Mike shrank from attempting to penetrate farther into the narrow hole;
but Vince's determination was contagious, and, in obedience to a jog of
the elbow, he followed his companion, as, with the lanthorn held high
enough for him to look under, the cudgel in his right-hand, he began to
wade on, finding that the passage twisted about a little, very much as
the tunnel formed by the stream did--of course following the vein of
mineral which had once existed, and had gradually decayed away.
To their great delight, the water, at the end of fifty yards or so, was
decidedly shallower; the walls, which had been almost covered with sea
anemones, dotted like lumps of reddish green and drab jelly, only showed
here, in company with live shells, a few inches above the water, which
now, as they waded on, kept for a little distance of the same depth, and
then suddenly widened out.
Vince stopped there, and held up the lanthorn, to see the darkness
spread all around and the light gleaming from the water, which had
spread into a good-sized pool.
"Mind!" cried Mike excitedly: "there's something coming."
He turned to hurry back, but Vince stood firm, with his cudgel raised;
and the force of example acted upon Mike, who turned towards him,
grasping the conger bat firmly, as the light showed some large creature
swimming, attracted by the light.
But the boys did not read it in that way. Their interpretation was that
the creature was coming to attack them; and, waiting till it was within
reach, Vince suddenly leaned forward and struck at it with all his
might.
The blow only fell upon the water, making a sharp splash; for the lad's
movement threw the lanthorn forward, and the sudden dart towards the
animal of a glaring object was enough. The creature made the water
surge and eddy as it struck it with its powerful tail, and went off with
a tremendous rush, raising a wave as it went, and sending a great ring
around to the sides of the expanded cavern, the noise of the water
lapping against the walls being plainly heard.
This incident startled, but at the same time encouraged the lads, for it
gave them a feeling of confidence in their own power; but as soon as
they recommenced their advance, there was another shock,--something
struck against Vince's leg, and in spite of his effort at self-command
he uttered a cry.
There was no real cause for alarm, though; and they grasped the fact
that the blow was struck by one of a shoal of large fish, or congers,
making a rush to escape the enemies who had invaded their solitude, and
in the flurry one of them had struck against the first object in its
way. "I'm sure they were congers," whispered Mike. "I felt one of them
seem to twist round me."
"Never mind: they're gone," replied Vince. "Come on. I fancy there
must be a rocky shore farther on, as it's so shallow here, and it's all
sand under foot."
"Not all: I've put my feet on rock several times," whispered Mike.
"Well, that doesn't matter. There's plenty of sand. Look out!"
There was a tremendous splashing in front, and the water came surging by
them, while they noticed now that the sides of the place were once more
closing in as they advanced.
"Shall we go back?" said Vince; for the sudden disturbance in front,
evidently the action of large animals, or fish, had acted as a check to
him as well as his companion.
Mike was silent for a few moments. Then he said hoarsely: "I'll stick
to you, Cinder, and do what you do."
"Then come on," said the boy, who felt a little ashamed of his feeling
of dread.
"Can't be sharks, can it?" whispered Mike, as, in addition to the
lapping and sucking noises made by the water, there was a peculiar
rustling and panting.
"Sharks, in a cave like this? No. They're seals, I'm sure, four or
five of them, and they've backed away from us till they've got to the
end. Hark! Don't you hear? There is a sort of shore there, and they
are crawling about."
He waded forward two or three steps, holding up the light as high as he
could; but the feeble rays, half quenched by the thin, dull horn, did
not penetrate the gloom, and at last, as the strange noises went on, the
boy lowered the lanthorn, opened the door, and turned the light in the
direction just before them.
They saw something then, for pairs of eyes gleamed at them out of the
darkness, seen vividly for a moment or two, and disappearing, to gleam
again, like fiery spots, somewhere else.
Mike wanted to ask if they really were seals; but in spite of a brave
effort to be firm, his voice failed him, the surroundings were so
strange, and, standing there in the water, he felt so helpless. Every
word about the horrors of the Black Scraw told to them by old Daygo came
to him with vivid force, and his tongue clove to the roof of his mouth,
and there was a sensation as of something moving the roots of his hair.
Then he started, for Vince closed the lanthorn with a snap and said
hoarsely:--
"Hit hard, Mike. They must go or we must, and I'm growing desperate."
"Go on?" faltered Mike.
"Yes, and hit at the first one you can reach. They're lying about
there, on the dry sand."
His companion's order nerved Mike once more; and, drawing a deep breath,
he whispered "All right," though he felt all wrong.
"Don't swing the club, or you may hit me," said Vince. "Strike down,
and I'll do the same. Now then, both together, and I'll keep the
lanthorn between us. Begin."
