But as I hurried in the direction whence
her voice sounded, I was startled by a loud and piercing scream
which filled the cavern and re-echoed through the empty corridors.
For a moment I fancied it was the shrieking of some monster
inhabitant of the cave and was about to beat a retreat when I heard
my name called again.
"Halcro! Halcro! Help! help!"
And then the whole place was in utter darkness, and I heard nothing
but the dying echoes, and a strange purling of running water.
I made my way as speedily as I could to where I had last seen the
lighted torch, and as I got further and further into the cave, the
sound of running water grew more distinct, until I heard it just at
my feet. It was not the singing ripple of a shallow rivulet, but
the sonorous sound of a deep stream that, so far as I could make
out, ran athwart the cavern. I went down on my knees and put my
hand in the water to feel which direction it took, for I did not
now doubt that my companion had fallen in, and was even now
struggling somewhere in the dark water that was rushing past me.
My first impulse was to throw myself into the stream and swim about
until I found her, but this I considered would be vain, and I tried
to first find where she was by getting her if possible to answer
me. I called her several times by name, at the same time following,
as well as I could in the darkness, the direction taken by the
current.
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