uld ever sleep decent
again if I had the nerve to ride away from here, and never even try to
get him out."

He deliberately started to remove his coat, showing that his mind was
made up. Rod looked at Josh, but received in turn a pleading glance, as
though the other begged to be let alone, and turn his trick. The chance
to "get one" on Hanky Panky was too good to be lost, Josh evidently
believed.

So those amazing groans continued to well up out of the depths,
increasing in pathos if anything as they proceeded.

"Take care not to slip, Hanky," advised Rod, "or we'll have the job of
drying a chum out before we can go on our way."

"And say, that well water's awful cold in the bargain," remarked Josh,
carelessly; "keep a tight hold on the rope. We'll look after this end,
and when you say the word pull you out."

Accordingly the determined one started to lower himself into the haunted
well, showing a most commendable spirit, Rod thought. It was really too
bad to allow the joking Josh to play this trick on so gallant a fellow;
but possibly there would be no harm done in the end, and at least it
served to break the terrible monotony of seeing sad sights on the road
through the devastated country.

Presently the shaking of the rope ceased, and the voice of the explorer
came up from the depths.

"This is certainly a queer deal I'm getting," he said, complainingly.

"What's the matter now?" asked Josh, tantalizingly.

"Why, I tell you there's nothing down here," replied Hanky Panky. "My
eyes have got used to the dark, and I can see perfectly well. All around
me is the stone of the well, the water is just under my feet, but high
or low I can't see a single sign of anybody."

"Didn't I tell you so?" asked Josh, laughing harshly; "the old well must
be a haunted one, I reckon. If that was really a groan we heard it was
given by a ghost, or a goblin, and not a living being."

"Hey! that's enough, Josh! Get me up out of here quick, I tell you!"
called Hanky Panky, shaking the rope vigorously; "you promised you
would, remember!"

Josh was chuckling at a great rate; nevertheless when Rod signalled to
him he condescended to lend a hand, and between the two of them they
speedily had Hanky Panky up safely, none the worse for his experiment,
but looking deeply puzzled.

"That's the queerest thing I've run across for many a day," he was
saying; "but you notice that it doesn't come any more now, since I went
down. Oh! thunde