He
had no intention of using them, however, and he would not go back for
them.
When his scanty meal was done, he cautiously emptied a number of the
packages and rolled them into torches, and deliberated as to which of
the black openings he should attempt first.
That one opposite, out of which the dead man's legs sprawled
grotesquely, was the one by which he had entered. This one, then, near
which he sat, must run on towards the centre of the island--if it ran on
at all; and, since all were equally unknown and hopeful, he would try
this first.
His tarred paper torches, though they burned with a clear flame, gave
forth a somewhat pungent odour, so he kicked one of the small barrels to
pieces, and with three of the staves and a piece of string made a holder
which would carry the torch upright, and also permit him to lay it on
the ground or push it in front of him, if need be.
The first tunnel ran in about thirty feet, and then the slant of the
roof met the floor at so sharp an angle that further passage was
impossible.
The second, third, and fourth the same; and he began to fear they were
all blind alleys leading nowhere.
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