ledge
on the other side for the other foot. He fastened his fingers in a cleft
and slowly succeeded in dragging himself up into the crack, which was
now quite wide enough for him to accomplish this.

He felt about and found other cracks and protrusions. Little by little
he climbed higher.

Once his foothold gave way and he came near falling. By bracing across
the cleft he succeeded in preventing such a calamity.

Then he found the cleft was growing narrower and narrower. It closed in
until it threatened to stop him.

He choked as he thought of the possibility. It was the most fearful
thing thus almost to get a taste of liberty and then have it denied him.

At last he was checked. For the time being he could force his way no
higher.

He felt his strength leaving him. A dizziness came upon him, and he knew
he was on the verge of falling. But he maintained his hold and began to
feel about. By working his way cautiously some distance along the cleft,
he finally came to a point where the walls were wide enough apart for
him to slowly drag his body through. Above that point was a narrow
ledge, on which he paused to rest.

Still that rift of light was far above his head. Could he ever reach it?

For some time he rested on the ledge, seeking to summon back all the
natural strength he possessed. Finally he resumed his almost superhuman
efforts.

Occasionally he paused to look up at the cleft of light. At first it had
seemed very narrow, but now it was growing wider. Each time he looked it
appeared wider than before.

"I'll reach it!" he told himself, with absolute confidence. "Porfias del
Norte still lives, Senor Merriwell, as you shall have good cause to
know!"

Now the air seemed sweeter and purer. He realized how stagnant and
stifling it had been away down there in the cave of death. He turned his
face up to it and drew in deep breaths.

Finally he came to a place where the cleft widened on either hand until
it was impossible to mount higher by clinging to opposite sides.

At that point he seemed baffled.

Was it possible he could fail and perish with life and liberty almost in