“At last!” exclaimed Mr. Jenks, as he gazed up at the roof of the dimly-lighted vault in which they found themselves.
“Yes, we're in the diamond makers' secret cave,” added Tom. “Now to catch them at work!”
“Come on,” advised Bill, in a low tone, “We're not safe yet,” and he produced a lantern from some hidden recess, lighted the wick, and led the way. As the others followed they were aware of a subdued noise in the great cavern.
CHAPTER XX—MAKING THE DIAMONDS
“What's that noise?” asked Tom, as their guide flashed the lantern to show them the way.
“That's the men getting ready to make diamonds, I guess,” was the answer. “You see it takes quite a while to get the stuff ready. I don't know what they use—they never tell me any of their secrets.”
“Oh, I know the ingredients well enough,” said Mr. Jenks, “but I don't know the secret of how they apply the terrific heat and pressure necessary to fuse the materials into diamonds.”
“Well, you'll soon know,” declared Bill Renshaw. “Of course it isn't always successful. I've known 'em to try half a dozen times before they got any diamonds big enough to satisfy 'em. They gave me some of the small ones when I asked for my wages.
“How did you come to get in with these men?” asked Tom, curious to understand how a person seemingly as honest as Renshaw appeared to be had cast his lot in with the men who had broken faith with Mr. Jenks.