"Did you catch what Billings said when he left?"
"Yes."
"Then there's no need of sayin' anything more. Some of the murderin' crowd will be on guard at the entrance to the drift, and, knowing what we do of their plans, every means will be used to prevent our ever seeing daylight again."
"Don't you intend to do anything toward trying to escape?"
"Of course. I'm not quite a fool."
"Shall you go back with me, or try to find the shaft?"
"That would be useless. We will go straight through this drift."
"But if Billings' crowd are watching for you?"
"It's simply a case of fighting for life. There ain't much hope of overpowerin' them; the job will be child's play compared with tryin' to hold our own agin the flood that's sure to come soon."
Brace groped around for something which would serve as a weapon, but finding nothing, he said grimly: