The Giel or Gaylet Pot, down into which Ruby, with great care and
circumspection, led Minnie, is one of the most curious of Nature's
freaks among the cliffs of Arbroath.
In some places there is a small scrap of pebbly beach at the base of
those perpendicular cliffs; in most places there is none--the cliffs
presenting to the sea almost a dead wall, where neither ship nor boat
could find refuge from the storm.
The country, inland, however, does not partake of the rugged nature of
the cliffs. It slopes gradually towards them--so gradually that it may
be termed flat, and if a stranger were to walk towards the sea over the
fields in a dark night, the first intimation he would receive of his
dangerous position would be when his foot descended into the terrible
abyss that would receive his shattered frame a hundred feet below.
In one of the fields there is a hole about a hundred yards across, and
as deep as the cliffs in that part are high. It is about fifty or
eighty yards from the edge of the cliffs, and resembles an old quarry;
but it is cut so sharply out of the flat field that it shows no sign of
its existence until the traveller is close upon it. The rocky sides,
too, are so steep, that at first sight it seems as if no man could
descend into it. But the most peculiar point about this hole is, that
at the foot of it there is the opening of a cavern, through which the
sea rolls into the hole, and breaks in wavelets on a miniature shore.
The sea has forced its way inland and underground until it has burst
into the bottom of this hole, which is not inaptly compared to a pot
with water boiling at the bottom of it. When a spectator looks into the
cave, standing at the bottom of the "Pot", he sees the seaward opening
at the other end--a bright spot of light in the dark interior.
"You won't get nervous, Minnie?" said Ruby, pausing when about halfway
down the steep declivity, where the track, or rather the place of
descent, became still more steep and difficult; "a slip here would be
dangerous."
"I have no fear, Ruby, as long as you keep by me."
In a few minutes they reached the bottom, and, looking up, the sky
appeared above them like a blue circular ceiling, with the edges of the
Gaylet Pot sharply defined against it.
Proceeding over a mass of fallen rock, they reached the pebbly strand at
the cave's inner mouth.
"I can see the interior now, as my eyes become accustomed to the dim
light," said Minnie, gazing up wistfully into the vaulted roof, where
the edges of projecting rocks seemed to peer out of darkness. "Surely
this must be a place for smugglers to come to!"
"They don't often come here. The place is not so suitable as many of
the other caves are."
From the low, subdued tones in which they both spoke, it was evident
that the place inspired them with feelings of awe.
"Come, Minnie," said Ruby, at length, in a more cheerful tone, "let us
go into this cave and explore it."
"But the water may be deep," objected Minnie; "besides, I do not like to
wade, even though it be shallow."
"Nay, sweet one; do you think I would ask you to wet your pretty feet?
There is very little wading required. See, I have only to raise you in
my arms and take two steps into the water, and a third step to the left
round that projecting rock, where I can set you down on another beach
inside the cave. Your eyes will soon get used to the subdued light, and
then you will see things much more clearly than you would think it
possible viewed from this point."
Minnie did not require much pressing. She had perfect confidence in her
lover, and was naturally fearless in disposition, so she was soon placed
on the subterranean beach of the Gaylet Cave, and for some time wandered
about in the dimly-lighted place, leaning on Ruby's arm.
Gradually their eyes became accustomed to the place, and then its
mysterious beauty and wildness began to have full effect on their minds,
inducing them to remain for a long time, silent, as they sat side by
side on a piece of fallen rock.
They sat looking in the direction of the seaward entrance to the cavern,
where the light glowed brightly on the rocks, gradually losing its
brilliancy as it penetrated the cave, until it became quite dim in the
centre. No part of the main cave was quite dark, but the offshoot, in
which the lovers sat, was almost dark. To anyone viewing it from the
outer cave it would have appeared completely so.
"Is that a sea-gull at the outlet?" enquired Minnie, after a long pause.
Ruby looked intently for a moment in the direction indicated.
"Minnie," he said quickly, and in a tone of surprise, "that is a large
gull, if it be one at all, and uses oars instead of wings. Who can it
be? Smugglers never come here that I am aware of, and Lindsay is not a
likely man to waste his time in pulling about when he has other work to
do."
"Perhaps it may be some fishermen from Auchmithie," suggested Minnie,
"who are fond of exploring, like you and me."
"Mayhap it is, but we shall soon see, for here they come. We must keep
out of sight, my girl."
Ruby rose and led Minnie into the recesses of the cavern, where they
were speedily shrouded in profound darkness, and could not be seen by
anyone, although they themselves could observe all that occurred in the
space in front of them.
The boat, which had entered the cavern by its seaward mouth, was a small
one, manned by two fishermen, who were silent as they rowed under the
arched roof; but it was evident that their silence did not proceed from
caution, for they made no effort to prevent or check the noise of the
oars.
In a few seconds the keel grated on the pebbles, and one of the men
leaped out.
"Noo, Davy," he said, in a voice that sounded deep and hollow under that
vaulted roof, "oot wi' the kegs. Haste ye, man."
"'Tis Big Swankie," whispered Ruby.
"There's nae hurry," objected the other fisherman, who, we need scarcely
inform the reader, was our friend, Davy Spink.
"Nae hurry!" repeated his comrade angrily. "That's aye yer cry. Half
o' oor ventures hae failed because ye object to hurry."
"Hoot, man! that's enough o't," said Spink, in the nettled tone of a man
who has been a good deal worried. Indeed, the tones of both showed that
these few sentences were but the continuation of a quarrel which had
begun elsewhere.
"It's plain to me that we must pairt, freen'," said Swankie in a dogged
manner, as he lifted a keg out of the boat and placed it on the ground.
