Stanley got up several times during the night, and went below to
the watches; as he felt sure they would be nervous for, though they
had now, to a large extent, got over their superstitious fears,
they would still be timid at night. They reported that everything
was still round the temple, but that they had heard distant sounds
in the woods; and on the first of these occasions he had, after
returning to the room above, gone out on to the ledge; and from
that height could see the reflection, in the sky, of a number of
fires extending in a semicircle, at a distance of a mile or so from
the temple. From this he felt convinced that the governor was
determined to have a thorough search made in the morning.
As soon as it was daylight, the sound of the blowing of horns and
the beating of drums was heard in the forest and, half an hour
later, a large body of men poured out from the trees, headed by the
governor, himself.
"Now," he shouted, "this place is to be searched, in every hole and
corner.
"As to the evil spirits, there is no fear of them, either by day or
night. Did you ever hear of their attacking a large body of men?
They may strangle a single traveller, who ventures into their
haunts; but no one ever heard of a Burmese army being attacked by
them. Now, every man has to do his duty; and the first who wavers,
his head is to be struck off, at once.
"Forward!"
The troops rushed impetuously across the ruins, penetrated into the
various chambers in the rock and, in a few minutes, all these were
reported to be empty.
"There are chambers higher up," the governor said. "We will search
them, and--look at that door up there, it must lead to somewhere.
Bring stones, and make a stair up to it."
It was evident now that there was no longer any hope of
concealment, and Stanley stepped to the entrance.
"My Lord Governor," he shouted, "there is a strong force here, and
all your army could not gain an entrance. We do not wish to take
the lives of brave men; but if we are attacked we must defend
ourselves, and I pray you to withdraw with them, and not to throw
away life."
This address from an apparent peasant excited the wrath of the
governor, who shouted:
"Shoot him, men!"
But before the order could be obeyed, Stanley had stepped back into
the chamber, where he had already ordered the men to stand out of
the line of the door. A number of muskets were fired, and several
bullets struck the back wall of the chamber. The firing continued,
and Stanley said:
"Keep where you are, men, until they have finished; then approach
the door for, directly they begin the attack, the men behind must
stop firing. They will be some minutes, yet."
He ran quickly up to Harry's room.
"They are attacking us," Harry exclaimed; "oh, how I wish I could
come down and help!"
"They can never get in, Harry. British soldiers might do it, but
not these fellows. They can only enter two abreast and, with a
dozen spear points facing them, what can they do? I thought that I
would just come up and tell you it was all right. It will take them
five minutes, at least, to pile up stones level with the doorway."
Stanley again joined those below. Meinik, the trooper, and one of
the Burmese were to form the first line; the four other Burmese
were to stand behind, with their spears, between the men in front;
the two guards with their muskets, and the boys were to act as a
reserve. Stanley had armed himself with one of the axes, and was to
stand by the side of the entrance so that, if the spearmen were
pressed back, and any of the assailants succeeded in passing the
entrance, he would strike them down.
Presently, there was a silence outside.
"Keep well back," he said. "They have laid their stones, and we
shall have a rush, directly; but they will most likely pour in a
volley, first."
The pause lasted for a minute or two. Then a drum was beaten, and a
hundred muskets were fired. A rain of bullets flew into the cave.
"Now," Stanley shouted, "form up."
Illustration: In vain the Burmese tried to force their way into the
chamber.
A wild yell was raised by the Burmese. Now they knew that they were
fighting human foes, their courage returned, and there was a rush
of men up the pile of stones to the entrance; but in vain they
tried to force their way into the chamber. Those in front fell
pierced by the spears and, while the defenders could see their
figures against the light, the assailants, coming out from the
sunshine, could see nothing in the chamber, which was now darkened
by their filling up the entrance. Not once was it necessary for
Stanley to strike. The Burmans' spears did their work thoroughly
and, in two or three minutes, the entrance was nigh choked up with
dead bodies, adding to the difficulty of the assailants.
Pressed on by those behind, the foremost fell over these obstacles,
and were instantly pierced by the spears; until it was no longer
possible to get through the outer entrance, much less make their
way into the chamber. Again and again the attack was repeated and,
as often, repulsed. Before advancing the Burmese, each time,
endeavoured to clear the passage by drawing out the bodies of their
comrades; but the two guards now posted themselves in front, and
shot man after man who made the attempt. At last the Burmese drew
off, but not till some fifty or sixty had been killed.
