As he glanced into the gloom encircling him, he saw the faint outlines of a man's figure a few feet away. At the same time he perceived the entrance to a passage running off to his left. It was his only avenue of escape, and without stopping to think whether it might lead him to safety or into worse dangers, he darted along its course. "Help!" cried the man in pursuit of him. "Quick! that boy! He's gone this way!" While giving utterance to the exciting alarm, the speaker rushed upon the heels of Little Snap, who found the way so crooked and filled with bowlders that he could advance only with great difficulty. The cries of his pursuers were quickly answered by the others, and then the fugitive heard the entire party in pursuit of him. The foremost almost within reach of him, the postboy continued his flight as rapidly as possible, at one time actually feeling the hand of his enemy on his shoulder, as he ran against one of the rocks often blocking his way. But gliding around the obstruction, he succeeded in eluding his pursuer. For several yards he found a clearer course, while a faint halo of light filled the underground place. The cause of this was explained in a moment, when he came upon the opening in the rocky passage discovered by him in his search for the Raggles. Unable to cross this chasm, he suddenly found his flight cut off! Feeling sure of their victim now, with renewed cries, the outlaws rushed to effect his capture. Little Snap's first thought was that he was fairly caught! But no sooner had he recognized the spot than a desperate resolution entered his mind, and he felt no hesitation in carrying it out. Ab Raggles had said that the water at the bottom of the fissure formed an underground stream leading to the valley below, and that he and his sons had followed it without trouble to safety. Why could not he do the same? Wild cries came from his pursuers, as they saw him keep on to the very brink of the abyss without checking his speed. Then, to their greater amazement, they saw him plunge into the opening, to disappear instantly from their sight. "Let th' fool go!" said Bird Burrnock. "He's saved us a heap o' trouble in lookin' after him. He's out o' our way sure nough now." The fall to the water was greater than Little Snap had expected, and he was nearly deprived of his breath by the force with which he struck the subterranean river. But he quickly recovered himself, and as the current was not swift, he was soon swimming along with the tide at a leisurely rate. The stream was nearly straight, and the postboy had not gone far before a streak of daylight told him that he was nearing its outlet. The mouth of the river seemed to be in the midst of the Greenbrier, and so completely was the smaller stream swallowed up by the larger that, excepting a slight increase in the current, there was no sign of the addition of water.