‘Ye rolled over on me wanst ye war asleep, and thet woke me,’ answered Ephraim. ‘I let ye snooze ez long ez I dared. Never mind thet now. Let’s consider how we’re ter git out er this.’
At first sight it appeared to be no easy matter, for the bank shelved away on each side of them, and the overhanging roof of the cave projected so far over the floor that it was impossible to reach it, while to attempt to leap for it in the darkness would infallibly result in a ducking, if nothing worse, in the river.
‘Ef we on’y had a light,’ muttered Ephraim.
‘I have,’ said Lucius. ‘There are some matches in the pocket of these trousers.’
‘Ah, but we dassn’t show it,’ returned Ephraim. ‘We must think out some uther way.’
‘Could we not just drop into the stream?’ suggested Lucius. ‘It’s so close to the bank, we could not fail to reach it.’
‘We’ll do thet if the wust comes ter the wust,’ replied Ephraim; ‘but not ef thar’s enny uther line; fer we might git separated in the dark, and besides, we don’t know the depth.’
‘Be quick and think of something, then,’ said Lucius. ‘They are coming nearer.’
Ephraim was lying down at the mouth of the cave, leaning out as far as he could without overbalancing himself, and feeling along the face of the rock in all directions for a ledge. At last he uttered a low grunt of satisfaction.
‘What is it?’ asked Lucius.