farther in, and it ended with an echoing
report, as if one of the animals had given the surface of the water a
heavy blow with its tail.

"No mistake--eh?" said one of the voices.

"Let's get the lanthorn and go in," said one eagerly.

"Nay, you stop wheer you are. Old Jarks is wild enough as it is about
some one being here. If he finds any of us larking about, he'll get
hitting out or shootin', p'r'aps."

"I say," said another voice--all sounding curiously near, and as if
whispering for the two fugitives to hear--"think anybody's been
splitting about the place?"

"I d'know. Mebbe. Wonder it arn't been found out before. My hye! I
never did see old Jarks in such a wax before. Makes him sputter finely
what he does blaze up. I don't b'lieve as he knows then whether he's
speaking French or English."

"Well, don't seem as if we're going to ketch whoever it is."

"What! Don't you be in a hurry about that. If old Jarks makes up his
mind to do a thing, he'll do it."

"Think he'll stop?"

"Stop? Ay, for a month, but what he'll ketch whoever it is. Bound to
say they've been walking off with the silk and lace at a pretty tidy
rate."

"They'll be too artful to come again, p'r'aps."

"Ah! that's what some one said about the mice, but they walked into the
trap at last."

"What'll he do if he does ketch 'em?"

"Well, there, you know what old Jarks is. He never do stand any
nonsense. I should say he'd have a haxiden' with 'em, same as he did
with that French _douane_ chap. Pistol might go off, or he might take
'em aboard and drop 'em--"

_Murmur, murmur, murmur_--and then silence.

The speakers had evidently turned away from the mouth of the seal hole,
and the boys did not hear the end of the sentence.

"Oh!" groaned Mike faintly.

"I say, Ladle, if you make a noise like that they'll hear you, and come
and fetch us out."

"I couldn't help it. How horrid it sounds!"

"Yes," said Vince very softly, "but he has got to catch us yet. Who's
old Jarks? Here, I know: they mean the Frenchman: Jacks--Jacques, don't
you see?"

"Yes, I see," said Mike dismally.

"He's the skipper, of course. French skipper with an English crew.
They must be a nice set. I say, do you feel cold?"

"Cold? I don't feel as if I had any feet at all."

"We must have some exercise," said Vince grimly; and he uttered a faint
chuckling sound. "I say, though, Mike don't be down about it. He's
only a Frenchman, and we're