ng about."

He waded forward two or three steps, holding up the light as high as he
could; but the feeble rays, half quenched by the thin, dull horn, did
not penetrate the gloom, and at last, as the strange noises went on, the
boy lowered the lanthorn, opened the door, and turned the light in the
direction just before them.

They saw something then, for pairs of eyes gleamed at them out of the
darkness, seen vividly for a moment or two, and disappearing, to gleam
again, like fiery spots, somewhere else.

Mike wanted to ask if they really were seals; but in spite of a brave
effort to be firm, his voice failed him, the surroundings were so
strange, and, standing there in the water, he felt so helpless. Every
word about the horrors of the Black Scraw told to them by old Daygo came
to him with vivid force, and his tongue clove to the roof of his mouth,
and there was a sensation as of something moving the roots of his hair.

Then he started, for Vince closed the lanthorn with a snap and said
hoarsely:--

"Hit hard, Mike. They must go or we must, and I'm growing desperate."

"Go on?" faltered Mike.

"Yes, and hit at the first one you can reach. They're lying about
there, on the dry sand."

His companion's order nerved Mike once more; and, drawing a deep breath,
he whispered "All right," though he felt all wrong.

"Don't swing the club, or you may hit me," said Vince. "Strike down,
and I'll do the same. Now then, both together, and I'll keep the
lanthorn between us. Begin."

They made a rush together through the water, which, after a few steps,
grew rapidly shallow; and then they were out upon soft sand, striking at
the dim-looking objects just revealed to them by the light; and twice
over Vince felt that he had struck something soft, but whether it was
seal or sand he could not tell. Violent strokes had resounded from the
roof of the echoing cavern, as Mike exerted himself to the utmost,
hitting about him wildly in despair, while every few moments there was a
loud splashing. Then Mike fell violently forward on to his face, for
one of the frightened creatures made a dash for the water. The panting,
scuffling, splashing, and wallowing ceased, and Vince held up the light.

"Where are you?" he cried, forgetting the necessity for being silent.

"Here," said Mike, rising into a sitting position on a little bank of
coarse sand, which was composed entirely of broken shells.

"Hurt?"

"Yes;--no. I came down