There, near the wall, lay four bodies, stretched on the ground--four corpses, perhaps! "James Starr!" exclaimed Sir William Elphiston.
"Harry! Harry!" cried Ryan, throwing himself down beside his friend.
It was indeed the engineer, Madge, Simon, and Harry Ford who were lying there motionless.

But one of the bodies moved slightly, and Madge's voice was heard faintly murmuring, "See to the others! help them first!" Sir William, Jack, and their companions endeavored to reanimate the engineer and his friends by getting them to swallow a few drops of brandy.

They very soon succeeded.

The unfortunate people, shut up in that dark cavern for ten days, were dying of starvation.

They must have perished had they not on three occasions found a loaf of bread and a jug of water set near them.