had slumped down
into one of those mines of fire, formed by roots of old dead stumps,
eaten slowly away to ashes under ground.

Carl had hoped that the woods would prove impassable, and that the party
would be compelled to turn back. That would gain for him time and
opportunity. But the men pushed on. "Vill nothing happen?" he said to
himself, in despair at seeing how directly they were travelling towards
the cave. The burned tract was not extensive, and he soon saw,
glimmering through the blackened columns, the clear moonlight on the
slopes above.

Pepperill, not daring to assume the responsibility of misleading the
party, knew no better than to go stumbling straight on.

"I vish he would shtumple and preak his shtupid neck!" thought Carl.

They emerged from the burned woods, and came out upon the ledges beyond;
and now the lad saw plainly where they were. On the left, the deep and
quiet gulf of shadow was the ravine. They had but to follow this up, he
knew not just how far, to reach the cave. And still Pepperill advanced.
Carl's heart contracted. He knew that the critical moment of the night,
for him and for his fugitive friends, was now at hand.

"Do you see any landmarks yet?" Sprowl whispered to him.

"I can almost see some," answered Carl, peering earnestly over a moonlit
bushy space. "Ve shall pe coming to them py and py."

"Do you know this ravine?"

"I remember some rawines. I shouldn't be wery much surprised if this vas
vun of 'em."

"Look here," said Lysander. Carl looked, and saw a pistol-barrel.
"Understand?"--significantly.

"Is it for me?"' And Carl extended his hand ingenuously.

"For you?--yes." But instead of giving the weapon to the boy, he
returned it to his pocket, with a smile the boy did not like.

"Ah, yes! a goot joke!" And Carl smiled too, his good-humored face
beaming in the moon.

At the same time he said to himself, "He hates me pecause I am Hapgood's
friend; and he vill be much pleased to have cause to shoot me."

Just then Dan stopped. Lysander put up his hand as a signal. The troops
halted.

"It's somewhars down in hyar, cap'm," Pepperill whispered.

"It's a horrid place!" muttered Sprowl.

"It ar so, durned if 'tain't!" said Dan, discouragingly.

Before them yawned the ravine, bristling with half-burned saplings, and
but partially illumined by the moon. The babble of the brook flowing
through its hidden depths was faintly audible.

"See the bodies anywhere?" said