“Your fathers tell you to come to me?”
“No.”
“Thought not. Nay, my lads, I won’t lend you my boat, and there’s an end on it. I’m not going to have your two fathers coming to ask me why I sent you both to the bottom.”
“Such stuff!” cried Vince angrily. “Just as if we could come to harm on a day like this.”
“Ah! you don’t know, lad; I do. Never can tell when a squall’s coming off the land.”
“Well, I do call it disagreeable,” said Vince. “Will you take us out?”
“Nay, not to-day.”
“Oh, very well. Never mind, but I shan’t forget it. Did think you’d have done that, Joe. Come on, Mike; let’s go and get some lines and fish off the rocks.”
“Ay, that’s the best game for boys like you,” said the old man; and, stooping down, he picked up the boulder and began to knock again at the wooden peg without taking any notice of his visitors.
“Come on, Vince,” said Mike; and they walked back up the cliff, climbing slowly, but as soon as they were out of the old man’s sight starting off quickly to gain a clump of rocks, which they placed between them and the way down. Here they began to climb carefully till they had reached a spot from whence they could look down upon the little winding channel leading from the tunnel to Daygo’s natural dock.