; and
it was as much as Tom and Sam could do, with my help, to tie his hands
and legs so as to keep him quiet, for he struggled furiously all the
while with the strength of ten men!

In the middle of this, we heard a strange rumbling noise under our feet,
the ground beginning to oscillate violently, as if we were on board ship
in a heavy sea; while, at the same time, a lot of earth and pieces of
rock were thrown down on us from the heights above the little plateau
where the cave was situated. The air, also, grew thick and heavy and
dark, similarly to what is generally noticed when a severe thunderstorm
is impending.

"Oh, Tom!" I cried in alarm, "what has happened?"

"It's an earthquake, I think," he replied, looking frightened too.
"We'd better get under shelter as quickly as we can, for these stones
are tumbling down too plentifully for pleasure!"

"Where can we go?" said I--"the ship's too far off. Oh dear, something
has just hit me on the head, and it hurts!"

"Come in here to the cave; we'll be safe inside, if the bottom can stand
all this shaking. At all events, it'll be better than being out in the
open, to stand the chance of having one's head smashed by a boulder from
aloft!"

So saying, Tom disappeared within the mouth of the cavern, dragging
after him the prostrate form of the skipper, who appeared to have fallen
asleep, overcome by the violent paroxysms of his fit, for he was snoring
stertorously.

Sam and I quickly followed Tom, and the rear was brought up by Hiram--
now pretty well recovered from the mauling he had received at the hands
of our unconscious skipper, the shock of the earthquake having roused up
our shipmate effectually, while the continual dropping of the falling
earth and stones, which now began to rain down like hail, hastened his
retreat.

"I guess this air more comf'able," said he, as soon as he was well
within our place of shelter, now so dark and gloomy that we could barely
see each other, and Sam's colour was quite indistinguishable. "Talk o'
rainin' cats an' dogs! Why, the airth seems topsides down, an'
brickbats an' pavin' stones air a reg'ler caution to it!"

Hardly, however, had he got out these words than there came a tremendous
crash of thunder, a vivid sheet of forked lightning simultaneously
illuminating the whole interior of the cavern; and, to our great
surprise, we perceived by the bright electric glare the figure of
another man besides our own party--the s