The governor was seen gesticulating furiously to a party of
officers and, presently, a final attack was made, led by several
officers of rank. This was as unsuccessful as the others. The
bodies, indeed, of the killed now forming a well-nigh impassable
barrier and, after several of the officers and many of the bravest
men had fallen, the remainder withdrew suddenly. The governor
appeared to recognize that the task was an impossible one; and two
or three hundred men were at once set to work felling trees and, by
nightfall, a high stockade had been erected round the open ground
in front of the temple.
"They are going to try to starve us out," Stanley said. "There is
no more chance of fighting, tonight."
As soon as the stockade was finished, musketeers took their place
behind it and opened a dropping fire at the entrance, while the
woodcutters continued to fell trees.
"We must get rid of these dead bodies, if we can," Stanley said,
"or the place will be uninhabitable, in a day or two.
"Get those two bamboos we had for the litter, Meinik. We will push
the bodies out, one by one, beginning with those on the top of the
heap. We can keep down behind the shelter of the pile, till we have
got most of them out. After that, we must take our chance of a
shot."
It took them some hours' work but, at last, the passage was
cleared, and the bodies all thrown outside. The fire was lighted in
the next room; and Stanley, bidding two men listen attentively for
any movement, went up again to Harry--to whom he had paid a flying
visit, as soon as the Burmese drew off.
"We cannot risk having a light here, Harry," he said. "I don't want
them to have any idea that this chamber, which is nearly fifty feet
above the entrance, is in any way connected with the rooms below.
If such an idea struck them, they might lower men from above by
ropes, and so take us in the rear."
"Did you say that we are regularly shut up, in front, by that
stockade?"
"Yes; there is certainly no getting out, that way. Behind, you
know, it is a sheer wall of rock; and the only possibility, that I
can see, is that we may clear a staircase which runs up through the
rock, from a ledge on the level of this room, to the ruins of a
building above. At present, the upper part is entirely choked up
with blocks of stone and rubbish, and it will be a very awkward job
to get through it; but so far, it seems to me, it is that or
nothing."
"What are they going on chopping down trees for?"
"I believe their general is doing it to bring large numbers of his
troops close up to the stockade; partly perhaps to keep up the
spirits of the front line, by their company; partly to render
impossible any attempt, on our part, to make our way out by a
sudden rush. Of course, they don't know what our strength is; but
they have had so sharp a lesson, today, that they will take every
precaution, in future.
"Well, what is it, Meinik?"
"We have been talking together, master; and we think that, if we
were to call out that they might take the bodies away, without any
interference by us, they would do so. Several officers of rank have
fallen there, and it is our custom always to carry off the dead,
when it is possible."
"It would be worth trying the experiment, anyhow, Meinik. But we
must all stand to arms, while they are doing it; as they might make
a sudden rush. However, we would risk that, for those bodies have
been worrying me very much, and I would give anything to have them
taken away. I will go down with you."
Meinik accordingly went down to the entrance, and shouted out:
"Peace, peace! I am ordered, by the English officer, to say that he
would wish those who have fought so bravely to be honoured, after
death; and that no shot shall be fired, and no interference made,
with those who come to carry away the dead."
There was silence for two or three minutes, and then a voice called
back:
"It is well; for two hours there shall be peace between us."
"I have no doubt the governor is as glad to do this as we are. It
is considered a disgrace, if the dead are not carried off the
ground to burial; and if he sends despatches to Ava, he will be
glad to be able to put in that the brave men who fell have all been
buried, with due honours. Besides, Meinik, it would not be
encouraging to his troops for them to have that pile of dead bodies
before them and, indeed, would be enough to cause a pestilence, in
a few days."
The men were formed up again, round the entrance. The Burmese did
their work silently. Occasionally a slight movement was heard, but
no one could have imagined that a hundred men were busy outside. A
number of them carried torches, and all worked steadily and in good
order, under the direction of two or three officers. One of the
posts of the stockade had been pulled up and through this the
bodies were carried. It was less than two hours before a horn
sounded, and there was a loud call of:
"The peace is over; all is done."
Beyond the stockade great fires blazed among the trees. The work of
chopping down the forest continued, and by the morning the ground
had been cleared for a distance of thirty or forty yards from the
paling. Then the Burmese raised another stockade forty feet behind
the first, so that, if by carelessness or treachery the besieged
should manage to pass through the first line, there would yet be
another in front of them.
