ed apologetically. "Here, you, Buck
Denham, what made you put the basket there? You ought to have known it
was out of reach. More this way, messmate."

"All right," said Dean. "I shan't forget this, Master Dan.--Bother!"
And he stepped on one side, seated himself at the foot of the wall, and
occupied himself with untying the laces of one shoe and taking out the
little bits of grit which refused to be kicked off.

"Now, no larking," said the doctor sharply. "Wait till we have done
work."

"Ay, ay, sir!" cried Dan; and digging away with all his might, he very
soon after shouted, "Full up, messmate!" Then Buck stooped down, lifted
the heavy basket, and bore it away, leaving the empty one in its place.

"Stones, lads!" cried the sailor, raising first one and then another
with his spade ready for the keepers; and the work went on, with the
doctor stepping down into the hole that was soon formed to examine some
of the loose earth and rubbish that the sailor dug out ready for the
baskets which were kept going to and fro.

"We don't seem to find much, sir," said Mark, after a time.

"No, my lad," replied the doctor. "All rubbish so far; and most of
these pieces of stone have no doubt crumbled down from the wall."

"Eh? Think so, sir?" cried Dan, looking up sharply from where he was
now standing nearly up to his middle in the hole.

"Oh, yes, there's no doubt about that," cried the doctor.

"Beg pardon, sir," said the digger to Dean, "but you might keep a heye
on the wall and call out `below!' if you see any more crumbs a-coming,
just to give a fellow time to hop out, because, you know Mr Mark says I
might be buried, shovel and all."

"Oh, I will keep a sharp look out," said Dean.

"Full up again, mate," cried Dan; "and look here, Buck; when I get down
a bit deeper you had better come and take my place; you're 'bout twice
as long as I am. Stones again, lads!" And he handed up first one and
then another on the flat of his spade.

"Both square ones, Dean," cried Mark. "Think they have been chiselled
into shape, doctor?"

"No, no; selected," said the doctor, as he carefully examined the block
which the boy held. "You see, that's the under part where it lay in the
wall, not weathered a bit. The other side has crumbled away, while the
under part is comparatively fresh, and would show chisel marks if it had
been chipped."

The work went on for nearly an hour, the sailor having dug away in the
most vigorou