s less than six months to make the cave, if our work
were done at the same rate each day.

At the end of five or six days we had got through the face of the rock,
and we found the stone soft. In a day or two more we came to what was
but hard clay, which gave way at a slight blow from the axe.

"We need not fear now," said I, "for we shall soon have a hole as large
as we want."

With the earth we took out we made a ridge in front of the cliff. The
boys now got on so well, and dug so much out, that I had hard work to
throw up the earth on the bank.

One day, as Jack stuck his pick in at the back of the cave, which was
now more than eight feet from the front, a great mass of the rock fell
in, and he cried out, "Look here! I have got through."

"Through what?" said I. "Not through your hand, I hope."

"No, no, but through the rock."

At this, Fritz set up a loud laugh.

"Why not say through the world at once, and push your crow bar in till
you reach EU-ROPE, which, Ernest says, lies in a straight line from our
feet. I should like to have a peep down, such a hole, for I might thus
get a sight of our dear Swiss home."

Fritz and I went up to the wall and found that Jack was right, for he
had come to a clear space. His first thought was to jump in; but as I
knew that there might be foul air in the cave, I would not let him risk
his life.

The boys then set fire to some dry grass, and thrust it in the hole, but
it went out at once, which was a sure sign that the air was not fit to
breathe.

I knew that we had brought from the wreck a box full of fire works,
which were used on board to make signs to ships far out at sea. I sent
Fritz to Tent House for these, though I thought that they might be too
damp to make use of. When he came back, I set light to some of them,
and threw them in the hole. They flew round, and threw out a stream of
sparks that lit up the cave. When these were burnt out, we put in a heap
of straw and threw a light on it. This was now soon in a blaze, and gave
us a clear view of the cave; but it was too deep for us to see the end.

Our joy was so great that we sent Jack off home to The Nest to tell the
good news, and to bring back some wax lights. I did not deem it safe for
us to go in the cave in the dark, for there might be pools or deep dry
pits in the ground.

Fritz and I had just thrown up on the bank the last spade full of earth
that had been dug out, when we heard a loud shout. We got up