ver catch it seemed
far from groundless.

After an hour of this vain pursuit Sir William Elphiston and his
companions had gone a long way in the southwest direction of the pit,
and began to think they really had to do with an impalpable being. Just
then it seemed as if the distance between the goblin and those who
were pursuing it was becoming less. Could it be fatigued, or did this
invisible being wish to entice Sir William and his companions to the
place where the inhabitants of the cottage had perhaps themselves been
enticed. It was hard to say.

The men, seeing that the distance lessened, redoubled their efforts. The
light which had before burnt at a distance of more than two hundred
feet before them was now seen at less than fifty. The space continued
to diminish. The bearer of the lamp became partially visible. Sometimes,
when it turned its head, the indistinct profile of a human face could be
made out, and unless a sprite could assume bodily shape, Jack Ryan was
obliged to confess that here was no supernatural being. Then, springing
forward,--

"Courage, comrades!" he exclaimed; "it is getting tired! We shall soon
catch it up now, and if it can talk as well as it can run we shall hear
a fine story."

But the pursuit had suddenly become more difficult. They were in
unknown regions of the mine; narrow passages crossed each other like
the windings of a labyrinth. The bearer of the lamp might escape them as
easily as possible, by just extinguishing the light and retreating into
some dark refuge.

"And indeed," thought Sir William, "if it wishes to avoid us, why does
it not do so?"

Hitherto there had evidently been no intention to avoid them, but
just as the thought crossed Sir William's mind the light suddenly
disappeared, and the party, continuing the pursuit, found themselves
before an extremely narrow natural opening in the schistous rocks.

To trim their lamps, spring forward, and dart through the opening, was
for Sir William and his party but the work of an instant. But before
they had gone a hundred paces along this new gallery, much wider and
loftier than the former, they all stopped short. There, near the wall,
lay four bodies, stretched on the ground--four corpses, perhaps!

"James Starr!" exclaimed Sir William Elphiston.

"Harry! Harry!" cried Ryan, throwing himself down beside his friend.

It was indeed the engineer, Madge, Simon, and Harry Ford who were lying
there motionless. But one of t