Menhardoc Part 33

"I'll show you, sir," said Will eagerly; and Mr Temple watched him closely as they stood once more out in the bright sunshine, and, lithe and strong, he began to climb up the rocks, d.i.c.k following him almost as quickly, but without his cleverness in making his way from block to block.

Mr Temple followed, then Josh, lastly Arthur, who got on very badly, but indignantly refused Josh's rough tarry hand when he good-naturedly offered to help him up the rough cliff.

"Here's where Josh and I went down," said Will, as they all stood at the shaft mouth.

"And did you go down there, my lad?"

"Yes, sir."

"Swinging on a rope?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you've a good nerve, my lad. It wants a cool head to do that."

Will winced and glanced at Josh, who wrinkled up his forehead in a curious way.

"A tremendous nerve," continued Mr Temple. "You wouldn't care to go down, d.i.c.k?"

"No, father; but I'd go if you told me, and the rope was safe."

"That's right," said Mr Temple, smiling; "but, as I said before, it would require tremendous nerve--like that of our friend here."

Will looked from one to the other uneasily, and turned his cap first to right, and then to left. Suddenly he drew a long breath.

"I felt when I got out of the shaft, sir, as if I never dared try to do it again," he said hastily.

"Indeed!"

"Yes, sir; I wasn't at all brave over it."

"Steady, my lad--steady!" said Josh in a reproving tone. "I think you did well. P'raps the gentleman would like to go now to Blee Vor."

"Yes, I should," said Mr Temple, "so let's go at once. There is nothing to be done here."

Josh led the way down the cliff--rather a dangerous road, but one which seemed easy enough to him, while Arthur shuddered and stopped two or three times on the way down, as if the descent made him giddy. He was always well enough, though, to resent any offer of a.s.sistance, even into the boat when it was hauled close up to the rock. Josh would have lifted him in; Will was ready to lay a back for him and porter him in like a sack; but the sensitive London boy looked upon these offers of aid as insulting; and the consequence was that he got on board with one of his shoes full of water, and a very small piece of skin taken off his shin.

"Shall we row you on to Blee Vor," said Josh.

Mr Temple nodded in a short business-like way, and taking out his gla.s.s, he began to examine the rock as they went along.

All of a sudden, though, he turned to d.i.c.k.

"Go and take that oar," he said sharply; and then to Will--"Come here, my lad."

Will coloured a little as he gave up his oar to d.i.c.k, who began rowing with a great deal of vigour and a great deal of splash, but with little effect upon the progress of the boat.

"And so you are spending your spare time hunting for metals, are you, my lad?" said Mr Temple, gazing sharply at Will.

"Yes, sir."

"Why?"

Will hesitated for a moment and then said frankly:

"I want to get on, sir, and make myself independent."

"Capital idea!" said Mr Temple; "but what knowledge have you on the subject? Have you studied mineralogy?"

"Not from books, sir. Only what the miners about here could teach me."

"But you know a little about these things?"

"Very little, sir; but I'm trying to learn more."

"Ah! that's what we are all trying to do," said Mr Temple quickly.

"That will do. Perhaps we shall see a little more of each other."

He took up his gla.s.s once more; and feeling himself to be dismissed, Will went back to his seat, and would have taken the oar, but d.i.c.k wanted to learn how to row, and would not give it up.

"Go and help my brother catch another ba.s.s," he said; so rather unwillingly the lad went to where Arthur was diligently dragging the whiffing-line through the water.

"Don't you get any bites, sir?" said Will.

"No. I don't think there are many fish hero now," said Arthur haughtily.

"But there are a few," said Will smiling. "Did you put on a good bait?"

"Good bait!" said Arthur, looking at his questioner in a half-offended tone.

"Yes, you must have a good lask on your hook, or the fish will not rise at it."

"Why, I've got the same hook on that my brother used when he caught that fish."

"Let me look," said Will quietly.

Arthur frowned, and would have declined, but Will did not wait for permission, and drew in the line till he came to the lead, lifted it carefully inboard, and then hauled up the hook.

"You might have kept on trying all day," said Will. "There's no bait."

"Oh, indeed! then some fish must have bitten it off," said Arthur in the most nonchalant way. "I thought I felt a tug."

Will had his back turned to the fisherman, so that he could smile un.o.bserved, for he knew that there had been no bait left on the hook, and that Arthur would not have soiled his fingers to put one on.

"There," he said as he hooked on a good bright lask; "now try."

He threw the bait over and then dropped in the lead, when the bait seemed to dart away astern, drawing out the line; but to Arthur's surprise Will checked it instantly, caught the line from the gunwale and handed it to him, Will's quick eyes having detected the dash of a fish at the flying bait.