steps returned, he was no nearer a solution of his
problem than before.

"I declare you sound like Tyke coming along the passage," Ruth laughed
merrily. "They say bad news travels fast. So your news must be good,
or you wouldn't be coming so slowly."

"I only wish you were right," he said, grasping at the opening. "But
to tell the truth my news isn't any too good. Oh, nothing to be
alarmed about," he added hastily, as he caught her stifled exclamation.
"A little loose earth seems to have come down the slope of the hill and
blocked up the entrance. I'll get to work at it and clear it out in a
jiffy."

He tried to throw a world of confidence into his tone, but it failed to
ring true. In the darkness he heard Ruth catch her breath.

"Let's go and see just how bad it is," was all she said, and Drew with
a chill in his heart, led the way.

"What is this dirt in here?" asked Ruth, as she stumbled over a mound
that Allen had thrown behind him in his frantic digging.

"Oh, that's some that I've dug out already," Allen replied with assumed
carelessness. "I just wanted to find out how hard the dirt was and
whether it would give way easily. It's fresh and soft and we'll get
the whole lot out of our way in no time."

He was about to start in again at the task when Ruth laid her hand upon
his arm.

"You didn't dig all this out in that minute you were away from me just
now," she said quietly. "You must have been working while I lay in
there unconscious. Come now, Allen, tell me the whole truth. Remember
that I am a sailor's daughter and am not afraid to face things, no
matter how bad they may be. The cave entrance is badly blocked up,
isn't it?"

"God bless your staunch, plucky heart, Ruth," blurted out Drew, his own
heart kindling at her courage. "You're one woman in a thousand, yes,
in a million. I might have known you'd face the truth without weeping
or hysterics. You're right about the landfall. I'm afraid it's a
heavy one. I've been digging at it for some time without making much
impression. But after all it's all guess-work and it may not be so
thick as it seems to be. We may let daylight through at any minute.
At any rate I'm going at it like a tiger. I worked hard before when I
thought I was alone, but now that I've got you to look out for I'll do
ten times as much. I've only begun to fight. We're just going to get
out of this and that's all there is about it."

"And I'll help you," cried R