"I may drag you behind me," finished Dave.
"No, I"ll look out for that,--only be as careful as you can."
"I"ll take no more risks than are necessary."
They moved forward slowly and cautiously, first to one side of the cavern and then to the other. At last they struck what appeared to be a pa.s.sageway running parallel to the mountain side.
"Let us follow this," suggested Dave. "It may bring us out somewhere on the road."
Roger was willing to do anything his chum suggested. It was a hard journey, over rocks that were sharp and slippery. In some spots they found a coating of ice and above their heads long icicles hanging from the roofing. Roger slipped and fell and came down with such a jar that a great icicle weighing at least twenty pounds came down close to his head, smashing into many pieces and scattering over both him and Dave.
"Hi! look out!" cried Dave. "If we got one of those on our heads----"
His voice echoed loudly throughout the cave, and then down came two more icicles, one hitting his shoulder. He was thoroughly alarmed and leaped to a spot beyond, literally dragging Roger with him.
"That was a close shave!" murmured the senator"s son. "Dave, this spot is full of perils!"
On they went once more, until Dave was almost certain he saw some sort of an opening ahead of them. He pointed it out; and just then the tiny light of the pocket lantern began to flicker.
"Dave, the light is going out!"
"I know it."
"Can"t you turn it up a bit?"
"No; the oil is gone," was the answer, after Dave had shaken the lantern to make certain of that fact.
"What will we do if we are left in the dark?"
"Hurry; I think we can reach that opening--if it is an opening."
They ran, and as they did so the lantern flickered up for the last time and went out. Then Dave stopped short and Roger clung to him.
"Don"t stop here, Dave!"
"I won"t--but we must go slow, or we"ll knock our heads on a rock or on the icicles."
They advanced with all the caution they could command. Each was filled with a nameless dread, for if there was no opening ahead what should they do? To go back the way they had come was next to impossible in the dark. A dozen steps, and both went down in a hollow, Roger rolling on top of his chum. The spot was like a huge washbowl, and all of the sides were covered with ice. They tried to scramble out, only to slip back over and over again.
"This is the limit!" cried Roger, desperately.
"If we---- Oh, wait!" He felt in his pocket.
"Hurrah!"
"What is it?"
"I"ve got five matches. I"m going to light one."
"Make it last as long as possible," was Dave"s advice.
The match was ignited and the boys gazed around the hollow. Dave found some bits of projecting rocks and pulled himself up, and Roger came behind, the match burning itself out in the meanwhile. Then they pushed on, until they presently came to an opening through which the snow came down.
"Out at last!" murmured Dave. "I am thankful for that!"
"We have reached the open air, but we are not out of our difficulty,"
returned the senator"s son. "I can"t see anything of the road, can you?"
"Not yet, but it must be somewhere in the neighborhood, for we went upward in the cave."
They had come out at a point where there was a small table-land, which the wind of the night before had swept almost clear of snow. Below was the valley and above them a patch of firs.
"That"s the forest," said Dave, pointing upward. "The road runs through there. I think the place where we took the tumble is over yonder."
"Let us call to the others again."
Once more they raised their voices, and from a distance came an answering call from Granbury Lapham.
"Where is he?" queried Roger. "I can"t see anything through this snow."
"Neither can I."
They called again, and at last made out that the Englishman was above them. Then they said they were going to try to get to him and commenced the struggle. It was a hard task, and took not only their strength but also their breath. They could not see the man, and it was only by continual calling they finally located him.
"We all took a great tumble, don"t you know!" cried Granbury Lapham.
"Were you hurt?"
"Not enough to mention," answered Dave. "Where is the sleigh driver?"
"He tried to stop the horses, I think. They ran away after the sleigh turned over. I wanted to help and the first thing I knew I went down, too."
"Do you know where the road is?" asked Roger. "Not far above us. But I slipped back several times trying to get to it."
Now was no time to compare notes, and all three started to ascend the mountain side to where they thought the road must be located. As they could not get up the icy slopes they pushed on to where there was a stunted growth of pines. Here, by clinging to one tree after another, they at last reached a point where trudging through the snow became comparatively easy.
"I got a pretty bad scare when I came down the mountain side," said Granbury Lapham, when they stopped to rest. "A bear came along not more than fifty feet in front of me."
"A bear!" cried the two boys, simultaneously.
"Yes, and a mighty big fellow, too, I can tell you."
"What did you do?"
"I felt for my pistol, but it was gone--I must have dropped it in the snow when I tumbled. At first I thought the beast would attack me, but he gave one look and then jumped away in the snow--and that"s the last I saw or heard of him."
Both of the boys felt instinctively for their weapons and were glad to learn that they were safe.
"I don"t want to see any bears," observed Dave. "All I want is to go on and join my father."