who had preceded them.
Probably one hundred and fifty steps more were descended, and then they reached a wide passage.
“Come,” said Leo, leading the way. “We have struck level traveling at last.”
The swamp explorers had not proceeded over three hundred yards, before they saw daylight ahead.
It seemed rather strange that it should be daylight, but it was, nevertheless.
With all possible speed they hastened along the passage.
Two hundred yards more and a wonderful sight met their gaze.
They were emerging into a vast tract of country many feet below the earth’s crust.
In front of them was the beginning of a long crack, which extended a couple of miles or more, and all along the edges of this the water streamed down in the form of a cascade of unlimited extent.
The sunlight came in through the crack, which was probably a quarter of a mile in width, and lighted up the place.
All sorts of vegetation flourished on the place beneath the opening above; but beyond this our friends could perceive nothing on account of the falling water and the mist arising from the streams in which it fell.
“Wonderful!” exclaimed the professor.
“Darned if it ain’t wonderful,” assented Haypole.
“Who ever imagined that such a place as this existed?” said Leo.
“We are now under the great Everglades of Florida. It remains for us to find out what sort of place it is,” spoke up Dick Vincey.
“I agree with you there,” returned Prof. Easy. “Come, let us be moving. It is strange what has become of the man and dog and their pursuer.”
They stepped off to the left, and kept walking until they emerged from the mist, which seemed to settle back on either side of the opening.
As they left it behind them they saw that only a sort of twilight prevailed in and about the underground place.
Then a startling thing occurred.
A body of men suddenly appeared from the numerous galleries, to be seen on their left, and rushed toward them.
There must have been fully a hundred of them, and all were attired in long gowns of some dark-colored material, and were barefooted and without any head covering.
The strange horde had the appearance of Turks, both in manner and looks.
The moment Leo and Dick beheld them, they placed their rifles to their shoulders.
Their action was quickly followed by their companions, and then Leo exclaimed:
“Halt! We mean you no harm!”
But the command was entirely disregarded. The crowd of men rushed at them with a quicker pace, if possible, brandishing spears and bows and arrows.
When within about fifty feet of the intruders, they came to a sudden halt and sent a flight of arrows at them.
One of these found lodgment in the fleshy part of Martin Haypole’s leg, and another went through the crown of the professor’s hat.
Leo and Dick thought it high time for them to act.
Dropping to their knees, they began firing into the ranks of the queerly attired strangers.
Crack! crack!
The reports rang out in rapid succession, and at almost every shot a man fell.
At first they seemed to be staggered and amazed, but they soon rallied and answered the rifle shots, by another flight of arrows.
It now behooved our friends to look for a place of cover.
A few yards distant was the mouth of a gallery or passage, and at the command of Leo Malvern they rushed for this with all possible speed.
The inhabitants of the underground place came after them with all their might, uttering, for the first time, loud yells of triumph.
“Hurry up!” cried Dick; “if we can reach the mouth of that passage we’ll give ’em fits.”
The arrows kept flying all around them, and Lucky, the darky, was wounded in the arm.
A minute more and the spot was reached in safety.
“Now!” exclaimed Leo, “give it to them! Everybody fire as fast as he can.”
The next instant five rifles began sending a veritable hailstorm of bullets.
Down went seven or eight of the savage barbarians, as the professor chose to term them, and several more began hopping about like mad from the wounds they had received.
Leo expected to see them turn and flee now, since he and his companions had reached a place where they could most likely hold their own.
But no! They kept on shooting their arrows, which, by the way, did our friends not the least bit of harm, as they had crouched behind a huge bowlder.
But in spite of the determined stand our friends made, they were doomed to defeat.
Suddenly they heard a pattering of feet behind them, and, on turning, beheld a crowd of the savages coming through the passage.
They were between two fires!
CHAPTER V.
THE DANCE OF DEATH
“God help us!” exclaimed Prof. Easy, as he saw the strange inhabitants of the underground place rushing for them from both front and rear.
But “God helps those who help themselves,” and both Leo Malvern and Dick Vincey were fully aware of this. They made up their minds that they would not be killed or captured until they had used every effort to drive away their enemies.
Brave, young fellows! But what could they hope to accomplish against such fearful odds?
Martin Haypole was the only man they had to stick to them now, as both the professor and Lucky at once threw down their weapons when they observed the horde approaching through the passage.
“Keep on firing!” shouted Leo, “and when they close on us use your revolvers.”
“No – no!” replied the professor; “let us surrender. It is the best thing to do, I think.”
“Never!” exclaimed Dick, and his reply was echoed by his cousin and the intrepid Yankee.
Nearer approached the swarming savages, and presently our friends were hemmed in from all possible means of escape.
It seemed that every man that fell had two or three to take his place.
At length there was a combined rush from all quarters, and the swamp explorers were forced to the ground and made prisoners.
This caused their hopes to rise a trifle.
They
