“Hark at him bragging! I say, why didn’t you catch a lobster instead?”
Phew! came a soft whistle from the opening into the passage—a whistle softened by its journey through the subterranean place; but sounding pretty loudly in their ears, and as if it had been given by some one half-way through.
“Lobster!” ejaculated Vince excitedly. “Why, there he is coming down.”
“Oh, Vince!” cried Mike, “that spoils all. I felt sure he would, after falling in as he did. He saw the hole, and he is searching it.”
“Yes, and he’ll come right on, feeling sure we’re here.”
“What shall we do? I know: frighten him.”
“Frighten him? How?”
“Go up and stand at the bottom of one of the steep bits, and when he comes up, throw stones at him and groan.”
“Bah!” ejaculated Vince contemptuously; “that wouldn’t frighten him. He’d know it was us. I say, it’s all over with the place now.”
“Yes, for he’ll tell everybody, and they’ll come and find the outer cave with all the treasure in it.”