"I expect, master," Meinik said as, standing well back, he watched
the men at work, "the general is building this second line, not
because he thinks that there is a chance of our getting through the
first, but to keep the men at work, so as to prevent them from
thinking anything about the spirits. Now that they have passed one
night there, they will have got somewhat over their fear and, of
course, every day that passes, without ill befalling them, they
will think less and less about the evil ones."
"Do you believe in them, Meinik?"
Meinik hesitated.
"Everyone knows, master, that evil spirits guard the treasures of
the people that lived in the land long, long ago. No one can doubt
that people who have rashly sought the treasures have been found
dead, with staring eyes and swollen bodies; but as, at present,
they must know well that neither we nor those outside are searching
for treasure, they may not interfere."
"Then you think that there are treasures buried here, somewhere?"
"I cannot say, master; everyone says so. The story has been handed
down that this was once the greatest of the temples of the old
people; and that, when they were defeated by tribes from the
east--I know not whether it was us, or some people before us--the
priests from all the other temples came here. The remains of their
army came here, too, and fought outside the temple until all were
killed.
"When the conquerors entered, they found the priests all lying, in
regular lines, on the pavements. All were dead. One story is that
they had stabbed themselves; another, that they had taken poison.
At any rate, no treasures were found; although it was known that
the riches of the temple were great, and that all the other priests
that had come here had brought the treasures from their temples
with them. That was the beginning of the destruction of the place;
for the pavement was torn up, and the walls in some places
levelled, and the images of the gods broken up in search for the
treasures.
"The work of the guardian spirits had already begun. They say that
all who took part in the search died, of a terrible pestilence that
broke out. Since that time, the place has been accursed. Once or
twice, kings have sent bodies of troops to search; and they say
that some could never find the temple, but wandered about the
forest for days, searching in vain for it. Others found so thick a
darkness, like the blackest of smoke, filling the forest, that even
the bravest dare not enter. I say not that those things were so; I
only say that these are the stories that have come down to us."
"Well, Meinik, we are not going to search for the treasure; and it
is evident that the spirits bear us no ill will; indeed, I feel
obliged to them, for it is likely enough that the soldiers will put
down their misfortune to their influence, and that even the
governor may feel that it would be useless to try to get them to
renew the assault. This evening we will go up, and have another
look at the stairs; and see how we can best set to work to clear
them. There is no great hurry about it, but the sooner we set to
work, the better."
All day long a dropping fire was maintained on the entrance, by the
troops behind the first stockade; but as, with the exception of
three men kept always on watch, the defenders were stationed in the
next chamber, the bullets pattered harmlessly against the wall.
During the night the accumulated dust of ages had been swept up
from the floor; and this had been strewn, three inches deep, in the
passage between the outer air and the chamber, so as to cover the
blood that had been shed there.
As soon as it was quite dark, Stanley, Meinik, and three of the
villagers went out on to the ledge in front of the upper opening,
made their way along it to the entrance of the stairs, and mounted.
They carried with them two or three glowing brands from the fire,
in one of the earthenware cooking pots, which was covered with a
cloth to prevent the slightest glow being noticed by the enemy. The
men, by Stanley's order, brought with them the bamboos of the
litter, the saw they had used at the stockade, a hatchet, and some
blocks of firewood.
When they got to the point where the steps were choked up, they
lighted the two torches--the men who brought up the rear of the
party holding up a rug, to prevent any reflection from the torches
being seen outside. When Stanley and Meinik had again examined the
obstacle, the latter retired; and the Burmans, one by one, came up
and looked at it.
"What do you think of it?" Stanley asked them.
"It would be dangerous to touch it, my lord," one of them said. "If
only one stone moved out from its place, it would be death to us
all. They are firm now, quite firm; but if two or three were
disturbed, the whole might come down at once."
"I quite see that," Stanley said. "Can any of you suggest a plan by
which we could get out, without much risk of setting them in
motion?"
