Title: The Wizard's Cave
Author: Thorne, Eglanton
Language: English
As this book started as an ASCII text book there are no pictures available.


*** Start of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Wizard's Cave" ***

Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed.

[Illustration: HE DRAGGED INTO THE LIGHT A BULKY BAG.]



                 THE WIZARD'S CAVE


                        By

                  EGLANTON THORNE



     R.T.S., 4, Bouverie Street, London, E.C.4.



CONTENTS.


  CHAPTER I. THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

  CHAPTER II. FIRST SIGHT OF THE SEA

  CHAPTER III. THE WRECKERS' LAMP

  CHAPTER IV. EXPLORING THE CAVE

  CHAPTER V. EXPLORING THE OLD HOUSE

  CHAPTER VI. AN AMAZING DISCOVERY

  CHAPTER VII. DUKE'S BEACON

  CHAPTER VIII. THE MYSTERY OF THE CAVE

  CHAPTER IX. A WAY OUT

  CHAPTER X. NOEL GUARDS THE SECRET

  CHAPTER XI. NO COWARD AFTER ALL



THE WIZARD'S CAVE

CHAPTER I.

THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS.

THE coach rolled away from the door of Tudor Hall. The large
schoolroom, tenanted only by two small boys crouching close to one of
the windows, looked bare and grim.

It was raining so fast that they could not go into the playground.
The dusty roads and scorched gardens of the London suburb needed rain
badly, but what cared the boys for that? The downpour swelled the sense
of wrong which filled the bosom of the elder, Marmaduke (generally
known as Duke) Bryden, a well-grown boy of twelve, for this was
"breaking-up day," and these boys had seen their schoolmates depart
gleefully for home while they, having no home, were to spend their
holidays at the schoolhouse.

"It's a horrid shame," ejaculated Duke Bryden, not for the first
time—"a horrid shame! That's just what it is, and I don't care who
hears me say it!"

As there was no one save themselves in the large room, the boast seemed
unnecessary.

"It's not any good to say it," replied Noel, his brother, a slight,
fair boy about eighteen months younger. "It does not alter it; we've
gone through it before, and we know what it's like. Mrs. Tapson isn't
half bad when we're the only boys she has to look after. Do you
remember when we went to the sea?"

"Of course I remember it," Duke said. He had indeed a far clearer
recollection than Noel of the summer when their parents took them to
Deal, yet it was the younger boy who loved to brood over the vague,
sweet memory of joyous days.

Since then, through their father's untimely death, the boys' lives had
wholly changed. Their home was broken up and their mother obliged to
take a situation. A friend offered to pay for the boys' education. He
was a well-to-do man and kindly disposed towards the little fellows,
but he had a large family of his own, and his wife could not be
troubled with strange boys in the holidays.

The brothers had ceased to talk, and were moodily watching the steady
downfall of the rain, when the door opened and a stout, middle-aged
lady looked into the room. It was Mrs. Tapson, the matron who took
charge of the boys at Tudor Hall.

"Come away, boys," she said cheerily. "Tea is ready. You must be weary
of moping there by yourselves, and I am tired enough with turning out
drawers and packing boxes. I am thankful that breaking-up day does not
come often. It would not take many such days to break me up."

"She does not look as if she would break easily," Noel whispered
to Duke as they followed her along the passage which led to the
housekeeper's cosy room at the back of the house.

Duke's brow cleared as, on entering, his eyes fell on the dainty
tea-table. The sight of a dish of fine cherries and a home-made cake,
such as appeared on the school-table on Sundays only, afforded him
consolation.

The boys had enjoyed their tea and wore feeling in better spirits when
the heavy knock which announces the postman resounded through the
house. Noel ran to fetch the letters, and came back with an excited
air, for he had found amongst them a letter addressed to Mrs. Tapson in
his mother's handwriting.

"I guess it's to say that she's going to send us a box," he remarked to
his brother; "but why did she not write to us about it?"

