Bill waved his torch on one side and peered forward. "It looks like a
man, but it doesn't move. It's only a figure, Jack," he answered. "I'm
not afraid of it. Come on! we'll soon see what it is."
Jack was ashamed of lagging behind, and accompanied him.
The object which had frightened Jack was soon discovered to be merely a
stalactite--a mass of hardened water. Similar formations now appeared
on both sides of the cavern, some hanging from the roof, others in the
form of pillars and arches; indeed, the whole cavern looked like the
interior of a Gothic building in ruins.
Other figures still more strange were seen, as if starting out from
recesses or doorways on both sides.
"Well! this is a strange place. I never saw or heard of anything like
it," exclaimed Jack, when he found how harmless all the ghosts really
were.
In many places the roof and sides shone and glittered as if covered with
precious stones. Even Bill began to fancy that they had got into some
enchanted cavern. The ground was covered in most places with the same
substance, and so rough that they could make but slow progress.
They were about to turn back for fear of their torches going out when
they reached a low archway. Curiosity prompted them to enter, which
they could do by stooping down. After going a short distance they found
themselves in a still larger cavern, almost circular, like a vast hall,
the roof and sides ornamented by nature in the same curious fashion,
though still more profusely.
"It won't do to stop here," said Bill, "but we'll come back again and
have another look at it with fresh torches. Hallo! what's that?"
Jack started as he had before done, as if he were not altogether
comfortable in his mind. He had never heard anything about enchanted
caverns, but a strange dread had seized him. He had an idea that the
place must be the abode of ghosts or spirits of some sort, and that Bill
had seen one.
Bill hurrying forward, the light of his torch fell on a pile composed of
bales and chests, and casks, and various other articles.
The place had evidently been used as a store-room by persons who must
have considered that it was not likely to be discovered.
As their torches were by this time nearly burnt out, they could not
venture to stop and examine the goods, but had to hurry back as fast as
they could. They had managed to get through the narrow passage, and had
made some progress in their return, when both of them were obliged to
let their torches drop, as they could no longer hold them without
burning their hands. They might have lighted their candles, had they
been in any difficulty, but their fire enabled them to find their way
along, though they stumbled frequently over the inequalities of the
ground, and once or twice Jack clutched Bill's arm, exclaiming, "Sure!
there's some one! I saw him move! Can any of the soldiers have come to
look for us?"
"Not with such a storm as there is now raging outside," answered Bill.
"It was only one of the marble figures."
Presently Jack again cried out, "There! I saw another moving. I'm sure
of it this time. It's a ghost if it isn't a man."
"Well! if it is a ghost it won't hurt us," answered Bill; "but the only
ghosts hereabouts are those curious figures, which can't move from their
places. For my part, I don't believe there are such things as ghosts at
all going about to frighten people. The only one I ever heard tell of
was `The Cock Lane Ghost', and that was found out to be a sham long
ago."
Jack regained his courage as they approached the fire, and both being
pretty well tired, they were glad to sit down and talk about the
wonderful store of goods they had discovered. Jack was afraid that the
owners might come back to look for their property and discover them, but
Bill was of opinion that they had been placed there by a party of
smugglers, who had gone away and been lost without telling any one where
they had stowed their goods.
From the appearance of the bales and chests he thought that they had
been there for some time. Another visit would enable them to ascertain
this, and they resolved to make it without delay.
They were becoming very sleepy, for they had been many hours on foot and
the night was far advanced. Before lying down, however, Bill said he
wished to see how the storm was getting on.
It was making a dreadful uproar in the cavern, and he wanted to
ascertain what chance there was of the waves washing in. There was not
much risk, to be sure, of their reaching as far as they then were, but
it was as well to be on the safe side, and if there was a likelihood of
it they would move farther up and carry their provisions and store of
fuel with them, the only property they possessed.
They set out together, Jack keeping a little behind Bill for though he
was as brave as any lad need be in the daylight, or out at sea, he did
not somehow, he confessed, feel like himself in that dark cavern, filled
with the roaring, howling, shrieking noises caused by the gale.
They got on very well till they rounded the rock, when they met a blast,
driving a sheet of fine spray in their faces, which well-nigh blinded
them, and forced them back. They notwithstanding made their way for
some distance, till Bill began to think that it would be wise to go no
farther.
