"Do you suppose there are really bodies there at the bottom?" asked
Sleepy, as the candles were relighted and the group passed on into the
depths of the cave.

"I wouldn't be surprised," replied the Chief.

Finally the first flight of rickety wooden steps was reached, and the
boys descended, one at a time. Then came the "Fat man's misery," where
the ceiling of the cave almost met the floor, leaving only a small
opening. There was much laughing as Fat squeezed his body through. In the
"Bridal Chamber" every fellow traced his initials on the white stone with
his smoking candle. Then came the "Auger Hole," which is a round opening,
not more than twenty inches in diameter and about fifteen feet long,
through a solid wall of rock. About the middle of the passage there is a
sharp turn, and the remainder of the passage slopes down into the next
room. Each one stretched himself out at full length, taking hold of the
leg of the man in front of him. In this way they worked themselves
through, like a great serpent.

A very peculiar sensation came to Willis, who was second in the line, as
he worked himself along the dark passage. "If the roof should cave in
just a little, what a death!" He was busy with such thoughts when Chuck,
who was just ahead of him, suddenly backed into him and whispered,
"Look!" He looked ahead, and there, somewhere in the darkness he saw two
small, yellow-green lights. Willis clutched Chuck by the arm and
whispered hoarsely, "It's an animal!" Word was passed from one to the
other as they emerged from the Auger Hole that there was a wild-cat in
the Mud Room.

Mr. Allen always carried a gun on these trips, unknown to the fellows. As