The Burmese were silent,
"I will tell you my scheme then. I propose to cut the bamboos into
lengths that will just reach across the passage. It is the lower
stones that one is most afraid of. So long as these remain fixed,
there is no fear of any general movement but, if they went, the
whole mass might come down. This passage is less than three feet
wide, and the bamboos are twelve feet long; so that each would make
four, the width of the passage. I propose to drive them tightly in,
and fix them firmly with wedges. They must be put in so that they
will actually touch the stones, so as to prevent their making the
slightest downward movement. If they began to slide, no doubt they
would carry away the bamboos; but if these were fixed firmly, by
wedges, they ought to be sufficient to prevent any movement from
taking place--especially as there would be enough of them almost to
touch each other, extending from this lowest step, on which the
rocks rest, some five feet upwards--that is, to within some two
feet of the roof, which would be sufficient for us to crawl
through, and the bamboos would serve as a ladder. Then I propose
that we should work our way along the top, passing the small stones
and rubbish backwards, after filling up all the cracks and crevices
below us.
"I see, of course, that we should meet with many obstacles. Great
stones may be sticking up, perhaps jammed against the roof; these
would have to be broken off, or chipped in pieces. No doubt the
work will take time but, at any rate, there is plenty of food for
three weeks and, working by turns night and day, we ought to be
able to burrow our way out. As we get on, we may not find the
stones so tightly pressed together as they are, here. At any rate,
as we saw the light above us, only some thirty feet up, there ought
not to be above twenty feet of closely-packed stuff to get through.
"No doubt the work will be dangerous, as well as hard but, as we
know that if we do not succeed all our lives are forfeited, we can
face the danger. Everyone of us will take his share in turn; I
shall do so, myself, and shall direct the work in general. What do
you think of the plan?"
"I think that it is possible, master," Meinik said. "At any rate,
we must try it; since it is the only way that offers us any chance
of life."
The Burmese all agreed, and they at once set to work. The bamboos
were first cut into lengths; and then, by means of the axe and
wedges, were jammed so firmly, from side to side, that it would
have required great force to dislodge them. These supports were
somewhat irregularly placed, as it was necessary that they should
absolutely touch the stones. As they proceeded with the work, the
spaces behind the bamboos were filled tightly up with rubble, so as
to solidify the whole.
When the last support was in its place, Stanley said:
"Now, Meinik, do you with these three work, tonight; four others
will take your place, before dawn. Mind, at first I don't want you
to attempt to move any fixed stones; but simply to clear away all
small stones, and rubble. You can stow a good deal behind the two
upper bamboos. The rest you must put on the stairs. I will see,
tonight, what we can manage in the way of tools for chipping away
the big stones that cannot be moved. You had better relieve each
other very often. The three who are not at work should sit down on
the ledge, outside, so that any stone accidentally dislodged will
not fall on anyone. Every ten minutes, one will come up to take the
place of the man at work. Be sure that each, as he passes up or
down, replaces the blanket carefully."
They had, indeed, before beginning to saw up the bamboos, fastened
the blanket to one of the cross pieces of the stretcher and,
cutting this to the width of the passage, had jammed it close up to
the roof; so that the curtain, hanging down, effectually shut off
the light.
Stanley then descended the steps, and rejoined Harry below. Before
going down further, Stanley, who had during the day informed Harry
of his plan, told him of the start that they had made.
"Of course, it all depends upon what stones you meet with," Harry
said. "If you come to a big solid block, I don't see how you are
going to get through it."
"We have the hatchets, and can whittle it away; and perhaps we can
make some chisels, from the ramrods of your guards' guns. A lot can
be done, with patience and plenty of hands."
Stanley then went down below, and explained to the others the plan
proposed. The news gave them great satisfaction; for although
Meinik had told them there was a staircase above blocked with
stones, it had seemed so impossible, to him, to clear it that he
had placed no stress upon the fact; and the preparations made by
the enemy to cut off any possible retreat had greatly depressed
them.
Stanley took one of the iron ramrods and, raking some of the embers
from the fire, placed it in them, about a foot from one end; then
he directed the others to fan the embers, until they raised them
almost to white heat. Taking the ramrod out, he laid the edge of
one of their knives upon it and, striking its back with a stone,
soon cut through the glowing rod. He repeated the operation and
had, then, three short rods of equal length. He now heated one end
of each and, laying it on an axe on the ground, hammered it into
chisel shape with the back of a light hatchet; repeating this
several times, until it had the required shape and sharpness; then
he plunged this into a pot of water. He did the same with the other
two; and had, now, three chisels with which he hoped to be able to
chip away the stones. The other ramrod he left intact, except that
he sharpened one end.
