“There is an echo chamber in one of the caves,” said Ernest. “I don’t know whether it is in this one or one of the others. You shout, and all the walls shout back at you for about ten minutes. It is fierce. Some other day, if you come out, we will spend the whole day exploring. But I have to fly this afternoon. I wish I had thought to bring my lunch; we could have eaten in here.”
Fatty felt chilled. He swallowed hard. “No-n-no place to get a drink,” he hastened to say.
“Well, if you don’t want a drink, Ernest, Fat has enough lunch for both of you, and he sure wants to divide,” said Bill.
Ernest looked at Fatty’s anguished face.
“I could tell it at a glance!” said Ernest cheerfully.
“You can have some of my sweet chocolate, too,” offered Skinny Tweeters.
Ernest clapped him on the back. “Good old scout!” he said. “Fact is, I would rather have half or three-quarters of Fatty’s lunch than anything I know, but I have got to go back to camp. There’s a fellow I have to see at twelve.”
They retraced their way out of the cave with many exclamations over the somber, silent beauty of the place, and on coming out into the air were almost blinded by the dazzling sunshine.
Bill drew in a long breath. “Gosh, I am glad I am not a bat or a mole! I sure would hate to stay down in a place like that!”
“Suppose you had to stay in a dungeon for forty years or so?” asked Eddie.