y--

"No, nothing."

"How disappointing," cried Ned. "But what about all those stones?"

"To be sure. You don't call them nothing?" cried Chris.

"No; there's plenty of them, my lads, and plenty of something else
underneath them, I'll be bound, if any one thought it worth while to
clear out this cellar."

"But what do you think now, Griggs?" cried Chris eagerly.

"Same as I did before, my lad. I shouldn't like to guess, but you may
feel sure that many a savage came to his end here and lies covered in by
these stones. The people who defended this place from up yonder must
have showered the stones down when they were attacked. There, it's of
no use for me to stop down here. Are you two going to haul me up, or am
I to climb?"

"We'll try and haul you up," said Chris. "Stop a moment while I take
the rifles and stand them up against the wall inside."

"Hold hard a moment," said Griggs. "You'd better go and fetch the
doctor. He might like to come down and see before I send up the
lanthorn."

"I'll call him," said Chris, and he turned to pass through the opening,
but was met by his father, who was crossing the stone chamber adjoining.

"Here, quick," cried the doctor; "come out of this place! Where's
Griggs?"

"Here am I, neighbour. Nothing to be found, only what fell in from
where you stand. But there's hundreds upon hundreds of stones, and
those who were beaten down must have been buried by what hit them."

"Yes, I suppose so," said the doctor anxiously; "but we've something
else to think of now."

"Don't say the mules have stampeded, sir?" cried Griggs anxiously.

"No; they're grazing peacefully enough at present, but there's something
worse."

"Then give a pull with the lads at that rope, sir, and let me get out of
this. One minute; the lanthorn first."

The doctor raised the lanthorn, and his first act was to blow it out
before joining at the rope and hauling the searcher to the platform.

"What is it, sir?" cried Griggs anxiously.

"Come and see," was the reply.

The doctor made his way through the hole and crossed the chamber into
which it opened, before entering the next, closely followed by the boys
and Griggs, who caught up their rifles as they passed them, dragging the
ropes as they went.

As they entered the second chamber it was to see the doctor join Bourne
at the window-opening, while beyond them stood Wilton sheltering himself
behind a patch of bushy growth hanging from ab