The candle is not dangerous, I hope ?" "Sometimes it burns your fingers," answered Trot, "but that's about the worst it can do--'cept to blow out when you don't want it to." Cap'n Bill shielded the flame with his hand and crept into the hole.

It wasn't any too big for a grown man, but after he had crawled a few feet it grew larger.

Trot came close behind him and then the Ork followed.
"Seems like a reg'lar tunnel," muttered the sailor-man, who was creeping along awkwardly because of his wooden leg.

The rocks, too, hurt his knees.
For nearly half an hour the three moved slowly along the tunnel, which made many twists and turns and sometimes slanted downward and sometimes upward.

Finally Cap'n Bill stopped short, with an exclamation of disappointment, and held the flickering candle far ahead to light the scene.
"What's wrong ?" demanded Trot, who could see nothing because the sailor's form completely filled the hole.
"Why, we've come to the end of our travels, I guess," he replied.
"Is the hole blocked ?" inquired the Ork.
"No; it's wuss nor that," replied Cap'n Bill sadly.