CHAPTER XXVI
THE CAVE ON THE ISLAND
"Tom!"
"Sam!"
"Are you safe?"
"Yes, but I wasn't looking for such a cold bath as this."
"I guess we must have fallen into a regular well of spring water."
"Never mind what we are in. The question is, how are we to get out?"
"Can you touch the top of the opening?"
"No."
"Neither can I."
Luckily the two boys could touch the bottom of the hole, so they werein no danger of drowning. They were in water up to their waists andcalculated they had dropped a distance of two or three yards. Allwas pitch dark around them and as silent as a tomb, save for somewater which trickled close at hand. The bats had departed, leavingthem to their fate.
"This is cave-investigating with a vengeance," said Tom, with somethinglike a shiver.
"Never mind, Tom, we won't die of thirst anyway."
"Do you think this is a laughing matter, Sam?"
"No, I don't. I'd give a good deal to be out of this hole and out ofthe cave also."
"I've got an idea. Let me climb on your shoulders and see if I canreach the top that way."
Sam was willing, and soon Tom was balancing himself as best he could.He felt around with care, Sam moving from point to point as directed.
"Here is a sharp rock; I think I can pull myself up on that," saidTom. He tried with all of his strength and went up off Sam's shoulders.Then the youngest Rover heard him crawling around the wet flooringcarefully.
When Tom felt fairly safe he brought out his waterproof match safeand lit a match. Then one of the torches was picked up and he litthat, but kept it partly sheltered, fearing another attack from thebats.
By the aid of the torch, Sam was able to reach a sharp rock quitelow down in the well hole, and when Tom gave him a hand he came upwith ease. Both saw that the passage ended at the hole and hurriedback to the main chamber of the cave.
"That's the time that right was not right," said Sam, wringing thewater from his trousers, while Tom did the same. "Let us try the leftafter this."
"I trust we don't get left by it," added Sam.
The passageway was small and winding, but fairly level. There wereseveral sharp rocks to pass and then Tom gave a cry.
"I see a light ahead!"
"It must be an opening, Tam."
"Exactly what I think."
Both hurried forward. As they did this, the opening appeared to growlarger and they saw a number of bushes ahead of them. They pushedthese aside and saw beyond a clear stretch of the bay and to thenorthward the house they had built. The opening was twenty or thirtyfeet above the beach and hidden in the rocks and bushes.
"This is a short cut to the beach from the flagstaff," said Sam. "Iwish we had put up the flag. Then we could carry the news of the caveto the others."
"Let us hurry back, Sam. It won't take so very long to put up theflag, with the tree still standing."
When they reached the gully they were careful that no further mishapsshould befall them. Having picked up the flag they hoisted it oncemore, stars down, and then went back through the cave to the beach.
As they had imagined, the others were greatly interested in the news.All left the house and visited the place. The girls did not go anyfurther than the main chamber, but the captain, Dick, and old Jerrymade a complete investigation, taking care not to fall into thewell-hole or any other unsafe place.
"As the boys say, this cave may come in very handy some time," saidCaptain Blossom. "In case of a very heavy wind storm it would be agood place for shelter."
"Why couldn't the sailors, Lesher, and Baxter live here?" asked Dick."We don't want them, and it will save them the trouble of buildinga house, in case they don't want to live on the wreck."
"No, I advise that we tell them nothing about the cave," said Tom."If we should have a fight and get the worst of it, we could hidehere and they wouldn't be able to find us very readily."
"Do you think it will get as far as that?" asked Dora, and her faceshowed she was much disturbed.
"I hope not, Dora," said Dick. "But you must remember that we havehad some pretty sharp quarrels already."
"I think Tom is right," came from Sam. "We'll not tell the othersanything about the cave. If they don't want to live on the wreck,they can build a house or two, just as we did."
On returning to the shore of the bay, Captain Blossom and Tom wenton a hunt along the beach and presently discovered the rowboat thathad overturned with them during the storm.
The craft was but little damaged and they soon had it mended, andthen the captain brought it around to the anchorage in front of thehouse.
"I wonder when Baxter and Lesher will arrive with the sailors?" saidNellie.
"Not before to-morrow night," answered Tom.
"Then do you know what I would do if I were you?" went on the girl.
"What, Nellie?"
"I'd bring some stores away from the wreck and hide them in the cave.If you did that, it might save us a good deal of trouble. For all weknow, that mate might try to take command and refuse to let us getanything more from the ship."
"Do you think he'd do that while Captain Blossom was around?" camefrom Grace.
"Oh, he might do anything when he is half full of liquor," answeredTom. "I think Nellie is right. I'll talk it over with the others."
Tom lost no time in the matter, and Dick, Sam, and old Jerry agreedthat Nellie's idea was very good. Captain Blossom shrugged hisshoulders and looked ugly.
"Jack Lesher shall not take the command from me," he said. "If hetries it, he'll find himself in the biggest kind of a row."
"But you must admit that there is grave danger," said Dick.
"Yes, I admit that."
"Then you are willing that we shall hide the stores?"
"If you want to."
"Won't you help us, Captain Blossom? Of course, we recognize the factthat those things belong to you, since you remained on the ship upto the time she struck the island."
This speech pleased the captain, and he said he would help themwillingly.
Without delay the two rowboats and the raft were called into commission,and an hour later the men and boys were hard at work transferringgoods from the wreck to the beach in front of the cave. Five tripswere made back and forth, the boats and the raft bringing over each,time as much as could be conveniently floated.
By the time the last trip was made and the goods piled on the beachand covered with a large tarpaulin, it was dark and all were utterlyworn out by their labors. The girls had prepared an extra goodsupper, and of this they ate heartily and then sat around a littlewhile, when they went to bed.
At the beginning the castaways had kept guard during the night, butof late this had been done away with, everybody being satisfied thatno harm could befall them during the darkness.
But as the doorway to the house was an open one it had been consideredthe duty of one or the other to sleep directly in the opening. Thiswas Dick's night, and the eldest Rover lay there sleeping soundlyuntil about two in the morning.
By this time the moon had disappeared and the stars were partly hiddenby some clouds. The night was quiet, save for the hum of insects inthe jungle back of the house and the soft lap-lap of the waves onthe beach of the bay.
Suddenly Dick awoke with a start. He sat bolt upright, wondering whathad brought him to his senses so quickly. He listened intently, butnothing unusual greeted his ears.
"I must have been dreaming, or something," he thought. "But is queerI should be so wide.. awake."
At first he was on the point of lying down again, but then concludedto get up and get a drink of water.
He arose to his feet and stood in the open doorway, gazing into thedarkness. The faint light of a few stars shone in the waters of thebay, and between the waters and himself he presently saw a dark formstealing along, close to the ground.
What could that be? Was it something real o
r only a shadow? Dickrubbed his eyes and peered out more sharply than ever. It was not ashadow, but a real form, slowly moving around to the rear of the house.
"An animal, or else a man crawling along," said Dick to himself, andreached for his gun, which stood close at hand. Then he made up hismind to investigate, and stepped outside of the doorway for that purpose.