There he broke off, as Varley uttered a startled exclamation.
Beneath the feet of the explorers was an ominous creak. It turned swiftly to the grating sound of breaking wood. The floor sagged; the old boards parted. The boys, clawing vainly for support, shot down through the aperture into a cellar, which was like a pit for blackness.
CHAPTER XIV
THE HUNT
“I tell you, it’s the only way. Don’t you suppose I’ve figured and figured on what to do? Well, I have; and there’s just one answer. I can’t dodge it, and I won’t try. I’ve got to pay up, and I will pay up—somehow.”
Poke said it bravely enough and determinedly—all except the last word. The “somehow” came after a little pause, and dragged at that.
“But you can’t!” blurted the Trojan. “You’ve just told us you couldn’t raise the money.”
Poke had his back against the wall of the sugar camp; literally and figuratively he was like one making a last stand.
“But I’ve got to raise it—somehow.” Again there was the brief pause; again there was a catch in his voice. “I’m responsible; I smashed that vase. I didn’t mean to smash it, but that makes no difference.”
“Umph! I’m not so sure of that,” objected the Trojan.
“That’s what I say, too,” Step put in. “Seems as if there ought to be some way——”