Cormorant Crag Part 50

At last all seemed so still that they took heart to whisper to each other.

"What shall we do, Cinder?" said Mike.

"I don't know, unless we go through into the other cave."

"What's the good of that?--they'll come back soon and find us."

"Unless we can hide somewhere among the bales, or right up in the back, where it's dark."

"That might do," said Mike. "But, I say, what have they gone after?"

"To try and find us."

"But they don't know us."

"Well, the people who are using this cave, and they must know of the way up to the top. Ah! that's it."

"Yes; what?" cried Mike excitedly.

"Hist! don't speak so loudly. They've gone up there to loosen some of the stones and block the way, so as to put an end to any one coming down; or else to lay wait and trap us."

Mike drew a long, deep breath; and it sounded like a groan.

"Oh dear!" he said; "whatever shall we do? Perhaps we had better get through into the other cavern. They'll search this thoroughly, perhaps, when they come back; but they mayn't search that."

"That's what I thought," said Vince. "Yes, it's the only thing for us to do, unless we go into the seals' cave and try and hide there."

"Ugh!" said Mike, with a shudder. "Why, it may be horribly deep, and we should have to swim in ever so far in the darkness before we touched bottom; and who knows what a seal would do if it was driven to bay?"

"Better have to fight seals than be caught by these men, Ladle," said Vince. "But we ought to have something to fight the seals with.

There's the big stick in the other cavern, and your knife."

"And yours."

"Yes; there's mine," said Vince thoughtfully. "Ah! of course there's the conger club with the gaff hook at the end."

"To be sure. But, oh no, we couldn't do that. It would be horrible to wade or swim into that hole without a light."

"We'd take a light," said Vince.

"Yes, but we'd better try the other cave," said Mike hurriedly. "I feel sure we could hide in the upper part. Draw a sail over us, perhaps: they'd never think we should hide in an open place like that, where they landed."

"Very well, then: come on. Here's the lanthorn and the tinder-box."

Vince secured these from where they lay half buried in the sand; and then, rising quickly out of their irritating beds, and scattering the loose fine dry grit back, they hurried into the outer cave, seized the rope and grapnel, and Mike was swinging it to throw up into the opening, when his arm dropped to his side, and he stood as if paralysed, looking wildly at his companion.

For that had occurred upon which they had not for a moment counted.

They had seen the party of men pa.s.s them, and it never struck either that this was not all, till they stood beneath the opening in the act of throwing the grapnel. Then, plainly heard, came a boisterous laugh, followed by the murmur of voices.

They looked at each other aghast, as they saw that their escape in that direction was cut off. There was no seeking refuge among the bales, and in despair the grapnel was thrown down in its place; while, in full expectation of seeing more of the smuggler crew come through the fissure, they were hurrying back to the inner cave, when Vince turned and caught up the conger club and the heavy oaken cudgel, holding both out to Mike to take one, and the latter seized the club.

Enemies behind them and enemies in front, they felt almost paralysed by their despair and dread, half expecting to find the party that had ascended already back. But on reaching the dark cave all was perfectly still for a few moments, during which they stood listening.

"Think we could find a better place to hide in here?" said Mike, in a husky whisper.

"No; they had that lanthorn with them."

"But if we shuffle down in the sand again?"

"It's of no use to try it," said Vince sharply. "Once was enough. We must try the seal cave."

"Then why did you come in here?" whispered Mike petulantly.

"Because you were afraid to go into that black hole in the dark."

"And so were you," said Mike angrily.

"That's right, Ladle--so I am," whispered Vince coolly; "and that's why I came in here for the moment, to think whether we could possibly hide."

"Hist! I can hear them coming."

Vince stood listening to the murmur of voices coming out of the opening above them.

"Ever so far back yet," he whispered; and he dropped upon his knees and opened the tinder-box and the lanthorn, which he had placed before him on the sand.

"No, no; don't do that," protested Mike, who was half wild with alarm.

"Can't help it: we must have a light," said Vince; and the cavern began to echo strangely with the nicking of the flint and steel.

"Then come in the other cavern," said Mike, as he stood holding the club and cudgel.

"Don't bother me. Other fellows would hear me there, and the wind blows in."

And all the time he was nicking away, and in his hurry failing to get a spark to drop in the tinder.

"Oh! it's all over," said Mike. "They're close here."

"No, they're not. Ah! that's it at last."

For a spark had settled on the charred linen, and was soon blown into a glow which ignited the brimstone match; but, quick as Vince was in getting it to burn and light the candle, it seemed to both an interminable length of time before he could close the door of the lanthorn and shut the half-burned match in the tinder-box.

This last he was about to hide in a hole he began to scratch in the sand; but on second thoughts he thrust the flat box, with its rattling contents, under his jersey, and caught up the lanthorn, which now feebly lit the cavern.

"Yes," said Vince; "they're pretty close now, for the voices sound very distinct. Come on."

He turned into the narrow pa.s.sage to enter the outer cave, and they stopped short in horror as they stood in the full light there, for a loud chirruping whistle came suddenly from the fissure before them and up to the left; and it had hardly ceased echoing when it was answered from the inner cave behind them, and was followed by a shout, which sounded as if the men were sliding down the rope and close at hand.

"Not much time to spare," said Vince, in a hurried whisper. "Come on, Ladle." And, lanthorn in hand, the light invisible as he hurried to the mouth of the cave, he stepped into the water, and, wading to the low arch on their right, stooped low and went in, closely followed by Mike; and, as they pa.s.sed on, with the lanthorn light showing them the dripping walls and root of the place, covered with strange-looking zoophytes, there was a loud flopping, rus.h.i.+ng, and splas.h.i.+ng, which sent a wave above their knees, and made Mike stop short and seize his companion.