They made a rush together through the water, which, after a few steps,
grew rapidly shallow; and then they were out upon soft sand, striking at
the dim-looking objects just revealed to them by the light; and twice
over Vince felt that he had struck something soft, but whether it was
seal or sand he could not tell. Violent strokes had resounded from the
roof of the echoing cavern, as Mike exerted himself to the utmost,
hitting about him wildly in despair, while every few moments there was a
loud splashing. Then Mike fell violently forward on to his face, for
one of the frightened creatures made a dash for the water. The panting,
scuffling, splashing, and wallowing ceased, and Vince held up the light.
"Where are you?" he cried, forgetting the necessity for being silent.
"Here," said Mike, rising into a sitting position on a little bank of
coarse sand, which was composed entirely of broken shells.
"Hurt?"
"Yes;--no. I came down very heavily, though."
"Fall over one of the seals?"
"No, it went between my legs, and I couldn't save myself. Well, we've
won, and I'm glad we know now they were only seals. It was very stupid,
but I got fancying they were goodness knows what horrible creatures."
"So did I," said Vince, with a faint laugh. "Old Joe's water bogies
seemed to be all there, with fiery eyes, and I hit at them in a
desperate way like. I say, you can't help feeling frightened at a time
like this, specially when one of them fastens on you like a dog."
"What!"
"Yes," said Vince quietly, and without a tinge of boasting in his
utterances. "I was whacking about at random, when one came at me, and
made a sort of snip-snap and got hold, and for a bit it wouldn't leave
go; but I whacked away at it as hard as I could, and then it fell
gliding down my leg, and the next moment made another grab at me, but
its head was too far forward, and it only knocked me sidewise. Such a
bang on the thigh: I nearly went down."
"But where are you bitten?" cried Mike excitedly.
"Here," said Vince, laughing, and holding the lanthorn to his side.
"Only my jacket, luckily. Look, it tore a piece right out. What
strength they've got! I felt it worrying at it, wagging its head like a
dog. I say, Mike!"
"Yes."
"I was in a stew. I wasn't sorry when the brute dropped down."
"It's horrible," said Mike.
"Oh, I don't know. I don't feel a bit scared now. I tell you what,
though: it has warmed me up. I'm not cold now. How are you?"
"Hot."
"Then let's have a look round."
Raising the lanthorn, the two prisoners cautiously advanced for about
twenty feet, and then were stopped by solid rock, forming a sharp angle,
where the two walls of the cave met. Their way had been up a slope of
deep, shelly sand, which crushed and crunched beneath their feet, these
sinking deeply at every step. Then the light was held higher, with the
door open; and by degrees they made out that the pool was about fifty or
sixty feet broad, and touched the rock-walls everywhere but out by this
triangular patch of sand, which was wet enough where the seals crawled
out, the hollows here and there showing where one had lain; but up
towards the angle it was quite dry, and the walls were perfectly free
from zoophyte or weed--ample proof that the water never rose to where
they stood.
"Well," said Vince, setting down the lanthorn close to the wall, "we've
won the day, the enemy is turned out of its castle, and the next thing,
I say, is to get off our wet, cold things."
"I can't take matters so coolly as you do," said Mike bitterly. "I was
only thinking of getting away out of this awful place."
"Oh, it isn't so awful now you know the worst of it," said Vince coolly,
though a listener might have thought that there was a little peculiarity
in his tone. "One couldn't help fancying all sorts of horrors, but when
you find there is nothing worse than seals--"
"And horrible congers: I felt them."
"So did I," said Vince; "but I've been thinking since. The congers
wouldn't live in a place where seals were. There'd be fights, and
perhaps the seals would get the best of them."
"But don't I tell you I felt one swim up against me and lash its great
body half round my leg?"
"I believe those were young seals, swimming for their lives to get out
to sea. There, take off your wet things and wring them out. I'm going
to fill my boots with fine sand. It's not cold in here, and I dare say
the things will dry a bit."
"But suppose the seals come back."
"They won't come back while we're here, Ladle--I know that. They're
full of curiosity, but as shy as can be. They can see in the dark,
and--"
"Dark!" cried Mike.
"To be sure. We mustn't go on burning that candle."
"But--"
"Look here, old chap," said Vince quietly: "there are only about two
inches of it left. That wouldn't last long, and I'm sure it's better to
put it out and save it for some particular occasion than to burn it
now."
"But there's just enough to light us to the mouth of this terrible
hole."
"And give ourselves up to old Jarks, as that fellow called him, whose
pistol might go off by accident, or who might take us on board his
vessel and let us fall overboard."
"That was only what the man said," argued Mike petulantly. "If we go
boldly up to this smuggler captain and tell him that we only found out
the caves by accident, and that we haven't touched any of the smuggled
goods--"
"Pirates!"
"Smuggled."
"You stuck out it was pirates."
"But I didn't believe it then. Well, if we go to him and say that we
have always kept the place a secret, and that we'll go on doing so, and
swear to it if he likes, he will let us go."
"Go out boldly to him, eh?" said Vince.
"Yes, of course."
