Part 23 (1/2)
”I will, for I found out what it was”
”All right,” said Mike; ”but we shall want the rope How are we to fasten it?”
”There's plenty,” said Vince, ”and we'll go back and tie it round that last great stone in the hole”
This was done, Mike lighting hi, the rope coil was thron
”Here goes!” cried Vince ”Hold the light high up”
Mike raised it on high, and leaned forward as far as he could; while, sitting down and grasping the rope, Vince let hilide, and the next moment his feet sank deep in soft sand
”Co from twenty feet or so above him ”It's easy as easy Never mind the lanthorn”
He looked round as he spoke, to see that he was in a large cavern, floored with beautifully srey dawn that had greeted hie, but how it entered the place he could not , roaring sound of the water calance, for Mike was co on his back, but lowering himself foot by foot, as he held on to the rope
”There!” cried Vince, as his coed walls and lofty roof of the great dry channel; ”wasn't this worth corand,” replied Mike, in a subdued voice ”I say, what a place!”
”What a place? I should think it is I say, Ladle, we've discovered this, and it's all our own You and I ought to come and stay here e like I say, isn't it a size? Why, it ed hollow, trah the soft sand
”Twelve paces,” he cried frohter There ht to come in Yes, I see!”
Vince pointed up at the side farthest froation showed that the pale soft light appeared to be reflected upward against the roof, co to this spot, they found that they could pass round the rocky screen, which reached half-way to the ceiling, and they now stood in a narrow passage lit by a soft green light, which cah this the boys uttered a shout of delight, for before them was another cavern of alorious with a lovely, ever-changing pattern, forht from the waves outside They were fascinated for the time by the appearance of the roof, which seehts and shadows, soft as silken weavings, chasing each other, opening, closing, and interlacing in the rew dazzled
”It's too much to see at one time,” whispered Mike at last ”I say!
look at the arch with ferns hanging all round like lace”
”Yes, and what a colour the sea is!”
”And the ane the rocks”
”Yes, and outside at the sea-birds I say, Ladle! did you ever see anything like it?”
”Never thought there was such a beautiful place in the world,” replied Mike softly ”Shall we go any farther?”
”Go any farther? I should think ill! Why, Mikey, this is all our oo beautiful caverns, one opening into the other, and all a secret, only known to ourselves Talk about luck! But come on”
They passed under the arch, and stood in a cavern opening by another arch upon the sea, which rippled and played a protected by ridge after ridge of rock just level with the surface, and sufficient to break the force of the wild currents, which boiled as they rushed by a short distance out This cavern appeared as if, at some distant period, it had been eaten out of soft or half-decayed strata by the waves; and its peculiarity was the great extent of low, fairly level roof, which in places the lads could touch by tiptoeing and extending their fingers It ran in at least a hundred feet; and apparently, frohest tides, which were pretty exactlyshells and sea-weed at the mouth