for a single scanty meal. Water
there was in plenty, but no food. When we had recovered a little from
our horrible disappointment we consulted together.

"If we could get through the mine tunnel," said Oliver, "we might
escape into the den of lions, which were probably all destroyed by the
explosion, and so out into the open country."

"The Fung would take us there," suggested Higgs.

"No, no," broke in Roderick, "Fung all gone, or if they do, anything
better than this black hole, yes, even my wife."

"Let us look," I said, and we started.

When we reached the passage that led from the city to the Tomb of Kings,
it was to find that the wall at the end of it had been blown bodily back
into the parent cave, leaving an opening through which we could walk
side by side. Of course the contents of the tomb itself were scattered.
In all directions lay bones, objects of gold and other metals, or
overturned thrones. The roof and walls alone remained as they had been.

"What vandalism!" exclaimed Higgs, indignant even in his misery. "Why
wouldn't you let me move the things when I wanted to, Orme?"

"Because they would have thought that we were stealing them, old fellow.
Also those Mountaineers were superstitious, and I did not want them to
desert. But what does it matter, anyway? If you had, they would have
been burned in the palace."

By this time we had reached that end of the vast tomb where the
hunchbacked king used to sit, and saw at once that our quest was vain.
The tunnel which we had dug beyond was utterly choked with masses of
fallen rock that we could never hope to move, even with the aid of
explosives, of which we had none left.

So we returned, our last hope gone.

Also another trouble stared us in the face; our supply of the crude
mineral oil which the Abati used for lighting purposes was beginning to
run low. Measurement of what remained of the store laid up for our use
while the mine was being made, revealed the fact that there was only
enough left to supply four lamps for about three days and nights: one
for Maqueda, one for ourselves, one for the watchman near the tunnel
mouth, and one for general purposes.

This general-purpose lamp, as a matter of fact, was mostly made use of
by Higgs. Truly, he furnished a striking instance of the ruling passion
strong in death. All through those days of starvation and utter misery,
until he grew too weak and the oil gave out, he trudged backward and
forward betwee