sea. Now listen again, how regularly it
comes. Every wave must be rushing in, and you can hear it go whishing
out."

Scarlett and his companion listened for a few minutes.

"Yes; it's the sea, sure enough," said Scarlett. "Why, Fred, I didn't
think we had such a place here."

"No," said Fred. "But, then, nobody ever comes up here. Why, it's
quite a discovery, Scar. Let's get down to the shore, and go in."

"Yes, I'm ready;" and together the two lads made their way to the edge
of the slaty cliffs, and then a long way by the edge, before they could
find a rift of a sufficient slope to warrant their attempting a descent.

Even this selected path looked far more easy than it proved; but by the
exercise of a little care they got about half-way down, and then
stopped; for it was plain enough to see, from the point of vantage they
had gained, that even if they climbed to the narrow line of black slaty
shingle between them and the perpendicular rock, they could not reach
the face of the Rill Head, which projected, promontory-like, into the
sea, and low down in which for certain the cave must be.

"What a bother!" exclaimed Fred. "I thought we were going to have a
fine bit of adventure, and discover seals, and lobsters, and crabs, and
all kinds of things. What shall we do?"

"Wait till low water."

"But it's nearly low water now. Can't you see?"

The marks of the last tide were plainly visible high up on the rugged
rock-face, the last tide having left every ledge covered with washed-up
fucus and bladder-wrack, speckled with white shells and sandy patches.

"Then it must always be deep in water?" said Scarlett.

"Well, I tell you what, then, let's borrow somebody's boat and try and
get right in that way."

"I don't know who somebody is," said Scarlett, drily; "and if I did, I
don't suppose he has got a boat."

"Don't talk like that," cried Fred. "I say, couldn't we get a boat?"

"There isn't one for miles. Old Porlett bought one--don't you
recollect?--and the sea knocked it all to pieces in the first storm."

"Yes, I recollect," said Fred, thoughtfully, "though it was twenty feet
up on a broad shelf of rock. Shall we swim to the cave?"

Scarlett shook his head. "No," he said. "It would be too risky."

"What shall we do, then?"

"Give it up."

"And I just won't," cried Fred, emphatically. "I say, Scar, look here."

"Well?"

"If we can't get in one way, let's get in the other."

Scarlett s