Cursed be the treasure
towards the cliff, and in a dim, distracted sort of way knew quite well
that all I had to do was to push out and up. But though I knew quite
well what to do, an unreasonable panic had control of my limbs, and I
kicked and beat frenziedly against my prison, while a voice seemed to
be saying to me from far away, "Keep cool, Tommy; always keep cool." I
was in an agony, knowing myself in the grip of a stupid terror, when
deliverance lay in calmness; but I couldn't shake off the terror, and
my temples were hammering and my ears throbbing. And suddenly there
seemed to be only water about me again, and lashing out with arms
and legs I found myself at the surface gulping in the air with great
choking sobs.
Mechanically I trod water till I could regain my breath, and only
gradually it dawned upon me that it was strange that all about me
should be pitch dark. I rubbed the water out of my eyes, I tried to
remember whether I had been bathing at night-time, for I was still
confused. Then growing a little clearer in mind I told myself it was
the blood that had rushed to my head, and I should soon be able to see
again. But still everything was dark around me, and the realization
that it actually was so came like a shock. Where was I?
As I grew calmer a certain interest mingled with my fear; I peered
around, and dimly became aware of a faint green glow along the water.
I began to swim about to find into what strange place I had stumbled,
but the water seemed half choked with drift and refuse, and going
wasn't easy. Weeds clung about my legs, sucking hatefully to my flesh,
creeping like fingers furtively feeling along my naked body. The water
seemed to be alive with slimy things reaching their tendrils hungrily
out of the dark. If I moved slowly they slid about my throat, and if I
splashed my way through they gripped viciously about my arms and feet.
And all the while the green glow intensified along the water, and the
floating things showed up vaguely luminous through the dark. It was
with a gush of relief that at last I felt the bottom, and with a spasm
of fear scrambled out of the infested pool, shuddering at the thought
of what horrors lay concealed there; for my mind was full of stories
I had heard of the devil-fish and other slow and evil monsters of the
caves.
For a while I could do nothing but hug myself into as small a space as
possible, trembling and chattering with fright, my eyes intent upon the
green and glowing water, expecting momently some clutching tentacle to
rise and seize me.
How long I should have remained so I don't know, for I was completely
unstrung and had no power to move a finger to help myself; and the
startled scurrying of creatures about my back and feet added to my
horror. But my fear was lifted from me by a sound that might have
added to it: I heard voices. And voices in that dark underworld, which
seemed to have shut me right away from the light and air, were like a
reassurance that I wasn't hopelessly entombed. I began to listen, but
could only make out a low, indistinguishable droning which I couldn't
locate. But the effort to locate it nerved me again, and I took control
of myself and began to grope through the darkness towards the sound.
I slipped often enough, but the voices became louder; and presently I
noticed a wavering patch of yellow light against the green iridescence
of the cavern. I made towards it, and I think it wasn't till this
moment that I became aware by a cramp in my hand that all the while
I had been tenaciously clinging to my knife. I was cheered to think
that in the struggle under water and the scramble in the cave I hadn't
dropped it.
Soon the light was over my head and after a trial or two I succeeded
in climbing to a secure perch where I could examine it. But putting up
my face I was dazzled by the full glare of a lantern in my eyes, which
had by now grown so used to the darkness that the phosphorescent glow
of the rotting drift about me was bright enough to show me the rough
outline of the rocks.
I hastily withdrew my face from the light of the lantern, which was
shining through a crevice in the wall of the cave; and then like
a blurred picture focusing to clearness everything took shape and
coherence in my mind, and I knew exactly where I was.
The lantern was standing where my father had placed it the day before
when he had taken me down the secret passage and together we had
examined the great closed doors. The crevice was the one through which
I had thrust my hand, clearing it of its rubbish, so that now the
lantern could shine right through. But now I was on the other side.
Somehow I had dived under the submarine mouth of this cavern, never
suspecting its existence. Quickly the thought flashed through my head
that now I had found the hiding-place I wanted; but the thought melted
as quickly as it came, for I had other matter on hand. For through the
cranny I could hear the voices speaking distinctly enough to make out
what they were saying, though of course I couldn't see anything as
the lantern glared full into my face if I attempted to look into the
passage beyond.
And what I heard soon began to have an interest for me.
There were two men, it seemed, and I assumed they were in their boat,
probably on guard, for the tide was rising to the full now, and the
cave must have been deep in water. I couldn't catch all they were
saying; but when I heard the words, "Cut accrosst his hand," I strained
my ears to the uttermost.
"Yus," was the reply, "an' a burn too, warn't it?"
"Aye; an' a brat with 'un, they do say."
"Wull, I s'pose they'll nab 'un all right."
"Hope so. Must have been ee what let Jem an' Roger into the trap last
year."
"Ah! Wull, Dirk'll see to 'un."
"If he bean't too cute."
"He'll need be if ee can hide they tracks."
There was a short pause, and the last speaker began again:
"But how did Dirk get wind of it?"
