The procession outside came nearer and the chant grew louder, as if the strange people would in this way strengthen their courage. What would it be, fight, or run, or neither? Whatever it was to be they would soon know, for now they were at the doorway and passing. They are safe.
“No, look,” said Mr. Graham, “the door——”
It was true. A huge stone was slowly moving into the open place, making them prisoners.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE DEATH-TRAP.
“Light a torch,” said Mr. Bruce, as he saw the stone door slowly slide into place.
One hideous head of a native stooped and looked under the lowering door, and shaking a torch in his hand, dodged back as if afraid of being charged upon by the prisoners. The door fell to its place and a torch was lighted at Mr. Bruce’s command, and an inspection of their quarters was made. This did not take long, for the chamber was only about twenty feet square; the ceiling was about the height of that in the hall or passage. Try as they would they could discover no other opening, nor any opening now, for the stone fitted the doorway so perfectly, that not even a crack was left to show where this had been.
“We are in for it,” said Harry.
“Yes,” said Mr. Bruce, “and it looks very much as if we were here for good, for there is no opening that I can see at all, and all our energy and strength would be wasted in trying to dig our way out.”
“We must make an effort of some kind,” said Mr. Graham, “so let us consider the matter for a moment.”
They all stopped, and putting their wits to work, tried to devise some means for escape. When they realized that they were not only entombed in a room cut out of the solid rock, but this rock, hundreds of feet beneath the surface, the thought was not very cheering; but they were not the ones to give up without a struggle. They had stood for some moments thinking over their unpleasant position, and trying to formulate some plan of procedure, when Onrai, who was probably the most helpless of the number, began sniffing the air as if he had detected some foreign substance in it.