CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
CLOSE SHAVING.
"Think he's insensible, or only shamming?" said Jem.
"Insensible--quite! I'm afraid he's dead."
"I arn't," muttered Jem. "You might cut him up like a heel; legs andarms and body, and every bit of him would try and do you a mischief."
"I'm afraid, though, that he knew we were in here, and that as soon ashe comes to, he'll tell the others."
"Not he. It was only his gammon to frighten us into speaking if we werethere."
"Ramsden, ahoy!" came again from below; and then from a distance cameanother hail, which the same voice answered--evidently from somedistance below the mouth of the cave.
"Ramsden! Here, my man; come along, they're not in there."
"Hear that, Jem? Mr Jones."
"Oh yes, I hear," growled Jem. "He don't know yet; but wait a bit tillold Ram tells him."
"We couldn't slip out yet, Jem?"
"No; o' course not. They'd see us now. Look!"
Jem was about to draw back, but feeling that a movement might betraythem, Don held him fast, and they stood there in the shadow of the cave,looking on, for the boatswain's head appeared as he drew himself up theprecipitous place, and then stepped on the shelf.
"Here, come out, sir! Are you asleep? Hah!"
He caught sight of the prostrate sailor, and bent down over him.
"Why, Ramsden, man!" he cried, as he tore open his sailor's shirt andplaced his hand upon his throat.
Then, starting up, he sent forth a tremendous hail.
"Ahoy!"
"Ahoy!" came back from several places, like the echoes of his call.
"Come on here! Quick!" he shouted, with his hands to his mouth.
"Ahoy!" came from a distance; and from nearer at hand, "Ay, ay, sir; ay,ay!"
From where Don and Jem stood they could see the boatswain's everymovement, as, after once more feeling the sailor's throat and wrist, hebent over him and poured water from his bottle between his lips, bathedhis forehead and eyes, and then fanned him with his hat, but withouteffect.
Then he looked out anxiously and hailed again, the replies coming fromclose by; and soon after first one and then another sailor, whose faceswere quite familiar, climbed up to the shelf, when the boatswainexplained hastily how he had left his companion.
"Some one knocked him down?" said one of his men.
"No; he's not hurt. I should say it's a fit. More water. Don't beafraid!"
Each of the men who had climbed up carried a supply, and a quantity wasdashed over Ramsden's face with the effect that he began to displaysigns of returning consciousness, and at last sat up and stared.
"What's matter, mate?" said one of the men, as Don prepared to hurryback into the darkness, but longed to hear what Ramsden would say.
It was a painful moment, for upon his words seemed to depend theirsafety.
"Matter? I don't know--I--"
He put his hand to his head.
"Here, take a drink o' this, mate," said one of the men, and Ramsdenswallowed some water with avidity.
"Arn't seen a ghost, have you?"
"I recollect now, Mr Jones. You left me in that hole."
"And called to you to come out."
"Yes, but--"
Don's heart beat furiously. They were discovered, and now the betrayalwas to come.
"Well, what happened?" said the boatswain.
"I felt sure that those two were in this place, and I went on fartherinto the darkness till I kicked against something and fell down."
"Out here and stunned yourself."
"No, no; in there! I'd got up and picked up my cutlash, and thensomething seemed to choke me, and I went down again."
Jem squeezed Don's arm, for they both felt more hopeful.
"And then one of they chaps came and give you a crack on the head?" saida sailor.
Don's heart sank again.
"Nonsense!" said his old friend, the boatswain. "Foul air. He musthave staggered out and fallen down insensible."
Jem gripped Don's arm with painful force here.
"How do you feel? Can you walk?"
Ramsden rose slowly, and staggered, but one of the men caught his arm.
"I--I think I can."
"Well, we must get you down to the boat as soon as we can walk, if youare able. If you can't, we must carry you."
"But them chaps," said one of the party, just as Don and Jem werebeginning to breathe freely. "Think they're in yonder, mate?"
"I--I think so," said Ramsden faintly. "You had better search."
"What! A place full of foul air?" said the boatswain, greatly to Don'srelief. "Absurd! If Ramsden could not live in there, how could theescaped men? Here, let's get him down."
"Ay, ay, sir. But I say, mate, where's your fighting tools? What yerdone with them?"
Don made an angry gesticulation, and turned to Jem, who had the pistolsand cutlass in his hand and waistbelt, and felt as if he should like tohurl them away.
"He must have dropped them inside. Here, one of you come with me andget them."
Don shrank back into the stony passage as a man volunteered, but theboatswain hesitated.
"No," he said, to Don's great relief; "I can't afford to run risks forthe sake of a pair of pistols."
"Let me go in," said the man.
"I'm not going to send men where I'm afraid to go myself," said theboatswain bluntly. "Come on down."
The boatswain led the way, and Ramsden was helped down, the man who hadvolunteered to go in the cavern to fetch the pistols manoeuvring so asto be last, and as soon as the party had disappeared over the shelf hegave a glance after them, and turned sharply.
"Foul air won't hurt me," he said; and he dived right in rapidly toregain the pistols and cutlass, so as to have the laugh of his messmateswhen they returned on board.