Thatcher broke down crying.

The awful news spread fast. In half an hour, two hundred men were at McDougal’s cave! They brought along food and a large supply of candles. They searched and searched the cave. But they didn’t find Tom and Becky.

Tom and Becky were lost in the cave. They had talked and walked without looking where they were going. When it was time to meet the others, they couldn’t find their way back.

“Oh, Tom, we didn’t mark our trail!” cried Becky.

Tom was scared. He knew he didn’t know the way out. There were too many tunnels in the cave.

“The passages are all mixed up, Becky!” said Tom. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be stuck here. We better burn one candle and save the other for later.”

“We never, never will get out of this awful place,” cried Becky. “We’ll die here!”

The children sat down. The short candle glowed. Bats flew through the shadows the light made. Becky was tired from fear and soon fell asleep.

Tom listened to the dripping of water in the cave. He watched Becky’s face. He didn’t know what to do. How would they ever find their way home?

Chapter Eleven
Found!

A few hours later Becky woke up. She was starving but eager to look for a way out of the cave.

Tom had a piece of cake left from the picnic.

“I wish it was as big as a barrel,” he said. “But something’s better than nothing.” He divided the cake, and they ate.

They started to walk again. Once in a while Tom gave a shout. The cave walls threw his voice back a dozen times. It sounded as if someone were laughing at them!

“Don’t, Tom,” said Becky. “It sounds so terrible.”

“Someone might hear us, Becky,” Tom said, and he gave another shout.

Tom and Becky walked hand in hand. They didn’t know which way to go. They just kept walking.

Tom tried to guess how much time had gone by. Had they been in the cave for two hours or two days? Time seemed to be standing still.

Suddenly there was a spring at their feet. They both drank some water.

“I have to tell you something, Becky,” said Tom. “Don’t get upset.”

Becky’s face was pale. Her eyes were big with fear.

“Our last candle will soon be gone,” said Tom. “We have to stay by this spring.