Every crack and crevice between the stones being filled up with rubbish.

The obstacle Meinik had spoken of evidently formed part of a flat slab.

It reached within an inch of the roof and, at one side, touched the rock wall; at the other there was an interval, of some four or five inches, and the earth and rubbish had already been scraped out from behind it.

Putting his hand in, he found that the block was some four inches in thickness.
He thought that if he could but get a fair blow at it, with the back of one of the heavy axes, he might break it off; but this was impossible.

The total width of the passage did not exceed three feet; and as the men had, as they went, worked down somewhat, there was now about thirty inches between the bed of earth and rubbish, on which he was lying, and the roof.