The Lost Middy Part 46

"Stop a moment," said Aleck. "I don't feel the wind coming and going now. Have we got below where it comes in?"

"Not us. The tide's up above the mouth now, and there'll be no wind to feel till next tide. Here's off."

The rustling began, and the two next portions of the strange zigzag series of cleft were pa.s.sed down easily enough, while, as he descended a couple more, Aleck felt how smoothly floor and sides were worn and carved, and began to dwell upon the time that must have elapsed and the industry bestowed upon the curious pa.s.sage by the smugglers, who had by virtue of their oaths and their interest in the place kept it a secret for generations.

"I wonder how many more there are," Aleck was thinking as he glided down, when all at once Eben said, loudly:

"Bottom! Stand fast, my lad, while I get a light."

"That you, you scoundrel?" came in a strange echoing voice from a distance.

"Ay, ay, this is me," replied the smuggler. "I'll be there soon."

There was silence, for, though eager to speak to the prisoner, Aleck concluded that he had better wait, and not commence his first meeting with the prisoner in the character of one of his enemies.

The next minute there was the rattle of iron or tin, and then a short, sharp, nicking sound began, accompanied by a display of flowery little sparks. At the end of a minute the frowning face of the smuggler was lit up as he blew softly at the tinder, into which a spark had fallen and caught; the light increased, and as a brimstone match was applied to the incandescent tinder, the brimstone melted, bubbled, and began to turn blue. Then the splint of wood beneath began to burn, and at last emitted a blaze, which was communicated to the wick of the candle.

This, too, began to burn, and then the door of the lanthorn was closed.

"There we are," said the smuggler. "Now let's go and see our bird."

Aleck made no reply, for his eyes were wandering over all that the feeble light of the dim horn lanthorn threw up; and very little though this was at a time, it was enough to fill the lad with wonder. For as far as he could make out, they were in a vast cavern, whose floor about where they stood supported stacks of kegs and piles of boxes and bales.

There was also a tremendous collection of wood, the most part being evidently the gatherings of wrecks, and in addition there were the fittings of vessel after vessel, so various in fact that Aleck hurriedly turned away his eyes, to gaze with something like a s.h.i.+ver at the reflection of the lanthorn in a far-stretching mirror of intense blackness which lay smooth and undisturbed, save in one part away to his left, where it was blurred and dimmed, rising and falling as if moved by some undercurrent.

"Water," he said, at last, as the smuggler raised up his lanthorn and smiled.

"Yes, and plenty of it."

"But where's the mouth of the cave?"

"Over yonder," said the man, pointing towards where the surface was in motion.

"Let's walk towards it with the lanthorn," said Aleck.

"Why, my lad?"

"I want to see the daylight again."

"But we couldn't get far along there with the tide up, and even if we could you wouldn't see the mouth of the cave."

"Why not?" asked Aleck.

"Because it's under water."

"Never mind; hold up the lanthorn, and let me see what I can."

"Then I'd better hide it or shut it," said Eben, and, setting the lanthorn down upon the rocky floor, he slipped off his rough jacket and covered the lanthorn so that not a ray of light could be seen escaping through the panes of thinly-sc.r.a.ped horn.

To the lad's wonderment, no sooner was the lanthorn hidden than instead of the place being intensely dark, it was lit up by a soft translucent twilight, which seemed to rise out of the water where it was disturbed.

This light, where the water was wreathing and swaying softly, was of a delicious, transparent blue, and by degrees, as he gazed in awe and wonder, a low archway could be made out spanning a considerable s.p.a.ce, but beautifully indistinct, festooned as it was by filaments and ribands of seaweed and wrack, all apparently of a jetty black, seen through water of a wondrous blue. But the whole archway was in motion, as it seemed, and constantly changing its shape, while the sea growth swayed and curved and undulated, and at times lay out straight, as if swept by some swift current.

"Is it always like this?" said Aleck, in a whisper, though he could not have explained why he spoke in such awe-stricken tones.

"Oh, no, my lad; it's a deal darker than that when the tide's high."

"Tide--high?" said Aleck, in a startled voice. "Does the water ever fill the cavern? No, no, of course not," he said, hastily. "I can see it never comes up to those stacks of bales and things."

"That's right," said the smuggler.

"And the tide lays the mouth quite open?"

"Not very often," said the smuggler. "Just at certain tides."

"But I must have seen the mouth from outside sometimes."

"Like enough; my lad, but I don't s'pose you were ever there when a boat could come in."

"Then a boat could come in?"

"Yes," said the smuggler, meaningly, "it could come in then. Want to know exactly?" he added, with a laugh.

"No, I don't know that I do," said Aleck, shortly. "Now, then, I didn't come to see how beautiful the place looked. I want to see and talk to that poor fellow you've got shut up here."

"Um!" grunted the smuggler. "I don't know about 'poor fellow.' He has been better off, I daresay, than I was while they kept me a prisoner.

Better fed and all. Nothing the matter, only he couldn't get out."

"But why did you make a prisoner of him?"

"I didn't," said the smuggler, contemptuously; "it was the silly women."

"What for?"

"They got the silly idea in their heads that they could make the press-gang officer exchange--give the pressed men back--if they held on to the lad."

"But you'll set him free at once?" said Aleck, quickly.

"I don't know, my lad," was the reply. "It's rather a mess, I'm afraid, taking a King's officer like that; and it seems to me it will be a worse one to let him go."

"Oh, but you must let him go. The punishment will be very serious for keeping him."

"So it will for breaking loose and swimming ash.o.r.e after being pressed for a sailor."

"Yes," cried Aleck; "but--"

"Yes, sir; but," said the smuggler, with a bitter laugh, "it's all one-sided like. I didn't begin on them--they began on me, to rob a poor fellow of his liberty. Now, I know it was a foolish thing for those women to get hold of that boy, half smother him, and shut him up here; and I don't want to keep him."

"Of course not."

"But what am I to do? If I let him go, and say 'Run for it,' he'll be back before I know where I am with another boat's crew to take me; and of course, being a man, I shall have to stand fire for everybody.

'Sides which it'll be making known to the Revenue officers where our lair is, and that'll be ruin to everybody."