Mind you, I'm not discouraging escape if we can--I'm simply groping for
a plan. Let's explore our quarters. It may help to know the lay of the
place."

"Wyte a bit, sir," said Carrick, moving behind his master. "My teeth are
strong. Mybe I can get your 'ands loose." Kneeling on the stone floor he
applied himself vigorously to the task.

"Our friends," commented Carter, "evidently foresaw such an attempt and
provided against it by shutting us up in the dark. How are you getting
on?" He could feel the strenuous efforts of his chauffeur as the latter
gnawed at the knot.

"Not at all, Mr. Carter. It's rawhide. The saliver from my mouth only
mykes it swell. Of course that tightens the knot. It mykes it slimy,
too, so's I carn't keep 'old of it." He scrambled to his feet with a
hasty apology for his failure.

"Fortunately our feet are not hobbled and we're not blindfolded. Come
on, we'll see what's beyond that door, my man," and Calvert proceeded
cautiously toward the open entrance. With ears strained to bursting,
they listened by it a breathless moment. No sound, no breath, no
intuition of human proximity warned them that further progress was
dangerous, so they passed the threshold into the third room. A sigh of
relief came from Carter's lips as he noted that it, too, was vacant. The
door to the cell beyond was likewise open. They advanced, therefore,
through that and several successive cells, until they were confronted by
a narrow, dark passageway, whose objective could not be discerned from
where they stood.

Not knowing where the gloom would betray their feet, they stepped very
cautiously as they explored the darkness before them. The better to
guide himself, Carter kept his shoulder to the wall. He had not
proceeded very far when his own weight, pushing against the masonry,
swung him off into a narrow entrance at right angles to the main
passage.

He drew back with a gasp. He found himself on the very brink of an
uncurbed well. Gradually recovering himself from the involuntary start
which had kept him from falling head-foremost into the opening, he
leaned forward to investigate.

Far below he could see daylight, a patch of grass-grown earth, and the
edge of a stable,--for a horse's head was thrust through an aperture.
He turned to his companion.

"Careful, Carrick. I pretty nearly stepped into kingdom come. I think
that door was purposely left open that we might commit involuntary
suicide. There's a well here