I'm the only one as knows.'"

"Then he must have known," said George, "but he didn't want those
convict chaps to find out. Perhaps it's a secret among the 'free
traders,' or perhaps it's a fact that the old chap was really the only
person who knew. I've heard him say that he was a rare climber when he
was younger, and had got to places on the cliffs where no one else had
ever been. Well, sir, there's a bit of cheese and two apples wedged in
that crack of the rock. I'd better go down and fetch them before the
tide rises; they'll at least keep life in us for a couple of days."

Slowly we retraced our steps, taking great care lest we should arrive
at the opening of the shaft before we knew where we were, and fall
through it on to the platform beneath. With the sea rising, there
seemed as small a chance as ever that we should get out of the cave
alive; but we were, at all events, spared the terrible fate which that
morning had seemed inevitable. Woodley descended to the cavern, and
having rolled up the two apples and the cheese in his coat, he made
fast the bundle to the end of the rope, and I hauled it up. He was in
the act of following, and had nearly reached the mouth of the shaft,
when I saw him pause and, hanging on the rope with one hand, take
something off a ledge with the other.

"What d'you think I've found?" he said, as he joined me again in the
tunnel. "Why, that pistol Rodwood left behind. I put it right up
there out of harm's way. The little crevice is dry and sheltered, and
a good bit above the reach of the waves, so I don't doubt but what the
charge will explode all right if it's fired. It don't seem much good
to us at present, but it might come in useful to make a signal and
attract attention if we could manage to get to the mouth of the cave
and sight a passing ship or boat. There!" he continued, as we once
more sat down at the end of the passage, and he unrolled our meagre
stores from his coat; "that's all we've got in the world, barring the
water that trickles down the rock below, and a bottle of sweet oil I've
got in my pocket, which my missis asked me to bring her from the
chemist's at Welmington. Poor girl! she's wondering what's become of
it, and of me, too, by now, I expect. And the stuff isn't much good to
us, I fancy. I wish the bottle had been filled with some of that
brandy those rascals wasted; we shall be likely to need something of
the sort before long, if we haven't wanted i