d he left intact, except that
he sharpened one end.

Then, going up to Harry's room, he lay down and slept for some
hours; putting the two boys on watch, and bidding the trooper look
after them. The two Burmans, with one of the guards, were to go to
work with him. Several times he woke. The last time, on looking
out, he thought that there was a faint light in the sky and, going
down, called up the three men and, bidding them bring up the two
heavy axes, a light hatchet, and the three short chisels, he led
them up the steps to the working party.

"How have you got on, Meinik?"

"We have cleared four feet, master; but there is a big stone
sticking up, now, and we can do nothing with it."

"We will have a try, and do you all go down, at once.

"Take off your cloth, one of you, and fill it with this rubbish on
the steps. Do it as quickly as you can. The day will be breaking,
in a few minutes."

Stanley now climbed up, and investigated the passage. The bottom
was level. Every crack and crevice between the stones being filled
up with rubbish. The obstacle Meinik had spoken of evidently formed
part of a flat slab. It reached within an inch of the roof and, at
one side, touched the rock wall; at the other there was an
interval, of some four or five inches, and the earth and rubbish
had already been scraped out from behind it. Putting his hand in,
he found that the block was some four inches in thickness.

He thought that if he could but get a fair blow at it, with the
back of one of the heavy axes, he might break it off; but this was
impossible. The total width of the passage did not exceed three
feet; and as the men had, as they went, worked down somewhat, there
was now about thirty inches between the bed of earth and rubbish,
on which he was lying, and the roof. Taking the handle of the axe
in both hands, he used the head as a battering ram; but without any
success. He then called up the slightest of the three men, and told
him to crawl in beside him and, with their united strength, they
pounded the stone for some time. Finding that nothing could be done
this way, Stanley sent the man back again; and then, taking one of
the three chisels and a small hatchet, he proceeded to mark a line
along the bottom of the stone; and then, for ten minutes, worked
away on it with the chisel and hammer. Then he called up one of the
others, and showed him what he was to do. All day they worked by
turns and, though progress was very