They recollected now that they had not exercised their regular caution-- though, even if they had, it is very doubtful whether they would have detected a spy who crawled after them, for the cover was too thick--and a feeling of anger troubled both for allowing themselves to be outwitted by a lout they both held in utter contempt.

They stood watching their spy for nearly a quarter of an hour, and were able to judge from his actions that he had seen them disappear somewhere in this direction; and in profound ignorance in this game of hide and seek that he was having, Carnach scanned the high slope and the ridge, and the bottom where the stones lay so thickly again and again, ending by ensconcing himself behind one of them, after plucking some fern fronds, and putting them on the top of his cap to act as a kind of screen in case those he sought should come into sight somewhere overhead.

The two boys hardly dared stir, but at last, with his eyes fixed upon Carnach to see if he heard their movement, Vince pointed softly back into the dark pa.s.sage, and Mike crept away without making the slightest sound. Then, as soon as he was satisfied of the coast being clear behind him, Vince began to back away till he felt it safe to turn, and followed his companion some fifty yards into the darkness, which now seemed to be quite a refuge to them.

"Where are you?" whispered Vince.

A low cough told him that he was not yet far enough; and, keeping one hand upon the wall, he followed until he felt himself touched.

"I say," he whispered, "this is nice: smugglers at one end and that miserable Lobster at the other! What are we to do?"

"I don't know," said Mike dolefully. "He must have seen us go out of sight, and feels sure that we shall come back again, and he'll wait till we do."

"No, no; he'll soon get tired."

"Not he," said Mike; "he's just one of those stupid, heavy chaps who will sit or lie down and wait for us for a week."

"But I want to get home. I'm growing hungry."

"Let's go back and fish, and light a fire and cook it."

"What, for him to smell the frying? He would, as sure as could be. No; we must wait."

"I say, Cinder," whispered Mike, "what an unlucky day we are having!

Everything seems to go wrong."

"It'll go worse still if you whisper so loud," said Vince; "the sound runs along the walls here, and gets stronger, I believe, as it goes."

"Well, I can't help it; I feel so wild. I say, couldn't we creep out without being seen, and get home?"

"Yes, when it's dark; not before."

"But that means waiting here for hours, and I feel as if I can't settle to anything now. Let's go back down to the cave. The smugglers can't come to-day. It would be too bad."

"Better wait here and watch till Lobster goes," said Vince; but, yielding at last to his companion's importunity, he was about to follow him back, when there was a loud rustling, a heavy thud, and then a dismal howl.

The Lobster had slipped and fallen into the rift while backing so as to get a better view of the ridge.

"Oh my! Oh my! Oh, mother! Oh, crikey! Oh my head--my head! Oh, my arm! Oh, it's broke! And I'm bleeding! Won't n.o.body come and help me?"

The above, uttered in a piteous, dismal wail, was too much for Vince's feelings; and, pushing his companion aside, he was about to hurry to the lad's help, but Mike seized him by the arm, and at the same moment they heard Carnach junior jump up and begin stamping about.

"Here, who did this?" he roared. "What fool's been digging stone here and left this hole o' purpose for any one to fall in? Wish he'd tumbled in himself, and broke his stoopid old head. Yah! Oh my, how it hurts!"

He stamped about in the hollow, and they heard him kick one of the stones with his heavy boots in his rage.

"Wish them two had tumbled in 'stead o' me. Oh dear, oh! Here's a mess I'm in! Making a great hole like this, and never leaving no stuff outside. Might ha' been deep, and killed a chap. It aren't broke through," he grumbled, after a pause. "Wonder where they've got to. Oh dear! oh dear! what a crack on the head! That comes o' going backwards.

Yah!"

This last e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n was accompanied by the rattle of stones, as the great lad evidently kicked another piece that was in his way; and, feeling now that there was nothing serious in the fall, Vince gave Mike's hand a squeeze as they stood listening and expecting every moment to hear the young fisherman say something in the way of surprise as he saw the dark hole going downward. But they listened in vain,--full of anxiety, though, for it was like a second blow to find that their secret place was becoming very plain, known as it evidently was to people at the sea entrance, and now from the landward side discovered by the greatest enemy they had.

Vince felt this so strongly that, in spite of the risk of being heard, he put his lips to Mike's ear and whispered: "This spoils all."

