Part 73 (2/2)

He crept past Mike, after seizing the boat-hook, and, reaching over the stern,to thrust with against the rocks, and which had been laid-dohen they passed right in, so that Mike could use his hands

How it had slipped over the gunwale neither could have said; but when Vince caught sight of it, the oar was floating just in the entrance, and the sharp dash hethe blade so aardly that he drove it farther out, where it was caught by the current and draiftly away

”Gone!” said Mike despairingly

”Gone! Yes, of course it's gone; and now they'll find out where we are”

”No, they're not obliged to,” said Mike; ”that oar may have been washed from anywhere, and they haven't found it yet”

”Oh no,” said Vince bitterly--”not yet; but you'll see”

Mike made no reply, but helped, without a word of objection, to thrust the boat farther in along the passage, which greatly resembled the seal hole, as they called it, but was nearly double the width, and afforded plenty of room for the boat

As soon as they felt that they were far enough in to be hidden by the darkness, they sat watching the entrance, through which the bright ht poured, and listened intently for solers' boat was near

But an hourwhich took his attention, when Mike suddenly whispered,--

”I say, do you notice anything strange about the way in yonder?”

Vince was silent

”Why don't you speak?” said Mike sharply ”You have seen it Why didn't you speak before?”

”Felt as if I couldn't,” said Vince hoarsely

”Then it is so,” said Mike ”The tide is rising, and the hole's getting set out at once”

”Too late,” replied Vince glooed in”

”But--oh! we must try, Vince, or we shall be drowned! Why didn't you speak before?”

”I wasn't sure till it began to run up so quickly; and what could we do?

If we had gone out we should have been seen directly Perhaps it won't rise any higher now It never covered the seal cave”

”That ice as high,” groaned Mike ”Look at the liht in at every tide”

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

RE-TRAPPED

Misfortunes, they say, never coly, and these words had hardly been uttered when voices were heard, and directly after a fah the low passage and quite plainly to the boys' ears,--

”Made the oar ain What I say is as they ot in here”