Every now and then a bright glare filled the cavern, caused by the
flashes of lightning darting from the clouds; while, as each sea rolled
in, the whole mouth was filled as it were by a sheet of foaming water,
part of which, striking the roof, fell back into the ocean, while a
portion rushed up the floor, almost to where they were standing.
"It's bad enough now," shouted Jack, for they could only make each other
hear by speaking at the top of their voices. "What will it be when it's
high tide?"
"Perhaps it won't be much worse than it is now," answered Bill. "We
shall be safe enough at our hiding-place, and if it gets up much higher
it will give us notice of its coming, and allow us to retreat in good
time."
They accordingly got back to their fire, the embers of which enabled
them to dry their clothes. They then lay down, and, in spite of the
storm and the hubbub it was creating, were soon fast asleep.
Had it not been for feeling very hungry, they might have slept on till
past noon of the next day. Awaking, they found their fire completely
gone out. What o'clock it was they could not tell. They were in total
darkness, while the tempest roared away as loudly as ever.
They, however, lighted a candle, and ate some breakfast. To wash it
down they had to get water from the spring, which was so much nearer the
entrance of the cavern. They accordingly put out their candle, and
groped their way round the rock. On seeing light streaming through the
entrance, they knew that at all events it was no longer night.
The sea was rising over the ledge at the mouth, tossing and tumbling
with foam-topped billows, and rolling up along the floor of the cavern
in a seething mass of froth.
They saw how high it had come, and had no reason to fear that it would
rise farther.
They now made their way to the spring, and drank heartily.
"We ought to be thankful that we are in so snug a place," observed Bill;
"but I tell you, we must take care not to eat up all our food in a
hurry, or we may find it a hard matter to get more. The wind appears to
have driven the sea over on this shore, and I doubt whether we shall be
able to make our way along the beach even at low water."
Jack did not at all like the idea of starving, but he saw that it would
be wise to follow Bill's advice.
They had food enough to last them for three days, as Jeannette had put
up a double allowance; but the gale might blow much longer than that,
and then what should they do?
"It's no use troubling ourselves too much about the matter till the time
comes," observed Bill; "only we must be careful not to eat more than is
necessary to keep body and soul together."
As they had found a fire very useful and pleasant, they went down as
close as they could venture to the water, and employed themselves in
collecting all the driftwood and chips they could find. They agreed
that they would do the same every day, so as to have a good stock of
fuel. They wanted also to secure some pieces which might serve as
torches, so that they could examine the smugglers' store as they called
it, which they had discovered.
They carried their wood and placed it on the soft warm sand, where it
would dry more rapidly, for in its present state it would not serve to
kindle a fire. They had, however, some dry pieces which would answer
that purpose, and they judged rightly that they might place the damp
wood on the top of their fire, when it would burn in time.
Most of the day was employed in this manner. Even after the tide went
out they found a number of pieces washed up along the sides of the
cavern. The seas, however, rolled so far up the beach that they were
afraid of descending, or they might have obtained much more.
When it grew dark they returned to their camp, lighted the fire, and
made themselves comfortable.
It was difficult to keep to their resolution of eating only a very
little food, and Bill had to stop Jack before he thought he had had half
enough.
"I don't want to stint you," he said, "but recollect you will be crying
out when our stock comes to an end, and wishing you had not eaten it."
As they had had so long a sleep, neither of them was inclined to turn
in; and Bill proposed that they should examine the smugglers' store.
They had several pieces of wood which they thought would burn as the
first had done, and each taking three, with a candle to be used in case
of emergency, they set out.
They found their way easily enough; but Jack, as before, did not feel
quite comfortable as he saw the strange figures, which seemed to be
flitting about the sides of the cavern; sometimes, too, he fancied that
he detected faces grinning down upon him from the roof, and more than
once he declared positively that he had caught sight of a figure robed
in white stealing along in front of them.
Bill each time answered with a laugh.
"Never mind. We shall catch it up if it's a ghost, and we'll make it
carry a torch and go ahead to light us."
As they moved on more rapidly than before, they were able to reach the
inner cavern before either of their torches was much more than half
burned through. They thought it wiser to keep both alight at a time, in
case one should accidentally go out, and they should be unable to light
it again with a match.
