"Shall I go up ?" "Ay!" I returned hopefully, glad I had restrained the impatience of my tongue.

"But try each rung before you venture stepping on it; they may prove rotten and give way beneath your weight." He swung himself up, after carefully tucking in his robe about the waist, but the ladder creaked so alarmingly beneath his tread I durst not venture my heavier weight upon it until he had safely reached the top.

Finally the noise of his climbing ceased, and I could hear a board move high above me.
"Are you up safe ?" I questioned in a low voice.
"All safe, praise be to God," came the cautious response; "but thou wilt do well, friend, to exercise grave care, as the way is bad." It required brief exploration to convince us that this second story possessed a strong, firm floor, although there remained some danger of there being traps in it for the hoisting of cotton, while the boards might not extend over the entire surface.

By this time, however, our eyes had grown somewhat accustomed to the intense blackness enveloping us, so the slightest change in the prevailing gloom became quickly apparent.

The air was so fresh and pure, with such a taste of the night in it, I became convinced there must be an opening somewhere close at hand, and whispered the suggestion to my companion.