Part 64 (2/2)

”shi+p ahoy! Master Aleck--a--” _suck--suck--flop--flop_--a whisper, and then soer!” cried Aleck, in a voice he did not know for his own, and so seemed to clutch hi inaudible to himself

CHAPTER THIRTY

_Phee-ew! Phee-ew_! The peculiar gull-like whistle once ht up into the farthest part of the cavern Then there ca sound as of water filling up an opening A minute later ”shi+p ahoy!” from outside

”Tom! Ahoy!” yelled Aleck, wildly

”Ahoy,else was cut off by the soft sucking splash of water again, while to make the lads' position more painful in their efforts to reply, twice over they were conscious of the fact that when they replied with a shout their cries did not pass through the orifice, which the water had closed

But the tide was ebbing steadily, and the tiny arc of the rocks which showed the way in was growing more open, so that at the end of a few minutes they heard plainly:

”Where'bouts are yer, my lad?”

”In here!” shouted Aleck, but only in face of a dull _plosh_

Another minute and the question was repeated, but fro from the cavern mouth the words seemed to come from far up the cavern, to be followed by another splash

It was quite half a ht by experience, Aleck shouted:

”Shut in here! Cave!”

There was another plosh, but they had proof soon after that the words had been heard, for the hail now came:

”Are yer 'live, my lad?”

”Ye-es,” cried Aleck ”Quite!” and then he could in his exciteh at the absurdity of the question and answer

”Thought yer was dead and gone,

”Toer!”

”Hullo!” came quickly

”We're shut in by the water”

”Who's 'we'?”

”The cutter's midshi+pman and I”

”Wha-a-at! Then there arn't nayther on yer dead and drownded, my lad?”

”No-o-o-o!”