"The Lord only knows!" returned Prof. Drearland, who was thoroughly frightened.
It was now so dark they were unable to distinguish objects at a distance greater than a dozen yards, and the four remaining ones in the party were at a complete loss as to what course to pursue.
"Well," remarked Van, at length, when they came to a halt about a hundred yards from the spot where the dwarfs had sprung upon them, "we must make an effort to find Jack and Joe. There must certainly be some opening around here somewhere, where those little savages went in."
"That is certainly so," spoke up Dr. Pestle.
Our hero now dismounted and began searching about the place where the dwarfs had disappeared.
Almost immediately he discovered a long, narrow rift which extended into the side of a hill that formed one of the boundaries of the valley.
"Here is where they went!" he exclaimed, in an excited manner. "Come on, now; we must rescue Jack and Joe!"
"What are we going to do with the horses?" asked the professor.
"Hobble them so they can't stray far away," was the reply. "Hurry up, now."