Page:Rover Boys on Land and Sea.djvu/231

Rh Tom looked back, to see Sam's fingers clutching at some brushwood which grew at the edge of the gully. Then the hand disappeared and he heard a crashing far below, for though the gully was not wide, it was very deep.

"Sam! Sam!" he called. "Are you hurt?"

No answer came back, and much alarmed, Tom got on his knees and tried to look into the opening. At first he could see nothing, but when his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he made out the form of his brother lying on some broken brushwood which the storm had swept into the opening.

How to get down to Sam was a problem, and Tom was revolving the matter in his mind when Sam let out another cry.

"Are you hurt, Sam?"

"N—not much, but m—my wind was kno—knocked out of me."

"Can you climb up to the top?"

"Hardly, Tom, the sides are very steep, and—yes, there is a regular cave down here," went on Sam.

"A cave?"

"Yes."

"Where does it lead to?"

"I don't know. It's on the south side of the opening."