Then, going up to Harry's room, he lay down and slept for some
hours; putting the two boys on watch, and bidding the trooper look
after them. The two Burmans, with one of the guards, were to go to
work with him. Several times he woke. The last time, on looking
out, he thought that there was a faint light in the sky and, going
down, called up the three men and, bidding them bring up the two
heavy axes, a light hatchet, and the three short chisels, he led
them up the steps to the working party.
"How have you got on, Meinik?"
"We have cleared four feet, master; but there is a big stone
sticking up, now, and we can do nothing with it."
"We will have a try, and do you all go down, at once.
"Take off your cloth, one of you, and fill it with this rubbish on
the steps. Do it as quickly as you can. The day will be breaking,
in a few minutes."
Stanley now climbed up, and investigated the passage. The bottom
was level. Every crack and crevice between the stones being filled
up with rubbish. The obstacle Meinik had spoken of evidently formed
part of a flat slab. It reached within an inch of the roof and, at
one side, touched the rock wall; at the other there was an
interval, of some four or five inches, and the earth and rubbish
had already been scraped out from behind it. Putting his hand in,
he found that the block was some four inches in thickness.
He thought that if he could but get a fair blow at it, with the
back of one of the heavy axes, he might break it off; but this was
impossible. The total width of the passage did not exceed three
feet; and as the men had, as they went, worked down somewhat, there
was now about thirty inches between the bed of earth and rubbish,
on which he was lying, and the roof. Taking the handle of the axe
in both hands, he used the head as a battering ram; but without any
success. He then called up the slightest of the three men, and told
him to crawl in beside him and, with their united strength, they
pounded the stone for some time. Finding that nothing could be done
this way, Stanley sent the man back again; and then, taking one of
the three chisels and a small hatchet, he proceeded to mark a line
along the bottom of the stone; and then, for ten minutes, worked
away on it with the chisel and hammer. Then he called up one of the
others, and showed him what he was to do. All day they worked by
turns and, though progress was very slow, by nightfall the groove
was half an inch deep.
Stanley and the strongest Burman then went in together and, lying
on their backs again, tried the effect of the heavy axe; but still
without success. Then Stanley told the man to get down and take out
the wedge, at the top of the axe; and to cut away the wood below
the head, so that the latter would slip down, four or five inches;
then to take off the head of the other heavy axe and put it on
above it, and replace the wedge. In a few minutes, the man rejoined
him.
"We must strike it as near the roof as we can," Stanley said. Both
grasped the handle firmly. "We will sway it backwards and forwards
three times and, the third time, strike.
"One, two, three--hooray!"
As the two-headed axe, driven with their united force, struck the
stone, there was a sharp crack.
"That has done it," Stanley said, turning over.
There was a dark line along the groove, and the top of the stone
inclined back, two inches from the perpendicular; being kept in its
place by the rubbish behind it. Stanley put his hand into the hole,
and got his fingers behind the stone; while the Burmese put the
chisel into the crack, and used it as a lever. In two or three
minutes the stone was moved out of its position, taken out of the
hole, and laid down on the steps.
Half an hour later Meinik came up, with a trooper, another guard,
and one of the boys; and was delighted to find that the obstacle,
which had seemed to him fatal to their hopes, had been removed.
Stanley showed how they had carried out the work; and then, with
his party, went down into the rock chambers.
"It was pretty tiring work, Harry," he said, "though we were only
at it about a quarter of an hour, at a time. My wrists and arms and
shoulders are aching, as if I had been beaten with sticks. Tomorrow
I will take up a good supply of firewood. The chisels got blunted
before we had worked an hour; and we should get on a deal faster,
if we could sharpen them frequently."
"Is the stone hard?"
"No; it is a sort of marble, I think. We had the underpart of the
slab on our side, and I did not think of looking when we took it
down. Anyhow, it was not very hard and, with a good strong chisel
and a short, heavy hammer, I am sure we could have done it in an
hour.
"Anyhow, it is a comfort that nothing came down on top of us. I
examined the pile carefully, and there had not been the slightest
movement among the lower stones; so that part of the difficulty
seems to have been got over.
"Now, I must go down and get something to eat, and then I will go
in for a good sleep. You are feeling all right, I hope?"
"Could not be doing better, Stanley. I have eaten three solid
meals, today; and have been sitting up on the edge of my bed, for
some time. I tried standing, but it was no go; still, I do think
that, in a day or two, I shall manage it."
For six days the work continued. One party watched, another slept,
and the third worked, by turns. Some of the stones gave much
greater trouble than the first they had met with; but having the
fire close by proved a great assistance, as the chisels could be
frequently sharpened. The men became more accustomed to the work,
and the steady progress they made greatly excited their hopes.
