ps to my side, and
whispered an inquiry as to what had happened. I told him in as few words
as possible, and then struggled to my feet again.

Just as I did so my eyes detected a faint glimmer of light low down on
the floor ahead of us. From its position it evidently emanated from the
doorway of a room.

"Oh! if we only had a match," I whispered.

"It's no good wishing," said Beckenham. "What do you advise?"

"It's difficult to say," I answered; "but I should think we'd better
listen at that door and try to discover if there is any one inside. If
there is, and he is alone, we must steal in upon him, let him see that
we are desperate, and, willy-nilly, force him to show us a way out. It's
ten chances to one, if we go on prowling about here, we shall stumble
upon the whole nest of them--then we'll be caught like rats in a trap.
What do you think?"

"I agree with you. Go on."

Without further ado we crept towards the light, which, as I expected,
came from under a door, and listened. Some one was plainly moving about
inside; but though we waited for what seemed a quarter of an hour, but
must in reality have been less than a minute and a half, we could hear
no voices.

"Whoever he is, he's alone--that's certain," whispered my companion.
"Open the door softly, and we'll creep in upon him."

In answer, and little by little, a cold shiver running down my back lest
it should creak and so give warning to the person within, I turned the
handle, pushed open the door, and we looked inside. Then--but, my
gracious! if I live to be a thousand I shall never forget the sight that
met my eyes.

The room itself was a long and low one: its measurements possibly sixty
feet by fifteen. The roof--for there was no ceiling--was of wood,
crossed by heavy rafters, and much begrimed with dirt and smoke. The
floor was of some highly polished wood closely resembling oak, and was
completely bare. But the shape and construction of the room itself were
as nothing compared with the strangeness of its furniture and occupants.
Words would fail me if I tried to give you a true and accurate
description of it. I only know that, strong man as I was, and used to
the horrors of life and death, what I saw before me then made my blood
run cold and my flesh creep as it had never done before.

To begin with, round the walls were arranged, at regular intervals, more
than a dozen enormous bottles, each of which contained what looked, to
me, only too much