"But," said I, "the fellow that we saw surely cannot have more
intelligence than a beast. There must be some more highly developed
creatures living here."

"I'm not so sure of that," Edmund responded. "Looks go for nothing in
such a case. He had arms and hands, and his brain may be well organized."

"If his brain is as big as his eyes," Jack put in, "he ought to be able
to give odds to old Solomon and beat him easy. My, but I'd like to see
their spectacles--if they ever wear any!"

Jack's humor recalled us from our meditation, and we began to look about
more carefully. There was not a living creature in sight, but over in a
corner I detected a broad hole, down which the steps continued to
descend.

"Here's the way," said Edmund, discovering the steps at the same moment.
"Down we go."

He again led the way, and we resumed the descent. As we stumbled along
downward we began to talk of a strange but agreeable odor which we had
noticed in the cavern. Edmund said that it was due, perhaps, to some
peculiar quality of the atmosphere.

"I think," he continued, "that it is heavily charged with oxygen. You
have noticed that none of us feels the slightest fatigue, notwithstanding
the precipitancy of our long descent."

I reflected that this might also be the cause of our rising courage, for