"Ay," exclaimed Spink, with something of a sneer, "an' d'ye think I'll
pairt without a diveesion o' the siller tea-pots and things that ye
daurna sell for fear o' bein' fund out?"
"I wonder ye dinna claim half o' the jewels and things as weel,"
retorted Swankie; "ye hae mair right to _them_, seein' ye had a hand in
findin' them."
"_Me_ a hand in findin' them," exclaimed Spink, with sudden indignation.
"Was it _me_ that fand the deed body o' the auld man on the Bell Rock?
Na, na, freend. I hae naething to do wi' deed men's jewels."
"Have ye no?" retorted the other. "It's strange, then, that ye should
entertain such sma' objections to deed men's siller."
"Weel-a-weel, Swankie, the less we say on thae matters the better.
Here, tak' haud o' the tither keg."
The conversation ceased at this stage abruptly. Evidently each had
touched on the other's weak point, so both tacitly agreed to drop the
subject.
Presently Big Swankie took out a flint and steel, and proceeded to
strike a light. It was some some time before the tinder would catch.
At each stroke of the steel a shower of brilliant sparks lit up his
countenance for an instant, and this momentary glance showed that its
expression was not prepossessing by any means.
Ruby drew Minnie farther into the recess which concealed them, and
awaited the result with some anxiety, for he felt that the amount of
knowledge with which he had become possessed thus unintentionally, small
though it was, was sufficient to justify the smugglers in regarding him
as a dangerous enemy.
He had scarcely drawn himself quite within the shadow of the recess,
when Swankie succeeded in kindling a torch, which filled the cavern with
a lurid light, and revealed its various forms, rendering it, if
possible, more mysterious and unearthly than ever.
"Here, Spink," cried Swankie, who was gradually getting into better
humour, "haud the light, and gie me the spade."
"Ye better put them behind the rock, far in," suggested Spink.
The other seemed to entertain this idea for a moment, for he raised the
torch above his head, and, advancing into the cave, carefully examined
the rocks at the inner end.
Step by step he drew near to the place where Ruby and Minnie were
concealed, muttering to himself, as he looked at each spot that might
possibly suit his purpose, "Na, na, the waves wad wash the kegs oot o'
that if it cam' on to blaw."
He made another step forward, and the light fell almost on the head of
Ruby, who felt Minnie's arm tremble. He clenched his hands with that
feeling of resolve that comes over a man when he has made up his mind to
fight.
Just then an exclamation of surprise escaped from his comrade.
"Losh! man, what have we here?" he cried, picking up a small object that
glittered in the light.
Minnie's heart sank, for she could see that the thing was a small brooch
which she was in the habit of wearing in her neckerchief, and which must
have been detached when Ruby carried her into the cave.
She felt assured that this would lead to their discovery; but it had
quite the opposite effect, for it caused Swankie to turn round and
examine the trinket with much curiosity.
A long discussion as to how it could have come there immediately ensued
between the smugglers, in the midst of which a wavelet washed against
Swankie's feet, reminding him that the tide was rising, and that he had
no time to lose.
"There's nae place behint the rocks," said he quickly, putting the
brooch in his pocket, "so we'll just hide the kegs amang the stanes.
Lucky for us that we got the rest o' the cargo run ashore at Auchmithie.
This'll lie snugly here, and we'll pull past the leftenant, who thinks
we havena seen him, with oor heeds up and oor tongues in oor cheeks."
They both chuckled heartily at the idea of disappointing the preventive
officer, and while one held the torch the other dug a hole in the beach
deep enough to contain the two kegs.
"In ye go, my beauties," said Swankie, covering them up. "Mony's the
time I've buried ye."
"Ay, an' mony's the time ye've helped at their resurrection," added
Spink, with a laugh.
"Noo, we'll away an' have a look at the kegs in the Forbidden Cave,"
said Swankie, "see that they're a' richt, an' then have our game wi' the
land-sharks."
Next moment the torch was dashed against the stones and extinguished,
and the two men, leaping into their boat, rowed away. As they passed
through the outer cavern, Ruby heard them arrange to go back to
Auchmithie. Their voices were too indistinct to enable him to ascertain
their object in doing so, but he knew enough of the smugglers to enable
him to guess that it was for the purpose of warning some of their
friends of the presence of the preventive boat, which their words proved
that they had seen.
"Now, Minnie," said he, starting up as soon as the boat had disappeared,
"this is what I call good luck, for not only shall we be able to return
with something to the boat, but we shall be able to intercept big
Swankie and his comrade, and offer them a glass of their own gin!"
"Yes, and I shall be able to boast of having had quite a little
adventure," said Minnie, who, now that her anxiety was ever, began to
feel elated.
They did not waste time in conversation, however, for the digging up of
two kegs from a gravelly beach with fingers instead of a spade was not a
quick or easy thing to do; so Ruby found as he went down on his knees in
that dark place and began the work.
"Can I help you?" asked his fair companion after a time.
"Help me! What? Chafe and tear your little hands with work that all
but skins mine? Nay, truly. But here comes one, and the other will
soon follow. Yo, heave, _Ho_!"
With the well-known nautical shout Ruby put forth an herculean effort,
and tore the kegs out of the earth. After a short pause he carried
Minnie out of the cavern, and led her to the field above by the same
path by which they had descended.
Then he returned for the kegs of gin. They were very heavy, but not too
heavy for the strength of the young giant, who was soon hastening with
rapid strides towards the bay, where they had left their friends. He
bore a keg under each arm, and Minnie tripped lightly by his side,--and
laughingly, too, for she enjoyed the thought of the discomfiture that
was in store for the smugglers.