s," said Hardock. "I pray it may only be a bit of
an underground pool burst to flood us; and they'll pump and master it
before it does us any harm."

"No, no," groaned Joe; "we've heard it beating overhead before, and the
sea has burst in. We're lost--we're lost!"

"Then if the sea has bursted in," cried Hardock, fiercely, "it's that
fellow Tom Dinass's doing. He's a spite against us all, and it's to
flood and ruin the mine."

"Don't be unreasonable, Sam," began Gwyn, but he stopped short, for,
like a flash, came the recollection of their seeing the man go down
towards the point at low-water, where they had heard him hammering in
the dark. Did that mean anything? Was it a preparation for blowing in
the rock over one of the passages that ran beneath the sea?

It seemed to be impossible as he thought it, but there was the fact of
the flood rising and driving them onward, the waters pressing behind
them as they waded on, but getting shallower very slowly, till, by
degrees, they were wading knee-deep and after a time Grip could be set
down. But that the waters were rising fast they had ample proof, for
whenever they stopped, the stream was rushing by them onward, as if
hastening to fill up every gallery in the mine.

"The water will show us the highest part," Hardock had said; and they
went on and on deeper and farther into the recesses of the place, but
with the swift stream seeming to chase them, refusing to be left behind,
but ever writhing about and leaping at their legs as if to drag them
down.

Grip splashed along beside or in front, whenever they were in a shallow
enough part, and swam when he could not find bottom; but at last he
began to show signs of weariness by getting close up to his master, and
whining.

"Catch hold of my lanthorn, Joe," cried Gwyn.

"What are you going to do?"

"What I should do for you if you felt that you could go no farther; what
you would do for me. We've brought him down here to be safe from Tom
Dinass, and thrown him into the danger we wanted to avoid. Here, come
on, Grip, old chap."

To the surprise of his companions, Gwyn knelt down in the water, turning
his back to the dog and bending as low as he could, when the intelligent
beast, perhaps from memories of old games they had had together, swam
close up and began to scramble up on his master's shoulders.

Then Gwyn caught at the dog's fore-legs, dragged them over, and rose to
his feet, carrying the dog pick-a-pac