Along the floor of the cave, almost level with the rocky floor, flowed the stream that entered the rocky tunnel, and became the waterfall! It was a strange sight to see the silent water flowing in the darkness, coming from goodness knew where.
Tom flashed his torch round the cave. This would make a fine hiding-place! This must surely be where that man had gone to. But there didn’t seem to be a sign of anyone at all.
It was silent there in the heart of the towering cliff. No sound of calling sea-birds came in through the long narrow entrance. No rush of wind disturbed the still air. It was like being in a curious dream.
“I wish the others were here,” thought Tom. “I’d like them to share this with me. I’ll go and get them! But first I’ll just flash my torch all round the cave to see if I can find even a small trace of that whistling mana cigarette end perhapsor a match.”
He flashed his torch about. The cave had a high rocky roof, an. uneven rocky floor, and gleaming walls. The water that flowed silently through it came from what looked like the entrance to a smaller cave at the backbut somehow Tom didn’t want to go any deeper into the black darkness!
Something gleamed on the floor near the water. Tom’s torch shone on it, and he wondered what it was. He went to pick it up.
It was a small pearl button, the kind that is sewn on to men’s shirts. But it was red, not white. Tom looked at it eagerly. Ahthat was a sure sign that somebody used the waterfall hole and had come into this cave. But it was plain that they didn’t live here, for there was no sign of any food-stores, or bed. Whoever came here or made it his hiding-place must have gone farther into the cliff. Perhaps the whole cliff was honeycombed with caves and tunnels! Tom remembered the underground river that flowed out so turbulently at the foot. That must come down winding channels of its own from somewhere!
He wished very much that Andy was with him. He couldn’t make up his mind whether to go farther in or not. He was afraid of being caught by the whistling manor anyone else! The whistling man might not be the only person in the cliff. There might be someone else too.
“I don’t knowI think I’ll go back to the others after all,” said Tom to himself. “It’s a bit frightening being here in this cliff all by myselfand if I go farther in I might get lost. I’ll go back.”
He flashed his torch round the cave once moreand then suddenly noticed that the stream flowing in its channel across the floor of the cave, had quietly risen higher! It was now flowing over the rocky floor, almost reaching to where Tom stood.
“Look at that!” said Tom in surprise, and he stood watching the water. “Why has it risen like that? Golly, it’s flooding all the floor of this cave!”
So it was. The water rose higher and swept over the floor. It began to make a noise. Tom felt alarmed.
“Gracious! I know what’s happening! The torrent of water farther in must have suddenly been increased for some reasonand it’s pushing its way out hereand will make that waterfall simply enormous again! If I don’t go now I’ll be swept out with the torrent and go down the cliff in the waterfall!”
This was not at all a pleasant thought. Tom ran over the flooding cave-floor back to the narrow tunnel into which the water flowed on its way to the open air. But already the narrow little tunnel was filling with water! The rocky ledge he had wriggled along could hardly be seen, for the water had risen high above it. In a few minutes the whole of the narrow opening would be blocked by the suddenly increased torrent of water!
“I daren’t go along it now,” thought Tom. “I simply daren’t. I’d either be drowned or swept out and down the waterfall.”
The water had now flooded the whole of the floor of the cave. It was up to Tom’s knees. He felt frightened. Had he better go to the inner cave, the one his torch had shown him when he had flashed it on the water at the farther side of his cave? Perhaps he had. It wasn’t safe in his cave now! Goodness knew how high the water would rise there, and there was no place he could climb up to and sit until the water went down again.
“I wish I hadn’t explored in here,” he thought in dismay. “Now I may be kept a prisoner for hours. The others will get worried about me. What an idiot I am!”
He made his way to the farther side of the cave he was in. Through a fairly high tunnel there the water came from an inner cave. Tom stepped into the water. It was up to his waist already. He would have to wade along until he came to the inner cave.
It was not very far inonly a matter of a few yards. Water flooded over the floor of this cave toobut to Tom’s surprise and delight, he saw rough steps cut in the wall, going upwards, at the back of this inner cave. He flashed his torch there. Yes, those steps led to an opening in the cave-roof. If he got up there he would be quite safe from the rising water. Good!
“Wonder if the steps lead into another cave!” thought the boy. “This is all very weird. Who would have guessed there were these caves leading one out of the other like this, in the heart of that enormous cliff!”
He went up the rough rocky steps. There was a hole in the roof, and iron footholds had been driven into the rock there, to act as a help in the climb. Tom put his torch between his teeth again, and hauled himself up. He came out into a dark and silent tunnel, that twisted in front of him, leading to he knew not where!
“WellI suppose I’d better go along,” thought Tom, trying to sound much braver than he felt. “It must lead somewhere!”
CHAPTER 8.
The Hidden Cave.
TOM went down the winding passage. It smelt funny, and he didn’t like it. He hoped his torch wouldn’t suddenly go out. He was glad that it had a new battery in! It would be horrid to wander about in the dark, inside the cliff all by himself!
The tunnel twisted downwards. It was narrow most of the tune, and sometimes the roof went low so that Tom had to bend his head or he would have bumped it. Sometimes the roof became so high that Tom’s torch showed him nothing but darkness. It was all very queer.
“I’d be enjoying this more if only the others were here!” thought Tom, still trying to feel brave. “I do so hope this tunnel leads somewhere! I almost wish I could meet that whistling man. I’d at least have someone to talk to!”
But he met nobody. The tunnel went on and on, always downwards. And then, stealing up it, came a curious, familiar smell!
Tom sniffed. “Tobacco smoke!” he thought. “Gracious! Somebody must be near thensomebody smoking a cigarette or pipe. I’d better go carefully.”
He trod as quietly as he could, shading the light of his torch with his hand. Then suddenly he switched it out. He could see a light in the distance! The tunnel must come out into a cave again, he thoughtand there was a light in that cave, which meant that people must be there!
He crept nearer. He could hear voices nowmen’s voices. One of them was the growly voice of the man with the hairy legs. Tom didn’t know what he was like to look at of course, because he had only seen his legs. But he knew that growly voice again, although he had only heard the man say a few words up on the cliff.
The boy’s heart began to thump. He was very” glad indeed to think that people were nearbut somehow he felt that they wouldn’t welcome him at all! Could they be smugglers?
He tiptoed to the end of the tunnel, and peeped cautiously into the cave. Two men were thereone of them plainly the hairy-legged man, for his legs were bare, and Tom could see his enormous feet. The boy gazed at the men, wondering if they would be angry at his sudden appearance or not.
He somehow thought they would not welcome him at all. The hairy-legged man was not the giant the children had imagined him to behe was a curious-looking fellow, with a strong, stumpy body, hairy bare arms, a big head with hardly any neck, and a flaming red beard.