dles as far
as we could reach; and if we wished to explore farther there was nothing
for it but to scramble down some forty feet to where the water ran
murmuring amongst the blocks of stone, here all glazed over with the
stalagmitic concretion that had dripped from the roof.

I led the way, and with very little difficulty stood at last by the
stream, when Tom followed, and we slowly proceeded along its rocky bed
till at the end of a few yards we came to the turn where it came gushing
out of a dark arch, some six feet high and double that width, the water
looking black and deep as it filled the arch from side to side, running
swiftly--a river of ink in appearance.

"Tom," I said dreamily, "we must explore this dark tunnel."

"Very well, Mas'r Harry," he said in resigned tones.

And when a few minutes after I turned to look at him, he was leaning
against a rock and removing his shoes and stockings.

"What are you doing?" I said.

"Gettin' ready, Mas'r Harry; so as to have something dry to put on when
we come back."

"But I'm not going to try without boat or raft, Tom," I said. "We must
give it up for to-day."

Tom said no word but hurriedly replaced his extreme garments, and
together we slowly made our way back to reach the light in time to see
that the sun was very low down in the horizon, when completely wearied
out we sat down to finish our provision, a very easy task, for I had
only intended my store for one. But I must give Tom the credit of
saying that he would not eat without much pressing, declaring that his
pipe would satisfy him.

An hour after we were making our way back to the hacienda with,
fortunately for us, a bright moon overhead, but it was nearly midnight
before we reached the court-yard.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

THE RETURN TO SHADOW-LAND.

Tom was inexhaustible in his schemes, and at the end of three days he
had contrived the very thing we required, in a light little raft
composed of a few bamboo wands confining together a couple of inflated
calf or small heifer skins, which floated lightly on the river like a
pair of huge bladders.

"There, Mas'r Harry, what do you say to them, eh? Let all the wind out
and double 'em up, cut fresh sticks over there by the cave, blow the
bags out again, and there you are fitted up in style."

"Tom," I said joyfully, "you're a treasure!"

"Course I am, Mas'r Harry! And yet you wanted to leave me behind."

We were off the next morning before day