Part 66 (2/2)

The man took three or four of his queer steps, to stand for a e of the deep pool, and then went in sidewise to swies were only a few inches above the surface of the water, and as he reached it to pass under he laid his head sidewise so that the dripping shell-covered iped his cheek

There had been no hesitation on the part of the prisoners Aleck sprang in as soon as their guide was a few feet away, and the htfully easy as they swah a low tunnel, whose roof was for the most part so close to the surface that more than once, as the s smoothly-worn stone

But there were two places, only a few yards in, where the arch was broken into a yawning crack, from which the water dripped in a heavy shower

”Look up as you co here,” cried Aleck to his companion, and then he shuddered, for his voice raised a peculiar echo, suggesting weird hollows and tunnels, while as he increased his strokes to get past and the ain after his leader:

”Why, Tom, that must be where the water snatched us up and nearly drowned us”

Five h natural pier, and To towards another low cavernous arch

”'Nother way in there,” he said ”Jynes the one we came out of You h weather, Master Aleck?”

”No,” was the reply ”I've only seen that it's a terribly rough bit of coast I never came down here, and of course I was never out in h”

”Course not, sir It is a coarse bit I had no end of a job to get down, and I spect that it's going to be a bit worse going up agen What do you say to sitting up yonder in the sunshi+ne on that there shelf?

The birds'll soon go You can et a rope Dessay I can be back in an hour or so”

”No,” cried the lads, in a breath ”We'll clierous cliff they did by helping one another, and with several halts to look down at the still falling tide; and in one of these intervals Aleck exclailers could run a boat up and row into that cavern”

”Course they couldn't row, sir,” replied Tom, ”on'y shove her in But don't you see what a beautiful deep cut there is? Bound to say that at the right tier close in Look yonder! It's just like the way into a dock, and sheltered lovely Ah, they're an artful lot, slers! You never knohat they're after”

It was about an hour later that, without passing a soul on their solitary way, the party reached the cliff path down into the Den garden, where no Dunning was visible, and a chill ca fresh in the way of disaster that he was to encounter

It ca the voice of Jane crooning over the words of so nature certainly, but sufficient to prove that someone was at the house

”Wait here,” he whispered to his coo and see lanced round to see that the lower room was empty, and then went softly up the stairs, his well-soaked bootsas little noise as if they had been of indiarubber

The study door yielded to a touch, and he stood gazing at the figure of his uncle, seated in his usual place, but with pen, ink and papers thrust aside so that he could bow his grey head down upon his clasped hands

”Asleep, uncle?” said the lad, softly

”Aleck,up to catch the lost one in his ar for you as dead”

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Couest and htest inclination to stir; but all through life there is to all of us the call of duty, and the lad was ready to recoer to report to headquarters his discovery of the notorious slers' cave

Enquiries at Rockabie proved that the sloop and cutter had both sailed, so a letter had to convey so officer called it; and after it was sent he constituted hilers' treasure and headed a little expedition, coer, to examine the land way down into the cave, which they approached by a rope provided by To down fros were so stiff

Then a descent waspaths, till the corner was reached, about half way dohere the as blocked