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70 What were they going to do with me? The suspense was awful.

The leader turned round and said "follow me."

He led me into an opening in the wall of the cave we were in, and along a passage.

Some distance ahead was a light, looking as if it arose from the ground.

When we came up to it, I found that it did so, and was a small crater some ten feet across. I looked in, the glare from the hot, seething mass at the bottom was blinding.

Were they going to throw me into this?

My blood turned cold with fright. I attempted to retreat from the edge, but found I was completely hedged in by the hideous creatures.

Two advanced from amongst the rest and put their long, sinewy hands on my shoulder, one on each side.

My agony was indescribable. My last moment had evidently come. In a few moments I would be dead—the flesh burnt from off my bones, and my bones charred to ashes.

I tried to struggle but they held me as if in a vice—I could not move.

They dragged me to the side of the crater, lifted me up, and were in the act of throwing me in, when a piercing shriek rent the air.

They paused—and I saw the white female