“Wall’s not crumbling, is it?” cried Mark excitedly.
“No, sir. Did you see it?”
“See it? See what?”
“Dunno, sir. Thought perhaps you gents up there might have ketched sight of it. Summat alive.”
“Eh? What’s that?” cried the doctor sharply, from where he was poring over the rubbish which the keepers had last deposited on the heap; and he hurried to the edge of the hole. “What have you found?”
“Nowt, sir,” replied the little sailor. “I was just scraping up the crumbs where there’s all the rough stones yonder as I have been leaving so as not to loosen the foundations, when something scuttled along there. Gi’ me quite a turn;” and as he spoke there was a sharp click, click, from where Sir James sat sentry on the top of the wall.
“Humph!” said the doctor. “Mouse or rat.”
“Mouse or rat, sir?” said Dan sharply. “What, are there them sort of jockeys here?”
“Yes, and all the world round, my lad.”
“Fancy that!” cried the sailor, jumping down into the hole again. “Scar’d me like a great gal, Mr Mark, sir;” and evidently ashamed of having been startled, he bent down to pick up the fallen tool, dislodging as he did so some of the loose rubbish, and bounding backwards to raise the spade and hold it ready to strike as with an axe; for just at the foot of the ancient wall the rustling sound began again, and stopped, leaving Dan in the attitude of striking and the rest of the party leaning over with searching eyes in full expectation of seeing some little animal spring out.