Here, give me a piece of the rope, and I'll put it round my waist, then you can hold on by that and follow me.

I think I can recollect exactly how it goes." "Be quick!" said Mike, in an awe-stricken whisper, as he passed several yards of the rope to his companion in misfortune; and this Vince fastened round his waist, and then uttered an ejaculation.
"What is it ?" cried Mike: "don't say something else is wrong." "Wrong?
No," cried Vince, whose hands had come in contact with the creel: "I forgot the tinder-box." "Ah!" cried Mike joyfully; and he pressed close to Vince, as the latter sat down, took out the box, and began nicking away with the flint and steel, making the scintillating sparks flash and send their feeble light in all directions.
"Oh, do make haste!" panted Mike; "that dreadful roaring's coming nearer." "I can hear it," muttered Vince, as he kept on nicking; but not a spark took hold of the tinder.
"Here, let me try," cried Mike.
"No, not yet: I'll do it.

The tinder must have got damp." "Turn it over, then," cried Mike piteously.

"Oh, do make haste." Vince thrust his fingers into the tinder-box to follow out his companion's instructions, and uttered an impatient sound.
"What is it now ?" "Such an idiot!" cried Vince.

"I never took the tin off the top of the tinder." And so it was that after the disk, which damped out the sparks after a light had been obtained, was removed, the first blow of the flint on the steel sent down a shower, a couple of which caught at once, and were blown into an incandescent state, the match was applied, began to melt, and after a little trouble the sputtering candle once more burned brightly behind the semi-transparent horn, while the roaring sound did not now seem to be so loud.
"I say," said Vince, with a forced laugh, "isn't it easy to feel scared when you're in the dark ?" "Scared?
It was awful!" "But we're not going to give up till we've seen where the water runs ?" Mike remained silent.
"We must do what we meant to do ?" "Very well," said Mike, drawing a deep breath, which was followed by a gasp.
"Come on, then, and let's get it over." Setting his teeth firmly, Vince once more attacked the unknown, and came upon another sharp turn, where the water must have eddied round, and was reflected almost back upon itself, and then turned away, after another rounded hollow, almost at right angles.
Here the slope became a little more inclined, still not enough to make progress difficult; but as soon as the two windings had been passed, they knew that the goal they had marked out for themselves was at hand, for the noise suddenly became louder, and was unmistakably caused by water rushing over stones.
"Take care!" cried Mike warningly.