Then all was blacker than before.

The ghost vanished in the darkness.

Roland dashed after him, changing his other pistol from the left hand to the right.

But short as his stop had been, the ghost had gained ground.
Roland saw him at the end of the passage, this time distinctly outlined against the gray background of the night.

He redoubled his pace, and as he crossed the threshold of the passage, he fancied that the ghost was plunging into the bowels of the earth.