The sensation of delight was checked by feeling Mike's hand suddenly upon his shoulder tugging him back, and at the same moment he saw the reason. For there, in the opening, evidently standing up to his shoulders in water, was some one gazing straight into the narrow cavern, and Vince felt that they must have been heard and a sentry placed there to watch for their coming out.

"But it is impossible for him to see us," thought Vince; and he stood there pondering on what it would be best to do, while a feeling of hope cheered him with the idea that perhaps after all they had not been heard, and that it was by mere accident that the man was gazing in.

The next moment he felt again ready to utter an exultant cry, for there was a sudden movement of the watching head, a dive down, and the water rose and fell, distinctly seen against the light.

"Bother those old seals!" he said: "they're always doing something to scare us. I really thought it was a man."

"Looked just like it," said Mike, making a panting sound, as if he had been holding his breath till he had been nearly suffocated.

"That chap must have been able to see us though we are in the dark.

What wonderful eyes they have!"

"Perhaps the light shines on us a little," replied Mike.

"Very likely; but it's curious what animals can do. I wonder at their coming and lying down so near us."

"That was because we lay so still, I suppose. But we oughtn't to talk."

"No; come along: but what are we going to do? We shan't be able to stand in the water very long."

They waded very slowly on, hardly disturbing the surface, and straining their ears to catch the slightest sound; but the faint roar of the currents playing among the rocks, and the screams and querulous cries of the sea-birds which flew to and fro across the mouth of the cavern were all they could hear.

They were pretty close to the entrance now, but they hesitated to go farther, and remained very silent and watchful, till a thought suddenly struck Vince, who placed his lips close to Mike's ear.

"I say," he said, "oughtn't it to be this evening?"

"Of course."

"Then it isn't. It's to-morrow morning."

"Nonsense!"

"Well, I mean it's morning, and we've slept all night."

"Vince!"

"It is, lad. Look--the sun can't have been up very long; and oh, Mike, what a state they must have been in at home about us!"

Mike uttered a faint groan.

"It's horrid!" continued Vince pa.s.sionately. "What shall we do?"

Mike was silent for a few minutes, and then said sadly,--"They won't have slept all night."

"No," said Vince wildly; "and they've been wandering about the place with people searching for us. Mike, it's of no use, we mustn't try to hide any longer. That Jarks daren't hurt us, and we had better go out boldly."

"Think so?"

"Yes. You see, we can't stay here standing in the water, and if we go back to the sand in there--"

Mike shuddered. "I can't go back there," he said.

"That's just how I feel," said Vince, speaking in a low, excited tone.

"I didn't say much, but I couldn't help being horribly frightened."

"It was enough to scare anybody there in the dark, not knowing what might happen to us next," sighed Mike. "We can't go back. If we do we should soon starve. Think we could go to the mouth here and wade out, and then swim to that opening we saw?"

"No," said Vince decidedly, as he recalled the aspect of the turbulent cove from where he sat astride the stone; "no man could swim there, and I don't believe that a small boat could live in those boiling waters."

"Then we must go boldly out," said Mike. "Who's this fellow? He has no right to come here. Why, my father would punish him severely for daring to do it!"

"If he could catch him, Ladle, old fellow. But the man knows it, and that's what frightens me--I mean, makes me fidgety about it. But we must go."

"There is one chance, though," said Mike eagerly: "he may have taken fright and gone with all his smuggled stuff."

"Of course he may," said Vince eagerly. "Why, here are we fidgeting ourselves about nothing. While we've been sleeping in this seal cavern, he has had his men working away to carry off all that stuff to his ship.

Poor old Ladle! He won't even get enough silk to make his mother a dress. Well, are you ready?" he continued, with forced gaiety. "I'm hungry and thirsty, and my poor feet feel like ice."

Mike hesitated.

"We must go," said Vince, changing his tone again. "Mike, old chap, it's too horrid to think of them at home. Come on."

Mike did not speak, but gave a sharp nod; and, summoning all their resolution, and trying hard to force themselves to believe that the smugglers had gone, they waded carefully on, now breathing more freely as they reached the mouth, with the bright light of morning shining full in to where they were, and sending a thrill of hope through every fibre and vein.

They paused, but only for a few minutes; and then, after a sign to Mike, Vince took another step or two, and leaned forward till he could peer round the side of the low arch and scan the interior of the outer cave.

Then, slowly drawing back, after a couple of minutes' searching examination, he spoke to Mike in a whisper.

"There isn't a sign of anybody," he said; "and I can't hear a sound.

Come on, and let's risk it."

Their pulses beat high as, bracing themselves together, they stepped right from the low archway, moving very cautiously, so as to gaze out as far as they could command at the cove.

They fully expected to see some good-sized vessel lying there, or at least a large boat; but there were the sea-birds and the hurrying waters--nothing more. "They must have gone," whispered Vince. "Unless they are where we can't see--round by their cave."

"I believe they've gone," said Vince; and they stepped in on to the soft, loose sand, to find everything belonging to them untouched. Then, gaining confidence, Mike stepped boldly inward, right up to the right-hand corner beneath the fissure, and stood listening, but there was not a sound.

"Right," he whispered, as he stepped back: "they have gone."

But the boy's heart beat faster as he led the way now to the entrance of the inner cave; for there was the possibility of the pa.s.sage being blocked, and, another thing, it was early morning, and the smugglers might be sleeping still in the soft sand.

Vince whispered his fears, and then, going first, he pa.s.sed into the narrow pa.s.sage without a sound, and stole cautiously along it till he could crane his head round and look.

For some moments he could see nothing, but by degrees his eyes grew accustomed to the soft gloom, and the walls and roof and sandy floor gradually stood out before his eyes, and the next minute, to his great joy, he could see the rope running up into the dark archway and disappearing there.

Nothing more: no sound of heavy breathing but his own--no trace of danger whatever.

He drew back again and placed his lips to his companion's ear.