第11部分(第6/7 頁)

　assume　bodily　shape；　Jack　Ryan　was　obliged　to　confess　that　here　was　no　supernatural　being。　Then；　springing　forward；……

〃Courage；　rades！〃　he　exclaimed；　〃it　is　getting　tired！　We　shall　soon　catch　it　up　now；　and　if　it　can　talk　as　well　as　it　can　run　we　shall　hear　a　fine　story。〃

But　the　pursuit　had　suddenly　bee　more　difficult。　They　were　in　unknown　regions　of　the　mine；　narrow　passages　crossed　each　other　like　the　windings　of　a　labyrinth。　The　bearer　of　the　lamp　might　escape　them　as　easily　as　possible；　by　just　extinguishing　the　light　and　retreating　into　some　dark　refuge。

〃And　indeed；〃　thought　Sir　William；　〃if　it　wishes　to　avoid　us；　why　does　it　not　do　so？〃

Hitherto　there　had　evidently　been　no　intention　to　avoid　them；　but　just　as　the　thought　crossed　Sir　William's　mind　the　light　suddenly　disappeared；　and　the　party；　continuing　the　pursuit；　found　themselves　before　an　extremely　narrow　natural　opening　in　the　schistous　rocks。

To　trim　their　lamps；　spring　forward；　and　dart　through　the　opening；　was　for　Sir　William　and　his　party　but　the　work　of　an　instant。　But　before　they　had　gone　a　hundred　paces　along　this　new　gallery；　much　wider　and　loftier　than　the　former；　they　all　stopped　short。　There；　near　the　wall；　lay　four　bodies；　stretched　on　the　ground……　four　corpses；　perhaps！

〃James　Starr！〃　exclaimed　Sir　William　Elphiston。

〃Harry！ Harry！〃　cried　Ryan；　throwing　himself　down　beside　his　friend。

It　was　indeed　the　engineer；　Madge；　Simon；　and　Harry　Ford　who　were　lying　there　motionless。 But　one　of　the　bodies　moved　slightly；　and　Madge's　voice　was　heard　faintly　murmuring；　〃See　to　the　others！　help　them　first！〃

Sir　William；　Jack；　and　their　panions　endeavored　to　reanimate　the　engineer　and　his　friends　by　getting　them　to　swallow　a　few　drops　of　brand