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By and by Tom said: “Sh! Did you hear that?” Both held their breath and
listened. There was a sound like the faintest, far-off shout. Instantly Tom
answered it, and leading Becky by the hand, started groping down the corridor
in its direction. Presently he listened again; again the sound was heard, and
apparently a little nearer.

“It’s them!” said Tom; “they’re coming! Come along, Becky-we’re all right
now!” The joy of the prisoners was almost overwhelming. Their speed was slow,
however, because pitfalls were somewhat common, and had to be guarded
against. They shortly came to one and had to stop. It might be three feet deep, it
might be a hundred-there was no passing it, at any rate. Tom got down on his
breast and reached as far down as he could. No bottom. They must stay there
and wait until the searchers came. They listened; evidently the distant shoutings
were growing more distant! a moment or two more and they had gone
altogether. The heartsinking misery of it! Tom whooped until he was hoarse, but
it was of no use.

He talked hopefully to Becky; but an age of anxious waiting passed and no
sounds came again.

The children groped their way back to the spring. The weary time dragged on;
they slept again, and awoke famished and woe-stricken. Tom believed it must be
Tuesday by this time.

Now an idea struck him. There were some side passages near at hand. It would
be better to explore some of these than bear the weight of the heavy time in
idleness. He took a kite-line from his pocket, tied it to a projection, and he and
Becky started, Tom in the lead, unwinding the line as he groped along. At the
end of twenty steps the corridor ended in a “jumping-off place.” Tom got down
on his knees and felt below, and then as far around the corner as he could reach
with his hands conveniently; he made an effort to stretch yet a little further to
the right, and at that moment, not twenty yards away, a human hand, holding a
candle, appeared from behind a rock! Tom lifted up a glorious shout, and
instantly that hand was followed by the body it belonged to-Injun Joe’s! Tom
was paralyzed; he could not move. He was vastly gratified, the next moment, to
see the “Spaniard” take to his heels and get himself out of sight. Tom wondered
that Joe had not recognized his voice and come over and killed him for testifying
in court. But the echoes must have disguised the voice. Without doubt, that was
it, he reasoned.

Tom’s fright weakened every muscle in his body. He said to himself that if he
had strength enough to get back to the spring he would stay there, and nothing
should tempt him to run the risk of meeting Injun Joe again. He was careful to
keep from Becky what it was he had seen. He told her he had only shouted “for
luck.”

But hunger and wretchedness rise superior to fears in the long run. Another
tedious wait at the spring and another long sleep brought changes. The children
awoke tortured with a raging hunger. Tom believed that it must be Wednesday
or Thursday or even Friday or Saturday, now, and that the search had been