“No: that is your right, Saxe, as the discoverer; only be careful not to penetrate far. There may be danger.”
As they were speaking Melchior stood once more upon the edge of the entrance, sending a shovelful or two of the broken stone clattering down as he untied the knots in the loop, and, taking one end of the rope, threw it over the spike, made a slip-knot, drew it tight, and then glided down to where Dale and Saxe were standing.
“There, herr,” he said; “you can hold the rope, creep along the ledge, swing yourself across, and mount easily now.”
“Shall I go first?” said the boy, looking at Dale.
“Yes, of course; but we shall be close behind you.”
Saxe seized the rope, and, profiting by old experience, went up, swung himself over on to the projection, and then easily climbed in at the opening; saw that there was ample room for him to pass, and then he crept forward cautiously on hands and knees, finding that the floor sloped downward rapidly toward where all was black darkness.
He stopped short, not caring to go farther, and waited till the agitation of the rope, which he had let go, told him that Dale was nearly up. The next minute the figure of the latter darkened the opening, and he too crept in.
“Well, Saxe: what has Aladdin’s cave to show us?”
“Darkness,” replied the boy.
“Ah, well; we shall soon dissipitate that,” said Dale, as he loosed his hold of the rope and began to prepare the lanthorn he had brought up. “Seen any gnomes?”