branches. Arrived at this spot, Duffel unsaddled his horse and turned him
loose to crop the luxuriant grass. A dozen others were there before him,
and as it was impossible that they should get there unaided, their riders
were no doubt somewhere near. But this was something expected by the
new-comer, as he manifested no surprise thereat, but appeared well pleased
at the discovery.

After looking about to see that all was well, Duffel bent his steps toward
a certain point in the environing thicket, and lifting a small bough,
opened another verdant door, but this time of such small dimensions as to
barely admit a single person. A narrow path led away from this
artfully-contrived entrance into the dark and tangled recesses beyond. It
was now growing late; twilight was over the world, but it was quite dark
where the intertwined foliage of vines and branches wove their impenetrable
net above and at the sides of the lonely path, and Duffel was obliged to
feel his way with care. A few minutes' walk, however, brought him to the
border of a stream of some considerable size, the banks of which formed the
boundary of the thicket. Precisely at the spot where he reached the stream,
was a projecting rock, covered with a luxuriant growth of underwood, vines
and flowers, which overhung its outer edge and draped down, like a thick
curtain, to the depth of eight or ten feet. This rock extended some fifty
yards up the stream from the place where Duffel stood, and outwardly about
an average of four feet. Its peculiar formation, however, was hid from view
by carefully trained bushes at its lower extremity. This care had been
taken to hide a secret passage, which led along the bank, under the
table-leaf rock just described.

Duffel again took the precaution to cast wary looks about him, in all
directions; then parting the bushes at its opening, he entered the secret
passage under the rock and groped his way along. About midway, he came to a