rted Tom. "Only just wait a bit till the
wentilation gets better and blows out all the gas. It would a-pizened
you if I'd let you go in at first, as you wanted."

"Wa-al, go ahead, an' hev another try fur to see ef it's right now."

In reply, Tom lit a second match, and held it in the opening of the cave
as before.

This time it did not flicker so much, burning for a longer time, before
the faint flame finally expired.

"Better," said Tom; "but it ain't quite safe yet."

"Hurry up," replied Hiram. "I'm bustin' to see thet boocaneer tree-sor
ez the mate wer talkin' on!"

After an interval of another quarter of an hour or so, while we all
waited on the tenter-hooks of suspense, an inquisitive land tortoise
waddling up to see what we were about, Tom lit a third match.

This time it burnt bravely with a clear light, which showed us something
of the interior of the cavern. It did not show us much, though, the
darkness being too great for such a feeble illuminant to penetrate far
into it.

"Now, boys," said Tom, "I think we may venture in, as the foul air must
be pretty well spent by this time; but we'll have to get a torch or
something to see our way by, or else we shall be breaking our necks or
smashing our heads against the roof."

"Guess one o' them port fires we hev aboard would lighten it up to
rights."

"So it would," replied Tom; "but we ain't got it now, and must try and
find somethin' else to make a flare up."

"Hyar's some o' the old wood," observed the other, taking up a fragment
of the broken door, which was crumbly with age. "Strike another match,
will ye. I think this timber 'll burn long enuff fur us to git inside
an' prospect a few."

"Right you are, my hearty," returned the other, carrying out this
suggestion; and the next minute, the piece of old oak was in a blaze,
when, holding it up in one hand, Hiram stooped down once more and
stepped within the cave.

There was nothing there, however.

Nothing!

"Wa-all," exclaimed Hiram, after bending here and there, and searching
in every direction. "I calls this a durned sell, I dew!"

"Hold the light up again," said Tom; "a little more to the right, bo, so
as to throw it on that dark corner there."

But nothing was to be seen save the rocky walls of the cave, which was
of peculiar shape, and more like a sort of fissure in the rock, riven
open possibly by some volcanic shock, than if made by man. The roof was
formed of lava, it seemed