After a wearisome crawl I touched the wall of the cavern, and standing
upright I debated for a moment whether I should move to the right or the
left. I had no definite idea as to the position of the opening through
which we had entered the place, and I dreaded the weary circuit of the
cavern which I would be compelled to make if I turned in the wrong
direction. It was possible that the corridor was within a few yards of
me, and if I turned away from it I might get lost in other passages
leading to the long gallery where the dance of death had taken place.
I decided to move to the right, and with one hand upon the cold wall I
stumbled forward. If Holman was still a prisoner, Edith Herndon and her
sister were entirely unprotected, and my tormenting imagination made me
throw prudence to the winds. I had to reach the camp before Leith or any
of his evil bodyguard arrived, and, becoming reckless of the terrors of
the dark, I ran blindly in my desperate desire to find the path into the
open air.
I cannoned into a man who was standing with his back to the wall of the
cave, and before I could lift my arm his fingers had gripped my throat.
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