"But, I'm much worse than
him."

"But the smugglers?"

"All seemed to come over us, sir; banged the door down, and they've been
rattling big stones on it. There, you can hear 'em now."

In corroboration of the boatswain's words, there was a dull thunderous
sound overhead, as of great stones being thrown down over the trap-door,
and all listened in silence for a time till the noise ceased.

The silence was broken by Gurr, who suddenly roared out, as if he had
only just grasped the position,--

"Why, they've got away!"

"Every man jack of 'em, sir, and they all walked over me."

"And they've shut us in!"

"Yes, Mr Gurr," said Archy sadly; "they've shut us in."

"But if they were here," cried the master; "that's what I wanted to do
to them. I say, Mr Raystoke, you've done it now."

Half angry, half amused, but all the while smarting with the pain caused
by a blow he had received, Archy remained silent, listening to the heavy
breathing and muttering of his companions in misfortune. The sounds
above ground had ceased, and it was evident that the smugglers had made
good their escape.

Again the silence was broken by the master, who raging with pain and
mortification, exclaimed,--

"Well, Mr Raystoke, sir, you know all about this place; which is the
way out?"

"Up above here, Mr Gurr, close to where we stand."

"Very well, sir; then why don't you lead on?"

"Because they have shut and fastened the trap, and heaped about a ton of
stone upon it."

"Well, then, we must hack through the door with our cutlashes, and let
the stone down."

"What's that?" cried Archy excitedly,--"a light!"

For there was a dull report and a flash of blue like lightning; and,
running down the slope, the midshipman beheld that which sent a thrill
of terror through him. For, away toward the far end of the cave, there
was a great pool of flickering blue light; and, as it lit up the ceiling
and the huge square stone supports of the place, he saw that which
explained the meaning of what had seemed to be a wonderful phenomenon.

There, beyond the flickering pool of blue and yellow flame, which was
rapidly spreading in every direction, he could dimly see quite a wall of
piled-up kegs, one of which lay right in the edge of the pool of fire,
and suddenly exploded with a dull report, which blew the tongues of fire
in all directions, half extinguishing them for the moment, but
instantaneously flashing out again in a volume of fire, w