The boys exchanged glances, and, without communicating one with the other, rose together; while the captain raised his eyebrows.
“Aha!” he said: “you vant somesings else?”
“Only to say thank you for our good breakfast, and to tell you that we are now going home.”
“Going home?” said the captain grimly. “Aha, you sink so. Yaas, perhaps you are right. You Anglais call it going home—à la mort—to die.”
“No, we don’t,” said Vince sharply. “We mean going home. We have been out all night.”
“Aha, yaas; and the bon papa and mamma know vere you have come?”
“No,” replied Vince quickly; “no one knows of this but us.”
“Vraiment?” said the captain, and he looked searchingly at Mike. “No one knows but my young friend?”
“No,” said Mike. “We found the cave by accident; we fell into the way that leads down, and kept it a secret.”
“Good boy; but you can keep secret?”