of water so broad that through the blinding rain they could
barely make out the opposite side, against which some very ugly waves
appeared to be beating. They gazed at each other in blank dismay.

"Perhaps it's nothing but a creek, and we can get round it," said
Myfanwy. "I'm used to this kind of coast in Wales. Let us try to our
left; it looks fairly promising."

She led the way, and the others followed as best they could. It was a
forlorn hope, however. The end of the promontory was completely
surrounded at high water, and was temporarily turned into an island; and
for the time being they were as completely stranded as a crew of
shipwrecked mariners.

"I'm afraid it's no use," confessed Myfanwy, at last. "We've got
ourselves into a tight place, and we shall just have to stay here until
the tide goes down."

"Unless we could manage to swim," suggested Dora, looking dubiously over
the channel to where some heavy breakers were booming against what
seemed through the spray to be a steep and jagged precipice.

"Impossible!" exclaimed Phoebe, without any doubt in her voice. "We
should be dashed to bits in that rough sea. There isn't a spot where we
could land, even if we could struggle across. It would simply be
madness."

"I don't want to try!" declared Aldred, with a shudder. "I can't swim,
to begin with; and even if I could, I shouldn't venture through those
waves. But what are we going to do?"

"Stop here till we can get off, I suppose," said Phoebe, shrugging her
shoulders. "There's nothing else for it. We're in no particular danger,
that's one comfort!"

"Let us climb higher up on to the rocks, and perhaps we may find some
place a little out of the rain," proposed Myfanwy.

After considerable hunting about, they did at last come upon a ledge
that shelved over so as to form a kind of cave; and creeping underneath,
they squatted as close together as they could.

They were feeling the very reverse of jolly. It seemed anything but
delightful to be sitting in a cramped position, wet through, without the
chance of a meal, and with the prospect of spending perhaps the whole
night in such unenviable surroundings.

"I'd give a great deal to be back in the classroom, learning my German
prep.!" groaned Dora.

"I suppose an adventure never feels nice at the time," said Myfanwy.

"No. I can't help suspecting that Stanley, and Shackleton, and all the
explorers didn't enjoy the fun of the thing until they got home a