The Hall of the Goblin Palace A sound of many soft feet followed, but soon ceased.

Then Curdie flew at the hole like a tiger, and tore and pulled.

The sides gave way, and it was soon large enough for him to crawl through.

He would not betray himself by rekindling his lamp, but the torches of the retreating company, which he found departing in a straight line up a long avenue from the door of their cave, threw back light enough to afford him a glance round the deserted home of the goblins.

To his surprise, he could discover nothing to distinguish it from an ordinary natural cave in the rock, upon many of which he had come with the rest of the miners in the progress of their excavations.