This
done, he took the rope in his hands, and, beginning to descend,
found himself in a narrow cleft widening into a cave. His rope was
not very long, and would not do much to lessen the force of his
fall - he thought to himself - if he should have to drop into the
water; but he was not more than a couple of yards below the dungeon
when he spied an opening on the opposite side of the cleft: it
might be but a shadow hole, or it might lead them out. He dropped
himself a little below its level, gave the rope a swing by pushing
his feet against the side of the cleft, and so penduled himself
into it. Then he laid a stone on the end of the rope that it
should not forsake him, called to Lina, whose yellow eyes were
gleaming over the mattock grating above, to watch there till he
returned, and went cautiously in. It proved a passage, level for
some distance, then sloping gently up. He advanced carefully,
feeling his way as he went. At length he was stopped by a door -
a small door, studded with iron. But the wood was in places so
much decayed that some of the bolts had dropped out, and he felt
sure of being able to open it. He returned, therefore, to fetch
Lina and his mattock. Arrived at the cleft, his strong miner arms
bore him swiftly up along the rope and through the hole into the
dungeon. There he undid the rope from his mattock, and making Lina
take the end of it in her teeth, and get through the hole, he
lowered her - it was all he could do, she was so heavy.
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