een too clever for us. Think we
can move these lumps? No; their own weight will keep them down. That's
it, Aleck; the things here are too good to lose, and he has got us
safe."

To Aleck's astonishment he had begun to whistle a dismal old air in a
minor key after propping himself across the rough crack so that he could
not slip.

"What's to be done?" said Aleck, at last.

"Done, eh?" was the reply. "Well, I'm afraid if I had been alone and
found this out, I should have lain down, let myself slide to the bottom,
and then set to and howled; but the old saying goes, `Two's company,
even if you're going to be hanged,' and you're pretty good company, so
let's go back to the cave. We can breathe there. The heat here is
awful. This shows that it doesn't do to be too cocksure of anything.
Come on down."

"But we must have a thoroughly good try to move the stones," said Aleck,
angrily.

"Not a bit of use. That brute has wedged them in and jumped upon them.
Why, we may push and heave till we're black in the face and do no good.
We're fixed up safe."

"And you're going to give up like that?"

"Not I," said the midshipman, calmly. "Show me what I can do, and if
it's likely to be any good I'll work as long as you like; but it's of no
use to make ourselves more miserable than we are. Come on down."

The young sailor spoke in so commanding a tone that Aleck yielded, and,
following his comrade's example, he slid down slope after slope, and
finally stood in the great open cavern, breathing in long deep breaths
of the fresh soft air.

"Hah! That's better," said the midshipman. "I felt stifled up in that
hole. Now I don't bear malice against anybody, but I think I should
like to see that smuggling ruffian shut up here for a few days. Look
here, Aleck; all he said was pretence--he never meant us to get out
again."

"Oh, I don't know," said Aleck, passionately. "He might, or he might
not. Now, then, what's to be done--try and find some tools, and then
get to work to chip those stones to pieces?"

"No, it would only mean try and try in vain."

"Here, what has come to you?" cried Aleck. "You take it all as coolly
as if it were of no consequence at all. I don't believe you can
understand yet how bad it all is."

"Oh, yes, I can," said the midshipman, coolly; "but I've got no more
miserables left in me. I used 'em all up when I was chained up by
myself in the dark. I feel now quite jolly compared to what I