Page:Adrift in the Pacific, Sampson Low, 1889.djvu/79

Rh animal rushed down the tunnel and leapt into the cave.

It was Fan!

Yes, Fan, whose first action was to rush to a bowl of water, and drink greedily. Then she wagged her tail, without showing the least anger, and began to jump about in front of Gordon. Evidently there was no danger.

Briant then took a lantern and entered the tunnel. Gordon, Donagan, Wilcox, Baxter, and Moko followed him. Soon they were through the hole and in the middle of the gloomy cavern, to which no light from the outside came.

It was a second cave, with the same height and width as French Den, but longer, and the floor was covered with fine sand for an area of about fifty square yards. As the cavity seemed to have no communication with the outside, it was to be feared that the air was not fit to breathe. But as the lamp in the lantern burnt clearly, there must be some opening to admit the air. If not, how could Fan have got in?

Wilcox suddenly kicked his foot against a body — which, feeling with his hand, he found to be cold and motionless.

Briant approached with the light.

"It is the corpse of a jackal," said Baxter.

"Yes! A jackal that our brave Fan has killed," said Briant.

"And that explains our difficulty," said Gordon. But if one or many jackals had made this their haunt, how had they got in? The entrance could not be found.

Briant then returned into French Den, and came out and ran along the cliff by the side of the lake. As he ran he shouted, and the boys in the cave replied. In this way he found a narrow entrance among the bushes, and level with the ground, through which the jackal had found admission. But since Fan had followed him a fall had taken place and shut up the opening. This was soon found out, and everything was explained, the