“But I could see nothing likely to lead higher,” said Chris.
“We didn’t look about much,” cried Ned. “We were eager to come along here.”
“Yes, I suppose that was so,” said Chris thoughtfully. “Well, there’s the row of cells above us, and there must be a way.”
“Unless it has been swept off by some landslip,” suggested Bourne.
“Well, we’ll turn back now,” said the doctor, “for even if we had a shovel I don’t think we should find anything that would help us.”
They went back from cell to cell, and twice over found the terrace outside sufficiently level and secure to allow of their passing along it, but they soon had to take to the interior again with its low doorway-like connections.
At last they all stood together at the top of the roughly-stepped sloping shaft by which they had ascended, to find that the roof here was entirely broken away by the falling of a portion of the cliff; but they found also what they sought, for there, about a score of feet above their heads, was the evident continuation of the shaft-like hole by which they had come up.
“Look,” cried Griggs triumphantly; “no wonder we could not find it.”
“But how are we to use it?” said Bourne.
“Oh, we can manage that, sir; eh, boys?”