“I know now what puzzled me before,” he said, “and that was the manner in which they gained the summit of the cone.”
“But that doesn’t help us to get down,” said Merritt, “it looks as if we are as badly off as before.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” said the major; “no living being could scale those walls.”
“And no living being could move that rock from the entrance to the cave,” echoed Rob miserably.
They retraced their steps. The hours passed slowly in the cavern. But in order to employ them somehow they made an inventory of the contents of the treasure boxes.
Supper was eaten from their fast diminishing store of eatables. Nobody talked much. They did not feel inclined for conversation. At length nature asserted itself. Rob actually began to feel sleepy. Andy and the professor had already flung themselves down and were fast asleep.
“Guess I’ll take one more look out from Ruby Glow before I turn in,” thought Rob to himself.
With this intention in mind he left the cave. He did not take long to reach the top of the cone. Moonlight flooded it, and the surrounding forest. Rob looked about him. It was a lovely scene, but somehow its beauty didn’t impress him much just then. All at once he became aware of two figures below the cone gazing curiously up at it. One was oddly familiar to him. In fact they both were.
“Who is it?” he asked, feeling that there was no danger in speaking clearly.
“Hush!” came up the answer in Tubby’s voice, in a low, but penetrating whisper, “it’s me, Tubby. Jumbo’s with me. How under the canopy did you get up there?”