e of the candles for it to blaze up, sputtering loudly from
the wet hand that held it. I sheltered my eyes after pressing out the
water, looked again and again, separated the oakum so that it flared
more and more, lighting up the low arch through which we had entered,
when I groaned to myself: was this to be the end of my golden dreams--
death in this hideous vault? for the stream set swiftly now through the
arch, and the raft was gone!

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

A NIGHT'S REST.

The bright, flaring, spluttering blaze, glimmering and flashing upon the
troubled waters and reflected from the roof; then, as it sank down,
comparative darkness, for the two scraps of candle seemed to burn very
dimly. Tom lay upon the rocks without speaking, while the agony that
passed through my brain was intense. I felt that I had murdered the
poor fellow, who was called upon to give up his young life through his
fidelity to what any thoughtful man would call my wild follies.

We were to die, then, here, in this wild, mysterious cave, far beyond
the reach of aid; for even if we had not by our caution thoroughly
concealed our coming, who would dare to follow our route, unless by
chance the raft were seen?

That certainly afforded a faint gleam of hope, and another came directly
to fortify it. My uncle had talked about the great cave, and its
exploration had been mentioned. It was possible, then, that upon our
absence causing uneasiness a search might be made in this direction; for
I knew my uncle too well to think that he would leave his sister's child
unsought.

But if he did not arrive in time? or if some of Garcia's spies had seen
us enter and were to mislead the searchers?

The thought was too horrible; and I shuddered as I thought of Lilla and
her fate, till a maddening sensation of jealousy drove for a few minutes
all fear and dread away.

My musings were arrested by Tom, who made me start by suddenly taking my
dripping hand between his--damp and icy to the touch.

The next moment he was holding my hand to his breast, so that I could
feel the laboured beatings of his true heart as he exclaimed hoarsely:

"Mas'r Harry, you saved my life then, and I'll never forget it."

"Nonsense, Tom!" I said with gloomy cheerfulness. "It's all give and
take out here. Why, you saved me from the crocodiles."

"Cuss 'em! Don't talk about 'em here, Mas'r Harry," said Tom in a
whisper. "We don't know but what there's horrible ones li