Now there was very little done during the rest of our holidays; all I
remember was, that instead of old Jonas Uggleston being very
disagreeable, and making himself my father's enemy, he grew very civil
and pleasant, and nodded to my father when they met, and called him
"Captain."
He was wonderfully kind to me too, asking me into the house, and seeming
very pleased whenever he knew that Bigley had come over to see me.
The news that there was lead and silver in the Gap soon spread, and a
great many people came to see my father, and wanted to buy the little
estate; but he said no, that he should work it himself, for he wanted
some occupation; and he and the doctor planned it all out, how to begin
in a small way; and men were set to work to wall in the part where the
mine was to be opened, and to build sheds and pumping-house.
But after a few days this became monotonous to us boys, who had plenty
of things to tempt us about the cliffs and the shore, and I'm going to
put down one or two of our bits of adventure which we had about this
time.
Our little bay or cove was one of three or four little bays within one
big bay, formed by Norman's Head at the west and Barn's Nose in the
east, and all round from point to point there was one tremendous wall or
cliff of reddish or bluish rock, nowhere less than a couple of hundred
feet high; and the only places where you could get down to the sea were
at the heads of the coves, or where one of the little streams from the
moor made its way down to the beach. Here and there when the tide was
low lay patches of blackish sand, but the foot of the cliffs nearly all
the way was one jumble of great rocks, beginning with lumps, say as big
as a chest of drawers, and running up to rugged masses as large as
cottages.
They did not look so big when you were up on the cliff path, six or
seven hundred feet above them; but when the tide went down, and we boys
went for a ramble over and among them, it was to find the smaller blocks
nearly as high as our heads, while the big ones made the most
magnificent climbing any lad could wish for who was an enemy to the
knees of his breeches and the toes of his boots.
Of course we could have gone east or west along the cliff path as
peaceably as the sheep; but what was a walk like that to wandering in
and out among the sea-weed-hung masses, full of corners and ways as a
maze; with rock pools amongst them, and chasms and rifts, and rock
arches and hollows, and caves without end?
Some of these blocks were of a sort of limestone or grit, and they were
rugged and rounded at the corner, and lumpy, but the slaty rocks were
generally flat-sided, and split off regularly, forming smooth flat forms
that often rose one above another in rough steps, so that you could
easily climb to the tops, or, where they had fallen and split away from
the cliff, and lay resting against one another, you could walk under
what seemed to be like great stone lean-to sheds, whose floors were as
often as not water as pure and clear as crystal.
It was a wonderful place, and never ceased to attract us, for there was
always something to find when the tide had gone down leaving the rocks
bare.
All the things that lived or grew upon them had been seen by us hundreds
of times, but after some months at school they always seemed new again,
and we got our little pawn nets and baskets, and went prawning with as
great zest as ever.
There are plenty of ways to go prawning, I daresay, but I'll tell you
how we managed. We each used to have a small ring net, fixed at the end
of a six-foot stick that answered two or three purposes, and, with our
little baskets slung at our backs, set off along the shore.
I remember one morning very well. It was about three weeks after
finding the lead vein that Bob Chowne and Bigley came over to the Bay,
and we started, our Sam saying that it was going to be a very low tide.
Off we went down by the little waterfall which came along by the back of
our house, and down to the beach, getting as close to the sea as the
rocks would let us, and looking out for the first pool where the sea had
left a few prisoners.
We were not long in seeing one, and then the thing was to approach as
quietly as possible and look in.
These pools were generally fringed with sea-weed, great greenish-brown
fronds in one place, dark streaks of laver in another, and lower down
the bottom would be all pink with the fine corallite, while all about
the sea-anemones would dot every crack and hole, like round knobs of
dark red jelly, where the water had left them high and dry, spread out
like painted daisy flowers, where they were down in the pool.
No matter how cautiously we approached, something would take fright.
Perhaps it would be a little shore crab that betrayed itself by
scuffling down amongst the corallite or sea-weed, perhaps a little
fierce-looking bristly fish, which shot under a ledge of the rock all
amongst the limpets, acorn barnacles, or the thousands of yellow and
brown and striped snaily fellows that crawled about in company with the
periwinkles and pelican's feet.
Those were not what we wanted, but the prawns, which would be balancing
themselves in the clear water, and then dart backwards with a flip of
their tails right under the sea-weed or ledges.
I remember that day so well because it was marked by a big black stone,
of which more by and by; and everything connected with our doings that
morning seems to stand out quite clear, as the Welsh coast did under the
clear blue sky.
We reached our first pool, and Bob Chowne shouted, "There's one!" while
I was certain I saw two more. Then Bob and Bigley softly thrust in
their nets, and it became my duty to poke about among the sea-weed and
under the ledges where we had seen the prawns take shelter.
At about the second stirring of the overhanging weed on one side, out
darted a big prawn. "I've got him!" cried Bob, and we all shouted
"Hooray!" but when the net was raised, dripping pearls in the bright
sunshine, the prawn was not there, for, preferring open water to nets,
it had shot between the two and taken shelter under the ledges on the
other side.
