They had scarcely dismounted when Mr. Wheeler appeared from within. The old gentleman was greatly excited, and begged them to come at once into the cave.
“What’s up?” cried Jack, springing toward the entrance. The old man, in broken tones, said he distinctly heard his daughter’s voice in the hill, mingled with a deep, harsh one—the voice of a man.
“There must be another chamber!” Pedro shouted.
“There are shovels in the wagons; get them and come on!” echoed Sam.
The shovels were quickly brought, and the whole party, wildly excited, sprung into the cave.
“Now listen!” whispered Mr. Wheeler.
They did so, and distinctly heard a female voice, in pleading tones, at one end of the first chamber.
“There is another chamber, and here it is,” cried Jack. “Shovel away—work and dig! Simpson, you and Scranton go outside and see no one escapes. She’s in a third chamber, and we’ll find her—hurrah!”
“Hurrah! we’ll find her!” chorused the wild men, commencing to dig furiously.