"Wind of what?"
"Why, the burn, and the brat, an' that."
"Dunno quite. Some one let on, I spose. Some one what was nabbed, I
dessay, an' found 'un out when it was too late. Got word through, I
expect. Dirk's sharp."
What happened next it was impossible for me to know at the time. The
voices had stopped, and I was worrying the problem how my father could
have become mixed up in all this business. It was clear to me that he
was suspected of being a King's Man and spying on the smugglers to
betray them. I don't believe I gave a thought to whether he were guilty
of the charge or no; the thing that puzzled me was how the burn and the
scar and even my presence came into the affair, for these seemed part
of another episode altogether. But at any rate my meditations were cut
short by a tremendous uproar from the smugglers' cave. There were cries
and curses and commands, and the sound of scuffling and splashing, and
the lantern was dashed from its place, and through the crevice I saw
the light of day. I guessed the gates had been opened. And then there
was tumult inconceivable, the volleying of pistols, screams and curses,
all echoing in a resounding roar up the rocky corridor. And, after a
little, peace.
I was dazed and stupefied. I strained my eyes to see through the
cranny, but could distinguish nothing to tell me what had happened. And
then again from the distance, very far away as it seemed to me buried
there, came the faint echo of a further fight. But beyond the fact that
there had been a fight of some kind I could guess nothing.
I waited a long time listening, but all was still again, and the
stillness began to press upon me like the dread of some unknown danger.
I remembered my strange position, and something of my first fear
returned upon me. I was alone, cut off as it seemed in the quietness
of the cave from the world I knew. It was dark about me with only a
greenish glow to show me the shadowy forms of things. And everything
I touched was damp and slippery, and the water smooth and secret and
laid over with a luminous green slime. And the thought came to me with
a sickening shudder that to escape I must dive again into that putrid
pool, through the clinging weeds and the thousand horrible things which
I felt were lurking for me there. And then I knew I was cold, and
shivered.
I couldn't face it. I stumbled along the slippery edge of the water,
searching desperately for some other outlet, but I only seemed to be
plunging into deeper darkness, and wherever I trod the crabs scurried
away beneath my feet. Then looking back I could no longer see the
one gleam of light that bound me to the outside world. At that I was
thoroughly terrified, and turning on my tracks I hurried, slipping back
along the water's edge, till once more I saw the faint gleam above me,
and felt cheered.
So I sat down for a minute or two to get a grip of my courage, and
told myself over and over that I was a coward. The lesson of the night
before came into my mind, and I knew that it was merely a baseless fear
of the dark that possessed me; but the knowledge didn't strengthen
me. I sat shaking, my teeth chattering in my head. To dive into that
greenness seemed beyond my power; I saw myself struggling in the dark,
choked beneath the water, entombed. And all at once, I don't know why,
I rose and plunged, and in my eyes the water grew radiant again, and I
was puffing safely in Ebb-Tide Pool.
I swam for the shore, and warmed myself in the sun, blinking at the
unaccustomed light, and telling myself, as I had done in the morning,
that I was a fool to be afraid of nothing. And then I realized that
the only way to prove my courage and recover my lost self-esteem was
to dive back to the cave and out again till I knew the way by heart
and had familiarized it from all terrors. But the thought of returning
there wasn't pleasant, and it was only a sudden resolution like the
one that had brought me safely to the light again that sent me diving
back into the darkness. Yet once there something of my fear revived,
and hardly waiting to draw breath I was under and out again.
I told myself that was enough, and so climbed up to my clothes
intending to dress and investigate the meaning of the recent battle.
I had just slipped my shirt over my head, when there was a shout above
me, and stones and earth came tumbling down the cliff. Looking up I saw
three men struggling, and one of them breaking free tottered and came
sprawling over the edge. The other two followed with more caution. They
were in red uniform, and the man they were chasing was Dirk.
He recovered his footing and came bounding down towards me. I was quick
enough to take in the situation. The smugglers had been surprised by
the runners, and here was Dirk making his last dash for freedom. So
swift a thing is thought that I had time to remember the talk in the
cave about the King's Man. Had some one betrayed them? Had my father....
"Dirk!" I cried to him, though taking care to screen myself from the
runners who were still far above. "Dirk, come."
"Off, kid," he shouted.
"I'll show you," I said.
But I could never have stopped him if he hadn't slipped and fallen. He
lay grasping his ankle and rocking himself in an agony.
"I'm done," he moaned, "done."
"There's a cave," I said.
"I know, kid," he growled, "and they know."
"You don't know," I insisted, "and they don't know. I was there all the
time."
The runners, sure of their prize, were taking their time in the
descent, not being used to such scrambling, and unwilling, I dare say,
to soil their grand uniforms.
"Dirk," I pressed, "see here. It's under the water. You dive and come
up. It's all dark."
But he only grinned bitterly at me, still holding his ankle.
"Then see," I cried in desperation, and running dived into the pool,