The chain was several feet in length, and made of short, stout welded links. The padlock, too, was a formidable affair, such as could not easily be broken, and Fritz did not have any keys with him. He was stuck for once, in not knowing how to proceed, and was just cogitating over what was best to do, when he noticed something that caused him to start. On glancing toward the rope-ladder, he perceived that it was moving! Some one was descending it! Did he remain here, discovery was inevitable, and discovery would probably destroy all possibility of rescuing Madge. These thoughts occurred to him like a flash. "'Sh! some one is coming, and I must hide!" he said to Madge, in a whisper; then he hurried softly across the chamber, into the dark passage, where he paused at a point where he could see without being seen. "I'll bet dot id vas der veller whose eye I blacked," he muttered. And, sure enough, he was right. A moment later, Major Atkins, _alias_ young Greyville, _alias_ Griffith Gregg, came down the ladder into the cavern, his eyes yet showing unmistakable evidence of the power of Fritz's shoulder-hits. "What the devil's all the noise down here?" he demanded, approaching the door of Madge's dungeon. "I thought I heard voices conversing." "You probably heard me singing, Sir Monster!" Madge retorted, sarcastically. "You know I am in good humor for vocalism." "The devil take you! It wasn't singing--it was talking I heard." "Ah! perhaps you heard me saying over threats of what I'll do, when I get free!" "Now, what will you do?" "I'll claw your eyes out--then I'll tie you and give you a thrashing with a bull-whip." "Bah! threaten what you like. I'll guarantee you'll remain here until I get your amiable dad's swag." "But you will never get it!" "Won't I? When you begin to rot in your dungeon, and your tongue hangs out of your mouth for want of food and water, I fancy you'll come to terms." "But I won't, though!" "Oh! we shall see. I won't argue with you. At the present moment I want to find out who it was I heard you conversing with!" And to her horror he made for the dark passage. Fritz, too, was considerably concerned, and began to make a rapid and stealthy retreat to the other chamber. On arriving there, another thing startled him. The tide had set in, and the hole in the face of the bluff was so nearly filled as to make escape with the boat impossible. CHAPTER X. A DIVE FOR LIFE. There was but one choice left for Fritz--that of standing his ground and meeting young Greyville boldly; for there was apparently no avenue of escape for him now. Consequently, with his revolver drawn, ready for use, he positioned himself at the water's edge, facing the aperture, and waited. He had not long to wait. In a few seconds Griffith Gregg--as we shall henceforth call him--came striding into the chamber, and uttered a violent oath at sight of Fritz.