and tightenedhimself up, assuming a carelessness he did not feel.
"Doesn't go down quite straight, seemingly," he said.
"All the better. I say, shall I go down first?"
"What for? I won the choice, and I'm going," said Scarlett, sharply, ashe took one end of the rope and tied it to the middle of the pole, whichproved to be of ample length to go well across the opening.
"Tie it tightly, Scar," cried Fred.
"Never fear. Mind the rope is so that it will uncoil easily. There,run it down, and let's see if it is long enough to get to the bottom."
Fred raised the rings of stiff twisted hemp, and dropped them down outof sight; but it was evident that the rope did not descend very far, themain portion lodging only a little way down; but Fred raised it a yardor two and shook it, with the effect that more fell down and lodged, butonly to be shaken loose again and again, showing plainly enough that thehole went down in a sharp slope for a long way, and then that the ropehad dropped over a perpendicular part, for as it was drawn up and downit fell heavily now.
"There," said Fred, "that's it. I dare say that reaches the bottom. Ifit doesn't, you must come up again. Ready?"
"Yes."
And with all the recklessness of boys who never see the reality ofdanger until it is there, Scarlett stripped off his jerkin and loweredhimself down into the crack, hanging with one arm over the pole for afew moments before seizing the rope, twisting his legs round it, andletting himself slide down.
"Keep on calling out what it's like; and as soon as you get down, sing`Bottom!' and then I'll come too."
Scarlett nodded, and let himself slide slowly, to find, and call up tohis companion, that the hole went down at a slope into the darkness, sothat he was not swinging by the rope, but supporting himself thereby, ashe glided down over the shaley earth of which the hill was composed, butonly to come to a sudden stop as he found that the hole zigzagged backin the opposite direction at a similar angle to that by which he haddescended.
"Are you right?" cried Fred from above.
"Yes."
"Is it easy?"
"Yes, quite."
"Then I shall come down now."
"No, no," cried Scarlett; "the rope is not strong enough for two."
"Make haste, then. I want to see what there is. Found anything good?"
"No," said Scarlett, as he glided slowly down into the darkness, withhis companion's words buzzing in his ears, just as if they were spokenclose by, and listening as he descended to the peculiar, trickling,rushing noise of the scraps of disintegrating slate which he dislodgedin passing, and which fell rapidly before him.
"Keep talking," said Fred from above.
"There's nothing to talk about," cried Scarlett. "I'm only sliding downa slope, and--yes, now I'm hanging clear, and turning round. Hold therope: it's twisting so."
"I am holding it tight," came back; "but I can't help its turning round.What's it like now?"
"Just like day beginning to break, and I can see something shining downbelow."
"Is it the water?"
"Yes, I suppose so. Shall I go down any lower?"
"Yes, of course."
"It isn't water that's shining," said Scarlett, after turning slowlyround two or three times, as he descended another twenty feet.
"What is it, then?--gold or silver?"
"It's only a reflection, I suppose; but I can't quite see."
"Aren't you at the bottom yet?" cried Fred, impatiently.
"No."
"Make haste, then."
"Yes, I am at the bottom," cried Scarlett, directly after, as his feettouched firm rock.
"Look out, then," cried Fred. "Down I come."
"No, no; wait a moment," was the reply. "I want to try and find outwhat it's like."
_Whirr, whizz_!
"What's the matter?" cried Fred, as he heard his companion utter a loud,"Oh!"
"Something rushed by me."
"What was it?"
"I couldn't see. Ah! there it is again."
"Hold tight; I'm coming," cried Fred. "I dare say it was an owl or abat. Oh my! doesn't it scrape you?"
Scarlett's response was a sharp ejaculation and a jerk at the rope.
"Here, what are you doing?" cried Fred.
There was no answer, only a panting noise.
"Don't swing the rope about like that, Scar! Do you hear? I won't comedown, if you don't leave off."
"Hah! that's it," came from below.
"What's the matter? What are you doing?" cried Fred, who had paused atthe bottom of the first slope, holding tightly by the rope, whichScarlett seemed to be trying to jerk out of his hand.
"It's all right now," panted Scarlett. "You sent down a lot of slateand earth, and it came on my head."
"Well, I couldn't help it. Why didn't you stand on one side?"
"I did," cried Scarlett, "and stepped back off the edge. Fortunately, Ihad tight hold of the rope, but slipped down ever so far, and had toclimb up again. Come along down, now."
There was a serious sound and a spice of danger in this little recital,which, added to the darkness into which Fred had plunged, made himdescend for the rest of the way slowly and very cautiously down thesecond slope, and then, as he hung perpendicularly, and felt himselfslowly turning round, he kept on asking how much farther it was, tillhis feet touched his companion's hands, and he stood directly by hisside in the faint grey light, which seemed to strike up from below, bothclutching the rope tightly in the excitement of the novel position, andtrying to pierce the gloom.
"Ugh! What's that?" cried Fred, suddenly, as he kicked againstsomething which made a rattling noise.
"I don't know. Sounds like pieces of wood."
"Ugh!" ejaculated Fred again, "bones! Come away, Scar; it's askeleton."
The two boys shrank away in horror, and for some moments neitherventured to speak, while, as they clung together, each could feel hisfellow suffering from no little nervous tremor.
"Some one must have slipped down the hole and died here of starvation,"whispered Scarlett at last. "You know how dangerous it is."
"Yes," said Fred, thoughtfully, and with his shrinking feeling on theincrease. "No," he exclaimed directly after, "I don't think it's that.I know--at least, I should know if I touched it."
"What do you mean?"
"It's some sheep slipped down when feeding, and never been missed."
"Do you think it's that?" said Scarlett, eagerly.
"I feel sure of it. If it had been a man, he would have found some wayof getting out. I say, Scar, will you stoop down and touch it?"
"No," said Scarlett, with a shudder.
"Well, I will, then. Yes; I'm right. It is a sheep's bones."
"How do you know?"
"You can feel some wool down here. If it had been a man, it would havebeen clothes. Well, I am glad."
Scarlett showed his satisfaction by drawing a long breath full ofrelief, and the spirits of both seemed relieved by the knowledge thatthe grisly relics told no tale of a human being's terrible fate.
"I dare say there are more bones about, if we were to search," saidFred. "But what a great gloomy place it is! Who'd have thought thatthere was such a cave on our shore?"
"I can't see any good, now we have got down in it," said Scarlett,rather discontentedly. "I don't suppose we shall find anything."
"Why, we have found something."
"Yes; bones. I wish we had a light."
"Where was it you stepped over?" said Fred, speaking in a whisper now,for the silence and darkness were not without their effect upon him.
"There."
"Where's there? I can't see which way you mean."
"Exactly behind you," said Scarlett.
Fred made an involuntary movement in the opposite direction, oneimitated by Scarlett, with the result that they edged along about adozen feet before they were stopped by the wall of rock, which slopedaway above their heads.
"I wish it wasn't dark
," said Fred. "Now let's try how far we can getthis way."
Still holding on tightly by the rope, they moved in a fresh direction,finding the rock upon which they stood made irregular by the heaps ofslate and earth which had crumbled down from above; but over this theycautiously made their way for seven or eight yards, when they were againstopped by