Part 51 (1/2)
”Only a seal Coetting deeper instead ofin his h to be safe
”Hist! Quiet!” he whispered, for the sound of voices came to where they stood, and Vince felt that if sound was conveyed in one direction it certainly would be in the other
”Mustn't say a word, or they'll hear us and be in and fetch us out in no tiht”
”Can't,” whispered back Mike faintly ”I've got ed in”
Vince seized him sharply by the shoulder, and Mike nearly fell back into the water; but this acted like a lever, and the boot renched free, just as another whistle was heard and its answer, both sounding strangely near
Quite certain that if they did not get in farther the reflection from the lanthornfro terribly cold, nearly to his waist
”We o any farther,” said Mike in an excited whisper, ”or we shall have to swi the light well up above the water, and looking anxiously along the dark channel ahead, the roof not being two feet above their caps
Deeper still--the water above their waists--but the cavern went nearly straight on, and Vince was about to open the door and blow out the light, when Mike caught his arm
”Don't do that,” he whispered: ”it would be horrible here, with those beasts about There, you can hear one swi, and we don't knohat else there ht”
”Well, let them,” said Mike desperately ”I'd rather wade out”
”I'll risk it, then,” said Vince; and then he drew a breath of relief, for at the end of a couple of yards the depression along which they had passed was changing to a gradual rise of the cavern floor, and the water fell lower and lower, till it was considerably below their waists, and soon after shallow in the extres, satisfied that they were getting where they would not be discovered, and also into shalloater, that promised soon to rise to dry land; but, on the other hand, they kept having hints that they were driving back living creatures, whichsplashes, that echoed strangely along the roof, and y
To their great joy, now, on looking back they found that they could not see the daylight shi+ning in froazing into the cave was not likely to see the dilad to find that they need go no farther along the narrow channel--one for away of some vein of soft felspar or steatite
”Pretty safe nohispered Vince
_Plash_!
”Ugh!” ejaculated Mike ”What's that?”
”Seal or so we've driven in before us”
”I don't want to be a coward, Cinder,” whispered Mike; ”but if it's a great conger, I don't knohat I should do”
”Hit at it,” replied Vince ”I should, even if I felt in a regular squirs we've driven up before us are sure to be in a horrible flurry, and all they'll think about will be of trying to get away”
”Think so?”
”Why, of course You don't suppose there are any of the things that old Joe talked about, do you?”
”No, of course that's nonsense; but the congersand fierce, and isn't this the sort of place they would run up?”
”I dunno S'pose so,” said Vince ”They get in holes of the rocks, of course; but I don't knohether they'd get up such a big, long cave as this Wonder how far it goes in? Pst!”
Vince grasped his co a proof of the wonderful way in which sound was carried along the surface of the water, especially in a narrow passage such as that in which they had taken refuge