man had forgotten to
wind his watch the night before, and it had run down. We cheered each
other with the assertion that the people in Rockymouth must know now of
our whereabouts, and that when day dawned we should be rescued. At
length we must both have fallen into an uneasy slumber, and when I
recovered consciousness the mouth of the cavern was showing like a
distant window in the pale gray light of morning. Rising, and
stretching our stiffened limbs, we stirred up the fire, and slapped our
arms across our breasts to restore the circulation. To my joy I
noticed that the sea was calmer; the wind had dropped, and what waves
there were outside reached our platform in little more than gentle
ripples.

"They won't be long fetching us now," said George. "I wonder how far
those rascals got before they were collared? Not much farther than the
pierhead, I fancy. The villains, sending the old _True Blue_ over the
cliffs like a worthless piece of rock! I hope they'll get a sound
flogging for it, every man Jack of 'em, when they get aboard the hulk.
I'd like to give it 'em myself!"

We stood watching the light strengthen in the entrance to the cave,
momentarily expecting to see the aperture darkened by the prow of a
boat, and prepared to give a simultaneous hail with all the force of
our voices.

"Well, some of those lazy dogs of villagers might have been up and
about by this time," grumbled George. "I know I would if it were a
case of rescuing fellow-creatures in distress. They needn't have
waited for dawn; I'll warrant there's some of them could have guided a
boat in here with a lamp if there'd been a cargo of brandy kegs to be
fetched, instead of two human beings!"

"Perhaps they don't know we're here," I suggested, rather reluctantly.

"Of course they do," answered George, who had fully made up his mind on
the subject. "That gang of rascals must have been caught yesterday.
How could it have been otherwise when most of them were too drunk to
walk, let alone run? That being the case, for their own sakes they'd
be ready enough to say what had become of us. They'll be held
responsible for our safety, and it would go hard with them if--if we
weren't found."

"But they might have got into hiding, and be waiting to get on board
some vessel."

"Not they! The harbour was empty when we got into the boat--I noticed
that; so there was no craft lying alongside the wharf which would take
them on board, we'll say, an