“Oh, no, my lad; it’s a deal darker than that when the tide’s high.”
“Tide—high?” said Aleck, in a startled voice. “Does the water ever fill the cavern? No, no, of course not,” he said, hastily. “I can see it never comes up to those stacks of bales and things.”
“That’s right,” said the smuggler.
“And the tide lays the mouth quite open?”
“Not very often,” said the smuggler. “Just at certain tides.”
“But I must have seen the mouth from outside sometimes.”
“Like enough; my lad, but I don’t s’pose you were ever there when a boat could come in.”
“Then a boat could come in?”
“Yes,” said the smuggler, meaningly, “it could come in then. Want to know exactly?” he added, with a laugh.
“No, I don’t know that I do,” said Aleck, shortly. “Now, then, I didn’t come to see how beautiful the place looked. I want to see and talk to that poor fellow you’ve got shut up here.”