LITTLE ROBINSON CRUSOE went bravely down the descending path between the high sandbanks, Man Friday walking closely behind, for Eliza began to fear that they had sat too long in the warm sunshine at the top of the cliff, and wished they had not such a long walk to go before they could reach the camp, for she was afraid Nurse would grow anxious about them being away so long.
As the little boy drew near the chalk stairway, his steps grew more slow, and Eliza, noticing this, said—
"Master, Man Friday had better go first now," and as she spoke the little fellow gladly let her pass him with the wallet over her shoulder, while at the same moment a quantity of sand and lumps of clay came tumbling down the side of the bank, and the girl could not help wishing they were at the bottom instead of the top of this stairway. To enter the dark hole required some courage, but she took care not to let Eustace see that she had any fear, although she could hardly repress a shudder.
"It's like real Robinson Crusoe, isn't it?" said the little boy, trying hard to keep up his courage. "You are a girl, and girls don't like these things like men do, I suppose."
"No, they don't," said Eliza; "but girls' frocks are handy sometimes, and if you take hold of mine, and keep close to me, we can help each other to get down the steps better."
They had reached the chalk bank and groped their way into the darkness, Eliza carefully feeling with feet and hands along the wall lest they should slip down the roughly cut steps.
"Now we shall soon be down," she said, when they had descended about half a dozen steps.
Then they were cheered with a ray of light through a hole at the top of the cliff, by which they could see that they had come to a place where the steps made a sharp bend, and they had to turn the corner of the chalk wall very carefully.
"Now we shan't be long, master," said Eliza, cheerily; for after a few more steps she could see a tiny speck of light far below, and knew that this must be the lower entrance to the dark staircase, and that in a short time they would reach the cave into which it opened.
But almost at the same moment she heard the thunderous roar of the sea as it beat upon the cliffs below, and she stood still for a moment to listen.