Page:Taylor - In the Dwellings of the Wilderness.djvu/53

 Holloway's voice from the background. "Think of the pressure on top."

"Yes; but this was deep underground in the beginning. The intermediate layer of earth must have helped support the mass which gradually formed above. Besides, it would take a"

It was then that Deane, somewhat in the lead, turned the corner of the passage, and gave back upon them with a gasp and an oath, cutting Merritt's speech in two.

"There's something queer about this!" he muttered.

The turn of the passage led on a level a couple of yards farther. Here it was blocked by another entrance, likewise walled up. On a square stone beside this door stood a lamp of clay from which