Contenting himself therefore with clearing out only the loose stones, he soon found plainly enough that he was working in a narrow space, around which was a circular wall of solid stone and lime.

The sound of running water was now clear enough, and the earth in the hole was very damp.

Sandy had now got down three or four feet below the level.
"It's an old well," he said.

"There can be no doubt of it." "Does it smell bad ?" asked Willie, peeping down disappointed.
"Not a bit," answered Sandy.
"Then it's not stagnant," said Willie.
"You might have told that by your ears without troubling your nose," said Sandy.

"Didn't you hear it running ?" "How can it be running when it's buried away down there ?" said Willie.
"How can it make a noise if it isn't running ?" retorted Sandy--to which question Willie attempted no reply.
It was now serious work to get the stones up, for Sandy's head only was above the level of the ground; it was all he could do to lift some of the larger ones out of the hole, and Willie saw that he must contrive to give him some help.