mouth.

He meditated a dash out, but the venture seemed to promise little
hope, and seeing, after a time, that the man had fallen asleep, he
proceeded to explore his prison.

It was a long cave, and there were many fissures and passages
branching out on either side, but he found to his intense disgust that
instead of leading out into the open they all terminated after a few
yards in a solid wall of rock.

Nothing daunted by his successive disappointments, the lord of Haddon
carefully wound his way round the circuitous cavern path. He found it
difficult work, however, to walk in darkness in an unknown way, and he
made little progress until, suddenly remembering that the ostler had
charge of the tinder and flint which his associates had thrown in
after kindling their fire, he stole back as quickly as he could to
fetch it.

He found everything exactly as it was when he left it. The ostler was
still asleep and loudly snoring; the noisy gang beyond were cooking
their evening meal, and without attracting their attention he
succeeded in gaining the coveted articles, and rapidly retreated with
them in his possession.

He waited before obtaining a light, until a sharp bend in the cave
secured his position, and then, stooping down, he struck the flint
and steel together and made a torch of his cravat. He was now able to
hasten forward, and fearful lest his torch should burn away ere he
had effected his escape, he pushed quickly on, and soon reached the
farthest end.

The cave, which had been gradually narrowing as Sir George advanced,
instead of suddenly rising up into the ground above, or ending in a
narrow opening, as the good knight had fervently hoped, terminated
in a deep chasm, and far down below there rushed a tumultuous stream.
Even as he stopped short, startled by the discovery, a stone rolled
over the brink, and after a pause of several seconds' duration the
forlorn explorer was suddenly recalled to a sense of his position by
hearing a faint splash in the deep waters far below.

He turned round regretfully, and commenced to return, fully decided,
unless he quickly discovered a way of escape, to attempt to surprise
his captors by rushing through their midst, trusting to the darkness
of the night to favour his escape.

He had not gone far before he discovered that his absence had been
noticed. The ostler must have awaked; the echoing cavern resounded
with the imprecations of his companions, and their approachi