“Now what, Ruthie?” he demanded.  “Which way do we go?”

The passage forked.  Ruth was uncertain.  She could not for the life of her remember having seen this spot before.

But, then, she and Jerry must have passed it.  She had not given her attention to the direction at that time, for she had been talking with the backwoods boy.

She took the lantern from Tom now, and walked a little way into first the left-hand passage and then the right-hand one.  It seemed to her as though there were places in the sand on the floor of this latter tunnel which had been disturbed by human feet.

“This is the path, I guess,” she said, laughing and so hiding her own anxiety.  “But let’s take a good look at the place so we can find our way back to it if we have to return.”

“Huh!” grumbled Ralph Tingley.  “You’re not so awfully sure; are you?”

“That’s all right.  Ruth was only through here once,” Tom spoke up, loyally.  “And we can’t get really lost.”

In five minutes they came into a little circular room out of which no less than four passages opened.  Ruth was confident now that she was “turned around.”  She had to admit it to her companions.

“Well! what do you know about that?” cried Ralph.  “I thought you said you could find the way?”

“I guess I can,” said Ruth, cheerfully.  “But we’ll have to try each one of these openings.  I can’t be sure which is the right one.”

Ralph sniffed, but Tom was unshaken in his confidence in his girl friend.

“Let me have the lantern, Tom, and you boys stay here,” Ruth said, quickly.  “I’ll try them myself.”

“Say! don’t you get lost,” cried Tom.

“And don’t you leave us long in the dark,” complained Ralph.  “I don’t believe we ought to let her take that lantern, Tom——­”

“Aw, stop croaking!” commanded young Cameron.  “You’re worse than any girl yourself, Tingley.”

Ruth hated to hear them quarrel, but she would not give up and admit that she was beaten.  She took the lantern and ventured into the first tunnel.  Her carriage was firmer than her mind, and before she had gone a dozen steps she was nervously sobbing, but smothered the sounds with her handkerchief.

CHAPTER XXIII

“A BLOW FOR LIBERTY”

Ruth was a healthy girl and particularly free from “nerves”; but she was frightened.  She was so proud that she determined not to admit to her companions that she was lost In the caves.

Indeed, she was not entirely sure that she was lost.  Perhaps this was the way she had come with Jerry.  Only, she did not remember passing the little room with the four tunnels opening out of it.

This first passage into which she had ventured with so much apparent boldness proved to be the wrong one within a very few moments.  She came to the end of it—­against an unbroken wall.