"I do not know. Look for yourself."
The two men then advanced with outstretched arms, owing to the darkness.
"Why, it is a grotto. Viva Dios!" the Jaguar exclaimed a moment later.
"It looks to me very like one," said the half-breed, with his old coolness.
In fact, this excavation, which at a distance appeared a narrow fissure, concealed the entrance to a natural grotto, completely masked by the shrubs which accident had planted there, and which an equally great accident had enabled the half-breed to discover. What was this passage through? Did it go up and down? And was it known to the garrison? Such were the questions which the adventurers asked themselves, and they naturally could not answer them.
"What shall we do?" Lanzi asked.
"Por Dios! That is not difficult to guess," the Jaguar replied; "we will explore this cave."
"That is my opinion too; but I think there is a matter of inquiry to do before that."
"What is it?"
"Whatever this cave may be, and no matter where it ends, it is certain that it will, at any rate, offer us an excellent shelter. Supposing, at any rate, as is possible, that we cannot succeed in effecting the ascent of the rock this night, we will hide ourselves here during tomorrow, and be ready to finish on the following night what we shall not have time to effect during the present one."