"
Searching carefully they found a passage behind the stack of kegs. It
was some eight feet high and as much wide. They followed it for a
short distance, and then saw daylight. Their way was, however,
speedily blocked by a number of rocks piled over the entrance.
"This was evidently the original entrance to these caves," Ralph said,
"but it was covered up when the rocks came down from above. That would
account for the place not being known to the coast-guards. I thought
the passage we came in by looked as if it had been enlarged by the
hand of man. No doubt it was originally a small hole, and when the
entrance was blocked the men who made up their minds to establish a
still here thought that it would be the best way to enlarge that and
to leave the original entrance blocked.
"Well, it's evident we must take Captain O'Connor and the wounded out
by the small entrance. It would be a tremendous business to clear
those great rocks away."
Captain O'Connor and the two wounded men were with great difficulty
taken through the narrow passage. The soldier who was alive was the
one who had received the charge of the blunderbuss in his legs; he was
terribly injured below the knee, and Ralph had little doubt that
amputation would be necessary. The other man lived but a short time
after being brought into the air.
Pages:
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305