At the end of the week, but one stone barred the way. This,
however, was much the most formidable that they had encountered. It
seemed to have been a pillar, or a huge gate post; and was square,
measuring some twenty inches on each face. The obstacle was all the
more formidable, as the upper end was inclined towards them,
greatly increasing the difficulty in using the chisel. Beyond this,
as far as they could see, there was merely a mass of smaller
stones.
The party who had been working upon this block were much
disheartened, when Stanley went up to relieve them. Owing to the
inclination of the stone, their chisels could get but little bite
and, though they had been working for six hours at it, they had
scarcely made any impression; indeed, at only one point had they so
far broken the face that the chisel would cut. Meinik had come down
two hours before, to report to Stanley the nature of the obstacle
and, when he went up, he took with him the second ramrod, which had
not hitherto been used.
He saw at once that, as Meinik had told him, it would be impossible
to get through this block by the same means as before for, as the
groove deepened, the labour would become greater and greater and,
from the inclination of the stone, they would in time arrive at a
point where the axe could no longer be used to strike the chisel.
The point at which the slight indentation had been made was nearly
at the corner of the stone. This was gradually enlarged, by
hammering upon it with the head of the axe and, after an hour's
work, the surface had been so far pounded that the chisel could get
a flat hold upon it. Then Stanley and one of the Burmans lay down,
and placed the cutting end of the long ramrod against it; and the
others, by turns, struck the end with the back of a light hatchet,
those holding the rod turning it, slightly, after each blow. Every
half hour the edge of the chisel was resharpened and, by the time
the next party relieved them, a hole of half an inch in diameter,
and two inches deep, had been drilled in the stone. Stanley
remained with the newcomers for half an hour, instructing them in
the work, and then went below.
"Well, Stanley, what are you going to do with this monstrous stone
Meinik tells me of?"
"There is only one thing to do with it, Harry; that is, to blast
it. The block is so inclined that one can do nothing with the
chisels, and we are now drilling a hole. I don't know that I shall
succeed but, at any rate, I am going to have a try. If it fails, I
must hit on some other way. The provisions are holding out all
right; and Meinik calculates that, with a little stinginess, we
could manage for another three weeks. We have drilled the hole in
two inches today and, as we get more accustomed to the work, I dare
say we could do three inches in each shift. The block is twenty
inches through on the straight, and may be two feet on the line
that we follow; so that in four days we shall be nearly through it.
"In three weeks we shall have made five holes, which will weaken it
so that we may be able to break it off. However, I hope we shall
find one hole sufficient. I shall make it fifteen inches deep, and
then charge it with the contents of a dozen cartridges. I think
that ought to do it."
In two days and a half, the hole was of the required depth. Harry
had progressed so rapidly that he was able, that morning, to walk
across his room.
"We must try the shot, at once," Stanley said, "because if it
fails, we must go on working. If it succeeds we can, if we like,
wait for another week before we make off. By that time you will be
strong enough to be got through that low passage, and walk for a
little distance; when we can cut some poles, and rig up that
hammock again.
"Do you know anything about mining, for I know nothing? I only had
an idea how to drill the hole from seeing some engineers at work at
Agra, years ago; but I am sure I don't know how they fired the
shot, or prepared it."
"I can tell you a little about it, Stanley; for I have been down a
coal mine once or twice, and watched the men doing it. They first
of all put in the charge; then they put in a wooden rod, just the
thickness of the fuse they use; then they dropped in a little dry
dust round it, which they pressed down very carefully, with a small
wooden rod; then they damped some dust, and hammered that down
hard. After putting in about half an inch of this, they used dust
slightly moistened, beating it down as before. When it was quite
full, they pulled out the centre stick, and put the fuse into the
hole that it left."
"We have not got any fuse," Stanley said, "but I think that if we
take a narrow strip of cloth, moisten it, and rub gunpowder into
it; let it dry, and then roll it up, it would be all right. Then we
could lay a train of damp powder to it, set the end alight, and
bolt."
"I should think that that would do," Harry agreed, "but you would
have to bolt very sharp for, if it went off before you got to the
bottom of the steps, it might be very awkward."
"I don't think the effect of the shock will be as great as that,
Harry. It may crack the stone, but I should hardly think it would
send anything flying out of the hole."