aps
from which all the best stone had been worked. Where Ram came down was
the land entrance, and the ray of light marked the opening in the face
of the cliff, from which the pieces of stone had been lowered down into
boats or ships below. After the smugglers had taken possession it
seemed probable that they had filled up the hole in the cliff face,
though it struck Archy that this would leave them a handy place to get
their cargoes ashore if they had tackle to haul it up, and get it into
their store at once.

The time seemed very long before the rattle and rumble of the stones on
the trap-door struck upon Archy's listening ear, but at last, after he
had convinced himself that he might have worked two or three hours
longer, there it was, and then came the rattle of the bolts and the
sharp sound of the lock. Directly afterwards there was a soft glare,
the lanthorn appeared like some creature of light swaying and floating
towards him in the darkness till it stopped close by, and Ram's now
familiar voice exclaimed,--

"Hullo there! Getting hungry?"

"Yes," said Archy, in a voice he wished to sound surly and obstinate,
but which in spite of his wishes had a cheerful ring, which affected
Ram, who began to laugh and chatter.

"Nice to be you," he said. "Get all the good things, you do. Fried
fish to-day, and pork pie. I say, midshipman, you have got into good
quarters, you have."

Archy tried to seem sulky.

"Oh, you needn't talk without you like, but they didn't feed you up
aboard ship like you're getting it now, I know; salt beef, then salt
pork, and hard biscuits. Why, it's like fattening up one of our pigs
for Christmas. I say, you are quiet. Haven't been at one of them
little kegs, have you? Oh, very well; if you don't like to talk, I
can't make you."

"Are you going to let me out of this place?" said the midshipman, so as
to keep up the idea of his longing to be set free, and chase any
suspicions of his having discovered a way out.

"When I get orders, Mr Orsifer, and not before. I aren't skipper, no
more nor you are."

"Another piece of insolence," thought the prisoner. "Oh, how I will pay
him out for this by and by!"

"Aren't you going to peck?"

Archy took no notice, and at last there came, in a deep, echoing growl
through the place,--

"Say, lad, going to be all day?"

"Coming, Jemmy," Ram shouted. "Want anything else, midshipman?"

"Yes, you to go and not worry me," replied Archy,