Surely they could not submit to a slow lingering death by starvation in that wretched place.
Frank went forward and began to examine the masonry of the chamber walls.
The stone was a peculiar sandstone, and while it showed evidence of age and the discolorations of time it was yet firm and hard.
But the mortar would yield to the point of the knife. Frank at once began work upon it.
“My plan,” he declared, “is to displace the mortar as far as possible, and perhaps we can loosen some of these stones and make an aperture large enough to get out through.”
“Good!” cried Buckden, joyfully. “You’ve hit the mark, Frank.”
“I hope so,” said the young inventor, modestly; “time will tell. First we must make sure that the mortar will give way.”
Together they went to work upon the mortar.
It yielded readily to the points of their knives and soon had been displaced about one of the smaller stones.
To their joy this yielded and the stone was removed.