There was a terrible rending sound, the crunching of rock against rock, and slowly the walls of the cavern gave; then fell inward with a fearful crash.
Some distance from the cavern the four stopped running. Hal wiped the moisture from his brow.
“A close call and no mistake,” he said weakly.
Chester grasped Alexis by the hand.
“I thought you were done for,” he exclaimed.
Alexis grinned.
“Can’t kill me that way,” he said. “What’s a little rock like that? It was play for me to lift it.”
“Maybe so,” replied Chester, “but even now, I can scarcely believe what I saw.”
“Why,” said Alexis, “I could have lifted that rock with one hand. It was child’s play. Now I can still remember one great feat I accomplished. It was in St. Petersburg–Petrograd now, by the grace of God and the Czar. There is a little stream runs through the city. Over this there is a bridge. I was passing along one day, when I saw that the bridge, having been weakened in the middle, was about to fall. Well, there was no one on it, so that would have been all right. But, dashing down the street was an ambulance. The woman in it was very ill. It was absolutely necessary that she be taken across the bridge at once. At the bridge the driver was held up. The guard would not allow the ambulance to cross. It was too dangerous. But delay meant death for the lady. I leaped into a small boat and was quickly under the middle of the bridge. The bridge was low, and by standing I could just touch it. I put my two hands under the bridge and braced it while the ambulance crossed. I was sorely tested, but I held out. I account that one of my greatest feats.”
“And so you should,” said Hal dryly.