The others were all of the same opinion.
"Good! This is another piece of luck," he said. "We have certainly hit on something out of the way."
"Your hammering has brought this end out again, Harry," Bertie said.
"So it has, and it has pushed this end in a little. Let us try again." But although all took turns with the sledges, they could make no further impression on the stone.
"Well, we will try the drills," Harry said. "In the first place, we will find out how thick it is."
They at once set to work with the drill. Progress was slower than it had been before, because, instead of striking down on the head of the drill, they had now to swing the hammer sideways and lost the advantage of its weight; and they were obliged to work very carefully, as a miss would have seriously damaged the one holding the drill. It took them four hours' steady work to get the hole in three inches. Ten minutes later, to their astonishment, the drill suddenly disappeared. Dias, who was striking, nearly fell, for instead of the resistance he had expected, the drill shot forward; the hammer hit José, who had this time been holding the drill, a heavy blow on the arm, causing him to utter a shout of pain.
Harry, who was sitting down having breakfast, having just handed his hammer to Bertie, jumped to his feet.
"How did you manage that, Dias? I suppose it slipped off the head. You must have hit José a very heavy blow."
"I have hit him a heavy blow, señor, and nearly tumbled down myself; but I struck the drill fairly enough, and it has gone."
"Gone where, Dias?"