He felt terribly tired.  The thought came to him that he had done enough, reached his limit of endurance.  He craved sleep, a long sleep, and forgetfulness.

But youth and the undying desire for life and accomplishment won over this deadly mood and he began to take note of his position.  His mind became clearer and the ringing in his ears, caused by the explosion, gradually passed away.

Then, like a flash, the question entered his mind of how he was able, buried under tons of debris, to breathe so freely.  Why was the air not vitiated?

He tried to move slowly and quietly so as not to dislodge any of the rocks that formed an arch over his body.  He succeeded beyond his expectations, for his body was in a sort of natural pocket and not one of his limbs was inextricably bound.  Thus, twisting his body, he managed to draw himself into what seemed to be an even more open space.

He hardly dared to breathe, so fearful was he that any moment he might reach a point where further progress would be impossible.  He moved slowly, gropingly, then suddenly he recoiled in horror, for his hand had come in contact with something which he recognized to be a man’s face.

In his shaken condition it was some seconds before he could control the wild jangling of his nerves.  Then he searched his pockets and, finding a match, lighted it.  There, covered to the armpits by dirt and rocks, was the body of Balcom, whose last act before his own death had been an attempt to murder Locke.

Locke shuddered and redoubled his efforts to escape from the gruesome place.  There still remained a small hole through which he must climb.  But he negotiated it successfully, and in another moment he was aboveground and free.

Eva and Zita had followed Locke’s instructions, but had not waited to find any one to go with them to the exit from the den.  Nor did they wait at the exit more than a few minutes.

Eva had taken a small electric torch with her, and, becoming impatient at the non-appearance of Locke, she flashed it about as she followed the lines and marks indicated on the plan of the den.

She and Zita were surprised at the magnitude of the entrance passageway they uncovered.  They had had to make a detour in order to reach the beach at a point where it was indicated that the exit of the den would be found, and even with the plan, which they consulted at every step, they almost missed their objective, for the cleft in the rocks slanted inward and was difficult to see even when one was standing directly in front of it.

They had peered into the cavern and were waiting when they heard the explosion.  They gazed at each other questioningly and with apprehension.

“What do you think it is?” asked Eva, questioningly.

Zita could, of course, offer no explanation and did not try.

Impulsively both girls took a very foolish chance.  Both had thought of Locke and they started to run into the cave entrance and toward the sound of the explosion.