of his spade.
"No good, I'm sure," he muttered. "Yes," he added, after a thoughtfulpause, "that's it--going to let one another down over the cliffs so asto break their necks; and if they do, a nice mess I shall be in, for thecolonel 'll say it was all my fault for letting them have the rope."
Samson turned over a couple of spadefuls of earth, and then drove thetool in with a fierce stab, leaving it sticking up in the ground.
"Here, I can't go on digging and knowing all the time as them lads isbreaking their necks over the cliff side. Never was in such a muddle asthis before. Why didn't they say what they were going to do?"
"Here, this must be stopped--this must be stopped!" he cried, with adisplay of energy such as he had not before shown that day; and,snatching up his jacket, he started off in the direction taken by thelads, he having had no difficulty in seeing that their aim was the massof slaty rock, rounded and covered with short green turf, known as theRill Head, up which he climbed just in time to shout down the grassycrevice the words which sent joy into the boys' hearts.
"Hurrah! There's help!" cried Scarlett, starting up.
"Mind! you nearly knocked me over."
"I could not help it, Fred. Here, hi!"
"Anybody at home? Where are you?"
"Why, it's old Samson," cried Fred, groping his way to where he believedthe bottom of the crack by which they had descended to be. "Hi!Samson!"
"Hullo!" came back. "Where are you? What are you doing?"
Fred hastily explained their plight.
"Serve you both right," cried Samson; and his voice, as it rumbled downthe hole into the cavern, sounded, as Scarlett thought, like the voiceof a giant. "Well, what are you going to do? Live there?"
"No; you must help us out."
"Help you out?"
"Yes. How did you know we were here?"
"How did I know you were there, indeed!" growled Samson, withaggravating repetition of the other's words. "Why, I knowed you'd be insome mischief as soon as I saw you both go by with that rope."
"But you didn't see us come down here."
"No; but I see your clothes lying aside the hole. What did you wanthere? Somebody's sheep tumbled down again?"
"Hear that?" whispered Fred. "No, Samson; but don't stand theretalking. Did you bring a rope?"
"How could I bring the rope, when you'd got it?"
"Go and fetch another."
"There isn't one that'll bear you. Can't you throw up the end of thatone?"
"Impossible! You must fetch another."
"And who's to do my gardening while I'm hunting all over Coombeland forropes as nobody won't lend?"
"Look here, Samson," cried Scarlett. "Go up to the Hall, and ask Nat tolend you one of ours."
"Go up and ask my brother Nat to lend me a rope?"
"Yes."
"I'd sooner go and jump off the cliff. There!"
"Well, you must do something, and pray make haste."
"What am I to do?"
"I know," cried Fred. "Go and get your garden line."
"Why, that wouldn't bear a cat, let alone a boy like you."
"You do as I tell you, and bring a big round stone, too, one that youcan tie to one end of the line. Be quick."
"Oh, I'll go," said Samson; "but mind you, I warn you it won't bear."
"You do as I tell you," cried Fred, again; "and don't tell my motherwhere we are."
"I may tell the colonel, I suppose?" said Samson, with a laugh tohimself.
"No, no, no!" cried Fred; but the words were not heard, for Samson hadset off down the hill at a trot.
"I say, what a pair of stupids we are," said Fred, after trying two orthree times over to find out whether Samson was still there.
"Don't talk," replied Scarlett. "Let's listen for his coming back."
"But he must be half an hour, at least; and we know we are all rightnow. I say, Scar, I've a good mind to go down lower, and see if there'sa way to the sea."
"No, you will not," said Scarlett, rather gruffly. "Let's sit down andthink."
"It's too dark to think," cried Fred, petulantly. "I wonder how thisplace came. Think it was made by the hill cracking, or by the seawashing it out?"
"I don't know. But shall we come again, and bring a lanthorn?"
"Yes, and regularly examine the place. We will some day. I wonderwhether we're the first people who ever came down into it? I mean,"said Fred, "the first people who were not sheep. Here, hi! Scar! whatare you thinking about?"
"I was thinking what a hiding-place it would make for anybody who didnot want to be found."
"Do for smugglers. Wonder whether any smugglers ever knew of it?"
"No; if they had there would have been some way down to the mouth."
"And perhaps there is, only it's too dark for us to see where it is."
Then the conversation languished, and they sat on the rough shaleyearth, trying to pierce the gloom, and listening with quite a start fromtime to time to the sharp whirr of the pigeons' wings as they darted inand out.
At last, just when they were beginning to think it a terribly long time,Samson's voice was heard.
"Here you are! I've brought my line."
"And a big stone?"
"Yes, Master Fred; eight or nine pounder. But I warn you once more thatline won't bear you boys."
"You do as I tell you. Now tie the stone to the line."
There was a few moments' pause, during which they seemed to see thered-faced gardener as he busied himself over his task, and then downcame the words--
"All right."
"Lower it down."
"What?--the stone?"
"Yes. Quick."
Directly after, there was a rattling and falling of tiny bits of shale,which went on as Samson shouted--
"She won't come no farther."
"Draw the line and start it again."
Samson started the stone after hauling it up a bit, and this time itglided out of the angle in which it had rested, increased its speed,bringing down quite a shower of shale, and then there was a dull thud.
"That's it, Samson. I've got it."
"Good job, for there ain't much more."
"There's quite enough," cried Fred, as he rapidly set the stone loose,and tied the line to the rope's end. "Now, then, haul away."
"No, no, my lad; I tell you it won't bear you. You'd only have a nastytumble."
"Haul!"
"And I shall be blamed."
"Will you haul? Oh, only wait till I come up!"
Samson gave quite a snatch at the line, and drew it up rapidly, whilethe boys waited to hear what he would say when he found their meaning.
"Why couldn't you have said as you meanted that!" he grumbled. "I seenow. Want me to make this here fast to the pole."
"Yes, of course; then we can climb up."
"To be sure you can. I see now."
"Make it quite fast, Samson."
"I will, sir. And try it, too," he added under his breath, as heknotted the rope fast, seized and drew it tight, and then loweringhimself into the crevice, he began to glide down rapidly, sending atremendous shower of shale on to Fred's head, and making him start awayjust as he had drawn the rope tight ready to ascend.
"Why, what are you doing?" he shouted.
"Coming down, sir," panted Samson; and the next minute he was on thebroad shelf in company with nearly enough disintegrated rock to bury theskeleton of the sheep.
"Well, 'pon my word, young gentlemen," cried the gardener, "you've gotrum sort of ideas. Wouldn't no other place please you for a game butthis?"
"We wanted to explore it," exclaimed Fred; "to see if there's a way downto the shore."
"Well, you can hear there is, lads. But why didn't you bring alanthorn?"
"I wish we had."
"Wish again," said Samson, with a chuckle.
"What for?"
"Because then you'll get one," said the gardener, laughing.
"Why, Samson, w
hat do you mean?" cried Scarlett.
"This here!"
There was a rattling sound, a clicking noise of flint upon steel, andsoon after a glowing spark appeared, then a blue flame, a splint burstinto a blaze, and directly after Samson's