er hole. Oh, I say,
isn't it deep?"

"Mind! Mind!" shrieked Bob, and Bigley scuffled back.

"What--what is it?" he panted.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" roared Bob. "Did he bite you?"

"What a shame!" grumbled Bigley in his gruff voice. "I didn't try to
scare you. I don't care though. You won't frighten me again."

He crept back, and we could hear him grunting and panting.

"I say, it is deep," he said. "I've got my arm in right to the shoulder
and there's nothing here. Stop a minute; here's a crack round this
corner where I can get my hand. It's quite a big opening with water in
it, and slippery things in the rock, and--Ugh!--oh!--ah!"

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

A TERRIBLE DANGER.

Bigley dragged his arm out of the crack and came scuffling back to us,
and as soon as he reached the opening we could see that he looked quite
pale.

"Why, Big, what is it?" I cried eagerly.

"Don't frighten him. He has seen the ghost of an old cock shark," cried
Bob Chowne grinning.

"Oh, I don't know," he panted. "Something soft, and cold, and alive."

"Why, it was a jelly-fish," we said together. "Did it sting?"

"No. You wouldn't find jelly-fishes in a hole like that. It felt like
a tremendously great polly-squiggle with a big parrot's beak, and my
hand nearly went in."

"Get out!" said Bob, "there are no big ones."

"How do you know?" retorted Bigley. "That felt just like a large one."

"Did he take hold of you with his suckers?" I said.

"No, I didn't give him time."

"If it had been a polly-squiggle it would have got you fast directly
with its suckers," I said oracularly.

"Never mind what it was, old Big. Go in and fetch it out again."

"No; one of you two go, I don't like," said Bigley. "You can't see
where you're putting your hand; and suppose he bites it off?"

"Why, then, you could have a wooden peg," said Bob sneeringly. "Here,
come out, my poor little man, and let me go in. I'll soon fetch out my
gentleman, you see if I don't. Here, come out."

Bob Chowne never meant to go in. His face said as much as he looked
round at me; but his words had the effect he intended, for Bigley
grunted and went back as far as the narrow crack in the grotto would
allow, and boldly thrust in his hand.

"Mind, Big," I said seriously, "be ready to snatch away your fist."

He did not answer, but we heard him draw his breath hard; then there
came a splashing noise, and directly after our school-fellow backed
towards