"Here you are!" said Mrs. Tapson, who had opened the envelope. "There's
a letter for you inside. It's addressed to you both, so you cannot
quarrel over it."

Eagerly the boys took the folded sheet, and, both trying to open it at
once, tore it across ere they did so. Then, putting it together with
some difficulty, they read the following words:—

"Egloshayle, July 31st."

"MY DEAR DUKE AND NOEL,—It has pained me so to think that you would
have to remain at school while the other boys were enjoying themselves
at the seaside or in the country, that at last I screwed up my courage
and spoke to Mr. Torrington about it. He and his brother are going to
Switzerland for a month on account of Mr. Alan's health, which does not
improve. While they are away their rooms are to be thoroughly done up,
so I shall be busy looking after painters and whitewashers, yet I dared
to ask Mr. Torrington if he would mind two little boys coming here for
a fortnight."

"'Nothing venture nothing have' is a good old saying. I am thankful now
that I ventured, for Mr. Torrington took it better than I could have
expected. He does not like boys, and he looked frightened at first, but
ended by giving me permission to have you here for the whole of the
month he expects to be away. I had to promise that you would behave
very well and do no mischief in house or grounds. I am sure I can trust
you to make good this promise."

"I can fancy how you will look when you read this. You do not need to
be told what a joy it will be to your mother to have you here. You will
enjoy this lovely place and the beautiful wild Cornish coast."

"I am writing to Mrs. Tapson to tell her about the train and to ask her
kindly to see you off. Mr. Torrington and his brother leave on Saturday
morning, so I shall be ready to welcome you on that evening. Now do not
let yourselves get too excited on the journey and don't lean too far
out of the window and lose your hats. When you reach the station there
will be a coach waiting to bring you and your luggage on here. When the
coach draws up at the Golden Lion, near Egloshayle, you will see me.
Till then much love from—"

"Your mother,"

"ELIZABETH BRYDEN."

The boys were wild with delight at the news brought by the letter.

"Cornwall is ever so much better than Scotland," said Duke confidently,
"and I certainly would not change places with Jack and his girl
cousins."

"Is it as nice as Deal?" asked Noel.

"As nice!" repeated Duke scornfully. "Deal isn't a patch upon Cornwall.
Don't you remember hearing mother talk about the broad sands where we
can build castles, and the rocks and caves?"

"Caves!" echoed Noel. "Do they go a long way back, and are they dark
inside?"

"That's what we shall have to find out," said Duke. "Oh, I wish we had
known about it sooner, we might have saved up bits of candle."

"But I'm glad we've only to wait till Saturday," said Noel. "Only two
more days and then we shall be there! Isn't it scrumptious!"

"I wish I had known sooner," said Mrs. Tapson; "I'd have had all your
things nicely washed and mended. Your mother kindly says it does not
matter; but I like to send everything in order."

The boys could not see that this was of the least consequence. They
did not cease talking of Cornwall till, at a later hour than usual,
Mrs. Tapson sent them to bed, and then they carried the thought of that
beautiful county into their dreams.



CHAPTER II.

FIRST SIGHT OF THE SEA.

IT was vain for Mrs. Dryden to warn her boys against over-excitement as
they travelled west. From the moment when they left Paddington until
they alighted at the little Cornish station they were in high spirits,
and they greatly amused their fellow-passengers.

"Where is the coach for Trevethick?" Duke demanded with a lordly air,
as he sprang on to the platform almost before the train had stopped.
A tall, thin porter, sauntering in a leisurely way along the platform,
looked at him calmly, but made no reply as he moved forward to open a
carriage door.

Many other passengers were on the platform, and the chief concern of
all was their luggage.

The platform was soon littered with a rich variety of trunks and
portmanteaux, which were gradually sorted into family groups. Duke
hunted for the small box which contained his own and Noel's slender
outfit.

Just as he had made up his mind that it was lost, the guard tumbled it
out of his van on to the platform, shouting to a porter as the train
started and he swung himself into it, "The two little chaps will be met
at the Golden Lion."

