He might then stumble over the rocks, and break some of his
bones, or he might be intrapped in some recess of the cliffs, from
which escape might be impossible without external help.

Full of thoughts like these, the boys went on, with Captain Corbet, up
through the village, looking carefully around as they went on, and
making inquiries of every one whom they met. No one, however, could
give them any information. At last they reached the end of the
village. Here, on the left, there arose a high hill. The road wound
round this, and descended into a valley, through which a stream ran to
the bay. In this valley there was a ship-yard, where the half-finished
fabric of a large ship stood before them, and from which the rattle of
a hundred axes rose into the air. The valley itself was a beautiful
place, running up among steep hills, till it was lost to view among a
mass of evergreen trees and rich foliage. Below the shipyard was a
cove of no very great depth, but of extreme beauty. Beyond this was a
broad beach, which, at the farthest end, was bounded by the projecting
headland before alluded to. The headland was a precipitous cliff of
red sandstone, crowned at the summit with a fringe of forest trees,
white at its base were two or three hollow caverns, worn into the solid
rock by the action of the surf. One of these was about thirty feet in
height at its mouth, and ran back for sixty or seventy feet, narrowing
all the way, like a funnel, from its entrance to its farthest extremity.

The tide was now nearly at its height, and progress down the beach and
along the cliff was impossible. The caves were cut off also, and the
water penetrated them for some distance. At low tide one could easily
walk down to the extreme point of the headland, and rounding this, he
would find it possible to go along in front of the cliffs for an
immense distance, either by walking along the rough beach at their
foot, or, if the water should rise again, by going along rocky shelves,
which projected for miles from the surface of the cliff.

Reaching the head of the beach, Captain Corbet paused, and looked
around.

"Before goin any further," said he, "we'd better ask the folks at this
ship-yard. It ain't possible to tell whether he's gone by the beach or
not. He may have gone up the valley."

"O," said Bart, dolefully, "he must have gone by the beach."

"I rayther think I'll ask, at any rate," said the captain.

So saying, he walke