Mike responded in the same way: "I say, what's he doing? Shall I go and see?"

"No, I will," whispered back Vince.

"Take care."

Vince's answer was a squeeze of the hand. Then, going down upon all fours, he crept silently and slowly up the slope till he could see the lad, expecting to find him peering about the mouth of the pa.s.sage, and trying to see whether they were there.

But nothing of the kind. There was the young fisherman seated upon a piece of stone, with the light shining down upon him through the brambles, busily tying his neckerchief round his head, making it into a bandage to cover a cut somewhere on the back, and tying it in front over his forehead. Then, picking up his cap, which lay beside him, he drew it on over the handkerchief, having most trouble to cover the knot, but succeeding at last.

Then he stood up and began to examine his hands, which appeared to be scratched and bleeding; and making Vince start and feel that he was seen, for the boy turned in the direction of the dark pa.s.sage and cried viciously:

"All right, Doctor: I'll let yer have it next time I ketches yer--and you too, old Squire. Oh my! how it smarts, though! Wonder wherever they got."

Those last words came like a fillip to Vince's spirits, for he felt now that there was nothing to mind, as he could not give the Lobster credit for knowing that they were close at hand and acting his part so as to make believe he was in ignorance.

Just then a light touch told Vince that Mike had crawled silently up behind him; and they both crouched there now, in the darkness, watching the lad, till he suddenly seemed to become impressed by the fact that the hole went right in underground, and he stood staring in till the two boys felt that he was looking at them and seeing them plainly.

"Goes right in," he said aloud--"ever so far, p'r'aps. Well, let it. I aren't going to get myself all wet and muddy. Oh! how it do hurt!"

He raised his hand to the back of his head; but he remained staring in, the boys hardly daring to breathe, as each doubled his fists, and prepared for an encounter.

"He must see us," thought Vince; and when he felt most certain, his heart gave a throb of satisfaction, for a slight movement on the lad's part brought his face more into the light, and Vince could see that there was a vague look in the lad's eyes, as if he were thinking; and then he turned slowly round and began to look about for the best way out of the trap into which he had fallen, proceeding to drag at the brambles in one spot where an exit seemed easiest; but a sharp p.r.i.c.k or two made him s.n.a.t.c.h away his hands with an angry e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, and, looking about again, he noticed that there was a simpler way out at the end--that used by the two boys for returning, their entries always now being by a sudden jump down through the pendent green shoots.

"I'll let 'em have it for this when I do find 'em," grumbled the lad.

"Must ha' gone home'ards some other way." And they could hear him muttering and grumbling as the twigs and strands rustled where he pa.s.sed, till they knew that he was well outside, for they heard him give a stamp on one of the blocks of granite.

Vince rose silently.

"Come on," he said,--"the brambles will screen us;" and he crept forward carefully, till he was close to the hole, and then cautiously advanced his head, to peer upward, raising his hand warningly to Mike, who was just behind. For the lad had not gone away, but was standing at the edge with his back to them, and his eyes sheltered, gazing upward at the ridge.

He remained there watching intently for quite ten minutes without moving, and then went off out of sight, the only guide to the direction he took being the rustling of displaced bushes and the musical clink of a loose block of stone moved by his pa.s.sing feet.

They did not trust themselves to speak for some time after the last faint sound had died out, and then they began to discuss the question whether they could escape unseen.

"Must chance it," said Vince at last. "I'm tired of staying here. Come on."

Mike was evidently quite as weary, for he showed his agreement by following at once. They were both cautious in the extreme, going out on all fours, and then crawling in and out between the blocks of granite--a pleasant enough task so long as the growth between was whortleberry, heath or ferns, but as for the most part it was the long th.o.r.n.y strands of the blackberry, the travelling became more and more painful. At last, after progressing in this way some three hundred yards, a horribly th.o.r.n.y strand hooked Vince in the leg of his trousers and skin as well, with the result that he started to his feet angrily.

"Here, I've had enough of this," he cried. "Hang the old cavern! it isn't worth the trouble."

"Hist!" exclaimed Mike, seizing him by the leg and pointing straight away to their right.

Vince dropped forward, with his arms stretched over the nearest block of grey stone, staring at the object pointed out, and seeing Carnach junior right up close to the highest part of the ridge.