e could reach the end
of the ledge. Creeping along it he soon found himself close to the
opening, surrounded by strong light, but effectually concealed from view
by the ledge. It was as if he were on a natural rafter, peeping down on
the floor below! As there was a multitude of such ledges around, which
it would take several men many hours to examine, he began to breathe
more freely, for, would the searchers not naturally think that a
fugitive would fly to the darkest recesses of his place of refuge,
rather than to the brightest and most accessible spot?

He gave vent to a sigh of relief, and was congratulating himself upon
his wisdom, when his eyes chanced to fall on the flask of water and cold
roast fowl and loaf lying conspicuous in the full glare of light that
flooded the front part of the cave!

If the fowl had been thrust whole into his throat it could scarcely have
added to the gush of alarm that choked him. He slipped incontinently
from his arabesque ledge and dropped upon the floor. Securing the
tell-tale viands with eager haste he dashed back into the obscurity and
clambered with them back to his perch. And not much too soon, for he
had barely settled down when the voice of the scout was heard talking
pretty loudly.

"Come along, Captain Wilmot," he said, "give me your hand, sir. It's
not safe to walk alone here, even wi' a light."

"Here, where are you? Oh! All right. Haven't you got a match?" asked
the captain.

"Nothin' that would burn more'n a few seconds. We're better without a
light, for a gust o' wind might blow it out an' leave us worse than we
was. Mind this step. There."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't bring any of my men in here," said the Captain,
as he kicked one of his heavy boots violently against a projection of
rock.

"Ay--'tis as well you didn't," returned the scout, in a tone suggestive
of the idea that he was smiling. "For there's holes on both sides, an'
if one o' your men went down, ye might read the funeral sarvice over him
at once, an' be done with it. There's a glimmer o' daylight at last.
We'll soon be at the other end now."

"A horrible place, truly," said the Captain, "and one that it would be
hard to find a fellow in even if we knew he was here."

"Didn't I say so, Captain? but ye wouldn't be convinced," said Hunky
Ben, leading his companion into the full light of the opening and coming
to a halt close to the ledge above which the fugitive lay. "Besides,
Leath