With feelings of intense curiosity they approached the smugglers' store.
Both agreed, as they examined it, that the goods must have been there
for some time; but the place being very dry (probably it was chosen on
that account), they did not appear to be much damaged. The goods, as
far as they could judge, were English.
There were many bales of linen and cloth. One of the cases which they
forced open contained cutlery, and another was full of pistols; and from
the weight of several which they did not attempt to open, they judged
that they also contained firearms.
There were two small chests placed on the top of the others. They were
strongly secured; but by means of a sharp stone, which served as a
chisel, and another as a hammer, they managed to break one of them open.
What was their surprise to find the case full of gold pieces! They had
little doubt that the other also contained money. They, neither of
them, had ever seen so much gold before.
"What shall we do with it?" cried Jack. "There's enough here to let
mother live like a lady till the end of her days, without going to sell
fish at the market."
"It is not ours, it belongs to somebody," said Bill.
"That somebody will never come to claim it," answered Jack. "Depend on
it, he's gone to the bottom, or ended his days somehow long ago, or he
would have come back before this. These goods have been here for
months, or years maybe, by the look of the packages; and depend on it
the owners would not have let them stay where they are, if they could
have come back to fetch them away."
"But gold pieces won't help us to buy food while we are shut up in the
cavern. A few Dutch cheeses, with a cask of biscuits, would have been
of more value," observed Bill.
"You are right," said Jack. "Still, I vote that we fill our pockets, so
that if we have to hurry away, and have no time to came back here, we
may carry some of the gold with us."
Bill could not make up his mind to do this. The gold was not theirs, of
that he felt sure, and Jack could not persuade him to overcome the
principle he had always stuck to, of not taking, under any
circumstances, what was not lawfully his own. If the owners were dead,
it belonged to their heirs.
Jack did not see this so clearly. The money had been lost, and they had
found it, and having found it, they had a right to it.
They must not, however, lose time by arguing the point. Jack put a
handful or two of the money into his pocket.
Bill kept his fingers out of the box; he did not want the money, and he
had no right to it.
There were several other articles they had not examined, among which
were some small casks. Jack, finding that his torch was almost burning
his fingers, was obliged to let it drop. Before he lighted another,
however, Bill's torch affording sufficient light for the purpose, he
managed to knock in the head of one of the small casks, which he found
filled with little black grains. He tasted them.
"Keep away, Bill--keep away!" he shouted, in an agitated tone, "This is
gunpowder!"
Had Jack held his torch a few seconds longer in his hand, he and Bill
would have been blown to atoms--the very cavern itself would have been
shattered, to the great astonishment of the neighbouring population, who
would, however, never have discovered the cause of the explosion,
although Jeannette Turgot might have guessed at it.
"It's a mercy we didn't blow ourselves up," said Jack. "I was just
going to take my torch to look at these casks."
He hunted about for all of the same description, and rolled them into a
place by themselves.
"We must take care what we are about if we come here again with
torches," he said.
Bill agreed with him.
After all, of what use to them was the treasure they had discovered.
The cloth and linen were much more serviceable, as they could make
bedding of them.
"I don't see why we should not try to make jackets and trousers for
ourselves," observed Bill. "This cloth will be fine stuff for the
purpose, and as the cold weather is coming on we shall be glad of some
warm clothing."
"But how are we going to make them?" asked Jack.
"The linen will serve us for thread, and I must see about making some
needles of wood if we can't get anything better," answered Bill.
"However, we'll think about that by-and-by; it's time to return to our
camp, we may be left in the dark."
They accordingly loaded themselves with as much of the linen and cloth
as they could carry, cutting off pieces with their knives. They could
return, they agreed, for more if this was not enough.
Bill was not quite consistent in taking the cloth when he would not
touch the money, but it did not occur to him for a moment that he was
wrong in appropriating it, or he would have refused to do so. Had he
argued the point, he would have found it very difficult to settle. One
thing was certain, that the owners were never likely to make any
complaint on the subject.
They got back to their fire without much difficulty, and having raked it
together, and put on fresh wood, they made their beds with the cloth
they had brought, said their prayers in a thankful spirit, and slept far
more comfortably than they had done since they had taken possession of
the cavern.