Cormorant Crag Part 28

"Oh yes," said the old man; "easy enough. I'll show you a place if you like."

"Come on, then!" cried Vince eagerly.

"Off here, then," said Daygo; "on'y I ought to tell you that you won't enjy yourselves, for it'll take Doctor Burnet all his time to pull you both together again."

The old fellow burst into a fit of chuckling at this, and looked from one to the other, thoroughly enjoying their disgusted looks.

"There, I knew he was making fun of us. Of course there's no way down,"

grumbled Mike. "Come on out of this scrimble-scramble place. What's the good of tiring ourselves for the sake of seeing a rabbit's white cotton tail."

Vince was about to follow his companion, but turned to shout after Daygo.

"I say, when are you going to take us fis.h.i.+ng again?"

"When you two young gents likes to come; on'y you've both been so mortal proud lately. Never come anigh to me, and as to wanting a ride in a boat, not you. Got one of your own somewheres, I suppose. Hev yer?"

Mike shook his head, and they went on in silence for a few minutes before Mike whispered,--

"What shall we do: creep back and watch him?"

"No. If we did we should come upon him directly. He's watching us, I'm sure. Let's go to the cliff edge somewhere for a bit, and then go to the other side of the island. We shan't get down to the cave to-day."

As far as they could tell they were un.o.bserved the next afternoon, and after exercising plenty of caution they reached the mouth of the little river tunnel and dropped down out of sight one after the other in an instant. In fact, so quick was their disappearance that it would have puzzled the keenest searcher as to where they had gone. For one moment they were standing upon a piece of lichen-covered granite, the next they had leaped in among the brambles, which parted for them to pa.s.s through and sprang up again, the lads dropping on to the old stream bed, which they had carefully cleared of stones. They left no footmarks there, and they were careful to preserve the thin screen of ferns and bramble, so that a watcher would have credited them with having ducked down and crept away.

This ruse, trifling as it may seem, added to their enjoyment of their hiding-place, and as soon as they were in darkness they struck a light and went on down to the caves, had a look round, and Mike immediately began to get down the fis.h.i.+ng lines which hung from a wooden peg driven into a granite crack.

"Never mind the fish to-day," said Vince, who was busily fixing a fresh piece of candle in the lanthorn.

"Why? We're not hungry now, but we shall be before we go back. Hullo!

what are you going to do?"

"Wait a bit, and you'll see," replied Vince, who now took a little coil of rope from where it hung, and then asked his companion's a.s.sistance to extricate something which he had placed in the belt he wore under his jersey.

"Why, whatever have you got here?"

"Grapnel," was the reply; and Vince began to rub the small of his back softly. "I say, how a thing like that hurts! It's worse than carrying a hammer. I'm quite sore."

Mike laughed, and again more heartily upon seeing Vince begin to secure the grapnel with a sea-going knot to the length of rope.

"Let those laugh that lose," cried Vince sententiously; "they are sure to who win."

"Enough to make any one laugh," cried Mike. "What are you going to bait with?"

"You, if you like," said Vince sharply, "Wonder what I should catch?"

"Here! no nonsense," cried Mike: "what are you really going to do?"

"What we've been talking about so long. Try and get up through that crack up there."

Mike whistled.

"Why, of course," he said. "What a good idea! But I don't believe it goes in above a foot or two."

"Oh yes, it does," said Vince decisively. "I thought so a little while ago, but last time we came I found out that it goes ever so far, and so I brought this hook."

"And never told me."

"Telling you now, aren't I?"

"But how did you know?"

"Saw a pigeon fly out."

"Well, that proves nothing. It only flew in to settle for a bit, and then came out again."

"That's what I fancied," said Vince, trying his knot by standing upon the grapnel and tugging hard with both hands at the rope; "but I watched while you were lying on your back asleep and saw others go in and come out."

"Well, that only shows that there are several nests there instead of one. I say, let's bring some paste next time we come and make a pigeon pudding of young ones. I'll get our cook to make us some. I'll tell her what we want it for, and she'll think we are going to make a sort of picnic dinner under a rock somewhere."

"Wait a bit, and let's try first," said Vince. "There, I'm ready now.

We did talk about examining that great crack when we came, but I thought it wasn't worth the trouble till yesterday. I fancy it leads into another cave."

"Hope it does," said Mike. "Make this place all the more interesting."

"Couldn't," said Vince shortly. "Come along and let's see if I can catch a big fish without a bait."

They went to the darkest corner of the outer cave, where the roof was highest, and after laying the rope ready, Vince took hold of it about two feet from the large triple hook, swung it to and fro several times, and then sent it flying upward towards the roof, where it struck the edge of the jagged crack ten feet or so above their heads and came down with a loud clang.

"One," said Mike. "Three offers out."

"All right: you shall have your innings then," said Vince, picking up the hook, aiming more truly, and again sending it flying up.

This time it pa.s.sed right up out of sight and fell back, striking the bottom of the crack and glancing off again to the floor, falling silently into the sand.

"Two," cried Mike. "He won't do it."

"Wait a bit," said Vince, and he swung the hook upward. There was a click, and it stayed just within the crack; while the lad laughed.

"Now," he cried, "can't I do it?"

"No!" said Mike triumphantly, for at the first jerk of the rope the iron fell back into the sand.

"You don't know how to throw a grapnel," said Mike, picking up the rope.

"There, stand aside and I'll show you."

Vince drew back, and after a good deal of swinging, Mike launched the grapnel upward, so that it pa.s.sed right into the hole some distance from the length of rope which followed; then came a click, and the rope hung swinging from the sloping roof.

"There!" cried Mike.