The captain had wandered farther than he had intended, but after several shouts from Ralph he came running back, and reached the camp-ground just as the two negroes arrived.

At the sight of this tall man bounding toward him the strange negro appeared to be seized with a wild terror.  He broke away from Maka, and ran first in this direction and then in that, and perceiving the cleft in the face of the rock, he blindly rushed into it, as a rat would rush into a hole.  Instantly Maka was after him, and the two were lost to view.

When the captain had been told of the strange thing which had happened, he stood without a word.  Another African!  This was a puzzle too great for his brain.

“Are you sure it was not a native of these parts?” said he, directly.  “You know, they are very dark.”

“No!” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff and her companions almost in the same breath, “it was an African, exactly like Maka.”

At this moment a wild yell was heard from the interior of the rocks, then another and another.  Without waiting to consider anything, or hear any more, the captain dashed into the narrow passage, Ralph close behind him.  They ran into the room in which they had slept.  They looked on all sides, but saw nothing.  Again, far away, they heard another yell, and they ran out again into the passage.

This narrow entry, as the investigating Ralph had already discovered, continued for a dozen yards past the doorway which led to the chambers, but there it ended in a rocky wall about five feet high.  Above this was an aperture extending to the roof of the passage, but Ralph, having a wholesome fear of snakes, had not cared to climb over the wall to see what was beyond.

When the captain and Ralph had reached the end of the passage, they heard another cry, and there could be no doubt that it came through the aperture by which they stood.  Instantly Ralph scrambled to the top of the wall, pushed himself head foremost through the opening, and came down on the other side, partly on his hands and partly on his feet.  Had the captain been first, he would not have made such a rash leap, but now he did not hesitate a second.  He instantly followed the boy, taking care, however, to let himself down on his feet.

The passage on the other side of the dividing wall seemed to be the same as that they had just left, although perhaps a little lighter.  After pushing on for a short distance, they found that the passage made a turn to the right, and then in a few moments the captain and Ralph emerged into open space.  What sort of space it was they could not comprehend.

“It seemed to me,” said Ralph, afterwards, “as if I had fallen into the sky at night.  I was afraid to move, for fear I should tumble into astronomical distances.”

The captain stared about him, apparently as much confounded by the situation as was the boy.  But his mind was quickly brought to the consideration of things which he could understand.  Almost at his feet was Maka, lying on his face, his arms and head over the edge of what might be a bank or a bottomless precipice, and yelling piteously.  Making a step toward him, the captain saw that he had hold of another man, several feet below him, and that he could not pull him up.