Dazed and bewildered, Allen Drew scrambled to his feet. His hands were scraped and bleeding, though he thought little of this in his mental perturbation.
His thought turned instantly to Ruth. What might have happened to her while he was away from her? The trees were thick near the mouth of the cave. Suppose one had fallen and caught her before she could escape?
He started to rush back to the entrance, but to his astonishment, could see no trace of the light that had marked the place where the opening had been.
He stopped short, puzzled and alarmed.
"That's queer," he muttered. "I guess that jar I got has turned me around. It must be in the other direction."
He hastily retraced his steps. But as the cave grew wider and he found no sign of the narrow passage by which he had entered, he knew that he was wrong.
"Must have had it right the first time," he thought, "but it's strange that I didn't see any light. Perhaps there was a bend in the passage that I hadn't noticed."
Again he went back, feeling his way. The path narrowed and his outstretched hand came in contact with a shred of cloth that had been torn from his coat when he had entered. This was proof positive that he was on the right track. But where then was the light?
The answer came to him with startling suddenness when he plunged violently into a mass of earth and rock that barred his way.
The entrance to the cave had vanished!