Part 66 (1/2)
”What, bo's'n?”
”Yes, sir, and me too Oh,here?”
”They came at us, sir, like mad bulls, and 'fore I knehere I was they had me Pair o' hands pops up out of the hole, takes hold of s, and I was pulled down, had a crack of the head, was danced on, and here I am, sir”
”And me too, sir,” said the other voice ”But, I'lers?”
”All seeed the door down, and they've been rattling big stones on it There, you can hear 'em now”
In corroboration of the boatswain's words, there was a dull thunderous sound overhead, as of great stones being thron over the trap-door, and all listened in silence for a time till the noise ceased
The silence was broken by Gurr, who suddenly roared out, as if he had only just grasped the position,--
”Why, they've got away!”
”Every man jack of 'em, sir, and they all walked over me”
”And they've shut us in!”
”Yes, Mr Gurr,” said Archy sadly; ”they've shut us in”
”But if they were here,” cried the master; ”that's what I wanted to do to thery, half a with the pain caused by a blow he had received, Archy re of his coround had ceased, and it was evident that the sain the silence was broken by thewith pain and mortification, exclaimed,--
”Well, Mr Raystoke, sir, you know all about this place; which is the way out?”
”Up above here, Mr Gurr, close to where we stand”
”Very well, sir; then why don't you lead on?”
”Because they have shut and fastened the trap, and heaped about a ton of stone upon it”
”Well, then, we h the door with our cutlashes, and let the stone down”
”What's that?” cried Archy excitedly,--”a light!”
For there was a dull report and a flash of blue like lightning; and, running down the slope, the midshi+ph hireat pool of flickering blue light; and, as it lit up the ceiling and the huge square stone supports of the place, he saw that which explained theof what had seemed to be a wonderful pheno pool of blue and yellow fla in every direction, he could diht in the edge of the pool of fire, and suddenly exploded with a dull report, which blew the tongues of fire in all directions, half extinguishi+ng theain in a voluan to lick the sides of the kegs
”The wretches! They fired the spirits before they escaped,” cried Archy, who realised to the full what had been done; and, for the sake of our common humanity, let us say it must have been an act of vindictive spite, aimed only at the destruction of the proof spirit, so that it ht not fall into the sailors' hands--not intended to condemn them to a hideous death
”Back quick to the entrance! We must hack down that door,” roared Archy