“Very well, then; we’ll eat a bit of lunch, and then examine that.”
As soon as the party had disposed of their meal, they left the entrance to the shaft, walked along to the end of the terrace, and began to examine the first cell.
Here a surprise awaited them, for the cell was double, had two windows and a door at either end, there being no dividing wall, only a curious construction in the middle, but so crumbled away that for some minutes it was examined in vain, the loose stones about turned over and over, and the dust raked here and there.
“I know,” cried Brace at last: “it has been a kitchen.”
“Right,” said Briscoe: “must have been something of that sort. Let’s get on.”
The next place was entered, and proved to be also double, but with only one entrance, and that narrow.
Brace was the first to enter, and after a glance round and upward to see if the roof had fallen in, he stood looking down at a heap of stones which were thickly covered with the dust that had crumbled down and accumulated.
“There’s nothing to see here,” he cried; “and the windows are nearly choked up with growth.”
“Yes, come back; these places are all the same,” said Briscoe, gripping him tightly by the arm; but, as he made way for Brace to pass him, and the rest went on, he stooped down quickly and picked up a piece from the heap of dust-covered stones and placed it in his pocket.
“Why did you do that?” said Brace, in a low voice.