be outwitted
by a lout they both held in utter contempt.

They stood watching their spy for nearly a quarter of an hour, and were
able to judge from his actions that he had seen them disappear somewhere
in this direction; and in profound ignorance in this game of hide and
seek that he was having, Carnach scanned the high slope and the ridge,
and the bottom where the stones lay so thickly again and again, ending
by ensconcing himself behind one of them, after plucking some fern
fronds, and putting them on the top of his cap to act as a kind of
screen in case those he sought should come into sight somewhere
overhead.

The two boys hardly dared stir, but at last, with his eyes fixed upon
Carnach to see if he heard their movement, Vince pointed softly back
into the dark passage, and Mike crept away without making the slightest
sound. Then, as soon as he was satisfied of the coast being clear
behind him, Vince began to back away till he felt it safe to turn, and
followed his companion some fifty yards into the darkness, which now
seemed to be quite a refuge to them.

"Where are you?" whispered Vince.

A low cough told him that he was not yet far enough; and, keeping one
hand upon the wall, he followed until he felt himself touched.

"I say," he whispered, "this is nice: smugglers at one end and that
miserable Lobster at the other! What are we to do?"

"I don't know," said Mike dolefully. "He must have seen us go out of
sight, and feels sure that we shall come back again, and he'll wait till
we do."

"No, no; he'll soon get tired."

"Not he," said Mike; "he's just one of those stupid, heavy chaps who
will sit or lie down and wait for us for a week."

"But I want to get home. I'm growing hungry."

"Let's go back and fish, and light a fire and cook it."

"What, for him to smell the frying? He would, as sure as could be. No;
we must wait."

"I say, Cinder," whispered Mike, "what an unlucky day we are having!
Everything seems to go wrong."

"It'll go worse still if you whisper so loud," said Vince; "the sound
runs along the walls here, and gets stronger, I believe, as it goes."

"Well, I can't help it; I feel so wild. I say, couldn't we creep out
without being seen, and get home?"

"Yes, when it's dark; not before."

"But that means waiting here for hours, and I feel as if I can't settle
to anything now. Let's go back down to the cave. The smugglers can't
come to-day. It would be too bad."

"Bette