Don and Teddy looked at each other. Were they hungry?
“Though now I think of it I have some provisions here,” went on Mr. Sturdy, and their hearts leaped. “The servants must have put up a lunch for me when I came out into this grotto, though I don’t remember bringing it. Why they wanted to put up so much I can’t imagine,” he continued, as he went to a little distance and returned with a big bag of food of various kinds. “But here it is. Help yourselves.”
The boys dived into the bag, and brought out bread and meat and canned supplies, which Don rightly conjectured were part of the equipment with which his father had started on this strange expedition.
It was like manna from the skies, and the poor starved boys had all they could do to refrain from gorging it like wolves. But they knew that in their condition this might prove fatal, and besides they had to conserve the contents of the bag.
So with a mighty effort they restrained themselves and ate but sparingly, with new life flowing through their veins and new hope springing in their hearts.
What marvelous changes an hour had wrought! Many problems remained yet to be solved, but they faced them with high hearts and renewed courage. They felt equal to any fate.
While they ate, Mr. Sturdy had been watching Don with deep affection in his eyes. But his bewilderment persisted. Again and again he rubbed his forehead in perplexity.
“Do you know,” he said, when they had finished, “there’s something queer about this grotto? It looks more like Egypt than Brazil.”
Don thought the time had come to hazard a bold stroke.
“It is Egypt,” he said quietly.