"Ah, well, I can't. I don't feel at all bold now. It all went out of
me over the fight with the seals. That one which fastened on my jacket
finished my courage."
"Now you're talking nonsense," said Mike angrily.
"Very well, then, I'll talk sense. If that captain was an Englishman
perhaps we would do as you say; but as he's a Frenchman of bad
character, as he must be, I feel as if we can't trust him. No, Ladle,
old chap, I mean for us to escape, and the only thing we can do now is
to wait till it's dark and then try. We mustn't run any risks of what
Mr Jarks might do. Now then, you do as I've done before I put out the
light."
"You're not going to put out the light."
"Yes, I am."
"I won't have it. It shall burn as long as I like. Besides, you
couldn't light it again."
"Oh yes, I could. I've got the tinder-box, and it has always been too
high up to get wet."
"I don't care," said Mike desperately; "it's too horrible to be here in
the dark."
"Not half so horrible as to be in the dark not knowing that you could
get a light if you wanted to. We could if I put it out. We couldn't if
it was all burned."
"I don't care, I say once more--I say it must not be put out."
"And I say," replied Vince, speaking quite good-humouredly, while his
companion's voice sounded husky, and as if he were in a rage--"and I say
that if you make any more fuss about it I'll put it out now."
As Vince spoke he made a sudden movement, snatched the lanthorn from
where it stood by the wall, and tore open the door.
"Now," he cried, catching up a handful of sand, "you come a step nearer,
and I'll smother the light with this."
Mike had made a dart to seize the lanthorn, but he paused now.
"You coward!" he cried.
"All right: so I am. I've been in a terrible stew to-day several times,
but I'm not such a coward that I'm afraid to put out the light."
Mike turned his back and began to imitate his companion in stripping off
his wet lower garments, wringing them thoroughly, and spreading them on
the dry sand, with which he, too, filled his saturated boots.
Meanwhile Vince was setting him another example--that of raking out a
hole in the softest sand, snuggling down into it and drawing it over him
all round till he was covered.
"Not half such nice sand as it is in our cave, Ladle," he said.
There was no answer.
"I say, Ladle, don't I look like a cock bird sitting on the nest while
the hen goes out for a walk?"
Still there was no reply, and Mike finished his task with his wet
garments.
"Sand's best and softest up here," said Vince, taking out the tinder-box
from the breast of his jersey and placing it by the lanthorn.
Mike said nothing, but went to the spot Vince had pointed out, scraped
himself a hollow, sat down in it quietly, and dragged the sand round.
"Feels drying, like a cool towel, doesn't it?" said Vince, as if there
had been no words between them.
"You can put out the light," said Mike, for answer.
"Hah, yes," replied Vince, taking the lanthorn; "seems a pity, too. But
we shan't hurt here. Old Jarks won't think we're in so snug a spot."
Out went the light, Vince closed and fastened the door, and then,
settling himself in his sandy nest, he said quietly,--
"Now we shall have to wait for hours before we can start. What shall we
do--tell stories?"
Mike made no reply.
"Well, he needn't be so jolly sulky," thought Vince. "I'm sure it's the
best thing to do.--Yes, what's that?"
It was a hand stretched out of the darkness, and feeling for his till it
could close over it in a tight, firm grip.
"I'm so sorry, Cinder, old chap," came in a low, husky voice. "All this
has made me feel half mad."
There was silence then for a few minutes, as the boys sat there in total
darkness, hand clasped in hand. Then Vince spoke.
"I know," he said, in a voice which Mike hardly recognised: "I've been
feeling something like it, only I managed to stamp it down. But you
cheer up, Ladle. You and I ought to be a match for _one_ Frenchman.
We're not beaten. We must wait."
"And starve," said Mike bitterly.
"That we won't. We'll try to get right away, but if we can't we must
get something to eat and drink."
"But how?"
"Find where those fellows keep theirs, and go after it when it's dark.
They won't starve themselves, you may be sure."
Mike tried to withdraw his hand, for fear that Vince should think he was
afraid to be in the dark; but his companion's grasp tightened upon it,
and he said softly,--
"Don't take your fist away, Ladle; it feels like company, and it's
almost as good as a light. I say, don't go to sleep."
"No."
Mike meant to sit and watch and listen for the fancied splash that
indicated the return of the seals. But he was tired by exertion and
excitement, the cavern was warm and dry, the sand was become pleasantly
soft, and all at once he was back in the great garden of the fine old
manor-house amongst the flowers and fruit, unconscious of everything
else till he suddenly opened his eyes to gaze wonderingly at the thick
darkness which closed him in.
Vince had fared the same. Had any one told him that he could sleep
under such circumstances, in the darkness of that water den, the
dwelling-place of animals which had proved to him that they could upon
occasion be desperate and fierce, he would have laughed in his face; but
about the same time as his companion he had lurched over sidewise and
fallen fast asleep.