rah!" I cried, waving the precious paper in the air. "Thank
God for His wonderful mercy! If this proves true we are saved--saved!"

My companions crowded round me excitedly, some thinking that I had
suddenly taken leave of my senses.

"What is it?" they demanded. "What do you mean, Carew?"

"Look, look!" I shouted. "A secret passage from the fort--an underground
exit built years ago--leading from the cellar to the very bank of the
river! It opens from the east wall; the stone is marked with a cross!"

The paper was quickly passed from hand to hand, studied and read. The
scene that followed--the transition from blackest despair to radiant
hope--I am utterly unable to describe. Indeed, I saw but little of the
behavior of the men. I ran to Flora, clasping her in my arms, and we
mingled our tears of happiness together.

"Listen, men!" shouted Andrew Menzies. "I fully believe that this
document is to be relied upon--that the passage exists. There was a
rumor years ago that one of the forts was so provided when it was built,
and that the tunnel was not repeated afterward on account of the vast
labor; but I did not suspect it to be Fort Royal. Griffith Hawks alone
knew the secret, and he died with it untold. We will proceed at once to
verify this good news; there is not a moment to spare. Denzil, you and
Captain Rudstone will come with me."

He turned to the others.

"There is much to be done," he added, "and it must be done quickly. Load
a sledge with provisions, and get others ready for the wounded who are
unable to walk. Let each may take a supply of powder and ball, and put
on snowshoes. Helen, do you and Miss Hatherton prepare for a long and
tiresome march."

There was, indeed, no time to be wasted. The entire side of the house
was a mass of flames, and the hall was so scorching hot, so filled with
smoke, as to be almost unendurable. The Indians were in a cordon around
us, whooping at the top of their voices, firing occasional shots, and
evidently expecting that the flames would drive us to meet death in the
open.

Leaving the rest to execute Menzie's orders--Carteret volunteered to
fetch the women their outdoor wraps from upstairs--the three of us
procured a lantern and gained access to the cellar from the room at the
end of the hall. Assisted by the plan, we quickly found on the east
wall, a big square slab of stone marked by a faint cross.

"Here we are!" exclaimed Menzies. "Try to pry it out with axes."