“No wonder the smugglers knew when my father was coming!” said Andy. “They could sight his boat miles away! I wonder if they sighted ours, when we went to the Cliff of Birds.”
“They did the second time,” said Tom. “That’s why they sent out that motor-boat to stop us!”
“You’re right,” said Andy. “My wordwhat a huge smuggling business this must beall those motor-boats! I suppose they send them out to ships lying at anchor some miles awayships that have seen this signaland take off their goods to bring them here in safety. This is a wonderful hiding-place.”
“Where do they smuggle the goods to?” said Tom. “And why do they smuggle them? To save paying duty on them, I suppose. They get them into the country this way. But how do they get them away from here! There’s no road overland even from the Cliff of Birds.”
“It’s a puzzle,” said Andy. “If only we could escape and report all this.”
“Do you remember I told you about all those boxes and crates in that cave in the Cliff of Birds?” said Tom. “How do you suppose they get them there from here?”
Andy couldn’t answer him. The two boys stood looking out at the magnificent view for some time, watching the motor-boats at rest, and seeing men unload the motor-boat that had just come slipping through the narrow opening.
“I bet that boat went out last night to whatever ship Bandy was signalling to with his lamp,” said Andy. “I just bet that motor-boat was loaded up miles out to sea, and slipped back here whilst it was still not dawn. She just got in in time.”
“They must have men who know these rocks like a book,” said Tom. “I wouldn’t care to chug through them!”
“I think we’d better get back to the girls,” said Andy. “They’ll be longing to know all we’ve seen. If only we could get back home!”
They turned to go down the steps. It was dark down there. But they did not like to switch on their torches now, in case Bandy was about and spotted them. So they made their way down cautiously, feeling for the steps with their feet, and taking rather a long time to get down.
“Be careful! We’re getting near to that big cave-room where we took the ham and cake from,” whispered Andy.
They came to the big cave. It was still lighted by the big ship’s lantern, swinging from the roof. Quietly Andy slid his head in to see if Bandy was there.
He could hear him as well as see him! The little bandy-legged man was lying on one of the mattresses, flat on his back, fast asleep. His mouth was open and he was snoring loudly.
“There’s no one else there,” said Tom, looking round quickly. “But he hasn’t finished that tongue or the peaches, Andy. Let’s get them.”
“Nohe might wake up,” said Andy, palling Tom back.
“He won’t. He’s snoring hard.” said Tom. “Come on, let’s get the stuff. We haven’t had any breakfast!”
He and Andy stole quickly into the huge cave. They snatched up the dish of peaches and the dish of tongue. As they turned to go, Bandy gave such an enormous snore that he made Tom jump. The boy tripped over an uneven piece of* rocky floor and fell headlong. The glass dish he was carrying smashed to pieces, and both Tom and Andy were covered with juice.
“Fathead!” hissed Andy, and dragged him up. They tore to the passage. But Bandy was wide awake now, and sitting up. He yelled loudly:
“What, you come back again to steal my food, Stumpy! After the lamming I gave you last night too! You greedy fellow, you pig, you
.”
“Run! He thought we were the fellow that he went and lammed last night!” gasped Andy. “Run! We’ll hide somewhere before he catches us.”
Bandy was really on the warpath this time! To think that Stumpy was taking his food again! He’d teach him! He’d catch Stumpy, and knock his stupid head against the wall. He’d
The boys fled down and down. They passed the forking tunnel that led to the cave where they had twice been bolted in. They tore on down, hoping soon to get to the place where the tunnel split in two, one part going down, and the other going back to the place where they had entered the hill by way of the moving rock.
“Once we get to that forking of the tunnel well be all right!” panted Andy. “We can slip out of the entrance there and make our way back to the girls!”
They came to it at last and ran along it to get out into the sunshine. But when they got to the end of that passage, the big rock had been slid back into place again! There was no way out.
“Blow! How do we move it from this side to open?” wondered Andy. He pushed and pulled and shoved, but the rock would not move. There seemed to be nothing at all that the boys could find to use as a lever this time, either. The rock was fast shut.
“Somebody’s been along here, found the rock entrance open and shut it,” said Andy at last. “It’s no good. We can’t open it.”
“Well, we can’t go back up the tunnel to Bandy’s room,” said Tom. “He’d be sure to catch us sooner or later.”
“Let’s go to where the tunnel forks, and take the downward path this time,” said Andy. “We’ll see where it leads to. It might perhaps take us out another way. It’s no good us staying here to be caught like rats in a trap.”
So back they went once more, listening cautiously for Bandy. They took the downward way at the forking of the tunnel, and made their way along dark, musty passages, winding here and there.
“These passages must be right in the heart of the hill like the tunnel in the Cliff of Birds,” said Tom. “Listenwhat’s that?”
It was the sound of a quarrel. The boys crept nearer to the shouts. “It’s Bandy going for Stumpy again!” said Andy. “Poor Stumpy! We do seem to be getting him into trouble!”
Out of the tunnel another cave opened, rather like the one above, which was apparently Bandy’s. This one, however, was smaller and not so well furnished. In it Bandy and Stumpy were quarrelling. The cave was not very well lighted, and the boys felt certain they could not be seen, as they stopped in the dark passage to peep in for a moment.
“WhyStumpy is the hairy-legged man!” whispered Tom. “See his bare, hairy legs and enormous feet! He’s the one that swung his legs above us that dayand I saw him again in the cave down at the foot of the Cliff of Birds, with the other man too.”
There was a fine old fight going on in Stumpy’s cave. Roaring and shouting and yelling, chasing round and dodging! The boys wished they could stop and watch, for the sight was rather comical. But they thought the chance of slipping by unnoticed was too good not to be taken, and they dodged quickly past the entrance of the cave. Neither of the men saw them.
And now the tunnel dipped very steeply indeed, and went downwards for a long way. “Into the very depths of the earth,” said Tom in a hollow voice that quite startled Andy.
The walls of the rocky tunnel suddenly began to gleam in a queer way. “Phosphorescence,” said Andy. “Isn’t it curious. Tom? Most unearthly!”
“Let’s go back,” said Tom suddenly. “I don’t like this at all. And I don’t like that funny noise right over our heads, either.”
Andy had noticed a queer noise tooboom, boom, boom! Booooooom!
“What can it be?” he wondered. “No, Tom, we can’t go back now after coming all this way. We’ll come out somewhere soon. We must! If only this tunnel would go upwards again. It’s gone down so deep.”
They went on again, between the wide gleaming walls. There was plenty of room in this passageroom for three men to walk abreast, if need beand the roof was well above their heads.
They walked on, using their torches, and feeling very tired of the long, dark way. Andy was puzzled. Smuggler’s Rock was not a big island. They could have walked right through it by now! Where were they going?
He suddenly stopped and clutched Tom’s arm. Tom jumped violently. “Don’t do that?” he said. “What’s up?”
“TomI know where we areand I know what that noise is!” said Andy, in an excited voice.
“What is it?” said Tom, looking at him, startled.
“It’s the sea we can hearabove our heads!” said Andy.
“Above our heads?” said Tom, looking up as if he expected to see waves breaking over him. “What do you mean?”