hand while swimming with the other, and he
was by this time much too wise to go poking about in strange places
without his weapons. No, that would certainly not do; rather than be
guilty of so foolish an act as to discard his weapons he would leave
that hole on the other side unexplored. But that alternative, too, was
distinctly distasteful to the young Englishman, and he once more raised
his torch and carefully examined the walls of the cavern, to see if he
could find a way of getting to the other side without being obliged to
swim across. And now that he was definitely looking for it he saw that
there was a something in the nature of a narrow ledge running along the
left side of the chamber, at a height of about six inches above the
water's surface, by means of which, and aided by the roughnesses of the
cavern wall, he believed he could scramble over to the other side. He
at once determined to make the attempt, noticing at the same time,
without attaching any particular significance to the fact, that the
agitation of the surface of the pond had so far subsided that there was
now but the merest suggestion of a ripple on it.

When Stukely reached the ledge by means of which he proposed to essay
the passage to the far side of the cavern he found, to his satisfaction,
that it was a quite well-defined projection running the entire length of
the wall, and apparently nowhere less than four inches wide, while there
were places where it widened out to nearly a foot in breadth, also the
surface of the wall was so rough that the irregularities would afford
him excellent grip for one hand. Therefore returning to its quiver the
arrow which he had thus far been holding in readiness for a sudden
emergency, and slinging his bow over his shoulder, so that he might have
one hand quite free to cling by, the young man set his foot upon the
ledge and began to make his way cautiously across.

He had accomplished rather more than half the distance across when he
suddenly felt the water surge up over his feet and ankles, and, upon
looking down, saw, to his consternation, that it was once more violently
agitated, the swirling eddies upon its surface plainly indicating the
presence of some powerful disturbing influence at the bottom of the
pool. Then, as Phil continued to gaze, that influence revealed itself
as a shapeless fawn-coloured something imperfectly seen through the
disturbed water, and the next moment an enormous head emerged,