“I’m coming to the boarded-up opening!” he exclaimed exultingly.
The boards did not fit tightly, and through one of the larger cracks Tom caught a glint of light.
“But it’s starlight!” he cried. “It’s night! I must have been in that cistern all day—maybe two days! Though I guess not two days or I’d feel hungrier and thirstier than I am.”
Pushing on the boards, Tom felt them give a little, and he knew they must have rotted away from contact with the damp earth. He pushed harder and kicked on them, thus knocking down the barrier.
In rushed the glorious fresh air, and the young inventor saw that he was looking out on a field some distance away from his home. It was night, and the stars were glittering. Also, not far away from the tunnel entrance another light was gleaming. It was the light of a lantern set on the ground.
By the gleam of the lantern on the ground Tom could see a figure moving about and, seemingly, digging in the earth.
“This is queer,” mused the lad. “I wonder who that is? If it’s Barsky, maybe he’s digging to try to get at some of my secrets. Or maybe he thinks I’m dead and he’s making a grave for me.”
Tom dismissed this gruesome thought with a laugh, and walked forward a few paces, the better to see who was doing that queer midnight digging by lantern light.
Some noise Tom made attracted the notice of the digger. He looked toward the tunnel opening, and then Tom exclaimed:
“Good night! It’s Rad!”