"All right, then, come along. Here is a staff for you. I can do without
one, I think. Keep close to me. Can you walk upright, Dick?"

"Yes, generally," came back the answer in a muffled voice. "My! but the
place is filled with echoes, Jack. It goes down quite a distance I should
say. The light is a big help. Funny, but there seems to be a light down
here, although where it comes from I can't say."

The boys kept going down and at length Jack said, pausing and trying to
pierce the darkness, the light that Percival had spoken of not being
visible at that moment:

"I think we would better get a light, Dick. We don't know where we are
going, and it is dark. It is never safe to go anywhere in the dark unless
one is familiar with his surroundings."

"That's true enough, Jack. Have you any matches? The next time we come
this way, if we do, we had better take a flashlight along."

"I have matches," said Jack, and in a moment a tiny blaze shot up,
increasing till it enabled them to see to some extent where they were.

They were still descending, but in a short time were on more level ground
or rock, whatever it was, proceeding till the match went out, and a few
steps farther when Dick suddenly brought up against something and
exclaimed in surprise:

"Hello! we cannot go any farther, Jack. Strike another match, and let us
see where we are."