ome of the convicts might have escaped a watery
grave, and either by capture or giving themselves up have made known
our whereabouts to the good folks of Rockymouth. No help arrived,
however, and it became more and more evident that none was to be
expected. The patch of sea grew gray and misty as the second day of
our captivity drew towards its close.

Kneeling in the quickly-gathering darkness of the cavern, George
completed the first lashing of the logs; then gathering up all the
remainder of the rope, that we might not entangle our feet, he stowed
it away high up on the rocky ledge which had served as a shelf for our
provisions.

All day we had hardly thought of food--a bite of cheese while we worked
having proved sufficient; but now, though wearied with our labour, we
set to work to pluck and cook the second pheasant--an operation which,
as we sat in the darkness with no means of telling how time was
passing, seemed to last far into the night. With most of our wood gone
to form the raft, we had to be chary of our fuel. The bird was only
half cooked, and I had little inclination for eating; but we forced
ourselves to swallow something, for on George's strength keeping up, if
not on mine, our last chance of rescue depended.

My cold was worse, and I felt utterly miserable as I sat crouching by
the glowing embers, the warmth from which was not sufficient to temper
the bitter breeze from the sea, which swept through the cavern as
through a draughty tunnel.

"George," I said, "it would be awful to die here alone in the dark, and
no one ever to know what had become of us. Are you sure that raft will
carry you safely?"

"Oh, bless you, Master Eden, don't talk about dying," answered the man;
"that's not the way the true Briton looks at things. 'Never say die'
is his motto. There's many poor fellows been in worse plights than we
are, and not thrown up the sponge. Bless you, sir, I shall help to
carry you to and from school many a time yet, I hope. 'Woodley,'
you'll say, 'this is better than the two nights we spent in that cave!'
'You're right, sir,' I shall answer; and then all the other outsides'll
want to hear the story. Ho, ho! my eye! but I doubt if they'll believe
it's all true!"

He went on cheering me with his lively talk, though his teeth chattered
with the cold. He had never seemed more gay when perched on the back
seat of the old _Regulator_. Yet if I could have read his thoughts, I
might have d