“Then we’ll travel as far as we can and hide out till dawn.”
Mike snapped his fingers. “I know just the place,” he said. “That cave of ours. The one we fell into.”
“Right!” Sandy nodded.
“What cave?” Joe looked puzzled.
“That’s a long story too,” Sandy replied with a grin. “We’ll tell you on the way.”
They reached the cave with about an hour of daylight to spare. Mike was the first one to pull himself over the lip and into the opening. Then he reached down and helped Joe in.
“Welcome to our humble establishment,” he said, bending over in a deep bow. “You’ll find this the perfect place for an overnight stop. The rooms are spacious and well ventilated. Our rates are reasonable and I’m sure you’ll find the service....” He checked himself when he saw the look on Joe’s face. “What’s the matter?” he said.
“You say this cave was hidden?” Joe asked. His voice sounded oddly hollow. It was clear he was doing his best to hold down a mounting excitement.
“It was, before we knocked away the mountain,” Sandy said.
“How deep is it?”