the entrance to the dungeons! A steep flight of steps, cut out of the rock itself, led downwards into deep darkness.
"Come on!" cried Julian, snapping on his torch. "We've found what we wanted! Now for the dungeons!"
The steps down were slippery. Tim darted down first, lost his foot-hold and rolled down five or six steps, yelping with fright. Julian went after him, then George, then Dick and then Anne. They were all tremendously thrilled. Indeed, they quite expected to see piles of gold and all kinds of treasure everywhere around them!
It was dark down the steep flight of steps, and smelt very musty. Anne choked a little.
"I hope the air down here is all right," said Julian. "Sometimes it isn't good in these underground places. If anyone feels a bit funny they'd better say so and we'll go up into the open air again."
But however funny they might feel nobody would have said so. It was all far too exciting to worry about feeling queer.
The steps went down a long way. Then they came to an end. Julian stepped down from the last rock-stair and flashed his torch around. It was a weird sight that met his eyes.
The dungeons of Kirrin Castle were made out of the rock itself. Whether there were natural caves there, or whether they had been hollowed out by man the children could not tell. But certainly they were very mysterious, dark and full of echoing sounds. When Julian gave a sigh of excitement it fled into the rocky hollows and swelled out and echoed around as if it were a live thing. It gave all the children a very queer feeling.
"Isn't it strange?" said George, in a low voice. At once the echoes took up her words, and multiplied them and made them louder— and all the dungeon caves gave back the girl's words over and over again. "Isn't it strange, ISN'T IT STRANGE, ISN'T IT
STRANGE."
Anne slipped her hand into Dick's. She felt scared. She didn't like the echoes at all.
She knew they were only echoes— but they did sound exactly like the voices of scores of people hidden in the caves!
"Where do you suppose the ingots are?" said Dick. And at once the caves threw him back his words. "INGOTS! Ingots are! INGOTS ARE! ARE! ARE!"
Julian laughed— and his laugh was split up into dozens of different laughs that came out of the dungeons and spun round the listening children. It really was the queerest thing.
"Come on," said Julian. "Maybe the echoes won't be so bad a little farther in."
"FARTHER IN," said the echoes at once. "FARTHER IN!"
They moved away from the end of the rocky steps and explored the nearby dungeons.
They were really only rocky cellars stretching under the castle. Maybe wretched prisoners had been kept there many, many years before, but mostly they had been used for storing things.
"I wonder which dungeon was used for storing the ingots," said Julian. He stopped and took the map out of his pocket. He flashed his torch on to it. But although it showed him quite plainly the dungeon where INGOTS were marked, he had no idea at all of the right direction.
"I say— look— there's a door here, shutting off the next dungeon!" suddenly cried Dick. "I bet this is the dungeon we're looking for! I bet there are ingots in here!"
Chapter Thirteen
DOWN IN THE DUNGEONS
Contents— Prev/Next
FOUR torches were flashed on to the wooden door. It was big and stout, studded with great iron nails. Julian gave a whoop of delight and rushed to it. He felt certain that behind it was the dungeon used for storing things.
But the door was fast shut. No amount of pushing or pulling would open it. It had a great key-hole— but no key there! The four children stared in exasperation at the door.
Bother it! Just as they really thought they were near the ingots, this door wouldn't open!
"We'll fetch the axe," said Julian, suddenly. "We may be able to chop round the keyhole and smash the lock."
"That's a good idea!" said George, delighted. "Come on back!"
They left the big door, and tried to get back the way they had come.
"Come on!" cried Julian, snapping on his torch. "We've found what we wanted! Now for the dungeons!"
The steps down were slippery. Tim darted down first, lost his foot-hold and rolled down five or six steps, yelping with fright. Julian went after him, then George, then Dick and then Anne. They were all tremendously thrilled. Indeed, they quite expected to see piles of gold and all kinds of treasure everywhere around them!
It was dark down the steep flight of steps, and smelt very musty. Anne choked a little.
"I hope the air down here is all right," said Julian. "Sometimes it isn't good in these underground places. If anyone feels a bit funny they'd better say so and we'll go up into the open air again."
But however funny they might feel nobody would have said so. It was all far too exciting to worry about feeling queer.
The steps went down a long way. Then they came to an end. Julian stepped down from the last rock-stair and flashed his torch around. It was a weird sight that met his eyes.
The dungeons of Kirrin Castle were made out of the rock itself. Whether there were natural caves there, or whether they had been hollowed out by man the children could not tell. But certainly they were very mysterious, dark and full of echoing sounds. When Julian gave a sigh of excitement it fled into the rocky hollows and swelled out and echoed around as if it were a live thing. It gave all the children a very queer feeling.
"Isn't it strange?" said George, in a low voice. At once the echoes took up her words, and multiplied them and made them louder— and all the dungeon caves gave back the girl's words over and over again. "Isn't it strange, ISN'T IT STRANGE, ISN'T IT
STRANGE."
Anne slipped her hand into Dick's. She felt scared. She didn't like the echoes at all.
She knew they were only echoes— but they did sound exactly like the voices of scores of people hidden in the caves!
"Where do you suppose the ingots are?" said Dick. And at once the caves threw him back his words. "INGOTS! Ingots are! INGOTS ARE! ARE! ARE!"
Julian laughed— and his laugh was split up into dozens of different laughs that came out of the dungeons and spun round the listening children. It really was the queerest thing.
"Come on," said Julian. "Maybe the echoes won't be so bad a little farther in."
"FARTHER IN," said the echoes at once. "FARTHER IN!"
They moved away from the end of the rocky steps and explored the nearby dungeons.
They were really only rocky cellars stretching under the castle. Maybe wretched prisoners had been kept there many, many years before, but mostly they had been used for storing things.
"I wonder which dungeon was used for storing the ingots," said Julian. He stopped and took the map out of his pocket. He flashed his torch on to it. But although it showed him quite plainly the dungeon where INGOTS were marked, he had no idea at all of the right direction.
"I say— look— there's a door here, shutting off the next dungeon!" suddenly cried Dick. "I bet this is the dungeon we're looking for! I bet there are ingots in here!"
Chapter Thirteen
DOWN IN THE DUNGEONS
Contents— Prev/Next
FOUR torches were flashed on to the wooden door. It was big and stout, studded with great iron nails. Julian gave a whoop of delight and rushed to it. He felt certain that behind it was the dungeon used for storing things.
But the door was fast shut. No amount of pushing or pulling would open it. It had a great key-hole— but no key there! The four children stared in exasperation at the door.
Bother it! Just as they really thought they were near the ingots, this door wouldn't open!
"We'll fetch the axe," said Julian, suddenly. "We may be able to chop round the keyhole and smash the lock."
"That's a good idea!" said George, delighted. "Come on back!"
They left the big door, and tried to get back the way they had come.
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