But there he was, for there was no way out to where the sea sucked and
gurgled among the rocks three or four yards away, and we continued our
hunt, not to dislodge this one, but three more, one being larger, and
two much less.
For a good ten minutes they dodged us about, hiding in all manner of
out-of-the-way corners, till all at once it seemed as if they must have
gone. The water, that had been brilliantly clear when we started, was
now thick with sand and broken sea-weed, and Bigley lifted out his net
to clear it and to let the water settle a little before we started
again.
"I don't know where they've got to," said Bob sourly. "Prawns are not
half so easy to catch as they used to be."
"Hallo! Why, here's one," cried Bigley just then, as he found one of
the biggest kicking about among the sea-weed that he had turned out of
the bottom of his net.
This first capture was soon transferred to the basket, and the fact of
one being taken so encouraged Bob that he set to with renewed energy,
and the result was that we caught two more out of that pool, the biggest
of all--at least Bob Chowne said it was--having to be left behind in the
inaccessible crack where he had hidden himself.
Another pool and another was visited with excellent luck, for the tide
was down lower than usual, and prawns seemed plentiful, there having
been plenty of time for them to collect since they were last disturbed,
for we boys were the only hunters on that deserted shore. So on we
went, one poking about among the weeds till the prawn darted backwards
into the nets held ready, and we had soon been able to muster over a
dozen.
Then, all at once, we came upon quite a little pool right under a large
mass of rock with a smaller and deeper pool joined to it by a narrow
channel between two blocks of stone, and farther from the sea.
We caught sight of several prawns darting under cover as we came in
sight, but, to our disgust, found that we could not attack them, the
pool being so sheltered by overhanging rocks that the only possible way
seemed to be by undressing and going into what was quite a grotto.
Travellers tell us how the natives of some far-off islands dive into the
sea and do battle with sharks; but no boy ever lived who could dive into
a pool and catch a prawn in his native element--at least I never knew
one who could, and we were going to give it up after a few frantic
thrusts with our nets, when an idea occurred to me.
"Here, I know!" I cried. "Let's bale out the little low hole, and that
will empty the big one."
"To be sure," cried Bob. "Go it! But we've got nothing to bale with."
"Big's shoes," I cried as I caught sight of them hanging from his neck,
tied together by their thongs, and each with a knitted worsted stocking
plugging up the toes.
Big made not the slightest objection, but laughed as he pulled out his
stockings and thrust them into his breeches' pockets.
The next minute he and I were scooping out the water at a tremendous
rate, making quite a stream flow down from the upper part under the
rock, and it soon became evident that in less than an hour both would be
dry.
We worked away till I was tired and gave place to Bob Chowne, Bigley all
the while working away and sending out great shoefuls over the lower
edge of the rocks.
I sat down to rest, and as I watched where the water fell I suddenly
made a dart at something thrown out, but it only proved to be a prickly
weaver.
Five minutes later, though, Big threw out a prawn which had come down
with the current, and this encouraged him to work harder, but Bob began
to be tired, and he showed it by sending a shoeful of water at me,
making me shout, "Leave off!"
Then he sent one flying over Bigley, who only laughed and worked on for
a few moments till Bob was not looking, and then sent a shower back.
Bob jumped out of the hole like a shot and turned upon Bigley angrily:
"You just see if I'm going to stop down there and be smothered with
water. Yah! Get out, you ugly old smuggler."
As he spoke he flung Bigley's great shoe with a good aim down by his
feet, and splashed him completely all over.
Some lads would have jumped out and pursued Bob in a fury, but Bigley
only brushed the water out of his eyes and began to laugh as if he
rather enjoyed it.
"Come on, Sep," he cried to me; "you and I will finish, and if he comes
near we'll give him such a dowsing."
I went to his help, and we worked so well that no less than six more
prawns came down to our pool, and were scooped out; and at last the
upper one was completely emptied, but it was nearly an hour's work.
"Now then, I'll go in," said Bob, and he crept in through the rift
between the two pools, and under the overhanging rocks.
"Oh!" he cried as soon as he was in, "what a jolly place! And--ugh!
Here's a conger."
"No!" we cried together.
"Yes there is, long as my arm, and he's squirming about. Here, give me
a landing-net. I'll poke him, and make him come out to you chaps."
We handed him the net, and he began banging and thrusting at the rock
for some time without result.
"Well, isn't he coming?" I cried.
"No; he gets up in a corner here so that I can only feel his slippery
tail with the stick, and he won't come out."
"Take hold of it with your hand and pull," said Bigley.
"Oh yes, I daresay. Just as if I didn't know there's only one place
where you can hold on."
"Where's that?" said Bigley.
"With your hand in his mouth. You come and put yours in."
Of course Bigley did not respond to the invitation, and the banging and
rattling went on for a few minutes longer.
"Why don't you chaps stand away from the light? I can't see," cried
Bob. "That's better: now I can tell. Look out, boys, look out! Here
he comes."
"Catch him in the net, Bob," I shouted.
"Yah! Don't talk stuff," was the answer. "Look out! Is he coming your
way?"
