It all took place in a single instant. At one moment Joey and he were balancing one each end of the board, at the next Ferris had pulled her away, Gerald was crashing and stamping in the vain effort to regain his lost poise; and even as Ferris, hampered by the displaced planks, sprang to help him he was gone, and the place echoed to Joey's screams. Gaunt, whose back had been turned to the scene, sprang up and realised instantly what had happened. In that same instant, like a flash, he saw what he must do. His chance had come to him, one in a thousand. In that same heart-beat he knew that he did not want to go--that never in all his existence had he loved life as he loved it now. There was, however, not a moment for delay. None of the workmen were with them in the small cave; they were alone. A few minutes' hesitation might be fatal to the victim. Gaunt turned away from Virginia without looking at her, moved rapidly along a plank, took the rope which the workmen had left ready for a descent, and began to fasten it to his own body. "Gaunt--no!" Ferris, who had stood for a moment paralysed like a man distraught, without moving or speaking, leapt at him. "He is dead; he must be. Don't fling away your life. It's not only the bad air, it's the depth; these places go down nobody knows how deep!" "One can but try," was the reply, as Gaunt completed the swift knotting of the rope. "Listen to me!" he said, laying his hand upon the shaking Percy's nerveless arm, and speaking quietly and naturally with the intention of calming the other's hysteria. "Summon the men--get another rope. If I find him, I will signal by three tugs for you to pull him up. Do you understand?" "Let--let one of the men go down," shrieked Ferris wildly. "There isn't time. Virginia!" He raised his voice a little, and the white, still girl started. "Crawl out at once and summon the men--as many as you can. Then send Ransom with the car for Dr. Dymock. Can you hear me?" "Yes, I am going." That was all. So he dismissed her, so he flung love and life away from him out of the struggle. He sat upon the edge of the hole, his electric torch fixed upon his chest, the rope about his middle, and began to tie a handkerchief over his mouth. "Don't go--don't go; he's dead by now. Oh, can't somebody come? Help! Help!" cried Ferris distractedly. "Your fault, confound you!" he shrieked to the trembling, ashy Joey. "Silence, Ferris; I think he is calling!"... Percy's cries ceased abruptly, and in the sudden pause a moan came up to them from the echoing depths. In another instant Gaunt had disappeared.