Meanwhile the agony of the young man, searching hither and thither for some way out of his difficulty, was terrible. The sweat came out upon his brow, his veins seemed on fire with feverish excitement.
He knew all the time he was thus searching that Mary's doom must soon be sealed, if already she had not been hurled into the whirlpool of fire!
Turk also vainly exerted himself; but the more the two endeavored to find a way out of the labyrinth, the more hopelessly they became entangled.
At length they found themselves at the mouth of a cavern. The floor of this cave seemed to extend downward, while far ahead of them, they beheld the fiery gleam of the volcano.
"This is our way," shouted Turk. "Come, lad, come!"
He dove into the cavern, followed by his friend, both believing that when they should arrive at the terminus of this sloping tunnel, they would find a way to the top of the cliff!
Encouraged by this hope, Harry sped on with a swiftness, which soon carried him far beyond his friend.
In a few minutes he had gained the further end of the cavern, when Turk heard his wild despairing cry ringing out like that of a wounded wolf.
In a moment he was by the young man, who pointed upward.
When Turk also perceived that they had made their way to this point, only to be aggravated by another sight of the tatooed forms of the savages and their intended victims, so far above them that they could not hope to reach the spot.