When we last left our intrepid explorers, they were trapped in the dark with Foulata's dead body, her murderer (Gagool) squished under the fallen stone door. At first they try shouting, hoping that someone- somehow- will hear them, but they eventually give this up as there is no response and it's making them need water more often. As they sit in the dark, propped against the chests of riches, the irony is not lost on Quatermain that they are in possession of a king's ransom in gold and jewels, which is useless now to them and which they'd gladly exchange for a chance at life. Quatermain admits that he and Good give way to despair but that Sir Henry maintains a very British stiff upper lip, advising them to pray and not abandon hope. Suddenly it occurs to Quatermain that, though they've been trapped in this chamber for many hours, the air is not getting thin or even becoming stale. This means that fresh air is somehow getting into the chamber, and that means an opening of some sort. The three men start feeling around the room in the dark until, after about an hour, Captain Good calls out that he feels a draft coming from one of the floor stones. Quatermain strikes one of the few remaining matches and in the flare of light, they see an inset stone ring, like a handle. It takes the combined strength of all three of them pulling on the ring, but eventually the floor stone lifts, revealing a stone stairwell. Excited, the three men prepare to head down the steps. Quatermain gathers up what little food and water rations they have left; there is, he realises, plenty of room in the almost empty basket to stuff a lot of gold and jewels. He proceeds to do so, then also fills his coat and trouser pockets. He suggests the others might want to do the same, but Sir Henry doesn't care about them and just wants to leave their stone prison, while Captain Good is quietly saying a last good-bye to the loyal unto death Foulata. They then head cautiously down the dark stairwell, finding themselves in a narrow tunnel at the bottom of it. They are perplexed as to which direction they should go, but determine which direction the air is coming from by the blowing of another of Quatermain's matches. They head in that direction but are soon very confused and lost because they find themselves in a convoluted maze of tunnels, which are the mine works. After some hours of fruitless searching, the men pause, exhausted and discouraged, and consume the last of their food and water. As they silently contemplate their likely demise, Quatermain suddenly hears a faint sound and realises that it's running water. Taking heart, the men head for the sound and soon find themselves at an underground river. Here they refresh themselves, drinking and washing, then head off again in search of a way out. Before long, Sir Henry sees a glimmer of light and, in a tunnel so small and narrow that they have to creep along on their hands and knees, they find a tiny hole no bigger than a small window which leads to the outside world. They squeeze through and find themselves under the starry night sky, barely having a moment's relief before the loose ground gives way under their feet and all three go tumbling downhill, landing in a heap some distance below. Quatermain has managed to hold on to the basket of riches, though some have spilled out. He hears Sir Henry yelling and finds him in the dark; they soon find Captain Good: he took a worse pummeling than they had and was unconscious, though they soon revive him. Incredulous and overjoyed that they've managed to escape the mines which almost became their tomb, the three men sit and wait for first light, watching the magnificent sunrise over the mountain peaks.
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