Truth to tell, the mystery of the place had impressed Dick, who suffered from a half self-confessed desire to get out into the daylight once more; but now came this evident display of dread on his brother’s part, and its effect was to string him up at once.
Laughing at Arthur meant laughing at himself, and he snatched at the opportunity as Arthur whispered once more, “Dick—Dick—what’s that?”
“That?” said Dick in the same low tone. “That’s the bogle-booby breathing. He’s asleep now, but when he wakes he’ll roll about so that he’ll fill the place with foam.”
“Don’t you take any notice of him, Master Arthur,” said Will gently. “He’s making fun of you. That whispering noise is made by the water as it runs gurgling up the cracks of the rock and comes back again.”
“Cr–r–r–ack!”
Arthur uttered a shrill cry, and Dick burst out laughing.
“Why, it was only a noisy match, Taff,” he exclaimed, as, after a loud cracking scratch, there was a flash of light, and then a clear glow was shed around by the lantern, whose lamp Josh had just lit, its rays showing dimly the rugged walls of granite, all wet with trickling water, while the shadows of the boat and its occupants were cast here and there.
“Now, Master Dick, if you’ll take the lantern and hold it up I’ll send the boat farther in, so as if there be any seals you’ll have a chance of seeing ’em.”
“You think there are some then?” said Mr Temple.
“Ay, I do, sir. They won’t have got out either. The only way, you see, would be under the boat, and they won’t try that way yet so long as there’s plenty of room forward.”