Part 31 (1/2)

”Three fathoms!” cried Arthur. ”Why, that's eighteen feet, and over my head!”

”Well, yes, you ar'n't quite so tall as that!” cried Josh, with a bit of a chuckle.

”But suppose the boat was overset?” said Arthur.

”Oh, she won't overset, my lad. You couldn't overset her; and if she did--can you swim?”

”A little--not much. I'm not very fond of the water.”

”Ah! that's a pity,” said Josh; ”everybody ought to be able to swim.

You'd better come down to me every morning, and I'll take you out in the boat here and you can jump in and have a good swim round, and then come in again and dress.”

Arthur looked at him in horror. The idea seemed frightful. To come out away from land, and plunge into water eighteen feet deep, where he might go to the bottom and perhaps never come up again, was enough to stun him mentally for the moment, and he turned away from Josh with a shudder.

”Here you are, Taff!” said d.i.c.k just then. ”Now have a try for a fish.

Come and sit here; change places.”

d.i.c.k jumped up and stepped over the thwarts, vacating his seat right in the stern. In fact he looked as if he could have run all round the boat easily enough on the narrow gunwale had there been any need, while, in spite of his call and the sight of the fis.h.i.+ng-line, Arthur sat fast.

”Well, why don't you get up?”

”I--I prefer staying here,” said Arthur, who looked rather white.

”But you said you would like to fis.h.!.+” cried d.i.c.k in a disappointed tone.

”Did I? Oh yes, I remember. But I don't wish to fish to-day. You can go on.”

”Oh, all right!” said d.i.c.k lightly. ”I daresay I can soon get something;” and he set the line dragging behind.

”Like to be rowed over to yon mine, sir, on the cliff?” said Josh, nodding in the direction of the old shaft, the scene of his adventures with Will.

”Where, my man? I can see no remains. Oh yes, I can,” he continued, as he brought his gla.s.s to bear on the regular bank-slope formed by the material that had been dug and blasted out. ”I see; that's a very old place. Yes; I should like to inspect that first.”

”Me and him went down it la.s.s week,” said Josh, as he tugged at the oar, Will having now joined him in forcing the boat along.

”It's not a deep one, then,” said Mr Temple carelessly.

”Dunno how deep she be,” said Josh, ”because she's full o' water up to the adit.”

”Oh, there is an adit then?”

”Yes, as was most covered over. She begins up on that level nigh the cliff top, where you can see the bit o' brown rock with the blackberry bushes in it, and she comes out down in that creek place there where the bank's green.”

”I see!” said Mr Temple eagerly. ”Ah! that must be an old place. When was it given up?”

”Oh, long before we was born, or our grandfathers, I expect!” said Josh.

”The more reason why I should examine it,” said Mr Temple. ”I suppose,” he added aloud, ”we can land here?”

”Oh yes, while the sea's like this! You couldn't if she was rough. The rocks would come through her bottom before you knowed where you were.”