"Oh, how do you propose to do it'? Remove each piece of rock bit by bit, when the weight of the smallest is two tons at the very least—eh?"
"No, sir," replied the bos'n.
"Then how are you going to set about it?"
"Blast it," said Mr. Wilkins emphatically.
Chapter XIX
THE CAVE
THE bos'n's proposal was hailed with enthusiasm, for, curiously enough, neither my father nor my uncle had given any thought to the blasting powder the use of which is an everyday occurrence in the mining districts of Cornwall.
"How much of the stuff have we?" asked my father.
"Mr. Herbert had over fifty pounds of it carried ashore before the gale," replied the bos'n. "It's all in air-tight cases, so it won't be damaged by being buried."