country mansion, on the shore of Caermarthen Bay.

In front of the house spread a long beach, which terminated in
precipitous cliffs and rocky ledges. On the afternoon of the day
following his arrival, he declared his intention of exploring the beach.

"Don't get caught in 'The Smuggler's Trap,'" said his uncle, as he
mentioned his plan.

"'The Smuggler's Trap?'"

"Yes. It's at the end of the beach where you see the cliffs. It's a
hollow cave, which you can only walk at very low tide. You'd better not
go in there."

"Oh, never fear," said Hubert carelessly, and in a few minutes he was
wandering over the beach, and after walking about two miles reached the
end of the beach at the base of the great cliffs.

The precipice towered frowningly overhead, its base all worn and
furrowed by the furious surges that for ages had dashed against it. All
around lay a chaos of huge boulders covered with seaweed. The tide was
now at the lowest ebb. The surf here was moderate, for the seaweed on
the rocks interfered with the swell of the waters, and the waves broke
outside at some distance.

Between the base of the precipice and the edge of the water there was
a space left dry by the ebb tide about two yards in width; and Hubert
walked forward over the space thus uncovered to see what lay before him.

He soon found himself in a place which seemed like a fissure rent in a
mountain side, by some extraordinary convulsion of nature. All around
rose black, precipitous cliffs. On the side nearest was the precipice
by whose base he had passed; while over opposite was a gigantic wall of
dark rock, Which extended far out into the sea. Huge waves thundered at
its feet and dashed their spray far upward into the air. The space was
about fifty yards across.

The fissure extended back for about two hundred yards, and there
terminated in a sharp angle formed by the abrupt walls of the cliffs
which enclosed it. All around there were caverns worn into the base of
the precipices by the action of the sea.

The floor of this place was gravelly, but near the water it was strewn
with large boulders. Further in there were no boulders and it was easy
to walk about.

At the furthest extremity there was a flat rock that seemed to have
fallen from the cliff above in some former age. The cliffs around
were about two hundred feet in height. They were perfectly bare, and
intensely black. On their storm-riven summits not a sign of verdure
appeared. Ever