The car stopped short.

“Wow! what’s happened now, Hugh?” whispered Horatio.

“We’ve arrived at the getting-out place, that’s all,” came the steady reply, as the chauffeur caused the engine to cease working and then proceeded to leave his seat, after his companion had jumped out.

The lanterns were now lighted and the electric torch made ready for use.  If hands trembled considerably during this operation, causing several matches to be used before the desired results were obtained, could anyone blame Owen and the other possessor of a lantern?  It was a most remarkable thing that no one evinced the slightest disposition to stay by the car, and guard it against thieves.  It was a case of “follow the leader,” and where Hugh went they were all bound to go also.  To be honest, the chances were that Horatio, for one, could not have been coaxed to separate himself from the company of his four chums; because there was a great deal of truth in that old maxim, “in union there is strength.”

Hugh now led the way.  He had been given one of the lanterns with which to light a passage across the heaps of broken stones, earth, and rubbish, cast there at the time in the remote past when the quarry was in full blast, with workmen delving into the hillside, blasting away sections through the use of dynamite or powder, and sending out many wagon-loads of building-stone each of the six working days of the week.

They did not string out in single file, but kept bunched together.  Indeed, this came through no accident, but there was a method in their madness; because, you see, no fellow would want to be the hindmost in the file.

Hugh showed a wonderful amount of knowledge of the place, considering that he had never before in his life placed a foot upon the ground and had to depend entirely on his former observations.  But he kept on as straight as could be expected, and presently Owen managed to muster up courage enough to say in a low and most carefully guarded tone: 

“Hugh, did you take note of the exact spot where the light showed up?  I’m asking because you seem to be heading direct for somewhere.”

“I believe I know where it was,” Hugh told him simply.  “You see, I noted several things about the face of the quarry that day we stopped to look it over; and when I saw that dancing trail of fire I figured out that it must be at just such a place, which spot I’m heading for right now.  And just as you spoke I had ample proof that I was right in my guess.”

“Why, what happened, Hugh?” demanded Horatio eagerly.

“I caught a faint glimpse of light up there,” Hugh told him.  “I wonder none of the rest of you happened to notice the same.  It made me think that some person might be in one of those holes we saw in the face of the wall—­caves, the natives call them, Horatio says.  As this was somewhat deep only a tiny bit of illumination escaped, and you could just detect that when at a certain angle.  Stop short, now, and see for yourselves, for there it is again!”