Presently he appeared. He was calling out softly, for he could not understand why he had not been answered—and the light he carried prevented him from seeing the hole behind the rock until it was directly in front of him.
And then he came to a sudden stop, and gazed at it in astonishment.
"Gee!" Nick heard him exclaim. "Dogged if they haven't found a hole here. And they have gone into it, too. I wonder if that old cuss knew about it all the time?"
He remained in doubt for a moment what to do; and then, as Nick had predicted, he stepped softly forward, and, holding his light aloft, peered through the opening.
But Nick had chosen his place of concealment well, and Handsome could not see him.
Then Handsome called out:
"Madge! Bill! Where the devil are you?"
There was no reply, and he waited a moment before he called again. Then he repeated:
"Madge! Madge!"
When no reply came to this second call, he stood for some time in doubt, as if he thought of calling assistance to him before he entered that dark and unknown place; and once Nick thought he half turned, as if he had decided to summon some of the others.