Page:Randall Parrish--My Lady of the South.djvu/242



WAS at the bottom, finding myself in a small, rock-walled room some six feet square, a tunnel leading off from it of barely sufficient height to permit me to enter its mouth without stooping, before O'Brien ventured upon the ladder. Feeling to the full the weird grimness of the place, my mind yet haunted by the memory of that ghastly face, I waited until he joined me, holding up the lantern so he might easily see the steps of the ladder, yet never once removing my eyes from the impenetrable darkness ahead. I hardly knew what to expect, what danger to guard against. I not only felt a strange horror at suddenly confronting that mysterious woman, but I expected every Instant to hear the noise of advancing men. We could make a fair defence in that narrow space, it was true, yet even here, and amid darkness, numbers would possess an advantage, while any attempt at retreat up that ladder would mean almost certain death. Seemingly boldness was the only alternative. There might be some way of blocking this passage, and thus protecting our rear. By the time O'Brien reached me I had determined on exploring the tunnel to its end.

"How are you, lad?" I questioned, endeavoring to put [ 228 ]