The Island School — page 338: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

\ | J Te Terry’ s laugh raised uncanny echoes, Jim’s shout did worse. From a loud repetition of the word “ Morse,” the force of it died down, rose again, but not so loud, and so went on rising and falling, until - the long series of echoes ended in a whisper. “That sounds,” said Jim, softly, “as if there is a perfect network of caverns here.” They went on, arriving in a few minutes at the spot where Chorker had been a prisoner. His late occupation of the spot was borne witness to by some crumbs of biscuit on the ground. A _ short distance further on they came to where the cast-off _ rope by which he had been secured was lying. Twenty yards further on they discovered that the cave branched off in no less than five different — directions. “Hang it!” muttered Jim; “ hereisa poser. What is to be done now ?” Richa “Take the one on the left, and go as far down as we can with safety, then return and try the next until we find him,” said Terry. “Find him!” groaned Jim. “TIT don’t see much chance of that.” | _ “Here, dash it! don’t you lose heart,” remonstrated Terry, “ or I shall collapse.” “T am hardly myself to-night,” said Jim, wearily ; “ sot a weight on my chest I cannot account for.” The branch of the cave they now estered proved to be of a somewhat tortuous description. It wound to the right and left with the steady persistence of a huge corkscrew. But there were no sideways by which they might be misled when they sought to return. | The evenness of the windings at length struck Jim, and stopping for a moment, he said: “Terry, this is no natural cave. It was made long ago, of course, but man had a hand in it.” “ Just what I was thinking,” said Terry. ‘ Look at the roof. It seems to have been carefully rounded.” ‘The roof was not more than seven or eight feet . ever their heads, and the light of the lantern revealed its smoothness. Still, the wonder was, why, if. arti- ficial, could not the makers have formed it straight ? But it was no use speculating upon it. Artificial or natural, it twisted and turned, and presently came to an end. It was so sudden, at the very point of a turn—like the smaller end of a corkscrew-—-+that Jim, who was a step ahead; was brought up short against a flat _ Stone fixed in the clay wall. _ There was no doubt about that being the work of man, for it was a perfect square, smooth and polished, cr ut in the ee of it was a small hollow, just ough to re Ae ut «2. ie e the | hand of a rede and goes A PR ur TLESS SEARCH. (2 ee rt He a a hand to his mouth, and shouted : the bottom of that hollow was fixed a metal bar, to A : ys “ Morse! Morse!” | act as a handle. | 2 ah Here was a discovery that for the moment drove _ everything else out of their minds. | Me Folding the lantern low, so as to geta good view of the stone, Jim said that the metal bar was of gold. ci “It is dull, and there is a lot of dust on it, but there M4 is no mistaking the genuine article.” “ What is it for ?” asked Terry. a “The handle, you mean. To pull out the stone By with, I believe.” . st “See if it. will come.” im. Jim laid hold of it and pulled with all his mate et The stone at first resisted his efforts, but eventually — bath it began to slide out as a drawer from a table would — < do. It was about a foot thick, and through the open- | Es ing revealed the boys peered with feelings of intense — om curiosity. a ‘‘ Phew !” exclaimed Terry, “ it smells like a charnele Bs house.” | v “Whatever it is,” said Jim, as he pushed back the . stone, “it must wait for the time. Morseis not there for certain, and he is what we have come to seek. The Ms lamp will not last much more than another hour.” | ie Terry was brimful of curiosity, but he suppressed it, ne and they came back to try their luck with one of the is other branches of the cave. | on re CHAPTER CLY. iy A FRUITLESS SEARCH.—THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS. __ T is no Bee: groaned M Jim ; “we most go : | bac The lamp is © y getting dim, ana . it won't do for ei to be left im | the darkness.” : ie The four hours the - lamp had been — exe : pected to burn were aimost expired. The i: oil was low, and the s a light was getting feeble. And of the five branches they had only examined — two fully, and part of a third. The second branch ended in a mass of stones and rubbish, the roof having fallenin. At first they feared — ii, it was a recent affair, and Morse might be buried under — it, but a cursory examination dispelled the fear. Many a year had passed by since the roof yielded and fell, ; for all sorts of fungi and other erowths of damp and darkness were there in endless profusion. we oS There were even cobwebs also, wate pe the ie | are ; ) eit