The Lost Middy Part 52

"Not open? You told me there was no door or fastening at all."

"There is neither, but it's shut up by the promise I gave that man."

"You tell me really that you mean to stop here all night waiting for him?"

"Yes," said Aleck; "I was quite ready to stop here all night to keep you company when you were a prisoner chained to that wall."

The midshipman stood staring down at his companion as if half stunned, till better thoughts prevailed.

"Yes," he said, at last, in a quieter way. "So you were; and you would have done it, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would," said Aleck.

"And it wouldn't be fair to break your word, eh?"

"That's what I feel," was the reply.

"Yes, and I suppose it's right, Aleck--that's what they call you?"

"Yes, that's what they call me," said the lad, coldly.

"Yes--yes," said the middy, slowly. "I say, you're not an officer, but you're a jolly deal more of a gentleman than I am. You see, I've been a prisoner so long, and I want to get out."

"Of course; it's only natural."

"Well, then, you're going to show me the way out?"

"To-morrow morning, when I feel satisfied that Eben Megg will not come."

"No, no, to-night--if it is to-night yet. Come!"

"No," said Aleck, firmly. "I gave him my word that I'd wait, and I'll stay even if he doesn't come back; but I have no right to try and stop you."

"No, that you haven't; but I'm not going to behave worse than you do.

Now, once more, are you going to show me the way out?"

"No," said Aleck.

To his intense astonishment the midshipman threw himself back upon his rough couch again.

"All right," he said; "I know what it means when you're all alone in the stillness here and your brain's at work conjuring up all sorts of horrible things. You've behaved very handsomely to me, old fellow, and I'm not going to be such a miserable beggar as to go and leave you in the lurch. If you stay, I stay too, and there's an end of it. Now, then, snuff the candle and hunt out some prog. I've been so that everything I put into my mouth tasted like sawdust, but I feel now as if I could eat like anything. Look sharp."

"Do you mean this?" cried Aleck, turning to his companion, excitedly.

"Of course I do," said the middy, merrily. "Think you're the only gentleman in the world?"

It was Aleck's turn to feel slightly husky in the throat, but he turned away to the rough basket and began to hand out its contents, joining his companion in eating hungrily, both working away in silence for a time.

Then the ex-prisoner opened the conversation, beginning to talk in a boisterous, careless way.

"I say, Aleck, we shall have plenty of time before lying down to sleep.

Let's light two or three candles and have a jolly good rummage of the smugglers' stores."

"We will," cried the lad addressed.

"I shouldn't wonder if we find all sorts of things. Treasure, perhaps, from wrecked vessels. I wouldn't bet that these people hadn't been pirates in their time. That Eben, as you call him--I say, it ought to be Ebony--he looks a regular Blackbeard, skull-and-crossbones sort of a customer. We'll collar anything that seems particularly good. I'm just in the humour to say I've as good a right to what there is as anybody else; but we'll share--fair halves. I say!"

"What?"

"Old Blackbeard will stare when he finds that we've opened the irons.

My word, I must go and see Mrs Ebony again. Nice woman she is, and no mistake."

"Did she fasten the iron ring on your ankle?"

"Well, no; I think it was an ugly old woman of the party; but I couldn't be sure, for they half killed me--smothered me, you know--and when I came the half way back to life the job was done."

Aleck entered into the spirit of the rummage, as his companion called it, and their search proved interesting enough; but after finding a vast store of spirits, tobacco, and undressed Italian silks, the princ.i.p.al things in the cavern were ship's stores--the flotsam and jetsam of wrecks, over which they bent till weariness supervened.

"Tired out," said Aleck, at last.

"So am I," was the reply, as they threw themselves side by side on the rough bed, after extinguishing all the candles they had stuck about the rock and confining themselves to a fresh one newly set up in the lanthorn.

"Shall we let it burn?" said Aleck, in deference to his comrade's feelings.

"Oh, hang it, no!" was the reply. "It might gutter down and set us on fire."

"Then you don't mind being in the dark?"

"Not a bit with you here. Do you mind?"

"I feel the same as you."

Five minutes later they were both sleeping quietly and enjoying as refreshing a slumber as ever fell to the lot of man or boy.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

Aleck woke up wondering, for he felt as if he had had a good night's rest and that it ought to be morning, whereas it was very dark.

This was puzzling, and what was more curious was the fact that on moving he found that he had his clothes on.

Naturally enough he moved, and turned upon his other side, to find that it was not so dark now, for he was looking at what seemed to be a beautifully blue dawn. Then someone yawned, and the lad was fully awake to his position.

"Sailor!" he said, loudly.

"Eh? My watch? My--my--I'll--here, Aleck, that you?"