"What's the matter now? Turn on that light, Joe."
"It's gone out."
"D'you think we're blind? Of course it's out. Turn it on."
"The lamp's gone dead, I think. There's somethin' wrong with it. It won't light again." They could hear the man tinkering at the lamp. "No use," he said at last.
The cave was in pitch blackness. One of the men struck a match, and it cast a faint illumination.
"There's candles around here somewhere, ain't there?" asked Gus Montrose.
"Whole box of 'em around if I can find them."
The man with the match moved off into another part of the cave. He fumbled around for a while, then announced with a grunt of satisfaction:
"Here they are." He lit one of the candles, brought it over and stood it on a box.
"Light some more," ordered Gus.