put in the charge; then they put in a wooden rod, just the
thickness of the fuse they use; then they dropped in a little dry
dust round it, which they pressed down very carefully, with a small
wooden rod; then they damped some dust, and hammered that down
hard. After putting in about half an inch of this, they used dust
slightly moistened, beating it down as before. When it was quite
full, they pulled out the centre stick, and put the fuse into the
hole that it left."

"We have not got any fuse," Stanley said, "but I think that if we
take a narrow strip of cloth, moisten it, and rub gunpowder into
it; let it dry, and then roll it up, it would be all right. Then we
could lay a train of damp powder to it, set the end alight, and
bolt."

"I should think that that would do," Harry agreed, "but you would
have to bolt very sharp for, if it went off before you got to the
bottom of the steps, it might be very awkward."

"I don't think the effect of the shock will be as great as that,
Harry. It may crack the stone, but I should hardly think it would
send anything flying out of the hole."

Chapter 16: Rejoining.

Every day, since the siege had begun, the defenders had fired an
occasional shot at the stockade; not with any idea of doing any
damage, but in order that the assailants should know that they were
still in the cavern. That evening, when the hole had got to the
proper depth, Stanley, having prepared his fuse, went up with
twenty cartridges in his pocket, accompanied by Meinik. The hole
was charged and tamped, and the fuse inserted. This took a
considerable time. The fuse had been cut so that an inch of it
projected outside the hole. The other eight cartridges were then
broken up, and the powder moistened; and a train some two feet long
laid, from the fuse towards the entrance of the hole. Then a piece
of rag was wrapped round one end of the ramrod; and this, again,
was tied to a long rod that had, the night before, been cut by one
of the boys, who had slipped out noiselessly from the entrance. The
rag had been moistened, and rubbed with gunpowder.

"Now, Meinik," Stanley said, "everything is ready. This rod is
sixteen feet long, so that, lying down, my feet will be just at the
edge of the hole; and I shall be able to drop down, as soon as I
have lighted the train, and bolt. I shall fix a torch, a foot or so
from the train; then I shall only have to lift the rod to it, light
the rag, set fire to the train, a