ullyabister
were awake. Near the peat-stack they found a spade and a large stout
keschie, which they appropriated, as Harry suggested it would make a
handy cradle for the baby seal. They stole into the ruined and
roofless apartment as Yaspard and the Harrisons had done, and listened
for sounds from the prisoners; but all was quiet. There was plenty of
daylight by that time, so that they did not have to grope their way
about.

"Of course the first thing," whispered Harry, "is to make sure they are
_there_, so I'll mount as the Viking did."

He clambered up to the window and took a good look in. It was a pity
he did not take as good a look _out_, and then he might have
noticed--at a window close by, the window of Mr. Neeven's study--the
eyes of that ogre himself watching the boys with grave intentness. But
Harry, all unaware of such espionage, came down from the window, and
reported Mrs. Sealkie asleep beside her baby in a corner made
comfortable with straw and bits of carpet. To work then went the lads,
one with a spade, another with a knife; and when these two were tired,
the others took their place, so that the job was rapidly accomplished.

Their plan was to remove the lowest board which blocked the way to the
passage, and to dig from under it a sufficient amount of earth to
enable a boy to enter--or a seal to come out.

They meant, _after_ capturing the captive, to hack the board and scrape
the earth, so that any one would suppose that the seal had gnawed and
clawed her own way to freedom; and they thought it a very clever plan
indeed, saying that Yaspard, with whom it originated, was the great
inventor and general of the age.

The seal did not sleep while this was going on so near her; but she had
partaken of a late and large supper, and did not "fash" beyond now and
then whining in a melancholy voice, which stimulated the young heroes
to further efforts, and helped to cover the noise they made.

Before long they were satisfied that the opening was wide enough to
allow them to enter crawling. "The first one that goes in will have to
watch his head," said Bill, "for I've heard that seals are very fierce
when they have young ones around."

"_This_ seal is Trullya, and she will know us. Anyway, she never was a
crosspatch, and I'll go first," replied Harry the wise and brave. "And
I don't see," he added, "that any one else need go in there. I'll try
and persuade her ladyship to inspect this aperture, a