Just as the pirates gained the foot of
the rocks, which hid us for a moment from their view, we bent over the
sea, and plunged down together head foremost. Peterkin behaved like a
hero. He floated passively between us like a log of wood, and we passed
the tunnel and rose into the cave in a shorter space of time than I had
ever done it before.
Peterkin drew a long, deep breath on reaching the surface, and in a few
seconds we were all standing on the ledge of rock in safety. Jack now
searched for the tinder and torch which always lay in the cave. He soon
found them, and, lighting the torch, revealed to Peterkin's wondering
gaze the marvels of the place. But we were too wet to waste much time
in looking about us. Our first care was to take off our clothes and
wring them as dry as we could. This done, we proceeded to examine into
the state of our larder, for, as Jack truly remarked, there was no
knowing how long the pirates might remain on the island.
"Perhaps," said Peterkin, "they may take it into their heads to stop
here altogether, and so we shall be buried alive in this place."
"Don't you think, Peterkin, that it's the nearest thing to being
drowned alive that you ever felt?" said Jack with a smile. "But I have
no fear of that. These villains never stay long on shore. The sea is
their home, so you may depend upon it that they won't stay more than a
day or two at the furthest."
We now began to make arrangements for spending the night in the cavern.
Pages:
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215