He slid boldly down into the winding passage, Barney and Frank holding on to the rope.
Down he went and out of sight.
Frank and Barney kept on paying out the rope for some while. Then suddenly Frank gave a sharp exclamation.
There was a thrill, and the rope suddenly felt slack. Frank gave it a lift. There was nothing on the end of it.
What did it mean?
There seemed only one solution. The two men looked at each other aghast.
“Be me sowl! that is very funny, sor!” cried Barney. “Phwativer wud yez call it, anyway?”
“Why, it looks as if Pomp had lost his hold and fallen from the rope.”
This was certainly the outlook. But was it the truth?
There seemed no way of getting an answer to the question. Frank was speechless with surprise and uncertainty.