This incident startled, but at the same time encouraged the lads, for it gave them a feeling of confidence in their own power; but as soon as they recommenced their advance, there was another shock,--something struck against Vince's leg, and in spite of his effort at self-command he uttered a cry.

There was no real cause for alarm, though; and they grasped the fact that the blow was struck by one of a shoal of large fish, or congers, making a rush to escape the enemies who had invaded their solitude, and in the flurry one of them had struck against the first object in its way. "I'm sure they were congers," whispered Mike. "I felt one of them seem to twist round me."

"Never mind: they're gone," replied Vince. "Come on. I fancy there must be a rocky sh.o.r.e farther on, as it's so shallow here, and it's all sand under foot."

"Not all: I've put my feet on rock several times," whispered Mike.

"Well, that doesn't matter. There's plenty of sand. Look out!"

There was a tremendous splashing in front, and the water came surging by them, while they noticed now that the sides of the place were once more closing in as they advanced.

"Shall we go back?" said Vince; for the sudden disturbance in front, evidently the action of large animals, or fish, had acted as a check to him as well as his companion.

Mike was silent for a few moments. Then he said hoa.r.s.ely: "I'll stick to you, Cinder, and do what you do."

"Then come on," said the boy, who felt a little ashamed of his feeling of dread.

"Can't be sharks, can it?" whispered Mike, as, in addition to the lapping and sucking noises made by the water, there was a peculiar rustling and panting.

"Sharks, in a cave like this? No. They're seals, I'm sure, four or five of them, and they've backed away from us till they've got to the end. Hark! Don't you hear? There is a sort of sh.o.r.e there, and they are crawling about."

He waded forward two or three steps, holding up the light as high as he could; but the feeble rays, half quenched by the thin, dull horn, did not penetrate the gloom, and at last, as the strange noises went on, the boy lowered the lanthorn, opened the door, and turned the light in the direction just before them.

They saw something then, for pairs of eyes gleamed at them out of the darkness, seen vividly for a moment or two, and disappearing, to gleam again, like fiery spots, somewhere else.

Mike wanted to ask if they really were seals; but in spite of a brave effort to be firm, his voice failed him, the surroundings were so strange, and, standing there in the water, he felt so helpless. Every word about the horrors of the Black Scraw told to them by old Daygo came to him with vivid force, and his tongue clove to the roof of his mouth, and there was a sensation as of something moving the roots of his hair.

Then he started, for Vince closed the lanthorn with a snap and said hoa.r.s.ely:--

"Hit hard, Mike. They must go or we must, and I'm growing desperate."

"Go on?" faltered Mike.

"Yes, and hit at the first one you can reach. They're lying about there, on the dry sand."

His companion's order nerved Mike once more; and, drawing a deep breath, he whispered "All right," though he felt all wrong.

"Don't swing the club, or you may hit me," said Vince. "Strike down, and I'll do the same. Now then, both together, and I'll keep the lanthorn between us. Begin."

They made a rush together through the water, which, after a few steps, grew rapidly shallow; and then they were out upon soft sand, striking at the dim-looking objects just revealed to them by the light; and twice over Vince felt that he had struck something soft, but whether it was seal or sand he could not tell. Violent strokes had resounded from the roof of the echoing cavern, as Mike exerted himself to the utmost, hitting about him wildly in despair, while every few moments there was a loud splashing. Then Mike fell violently forward on to his face, for one of the frightened creatures made a dash for the water. The panting, scuffling, splashing, and wallowing ceased, and Vince held up the light.

"Where are you?" he cried, forgetting the necessity for being silent.

"Here," said Mike, rising into a sitting position on a little bank of coa.r.s.e sand, which was composed entirely of broken sh.e.l.ls.

"Hurt?"

"Yes;--no. I came down very heavily, though."

"Fall over one of the seals?"

"No, it went between my legs, and I couldn't save myself. Well, we've won, and I'm glad we know now they were only seals. It was very stupid, but I got fancying they were goodness knows what horrible creatures."

"So did I," said Vince, with a faint laugh. "Old Joe's water bogies seemed to be all there, with fiery eyes, and I hit at them in a desperate way like. I say, you can't help feeling frightened at a time like this, specially when one of them fastens on you like a dog."

"What!"

"Yes," said Vince quietly, and without a tinge of boasting in his utterances. "I was whacking about at random, when one came at me, and made a sort of snip-snap and got hold, and for a bit it wouldn't leave go; but I whacked away at it as hard as I could, and then it fell gliding down my leg, and the next moment made another grab at me, but its head was too far forward, and it only knocked me sidewise. Such a bang on the thigh: I nearly went down."

"But where are you bitten?" cried Mike excitedly.

"Here," said Vince, laughing, and holding the lanthorn to his side.

"Only my jacket, luckily. Look, it tore a piece right out. What strength they've got! I felt it worrying at it, wagging its head like a dog. I say, Mike!"

"Yes."

"I was in a stew. I wasn't sorry when the brute dropped down."

"It's horrible," said Mike.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't feel a bit scared now. I tell you what, though: it has warmed me up. I'm not cold now. How are you?"

"Hot."

"Then let's have a look round."

Raising the lanthorn, the two prisoners cautiously advanced for about twenty feet, and then were stopped by solid rock, forming a sharp angle, where the two walls of the cave met. Their way had been up a slope of deep, sh.e.l.ly sand, which crushed and crunched beneath their feet, these sinking deeply at every step. Then the light was held higher, with the door open; and by degrees they made out that the pool was about fifty or sixty feet broad, and touched the rock-walls everywhere but out by this triangular patch of sand, which was wet enough where the seals crawled out, the hollows here and there showing where one had lain; but up towards the angle it was quite dry, and the walls were perfectly free from zoophyte or weed--ample proof that the water never rose to where they stood.

"Well," said Vince, setting down the lanthorn close to the wall, "we've won the day, the enemy is turned out of its castle, and the next thing, I say, is to get off our wet, cold things."

"I can't take matters so coolly as you do," said Mike bitterly. "I was only thinking of getting away out of this awful place."

"Oh, it isn't so awful now you know the worst of it," said Vince coolly, though a listener might have thought that there was a little peculiarity in his tone. "One couldn't help fancying all sorts of horrors, but when you find there is nothing worse than seals--"

"And horrible congers: I felt them."

"So did I," said Vince; "but I've been thinking since. The congers wouldn't live in a place where seals were. There'd be fights, and perhaps the seals would get the best of them."

"But don't I tell you I felt one swim up against me and lash its great body half round my leg?"

"I believe those were young seals, swimming for their lives to get out to sea. There, take off your wet things and wring them out. I'm going to fill my boots with fine sand. It's not cold in here, and I dare say the things will dry a bit."

"But suppose the seals come back."

"They won't come back while we're here, Ladle--I know that. They're full of curiosity, but as shy as can be. They can see in the dark, and--"

"Dark!" cried Mike.