covery, and to
find that once upon a time there were pirates or smugglers here."

Meanwhile they were slowly descending the bed of the ancient underground
rivulet, so familiar with every turn and hollow that they knew exactly
where to place their feet when they reached the little falls, and never
thinking of stopping to examine the pot-holes, where the great rounded
boulders, that had turned and turned by the force of the falling water,
still remained. Vince's light danced about in the darkness like a large
glowworm, and Mike followed it, humming a tune, whistling, or making a
few remarks from time to time; but he was very thoughtful all the same,
as his mind dwelt upon the packages in the far cavern, and he felt the
desire to examine them increase, till he was quite in a state of fever.

"Pretty close, aren't we?" said Mike at last, to break the silence of
the gloomy tunnel.

"Yes, we shall be there in five minutes now. But, I say, suppose we
find that some one has been since we were here?"

"Well, whoever it was, couldn't have taken the caves away."

"No; but if Lobster has found out the way down?--and I dare say he has,
after tumbling into the front hall."

"'Tisn't the front hall," said Mike laughingly; "it's the back door.
Front hall's down by the sea, where the seal cave is."

"Have it which way you like," said Vince, giving the lanthorn a swing,
"but it seems to me most like the back attic window. I say, though, if
Lobster has found it out, he'll have devoured every scrap we left there,
and, I daresay, carried off the fishing tackle and pans."

"A thief! He'd better not," cried Mike.

"Ha--ha--ha!" laughed Vince. "I do call that good."

"What? I don't know what you mean."

"Your calling him a thief for taking away the things he discovered
there."

"Well, so he would be. They're not his."

"No," said Vince, laughing; "and those things in the far cavern aren't
ours, but you want to take them."

"That's different," said Mike hastily. "We only put our things there a
few weeks ago; those bales and barrels have been there perhaps hundreds
of years."

"Say thousands while you're about it, Ladle," cried Vince cheerily.
"Hold hard. _Puff_!"

The candle was blown out through a hole in the lanthorn, and the latter
lowered down to the usual niche close to the cavern wall, where they
were accustomed to keep it.

"Down with you!" cried Vince; and Mike required no second telling, but
glided down t