, dreaming of all kinds of pleasant
things, some of which had to do with being feasted after getting free.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

The next day the two lads could only think of their attempt with a
shudder, for their efforts, though they did not quite grasp the
narrowness of their escape from death, had resulted in a peculiar shock
to their system, one effect of which was to make then disinclined to do
anything more than sit and lie in the darkness watching the faint
suggestion of dawn in the direction of the submerged archway. Then,
too, they slept a good deal, while even on the following day they both
suffered a good deal from want of energy.

Towards evening, though, Aleck roused up.

"Look here, sailor," he said, "this will not do. We ought to be doing
something."

"What?" said the middy, sadly. "Try again to drown ourselves?"

"Oh, no; that was a bit of madness. We mustn't try that again."

"What then? It seems to me that we may as well keep going to sleep till
we don't wake again."

"What!" shouted Aleck, his companion's words fully rousing him from his
lethargic state. "Well, of all the cowardly things for a fellow to
say!"

"Cowardly!" cried the middy, literally galvanised into action by the
sound of that word. "You want to quarrel, then, do you? You want to
fight, eh? Very well, I'm your man. Let's light the lanthorn and have
it out at once."

"Oh, very well," cried Aleck. "There's a nice soft bit of sand yonder
that will just do."

The middy snorted like an angry animal and began to breathe hard, while
Aleck, feeling regularly angry now, felt for the tinder-box and matches,
and began to send the sparks flying in showers.

The tinder was soon glowing, the match well alight, and a fresh candle
stuck in its place, the lanthorn being set upon a flat stone, with the
door open, after which the two lads slipped off their jackets and rolled
up their sleeves.

"Shut the lanthorn door, stupid," cried the middy.

"What for?"

"What for? To keep the candle from tumbling out the first time I knock
you up against that stone."

"I should like to catch you at it," said Aleck. "If I shut the door how
am I to see to hit you on the nose?"

"You hit me on the nose? Ha, ha!" cried the middy. "Why, I shall have
you calling out that you've had enough long before you get there."

"We shall see," said Aleck. "Don't you think that you're going to
frighten me with a lot of bounce. Now, then, a