The light revealed a row of huge wine casks, that stretched away into the darkness of the other end of the long vault.

Curdie retreated into the recess of the stair, and peeping round the corner of it, watched him, thinking what he could do to prevent him from locking them in.

He came on and on, until curdie feared he would pass the recess and see them.

He was just preparing to rush out, and master him before he should give alarm, not in the least knowing what he should do next, when, to his relief, the man stopped at the third cask from where he stood.

He set down his light on the top of it, removed what seemed a large vent-peg, and poured into the cask a quantity of something from the flagon.