beside him on the rock. Thus, in the gloomy
twilight of the cave we all remained motionless as the rock itself,
until one of the men broke the spell with speech.

"What's the matter now?--more sheep?" he demanded gruffly, referring to
the false alarm of the previous evening, at which several of his
companions laughed.

The blind man made no reply, but remained in exactly the same attitude,
like a person in a trance. On any occasion his conduct would have been
disquieting and uncanny, but for hunted men there was something in it
especially disturbing.

"Can't you answer, you dumb post?" cried Rodwood angrily. "If you hear
anything, tell us what it is."

"It was a voice," answered Mogger. "I heard it, I'll swear; my ears
never play me false."

"You heard a good many voices, I suppose, seeing that we was most of us
talking," retorted one of his companions, with an uneasy catch in the
blustering tone which he tried to assume.

"I know all your voices," was the reply. "This was strange, and seemed
to come from a distance. Hark!"

The man held up a warning hand. In the death-like stillness which
followed I strained my ears to catch the faintest whisper; but no sound
reached them save the plash of the water and the heavy breathing of
Lewis, who stood close at my side.

"Be hanged to you!" burst out Rodwood. "You'll cry 'wolf' so often
that we shall pay no heed to real danger when it comes. What you heard
was the seagulls crying.--Confound the man, he's enough to send a
nervous old woman into a fit with his prick ears and bladder face!"

The blind man seemed too intent in listening for a repetition of the
sounds which he believed he had heard to take much notice of this
speech. The convicts joined in a rough jeer, but it was evident that
they had not recovered from the shock of the alarm.

"The dog's given no sign," said Lewis presently, looking hard at his
four-footed companion. "He'd be uneasy if there was strangers
about.--Eh, Joey? Is the coast clear?"

The animal merely wagged its tail, and before the subject could be
discussed any further the attention of the party was diverted to
another matter.

"Here's something in the water!" exclaimed one of the convicts, who had
wandered to the edge of the platform. "Looks like a cask of some sort.
Come on, and help to fish it out."

"If I were you I'd leave it where it is," interposed Lewis; "it'll
bring you no luck."

"Why?" demanded the fellow, wh