Part 50 (1/2)
At last all seemed so still that they took heart to whisper to each other
”What shall we do, Cinder?” said Mike
”I don't know, unless we go through into the other cave”
”What's the good of that?--they'll come back soon and find us”
”Unless we can hide soht up in the back, where it's dark”
”That one after?”
”To try and find us”
”But they don't know us”
”Well, the people who are using this cave, and they must know of the way up to the top Ah! that's it”
”Yes; what?” cried Mike excitedly
”Hist! don't speak so loudly They've gone up there to loosen some of the stones and block the way, so as to put an end to any one co down; or else to lay wait and trap us”
Mike drew a long, deep breath; and it sounded like a groan
”Oh dear!” he said; ”whatever shall we do? Perhaps we had better get through into the other cavern They'll search this thoroughly, perhaps, when they come back; but they ht,” said Vince ”Yes, it's the only thing for us to do, unless we go into the seals' cave and try and hide there”
”Ugh!” said Mike, with a shudder ”Why, it may be horribly deep, and we should have to swim in ever so far in the darkness before we touched bottom; and who knohat a seal would do if it was driven to bay?”
”Better have to fight seals than be caught by theseto fight the seals with
There's the big stick in the other cavern, and your knife”
”And yours”
”Yes; there's htfully ”Ah! of course there's the conger club with the gaff hook at the end”
”To be sure But, oh no, we couldn't do that It would be horrible to wade or swiht,” said Vince
”Yes, but we'd better try the other cave,” said Mike hurriedly ”I feel sure we could hide in the upper part Draw a sail over us, perhaps: they'd never think we should hide in an open place like that, where they landed”
”Very well, then: come on Here's the lanthorn and the tinder-box”
Vince secured these fro quickly out of their irritating beds, and scattering the loose fine dry grit back, they hurried into the outer cave, seized the rope and grapnel, and Mike inging it to throw up into the opening, when his ar wildly at his companion