“Here, who did this?” he roared. “What fool’s been digging stone here and left this hole o’ purpose for any one to fall in? Wish he’d tumbled in himself, and broke his stoopid old head. Yah! Oh my, how it hurts!”
He stamped about in the hollow, and they heard him kick one of the stones with his heavy boots in his rage.
“Wish them two had tumbled in ’stead o’ me. Oh dear, oh! Here’s a mess I’m in! Making a great hole like this, and never leaving no stuff outside. Might ha’ been deep, and killed a chap. It aren’t broke through,” he grumbled, after a pause. “Wonder where they’ve got to. Oh dear! oh dear! what a crack on the head! That comes o’ going backwards. Yah!”
This last ejaculation was accompanied by the rattle of stones, as the great lad evidently kicked another piece that was in his way; and, feeling now that there was nothing serious in the fall, Vince gave Mike’s hand a squeeze as they stood listening and expecting every moment to hear the young fisherman say something in the way of surprise as he saw the dark hole going downward. But they listened in vain,—full of anxiety, though, for it was like a second blow to find that their secret place was becoming very plain, known as it evidently was to people at the sea entrance, and now from the landward side discovered by the greatest enemy they had.
Vince felt this so strongly that, in spite of the risk of being heard, he put his lips to Mike’s ear and whispered: “This spoils all.”
Mike responded in the same way: “I say, what’s he doing? Shall I go and see?”
“No, I will,” whispered back Vince.
“Take care.”
Vince’s answer was a squeeze of the hand. Then, going down upon all fours, he crept silently and slowly up the slope till he could see the lad, expecting to find him peering about the mouth of the passage, and trying to see whether they were there.
But nothing of the kind. There was the young fisherman seated upon a piece of stone, with the light shining down upon him through the brambles, busily tying his neckerchief round his head, making it into a bandage to cover a cut somewhere on the back, and tying it in front over his forehead. Then, picking up his cap, which lay beside him, he drew it on over the handkerchief, having most trouble to cover the knot, but succeeding at last.