The Lost Middy Part 66

"No fear, sir. You trust me. Lot more time yet. 'Sides, the tide'll fall lower to-morrow morning; but I'll get you out as soon as I can, for your poor uncle's quite took to his bed, Master Aleck."

"Uncle has?"

"Yes, sir. Chuffy sharp-spoken gent as he always was, blest if he didn't say quite soft to me, with the big tears a-standing in his eyes: 'It's all over, Bodger, my man,' he says, 'and you may have the poor boy's boat, for I know if he could speak now he would say, "Give it to poor old Tom."'"

"Poor old uncle!" said Aleck, huskily. "Then you're cheated again, Tom, and have lost your boat?"

"And hearty glad on it, too, Master Aleck, say I. A-mussy me, my lad, what would the Den ha' been without you there? The captain wouldn't ha'

wanted me. I don't wonder as I couldn't rest, but come over here every morning and stayed till dark, climbing about the rocks and cliffs, with the birds a-shouting at me and thinking all the time that I'd come arter their young 'uns--bubblins, as we calls 'em, 'cause they're so fat."

"And so they haven't been looking for me any more?" said the middy, in a disappointed tone.

"No, sir; not since they telled me to keep on looking for yer. You see, everybody said as you must ha' gone overboard and been washed out to sea, same as the captain felt that you'd slipped off the cliff somewhere, Master Aleck, and been drowned. But I kep' on thinking as both on yer might ha' been washed into some crivissy place and stuck there, and that's why I kep' on peeking and peering about, hoping I might come upon one of you if I didn't find both; and sure enough, here you are. I don't know what you gents think on it, but I call it a right-down good morning's work for such a man as me."

"But you did not walk over from Rockabie this morning, my man?" said the middy.

"Not walk over, sir? Oh, yes, I did."

"You must be very tired?"

"Not me, sir. My legs never get tired; and yet the queerest thing about it is that they allus feel stiff."

"Don't talk any more, Tom," said Aleck. "I want to get to business.

Now, then, don't you think we might get out now?"

"Well, yes, sir; p'raps we might. It's a good deal lighter, you see, since I come, but she's far from low water yet, and it'll come much easier when tide's right down. But can't I have a bit of a look round, Master Aleck?"

"Of course," was the reply, and the sailor grinned and chuckled as he ran his eyes over what he looked upon as a regular treasure house for anyone whose dealings were on the sea with boats.

The cavern was lighter now than the two prisoners had ever seen it, so that Tom was able to have a good look; and he finished off by trotting down as near to the mouth of the great place as he could, and then turning to Aleck.

"There," he said, "I think we might venture out now. You can swim out now without having to dive. What do you say, Mr Wrighton, sir?"

"I think we ought to go at once."

"Come on, then, gen'lemen. You'll get a bit wet, but there's a long climb arterwards up the hot rocks in the sunshine, and you'll be 'most dry 'fore you get home."

"Oh, never mind the water," cried the middy. "My uniform's spoilt. I'm ready to do anything to get out of here."

"Will you go first, sir?" cried Tom Bodger.

"No, you found the way in," was the reply, "so lead the way out."

"Right, sir. Ready?"

"Then come on."

The man took three or four of his queer steps, to stand for a moment on the edge of the deep pool, and then went in sidewise to swim like a seal for the low archway, whose weed-hung edges were only a few inches above the surface of the water, and as he reached it to pa.s.s under he laid his head sidewise so that the dripping sh.e.l.l-covered weed wiped 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 middy followed, both finding their task delightfully easy as they swam some fifty yards through a low tunnel, whose roof was for the most part so close to the surface that more than once, as the smooth water heaved, Aleck's face just touched the impending 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 come along 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 middy came under in turn, he shouted again after his leader:

"Why, Tom, that must be where the water s.n.a.t.c.hed us up and nearly drowned us."

Five minutes later all three were swimming for a rough natural pier, and Tom Bodger gave his head a sidewise wag towards another low cavernous arch.

"'Nother way in there," he said. "Jynes the one we came out of. You must have seen how the waves dance and splash there in rough 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 my boat when it was rough."

"Course not, sir. It is a coa.r.s.e 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 sunshine on that there shelf?

The birds'll soon go. You can make yourselves comf'able and get dry while I go up and get a rope. Dessay I can be back in an hour or so."

"No," cried the lads, in a breath. "We'll climb it if you can."

Climb up the dangerous 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 exclaimed:

"But I still can't see how the smugglers 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 time they'd run a big lugger close in. Look yonder! It's just like the way into a dock, and sheltered lovely. Ah, they're an artful lot, smugglers! You never know what they're after."

It was about an hour later that, without pa.s.sing 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 came over Aleck like a warning of something fresh in the way of disaster that he was to encounter.

It came suddenly, but it was as suddenly chased away by his hearing the voice of Jane crooning over the words of some doleful old West Country ballad, not of a cheering nature certainly, but sufficient to prove that someone was at the house.

"Wait here," he whispered to his companions. "Let me go and see my uncle first."

He crept in unheard, glanced round to see that the lower room was empty, and then went softly up the stairs, his well-soaked boots making as 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, my boy!" cried the old man, springing up to catch the lost one in his arms. "Heaven be thanked! I was mourning for you as dead."

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

Comfortably settled down at the Den as Aleck's guest and made most welcome, the middy felt not the slightest inclination to stir; but all through life there is to all of us the call of duty, and the lad was ready to recommence his, and eager to report to headquarters his discovery of the notorious smugglers' cave.

Enquiries at Rockabie proved that the sloop and cutter had both sailed, so a letter had to convey some of the information--"a despatch," the young officer called it; and after it was sent he const.i.tuted himself guardian of the smugglers' treasure and headed a little expedition, composed of Aleck and Tom Bodger, to examine the land way down into the cave, which they approached by a rope provided by Tom, who said he didn't "keer" about jumping down from that there shelf, because his legs were so stiff.

Then a descent was made by the sloping zigzag paths, till the corner was reached, about half way down, where the way was blocked.