And when, at last, he found it, he clasped it to him and sank back sobbing and exhausted.For many minutes he lay trembling and broken; but finally he drew himself to a sitting posture, and taking a match from his pocket, lighted the stump of the candle which remained to him.With the light he found it easier to regain control of his nerves, and presently he was again ****** his way along the tunnel in search of an avenue of escape.The horrid cry that had come down to him from above through the ancient well-shaft still haunted him, so that he trembled in terror at even the sounds of his own cautious advance.
He had gone forward but a short distance, when, to his chagrin, a wall of masonry barred his farther progress, closing the tunnel completely from top to bottom and from side to side.What could it mean? Werper was an educated and intelligent man.His military training had taught him to use his mind for the purpose for which it was intended.A blind tunnel such as this was senseless.It must continue beyond the wall.Someone, at some time in the past, had had it blocked for an unknown purpose of his own.The man fell to examining the masonry by the light of his candle.To his delight he discovered that the thin blocks of hewn stone of which it was constructed were fitted in loosely without mortar or cement.He tugged upon one of them, and to his joy found that it was easily removable.One after another he pulled out the blocks until he had opened an aperture large enough to admit his body, then he crawled through into a large, low chamber.Across this another door barred his way; but this, too, gave before his efforts, for it was not barred.A long, dark corridor showed before him, but before he had followed it far, his candle burned down until it scorched his fingers.With an oath he dropped it to the floor, where it sputtered for a moment and went out.
Now he was in total darkness, and again terror rode heavily astride his neck.What further pitfalls and dangers lay ahead he could not guess; but that he was as far as ever from liberty he was quite willing to believe, so depressing is utter absence of light to one in unfamiliar surroundings.
Slowly he groped his way along, feeling with his hands upon the tunnel's walls, and cautiously with his feet ahead of him upon the floor before he could take a single forward step.How long he crept on thus he could not guess; but at last, feeling that the tunnel's length was interminable, and exhausted by his efforts, by terror, and loss of sleep, he determined to lie down and rest before proceeding farther.
When he awoke there was no change in the surrounding blackness.He might have slept a second or a day--he could not know; but that he had slept for some time was attested by the fact that he felt refreshed and hungry.
Again he commenced his groping advance; but this time he had gone but a short distance when he emerged into a room, which was lighted through an opening in the ceiling, from which a flight of concrete steps led downward to the floor of the chamber.