They could see the old man, too, moving about far below, evidently fetching something to hang upon the great peg he had finished driving in; and, after disappearing for a few minutes, he came into sight again, and they saw him hang the something up—but what, at that distance, they could not make out.
At the end of a few minutes the old man went down to his boat, stayed with it another five minutes or so, and then stood looking about him.
“It’s no go, Cinder,” said Mike, in a disappointed tone; “we shan’t get off to-day, and perhaps it’s best. We oughtn’t to take his boat.”
“Why not? It’s only like borrowing anything of a neighbour. He was sour to-day, or else he’d have lent it.”
“But suppose he finds out?”
“Well, then he’ll only laugh. You’ll see: he’ll be off directly.”
Mike shook his head as they lay there upon their breasts, with their heads hidden behind tufts of heather; but Vince was right as to the old man soon going, for directly after they saw him begin to climb deliberately up to the level, look cautiously round, and then, bent of back, trudge slowly off in the direction of his home; while, as soon as he was well on his way, the boys crept downward till they were at the foot of the rocks, when Vince cried:
“Now then: lizards!” and began to crawl at a pretty good rate towards the way down to the natural dock, quite out of sight of the old man if he had looked back.
The rugged way down was reached, and here they were able to rise erect and begin to descend in the normal way, Vince starting off rapidly.
“Come on!” he cried; “old Joe will never know. I say, we have ‘sarcumwented’ him, as he’d call it.”