Cautiously they entered the cavern. Its ceiling reached high over their heads and the opening was festooned with trailing vines and creepers. Even the jungle growth seemed to have taken over, weeds and thick grass choking the floor. Boulders of all sizes were scattered around.
“It looks like it hasn’t been used for years and years,” Ted commented.
They flashed the light over the whole interior, but there was no sign of recent use. There was one other exit—a narrow passage at the rear.
“If we close up that rear opening with a big stone, it ought to be safe for us to stay here,” Randy said.
Ted agreed with him. They called Jill, and the three shoved a large red boulder in front of the narrow passage. They divided watches again, but before relaxing for the night, they replaced their air cartridges with new ones.
Randy took first watch this time. Ted was very tired from their exhausting race and had trouble falling asleep, but the next thing he knew, Randy was shaking him to change watch.
The rest of the night passed without further disturbance. The boys got softhearted about calling on Jill for her turn, and rather than wake her, they stood her duty. Another change of air cylinders had to be made before morning. Ted was able to change Jill’s while she slept.
The orange glow of dawn was a welcome sight to the children. Things did not seem half so grim in the dawn as they had the night before. The sun’s feeble rays shone directly into the cave mouth. The boulder covering the rear opening was still in place.
Ted caught Randy’s eyes staring thoughtfully at the boulder. He wondered if Randy was thinking the same thing that he was: What was on the other side of that mysterious opening?
“Hadn’t we better be getting back to the open place?” Jill asked, as they were putting on fresh air tanks again.