Not far away was a gloomy looking recess and into this they made their way. The torches were extinguished, leaving them in absolute darkness.
"Don't walk about," cautioned Dick. "If you do you may take a nasty tumble."
The caution was unnecessary, for the intense darkness made everybody stand as still as a statue. Listening, they heard Joseph Farvel moving along slowly. Then by the aid of the advancing lights, they saw he was accompanied by both of his former negro companions.
"Ha! what is that?" muttered the man suddenly, and they saw him pick up something. "A crust of fresh bread! Somebody has been down here. I'll wager it was Menden's party."
He continued to mutter to himself, but they caught no more of his words.
"Too bad I didn't eat that crust up," murmured Don. "But I've got some canker sores in my mouth and it was rather dry."
Joseph Farvel halted his party and peered around anxiously. But our friends kept out of sight and he discovered nothing of them. In a minute more he went on; and that was the last they saw or heard of him for the time being.
"He won't discover anything in that direction—at least, not if he covers the ground we covered," grinned Leander. "We were wide-awake and I don't believe anything escaped us."
They now turned off into another branch of the great cave—a long, narrow opening twenty to thirty feet in height. Here the rocky formation was soft and crumbling, and they had to pick their way with care.
"A slight shock would send down tons and tons of that stuff," said Robert Menden, as he pointed to the loose masses hanging as by threads over their heads. "Ugh! it gives a fellow the shivers to look at it."