ow arch, which just
cleared their heads as they sat in the bottom of the boat, and passed on
out of the bright sunshine into the chill darkness of the cave.

"Think they saw us?" whispered Vince.

"They? Saw us?"

"Didn't you see them coming through among the rocks quite quickly?"

"No: did you?"

"Just the tops of their caps: they were behind one of those low rocks
where the water rushes round."

"Are you sure, Vince?"

"Sure?--yes. Ah, mind! that oar!" cried the boy.

He crept past Mike, after seizing the boat-hook, and, reaching over the
stern, made a dash at the oar his companion had been using to thrust
with against the rocks, and which had been laid-down when they passed
right in, so that Mike could use his hands.

How it had slipped over the gunwale neither could have said; but when
Vince caught sight of it, the oar was floating just in the entrance, and
the sharp dash he made at it resulted in the hook striking the blade so
awkwardly that he drove it farther out, where it was caught by the
current and drawn swiftly away.

"Gone!" said Mike despairingly.

"Gone! Yes, of course it's gone; and now they'll find out where we
are."

"No, they're not obliged to," said Mike; "that oar may have been washed
from anywhere, and they haven't found it yet."

"Oh no," said Vince bitterly--"not yet; but you'll see."

Mike made no reply, but helped, without a word of objection, to thrust
the boat farther in along the passage, which greatly resembled the seal
hole, as they called it, but was nearly double the width, and afforded
plenty of room for the boat.

As soon as they felt that they were far enough in to be hidden by the
darkness, they sat watching the entrance, through which the bright
morning light poured, and listened intently for some sound to indicate
that the smugglers' boat was near.

But an hour must have passed, and Vince was fidgeting at something which
took his attention, when Mike suddenly whispered,--

"I say, do you notice anything strange about the way in yonder?"

Vince was silent.

"Why don't you speak?" said Mike sharply. "You have seen it. Why
didn't you speak before?"

"Felt as if I couldn't," said Vince hoarsely.

"Then it is so," said Mike. "The tide is rising, and the hole's getting
smaller. Come on: we must get out at once."

"Too late," replied Vince gloomily. "The water's too high now. If we
tried we should be wedged in."

"But--oh! we must try, Vince, or we