Yes, it was masonry, or if it was not masonry it was something
uncommonly like it. He drew the crow out of the hole, and, seizing the
shovel, commenced to dig again with renewed vigour. As he could no
longer conveniently throw the earth from the hole he took a "skep" or
leaf basket, which lay handy, and, placing it beside him, put as much
of the sandy soil as he could carry into it, and then lifting shot it
on the edge of the pit. For three-quarters of an hour he laboured thus
most manfully, till at last he came down on the stonework. He cleared
a patch of it and examined it attentively, by the light of the dark
lantern. It appeared to be rubble work built in the form of an arch.
He struck it with the iron crow and it gave back a hollow sound. There
was a cavity of some sort underneath.
His excitement and curiosity redoubled. By great efforts he widened
the spot of stonework already laid bare. Luckily the soil, or rather
sand, was so friable that there was very little exertion required to
loosen it. This done he took the iron crow, and inserting it beneath a
loose flat stone levered it up. Here was a beginning, and having got
rid of the large flat stone he struck down again and again with all
his strength, driving the sharp point of the heavy crow into the
rubble work beneath.
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