"It would be throwing away one's life to go in there," Captain O'Connor said. "At any rate we have got them secure, and they must come out in time. But it would be madness to crawl in there on one's hands and feet to be picked off by those scoundrels at their ease. Now, lads, two of you stand by this entrance. Keep out of the line of fire, and be ready with your bayonets to run anyone through who comes out. Let the rest scatter and search round this place. They may have another entrance. If so, we must find it. In the first place, it may be easier of entry; in the second, they might escape from it after dark."
Again the search began.
"Do you think it is likely to be higher up or lower down, O'Connor?" Lieutenant Desmond asked.
"There is no saying, Desmond. But as the passage seems to go straight in, I should fancy above rather than below."
For a long time they searched without success; then Ralph, who had gone higher up the rocks than the rest, came upon a clump of low bushes growing between some large boulders. There was nothing suspicious about them, and he was just turning away when he perceived a slight odour of peat smoke.
Silently he made his way down to the captain.
"I have found another entrance," he said. "At any rate I think so; for I certainly smelt smoke. If we go quietly we may take them unawares."
Captain O'Connor passed the word along for the men to gather silently, and Ralph then led the way up to the clump of bushes.
"Yes, I can smell the peat plainly enough. Now, Conway, do you search among the bushes. Carefully, lad; we don't know what the place is like."
Cautiously Ralph pushed the bushes aside. He saw at once that these had been carefully trained to cover a large hole. This was about three feet wide, and descended at a sharp angle, forming a sloping passage of sufficient height for a man to stand upright. Captain O'Connor knelt down and looked in.