“See um big black stone, Pa-e-has-ka?” Wah-coo-tah asked, turning her head toward the wall.
The scout saw the stone, and laid his hand on it.
“Push,” said the girl.
Cody made ready to use considerable strength, but found that it was not necessary, for the big stone was so nicely balanced that it yielded at a touch. The entire stone swung outward, leaving a ragged gap two feel wide by three feet in height. Beyond the gap was darkness.
“Lawless gone,” said Wah-coo-tah weakly; “all safe, Pa-e-has-ka. We go on now. Go on till you see um daylight.”
“That’s our cue, Dell,” said the scout. “The outlaws must all be gone. If water had come into the mine, the flood would surely have forced the stone door and let it into the secret level. Lawless and his men would not dare to remain here. Take the candle, pard, and lead the way.”
After the scout had again taken Wah-coo-tah in his arms, Dell picked up the coat and the candle and forced her way through the secret door.
The passage in which the scout and Dell found themselves ran at right angles with the main level. It was no larger than the passage they had left, but presently it opened out and formed a sort of chamber.
In this chamber there were evidences that both men and horses had recently made the place a rendezvous.
“Horses in a mine!” exclaimed the scout. “I wonder how Lawless got the animals down here?”