And then what would they find?
They had breakfast, and ate just as much as ever.
Then Julian picked up the axe they had brought and took everyone to the flight of steps.
Tim went too, wagging his tail, but not really feeling very pleased at the thought of going down into the queer places where other dogs seemed to bark, and yet were not to be found.
Poor Tim would never understand echoes!
They all went down underground again. And then, of course, they couldn't find the way to the wooden door!
It was most tiresome.
"We shall lose our way all over again," said George, desperately.
"These dungeons are about the most rambling spread-out maze of underground caves I've ever known!
We shall lose the entrance again too!"
Julian had a bright idea.
He had a piece of white chalk in his pocket, and he took it out. He went back to the steps, and marked the wall there.
Then he began to put chalk-marks along the passages as they walked in the musty darkness.
They came to the well, and Julian was pleased.
"Now," he said, "whenever we come to the well we shall at least be able to find the way back to the steps, because we can follow my chalk-marks.
Now the thing is— which is the way next?
We'll try and find it and I'll put chalk-marks along the walls here and there— but if we go the wrong way and have to come back, we'll rub out the marks, and start again from the well another way."
This was really a very good idea.
They did go the wrong way, and had to come back, rubbing out Julian's marks. They reached the well, and set off in the opposite direction.
And this time they did find the wooden door!
There it was, stout and sturdy, its old iron nails rusty and red.
The children stared at it in delight.
Julian lifted his axe.
Crash!
He drove it into the wood and round about the keyhole.
But the wood was still strong, and the axe only went in an inch or two.
Julian drove it in once more.
The axe hit one of the big nails and slipped a little to one side.
A big splinter of wood flew out— and struck poor Dick on the cheek!
He gave a yell of pain.
Julian jumped in alarm, and turned to look at him.
Dick's cheek was pouring with blood!
"Something flew out of the door and hit me," said poor Dick.
"It's a splinter, or something."
"Golly!" said Julian, and he shone his torch on to Dick.
"Can you bear it a moment if I pull the splinter out?
It's a big one, and it's still sticking into your poor cheek."
But Dick pulled it out himself.
He made a face with the pain, and then turned very white.
"You'd better get up into the open air for a bit," said Julian.
"And we'll have to bathe your cheek and stop it bleeding somehow.
Anne's got a clean hanky.
We'll bathe it and dab it with that.
We brought some water with us, luckily."
"I'll go with Dick," said Anne. "You stay here with George.
There's no need for us all to go."
But Julian thought he would like to see Dick safely up into the open air first, and then he could leave him with Anne while he went back to George and went on with the smashing down of the door.
He handed the axe to George.
"You can do a bit of chopping while I'm gone," he said.
"It will take some time to smash that big door in.