He may have uttered a cry at the outset, but the shock was so sudden and thrilling that he was unconscious of it if he did so. His whole attention was centered upon trying to check his fearful momentum.
He was carried onward near to the right wall, and he succeeded in catching upon the rough surface twice during his wild passage.
The first time his hands slipped upon the wet, slimy rock, the mishap seemed to give greater impetus to his descent. Profiting by this failure, he seized upon another projection with a firmer hold, but the rocky knob broke away beneath his weight, and the piece went flying from his bleeding fingers ahead of him on the downward course.
Its collision with the glassy floor caused a dull reverberation to go through the subterranean recesses, quickly followed by a sharp splash of water!
This last sound came from below him, and Little Snap had barely time to understand that an abyss of great depth yawned at his feet before he was upon its very brink.
The warning from the stone came barely in season for him to renew his efforts to catch on the rugged wall, which he did with more vigor than before.
Again he found his hold broken, by the fearful momentum with which he was carried on, but the shock was such that he was lifted up clear from the rock and carried completely over the chasm.
Striking on the very rim of the farther side, he managed to keep from falling backward into the pit by a herculean effort.
The next moment, quite overcome by the ordeal, he sank upon the rock in a sort of stupor. He soon rallied, however, when he tried to penetrate the gloom around him sufficiently to note his surroundings.
Though his eyes grew more accustomed to the blinding gloom in a few minutes, and it was less painful to his gaze, he was unable to see the nearest object with any certainty. Singularly enough, a dull, gray ring lay at his feet.