“My man heard it, too, and stopped—about ten steps away.
“Of course, I knew what it meant, and praised God. But he was clearly alarmed, for he was holding his breath, and, I fancy, straining his ears. I know exactly how he felt, and, believe me, I don’t blame him.
“The bell rang again.
“A moment later I heard him begin to descend.
“Be sure I followed.
“Before I did so, I tested every bar. They were all the same size, nearly an inch thick, not very rusty: and not one of them would budge.
“Such plan as I now had was to follow him into the well. When he had been reassured by those at the top, I thought it more than likely that he would reenter the shaft and try once again to reach the chamber: but, whether he did or no, once I was in the well, I should be immeasurably better placed to deal with whatever arose, if for no other reason, because to occupy that shaft, yet not dwell upon its undesirability as a retreat is almost impossible.
“And here let me say that, treasure or no, I was immensely surprised to find that any one of the five could withstand its terrors so well. Of the ugly side of Nature that kind of man usually fights very shy. Ellis, for instance, would never have gone down the well. I knew it wasn’t Rose Noble, and Punter would have cursed: but, whichever of the others it was, he was a brave man, for, if the devil had not been driving, I wouldn’t have gone up that shaft without a light for any money.
“The fellow descended steadily, and I came down after as fast as I dared.
“At last I heard him touch water. Then he took a deep breath and floundered out of the shaft. By the time he was on the stage I was still ten steps up. The water had risen, for they had not thought to bail, and the stage was submerged.
“I made what haste I could, but I heard no colloquy. I imagine that he whistled, but, as I slid into the water, the windlass began to work; and, when I took hold of the stage and could look about me, I saw my man in midair, lantern and all.
“I did not know whether to be sorry or glad, but, what was much worse, I did not know what to think. What mystified me was their silence. This seemed unnatural, and I could think of no reason why they should take him up without a word.
“I had pulled myself on to the stage and was listening to the click of the ratchet and watching the lantern rise, when, all of a sudden, I heard the windlass stop.
“Then a shot was fired, and, after a moment, I heard a flurry of voices at the top of the well.
“I assumed that the servants had come to dispute possession of the windlass, and, generally, counter the attack; and I would have given a lot to be above ground: but, all the same, it struck me that, ill placed as I was, I would very much sooner be standing upon the stage than dangling from the end of the chain some forty feet up.
“I had just come to this conclusion when the man who was in midair expressed the same view: at least, from the apprehension with which he invested an oath, I gathered that he felt his position. And, directly I heard his voice, I knew who it was. And the knowledge, as you may imagine, gave me plenty of food for thought.
“So I stood very still and waited, with my eyes on the lantern and my back against the wall.”
That was as much as Mansel had to tell, and, since there was but one shot fired at that time, I can take up the story without a break, because I had just sat up and was trying to collect my wits, when I heard a cry and men running, and then the sound of a shot.
The moon had not yet risen, but I could make out the well and that I was sitting above it, half in and half out of the wood. My wrists were bound behind me, and my head was aching very much.
There were figures about the well, and I heard Rose Noble’s voice.
“Who fired?” he said. “We or they?”
“I did,” said Punter. “They saw me coming and ran.”
“Pardon me,” said Rose Noble: “they heard you. You don’t know how to move. How many were there?”
“Two,” said Punter. “Servants, I think; but it may have been the two pups.”
“That’s right,” said another voice. “They was busy crankin’ the well.”
Here one of them must have looked down and seen the light, for there was a cry of surprise, and then a buzz of exclamation, of which I could make no sense.
Then Rose Noble spoke again.
“Quite so,” he said. “Quite so. If there’s one down there, we’ve got him by the short hairs. And is that as far as you can see? Damn it,” he cried, “lift up your ⸻ eyes! Think! What are they doing by night down in this well? You may have a twist for sweet water, but—”
The rest of his sentence was drowned in a burst of appreciation of his discovery: and I never heard grown men so abandon themselves to their glee, for they shouted and stamped and laughed, like so many lunatics, and nothing that Rose Noble could do could bring them to order.
In the midst of the flurry another came running up, and then I heard Ellis’ voice.
As far as I could make out, they were now all five by the well, but, since they all continued to speak at once, I could hear nothing that was said.
Then Ellis was asked some question, and I heard his reply.
“I think they’re out,” he said. “There’s no light or sound. When I tried the door, a dog barked: but that was locked, and
