Leaving the sentence unfinished, he drew the pick from his sling bag and began an assault on the wall. The barrier was solid enough, but after he had worked a hole in it, he took up the sledgehammer and quicker progress was made. Once I offered to take up the sledge while he held the torch but he only shook his head and went on with his work of demolition. All this time the young Earl had not spoken a word. As I looked at his tense white face, I felt sorry for him, in spite of my own mounting trepidation. Abruptly there was silence as the Factor lowered the sledgehammer. I saw that a good two feet of the lower wall remained. William Cowath bent to inspect it. "Strong enough," he commented cryptically. "I will leave that to build on. We can step over it." For a full minute he stood looking silently into the blackness beyond. Finally, shouldering his bag, he took the torch from my hand and stepped over the ragged base of the wall. We followed suit. As I entered that chamber, the fetid odor which I had noticed in the passage seemed to overwhelm us. It washed around us in a nauseating wave and we all gasped for breath. The Factor spoke between coughs. "It will subside in a minute or two. Stand near the aperture." Although the reek remained repellently strong, we could at length breathe more freely. William Cowath lifted his torch and peered into the black depths of the chamber. Fearfully, I gazed around his shoulder. There was no sound and at first I could see nothing but nitre-encrusted walls and wet stone floor. Presently, however, in a far corner, just beyond the flickering halo of the faggot torch, I saw two tiny fiery spots of red. I tried to convince myself that they were two red jewels, two rubies, shining in the torchlight. But I knew at once--I _felt_ at once--what they were. They were two red eyes and they were watching us with a fierce unwavering stare. The Factor spoke softly. "Wait here." He crossed toward the corner, stopped halfway and held out his torch at arm's length. For a moment he was silent. Finally he emitted a long shuddering sigh. When he spoke again, his voice had changed. It was only a sepulchral whisper. "Come forward," he told us in that strange hollow voice. I followed Earl Frederick until we stood at either side of the Factor. When I saw what crouched on a stone bench in that far corner, I felt sure that I would faint. My heart literally stopped beating for perceptible seconds. The blood left my extremities; I reeled with dizziness. I might have cried out, but my throat would not open.