“But one sacred duty calls to us from heaven, my fellow citizens. Already I see in your glorious faces that you behold the duty. Then forward, patriots! To the plaza, and let us tear down, let us destroy by fire, let us annihilate the statue of the dastard Megales which defaces our fair city. Citizens, to your patriotic duty!” Another wild yell rang skyward, and at once the fringes of the crowd began to vanish plazaward, its centre began to heave, its flanks to stir. Three minutes later the grounds of the palace were again dark and empty. The Irishman’s oratory had won the day. CHAPTER XV. IN THE SECRET CHAMBER The escaping party groped its way along the passage in the wall, down a rough, narrow flight of stone steps to a second tunnel, and along this underground way for several hundred yards. Since he was the only one familiar with the path they were traversing, the governor took the lead and guided the others. At a distance of perhaps an eighth of a mile from the palace the tunnel forked. Without hesitation, Megales kept to the right. A stone’s throw beyond this point of divergence there began to be apparent a perceptible descent which terminated in a stone wall that blocked completely the way. Megales reached up and put his weight on a rope suspended from the roof. Slowly the solid masonry swung on a pivot, leaving room on either side for a person to squeeze through. The governor found it a tight fit, as did also Gabilonda. “I was more slender last time I passed through there. It has been several years since then,” said the governor, giving his daughter a hand to assist her through. They found themselves in a small chamber fitted up as a living room in a simple way. There were three plain chairs, a bed, a table, and a dresser, as well as a cooking stove. “This must be close to the prison. We have been coming in that direction all the time. It is strange that it could be so near and I not know of it,” said the warden, looking around curiously. Megales smiled. “I am the only person alive that knew of the existence of this room or of the secret passage until half an hour ago. I had it built a few years since by Yaquis when I was warden of the prison. The other end, the one opening from the palace, I had finished after I became governor.” “But surely the men who built it know of its existence.” Again Megales smiled. “I thought you knew me better, Carlo. The Yaquis who built this were condemned raiders. I postponed their execution a few months while they were working on this. It was a convenience both to them and to me.” “And is also a convenience to me,” smiled Carlo, who was beginning to recover from his terror. “But I don’t quite understand yet how we are to get out of here except by going back the way we came,” said Gabilonda.