"Do you know where she goes?"
"No."
"Then you never went with her."
"I went once, but papa does not like to have me go out."
"Let us go about a little."
The boy was quite ready to accept any suggestion from Ernest. So he took his hand and they went from the main room farther into the cavern.
Ernest found that only the portion near the entrance had been furnished. Beyond, there was a large amount of empty s.p.a.ce. Here and there a small light revealed trunks and boxes, arranged without regard to regularity. These, Ernest conjectured, contained stolen articles which had acc.u.mulated during the years in which the dreaded outlaws had been a power and a menace in the neighborhood.
It occurred to him that he would like to open some of these boxes, but the companionship of the boy prevented.
He ventured to ask, however, "What is in those boxes, Frank?"
"I don"t know. Something of papa"s and Uncle John"s."
As they kept on they reached parts of the cavern which were quite empty. The Fox brothers were in the position of householders who occupied a house too large for their needs.
By and by the lamps ceased, and the portion farther on looked dark and gloomy.
"I am afraid to go any farther, Ernest," said the boy.
"Why, Frank? What are you afraid of?"
"There may be wild animals there."
"But how could they live there?"
"I don"t know, but papa told me there were some."
Ernest understood why the boy had been told this. It was to prevent his going too far. But it made Ernest all the more eager to continue his explorations.
"Even if there were any wild animals I would protect you, Frank. I would not let them hurt you."
"But we may not find our way back. It is so dark," said the child with a shudder.
"I won"t go farther. But, see, it seems to be lighter."
It was at a point fifty feet farther on.
Through a rift in the roof a gleam of light entered the cavern.
Ernest was anxious to trace this, for, as he judged, it came from some outlet, through which he might possibly obtain deliverance.
"Stay where you are," he said. "I will just go forward, and see what I can."
"Don"t stay long," entreated Frank, nervously.
"No, I won"t."
Ernest was just as well pleased to go forward alone, for if there was really, as he supposed, an outlet, it was as well that Frank should not have his attention drawn to it lest he should speak of it to his father, and so reveal the fact of their explorations. This might excite the suspicion of James Fox and put a stop to their further walks.
Continuing on alone, Ernest then saw, perhaps fifteen feet above him, an opening some three feet in diameter, through which he could obtain a glimpse of the clear sky far above.
It made his heart beat with exultation and longing. There was freedom, if he could only manage somehow to lift himself up to the outlet and make his way through it.
"What is it, Ernest?" asked Frank. "Come back. I am afraid."
"Oh, it is nothing," answered Ernest, with studied indifference. "It isn"t anything you would care to see."
The little boy accepted this a.s.surance, for he did not feel the interest that excited Ernest.
"Let us go back," he said, as he resumed his clasp of Ernest"s hand.
"Yes, we will go back. Have you ever been as far as this before?"
"No."
"Then we had better not say anything about it. Your papa might not like it."
"All right, Ernest. Will you read to me when you go back?"
"Yes, Frank."
Ernest was glad to comply with the little boy"s request, as he thought he might in this way put the thoughts of their exploration out of his mind.
They were fortunate enough to get back without exciting the attention of Juba, who was busy in the kitchen.
Her work, however, was soon over, and she brought her sewing into the room where the two boys were seated. The garment on which she was engaged seemed to be a dress of rough cloth.
"Well, Ma.s.sa Frank, what am you doing?"
"Ernest is reading to me. Why don"t you ever read to me, Juba?"
"O lor", chile, you know I can"t read."
"But why can"t you read? You"re old enough."
"Yes, honey, I"m old enough, but I never had no chance to learn."
"Why didn"t you?" persisted Frank. "Didn"t you go to school when you was little?"
"No, chile, never went to school. They didn"t have no schools where I was raised."
"Where was that?"