mad act that I was attempting, I climbed slowly down, using the rope as
a support, until I reached the hole. Here, still holding on to the rope,
I stood, and peered in. All was perfectly dark, and not a sound came to
me. Yet, a moment later, it seemed that I could hear something. I held
my breath, and listened; but all was silent as the grave, and I breathed
freely once more. At the same instant, I heard the sound again. It was
like a noise of labored breathing--deep and sharp-drawn. For a short
second, I stood, petrified; not able to move. But now the sounds had
ceased again, and I could hear nothing.

As I stood there, anxiously, my foot dislodged a pebble, which fell
inward, into the dark, with a hollow chink. At once, the noise was taken
up and repeated a score of times; each succeeding echo being fainter,
and seeming to travel away from me, as though into remote distance.
Then, as the silence fell again, I heard that stealthy breathing. For
each respiration I made, I could hear an answering breath. The sounds
appeared to be coming nearer; and then, I heard several others; but
fainter and more distant. Why I did not grip the rope, and spring up out
of danger, I cannot say. It was as though I had been paralyzed. I broke
out into a profuse sweat, and tried to moisten my lips with my tongue.
My throat had gone suddenly dry, and I coughed, huskily. It came back to
me, in a dozen, horrible, throaty tones, mockingly. I peered,
helplessly, into the gloom; but still nothing showed. I had a strange,
choky sensation, and again I coughed, dryly. Again the echo took it up,
rising and falling, grotesquely, and dying slowly into a
muffled silence.

Then, suddenly, a thought came to me, and I held my breath. The other
breathing stopped. I breathed again, and, once more, it re-commenced.
But now, I no longer feared. I knew that the strange sounds were not