ony on the elbow as he spoke, and sent
that worthy's heart, or something like it, into his throat with such
violence as nearly to choke him.

"Git along, massa," he said in a gaspy whisper, when able to articulate,
"we's got to go troo wid it _now_."

Acting on this advice the young man continued to advance cautiously,
feeling his way step by step and fully expecting every moment to reach
the inner wall of the cavern.

Presently the explorers were again brought to a stand by the sudden
appearance of a light in the far distance. As, however, it did not
move, they continued to advance, and soon were convinced that it was
daylight shining through an opening in that direction. Every step
convinced them more and more that they were right, and their spirits
rose with the hope of escaping, though the light made no appreciable
difference as yet in the darkness that surrounded them.

Suddenly a sharp, loud, short cry filled the cavern for an instant, and
almost froze their blood! The loudness and abrupt stoppage of the cry
left the impression that the creature which uttered it had been suddenly
and effectively killed, for it ended in a sharp gasp or gurgle, and then
all was still,--but only for a moment, for the shock to Mark's nerves
was such that his finger inadvertently pressed the trigger of his gun,
which exploded with a deafening crash, and awoke shrieks and cries that
were not to be accounted for by mere echoes.

This was too much for ordinary human beings. Fabled knights of old in
armour of proof might have stood it, but the two white men and the
black, being ordinary heroes, regardless of pride and honour, went in
for a regular stampede, and it is but simple justice to say that Ebony
won, for he reached the outlet of the cavern first, and sprang through
it into daylight like a black thunderbolt. It is also due to his
comrades to add that they were not far behind him.

Their courage, however, was soon restored. Daylight has a celebrated
power of restoring courage. On clearing the bushes which concealed the
entrance to the cave they simultaneously stopped, turned round, and
resolutely faced their foe!

But no foe was to be seen! Once again all was still as death. After
glaring for a few seconds at the spot whence the expected enemy should
have issued, the three fugitives relaxed their frowning brows and turned
inquiring eyes on each other.

"Dis beats cockfightin' a'most," said Ebony, with a sigh of inte