the cave with that frightful snake and the unknown horrors. There
was no turning back, however, for that sentinel continued to slip and
slide across the opening, and Piang bravely faced the two miles that
lay between him and the other end of the underground passage.

The air was heavy and moldy; the sides of the cave wet and
slippery. Once his hand touched something that moved, and he almost
fainted.

"I am the real charm boy," he whispered, "and nothing will hurt
me. Ganassi, the wonder man, is with me. Forward!"

Courageous and determined, the boy pressed on. A muffled cry resounded
through the passage. Flattening himself against the slimy wall,
Piang listened. He could not imagine what had made the sound, and he
unsheathed his knife. At times he followed the bed of the stream,
wading ankle-deep in the water, but the slippery stones turned or
tripped him, and when he stepped on something that moved, he groaned
and jumped to the narrow shelf-like ledge that overhung the water.

A faint light stole through the gloom. Was it the end? But surely
not, he had not gone more than a few hundred yards. He hurried
forward. Brighter, clearer, it grew. Suddenly the brook made a sharp
turn, and he found himself in a high, vaulted chamber, sparkling and
shimmering in the light from above. Piang was so glad to see daylight
again, faint as it was, that he did not stop to consider new dangers,
and eagerly ran forward. He searched the sides for support on which
to climb to the crevices, but the rotting vines and moss that lined
the walls gave at his touch, and he fell back discouraged. Something
crumbled under his body, and he discovered to his horror that he had
fallen on a skeleton. A man had been here before him, then? But closer
examination proved the bones to be those of a _packda_ (ape). Snakes
and worms wriggled out of the skeleton, and Piang shrank back in
fear. The dread hamadryad leered at him; poisonous toads and lizards
scurried for cover. How many more of these creatures would he encounter
before escaping from this dungeon? Would Ganassi protect him and lead
him safely through? Something seemed to tell the boy that he was safe
and with renewed faith, he prepared to continue the journey.

Everywhere the beauty of nature asserted itself. Pale green ferns
seemed to hold out beseeching arms toward the light; moss crept upward
hopefully, softening the rough ledges with its velvet touch. Great
stalagmites and stalactites,