"No!" we both shouted, and then "Yes!" for there was a quick movement in
the channel between the two pools, and the next instant a large eel was
splashing and writhing in the water and sea-weed of the pool which we
had baled.
"Here he is, Bob!" we shouted; and, as we finished the struggle which
resulted in our getting the eel into one of the nets, and then out on
the open rocks, and in a position to make it cease its writhings, Bob
Chowne backed out to look on and help us gloat over our capture, which
proved to be a plump young conger of a yard long.
"Well, that's something," said Bob. "Now I'm going after the prawns.
No, you go, Sep," he said. "I don't see why I should do all the work."
I went into the dripping grotto nothing loth, and by careful search
among the wet weed I found first one prawn and then another, till I had
thrown out six, the work being tolerably easy, for the little
horny-coated fellows made known their presence by their movements,
flipping their tails sharply and making a noise that betrayed their
hiding-places.
The grotto-like place, shut in by some rocks overshadowed by others, was
so gloomy that it was hard to make out everything, but twice over I
noted a bit of a rift on my left all fringed with sea-weed and slippery
with anemones, where it was not rough with limpets and barnacles.
"Was it down here, Bob, down on the left, that you found the conger?"
"No," he shouted, "on the right."
I looked round, and found the crack where the conger must have been, and
then came a summons from without.
"Well, can't you find any more?"
"No," I said; "but there's a big hole here. Perhaps there's another
conger."
"Put your hand in and pull him out, then," cried Bob with a sneer.
I did not answer, for I felt now very plainly how much easier it is to
give orders than to obey them. But a little consideration taught me
that there was nothing to fear, for if there was a conger in the hole
the chances were that he would have thrust his head into the farthest
corner, and that it would be his tail that I should touch.
"Now, then," cried Bob. "Ar'n't you going to find any more prawns?"
"I don't know," I said, as I carefully introduced my hand and arm, going
down on one knee so as to get closer, and so by degrees hand, arm, and
shoulder had nearly disappeared, as I touched the far end of the cleft.
"Nothing," I said to myself, as I felt about with my cheek touching the
wet slippery sea-weed. Then I uttered a loud "Ugh!" and started away.
"What's the matter?" cried my companions.
"I don't know," I cried. "Here's something alive in a hole here."
"Well, why don't you pull it out?" cried Bob.
"I--I don't know," I said. But I'm afraid I did know. The feeling,
though, that my companions were laughing at me was too much, and with a
sudden burst of energy I thrust my hand right into the rift again, felt
down cautiously till my hand touched, not the slimy serpentine form of
an eel, but the hard back of a shell-fish, and as I touched it, there
was a curious scuffling down beneath my fingers that told me it was a
crab.
"Hooray, boys!" I shouted. "Crab!"
"Have him out, Sep! Mind he don't nip you!" they shouted; and after a
minute's hesitation I plunged my hand into the hole again, knowing that
I must feel for a safe place to get hold of the claw-armed creature, so
that I should not have to suffer a severe pinch or two, from its
nippers.
I was pretty quick, but the crab was quicker, and as I caught it the
left claw seized tight hold, but only of my sleeve.
My natural instinct was to start back, and this had the effect of
dragging the crab out of its lurking place, and I ran to the opening
holding out my arm, just as the crab dropped with quite a crash into the
little channel, and then began running sidewise back towards me and the
darkness.
I stopped my prisoner with my foot, and he scuffled back and into the
little empty pool, where he tried hard to hide himself under the
sea-weed fronds, but Bigley worked him out, and by clever management
avoided the pincers, which were held up threateningly, and popped him
into one of the baskets.
"It's my turn now," said Bigley. "Think there's anything else?"
"I don't know," I said. "Try."
"What's the good of saying that?" said Bob laughing. "He couldn't get
in."
"Oh, couldn't I?" cried Bigley. "You'll see. Mind that eel don't slip
out. Now you'll see."
He rolled up his sleeves nearly to the shoulder, and picking out the
widest spot began to crawl in, dragging himself slowly through, and at
last drawing his legs in after him, and standing in a bent position
right under the rock.
"There!" he cried triumphantly. "Who can't get in? Now then, where are
these cracks?"
"Right up at the other end," I cried; and he groped on into the narrower
part, Bob and I looking into the slippery grotto-like place enjoying his
slow cumbersome manner, and paying no heed to the fact that the tide had
turned, and that already a little water had run into the little pool
where we had baled.
"Found anything, Big!" we shouted, though he was only a couple of yards
away.
"N-no. Nothing here. I'm going to try this other hole. Oh, I say,
isn't it deep?"
"Mind! Mind!" shrieked Bob, and Bigley scuffled back.
"What--what is it?" he panted.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" roared Bob. "Did he bite you?"
"What a shame!" grumbled Bigley in his gruff voice. "I didn't try to
scare you. I don't care though. You won't frighten me again."
He crept back, and we could hear him grunting and panting.
"I say, it is deep," he said. "I've got my arm in right to the shoulder
and there's nothing here. Stop a minute; here's a crack round this
corner where I can get my hand. It's quite a big opening with water in
it, and slippery things in the rock, and--Ugh!--oh!--ah!"