I told you so," cried Fred. "I can draw yards and yards in, and
yards and--"

He was suiting the action to the word, hauling more and more of the rope
towards him, when there was an end to the rattling sound, and one dull
flap.

"What is it, Fred?"

"I--I'm not sure."

"I am," cried Scarlett, in agony. "Why, you've dragged at the rope till
it has come untied."

"I'm afraid so," faltered Fred, in a husky voice.

"And nobody saw us come here," cried Scarlett. "Oh, Fred, Fred, we
shall be buried alive!"

CHAPTER SIX.

UNEXPECTED AID.

For a few minutes the two lads were so overcome by the horror of their
position that they stood there in silence, afraid to move. Then
Scarlett recovered himself a little, and said huskily--

"Pull the rope again, and make sure."

"I'm sure enough," said Fred, sulkily. "It's all down here. How could
you have tied it so badly?"

"I don't know. I thought it was tight. Ah! there it is again."

There was a whizzing, whirring sound heard above the plash and whisper
of the water down below, and for a few moments the boys remained
perfectly still.

"Why, I know what that is," cried Fred. "Pigeons. I've often seen them
fly into the holes of the rocks. They build in these places, and roost
here of a night."

"Wish I was a pigeon," said Scarlett, sadly. "We shall never be able to
climb up that hole."

"We shall have to try," said Fred, "unless we can find a way down.
Here, let's creep to the edge and look."

Scarlett hesitated for the moment, but it was a work, of stern
necessity; and together, using the greatest caution the while, they
crept on hands and knees to the edge of the great shelf, and looked over
to see that the light came in from some opening away to the right, to be
reflected from the wall of rock opposite, and shed sufficiently strong a
dawn to let them see fifty feet below them the creamy foaming water
which flowed in and then ran back.

"Don't see any way down," said Fred, rather despondently. "This place
sticks right out over everything."

"But we can get down by fixing the rope up here, and sliding down."

"I'd forgotten the rope," said Fred, with a deep sigh. "But suppose we
do get down. What then?"

"Why, we can find our way to the mouth of the cave, and look out and
shout at the first boat that comes by."

Fred brightened up.

"I say, Scar," he said cheerfully, "what a clever fellow you are! Let's
try at once."

"Hadn't we bet