Immediately beneath, too, were
socket-holes in which the ends of beams still remained, suggesting that
here had been a floor or platform. It was while he was examining these
rotted beams that insensibility overcame him. He added that he thought
that this might be the entrance to the place where the gold was hidden.
"If so," said Mr. Clifford, "hidden it must remain, since it can have no
better guardian than bad air. Also, floors like that are common in all
wells to prevent rubbish from falling into the water, and the stonework
you saw probably was only put there by the ancients to mend a fault in
the rock and prevent the wall from caving in."
"I hope so," said Meyer, "since unless that atmosphere purifies a good
deal I don't think that even I dare go down again, and until one gets
there, of that it is difficult to be sure, though of course a lantern on
a string will tell one something."
This was the end of their first attempt. The search was not renewed
until the following afternoon, when Meyer had recovered a little from
the effects of the poisoning and the chafing of the hide ropes beneath
his arms. Indeed, from the former he never did quite recover, since
thenceforward Benita, who for her own reasons watched the man closely,
discovered a marked and progressive change in his demeanour.
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