Fishing with a Rope.
“Forward!” cried Captain Roby loudly.
“Forward!” said a wonderfully exact echo from the pit, and the cavern chamber seemed to burst into strange, echoing repetitions of the confused trampling and rushing and thundering of feet, as, with the dancing lanterns, the men sprang forward to render help.
“He’s down here,” cried Lennox in excitement. “Silence, all of you!”
Captain Roby looked annoyed at the way in which his subaltern officer seemed to take the lead; but he said nothing then, only stood frowning, while in the midst of a breathless silence Lennox leaned over the dangerous-looking place and hailed again.
“Corporal! Are you down there?”
There was no response, and once more he hailed.
“Corporal May!”
This time there was a piteous moan.
“Oh! there’s no doubt about it,” cried Lennox. “Tie a lantern to the rope and lower it down. Let’s see where he is.”