"Two little chaps!" Duke's dignity was seriously impaired. Noel might
be a "little chap," but everyone said what a tall, big fellow Duke was
for his age.

Noel, meanwhile, had been looking round and had discovered, amid
various private and hired vehicles waiting outside the station, a small
country omnibus to which were harnessed three tall, bony horses.

"I believe it goes to Trevethick," he said to Duke as he drew his
attention to the conveyance. The porters were beginning to load the top
with luggage, while a short, square, red-faced man standing by the gate
shouted instructions.

"Oh, we're not going in that," said Duke; then turning to one of the
porters, he asked again, "Where is the coach for Trevethick?"

"There he be," said the man, jerking his head towards the conveyance.

"But that isn't a coach," said Duke.

"Baint it?" said the man. "Then I reckon he'll have to do instid of
one."

"How funnily they talk!" whispered Noel to his brother. "Why does he
say 'he,' when he means the bus?"

Duke did not reply. He was wondering how all the luggage scattered
round it was to be packed on to the omnibus. It seemed somewhat of a
puzzle to the men engaged on the task.

The other vehicles had started off and the porters were now anxious
to get off "the coach," as they termed it. They placed and replaced
the boxes, while the red-faced man shouted somewhat contradictory
directions and bystanders made suggestions.

"'Eave 'im up a bit, Joe. Put the littl'un atop. Not that way, t'other
side up. Mind that hatbox. All right, sir, that won't hurt. Safe,
ma'am? As safe as the baby's cradle."

Nearly half an hour slipped by ere all the luggage was piled up and
secured by a rope. Then the passengers took their places, six inside
and nine on the top. There was room for two on each side of the driver,
and five occupied the bench behind him.

Duke watched them take their places with some dismay.

"We want to go to the Golden Lion," he said to the red-faced man, who
proved to be the driver; "will there be room for us?"

"Don't you be afraid, sonny," he replied; "there'll be abundance of
room for you and t'other little chap. You don't want a whole coach to
yourselves, do you?"

"Now, if you please," he shouted to his passengers, "you can make room
there for a littl'un." So saying he helped Duke to clamber up, and
pushed him with little ceremony into the middle of the back row.

Then he lifted Noel on to the box, mounted behind him and took the
reins. Noel was squeezed into about six inches of space between the
driver and a fat-faced burly man who leaned over him as he talked so
that the small boy could see little more than the horses with their
blinkers saw. But he could see them and observe how they responded to
whip and reins and the driver's words. Duke, who sat higher, could see
the tall hedges, which promised a rich harvest of blackberries and
nuts, and waved sweet tendrils of honeysuckle high above the reach of
the passer-by.

When they had gone several miles the driver drew up his horses at the
foot of a very steep hill and requested the passengers to walk up it.
He told Duke and Noel, however, to stop where they were. For this they
were grateful, for, released from their cramped position, they could
talk to one another, and from the top of the vehicle they caught a
splendid view of the country through which they were passing.

Presently, as the road wound about and the horses climbed higher, a cry
of rapture broke from Noel.

"Oh, look! Look, Duke! The sea!"

To the left lay a narrow green glen with a stream rippling through
it. Beyond it rose mighty cliffs which, falling asunder, framed an
exquisite view of the deep blue sea.

"Hurrah!" cried Duke. "There it is! What a glorious sea! Look, Noel,
how the waves foam at the top! That shows the sea is rough."

"Ay, and it most always is rough along this coast," remarked the
driver. "You young gentlemen must not think of bathing alone, for it is
not safe. There are treacherous undercurrents in places, and I've known
even good swimmers swept away by them. Whoa, now—whoa!"

Noel with a sigh resigned himself to being crushed and squeezed by the
big man, who came back more talkative than ever. The boy had taken a
strong dislike to this man, who spoke in a thick husky voice.

"Is that Egloshayle House I see there?" he asked presently. "Just a bit
of a roof amongst the trees?"

"Ay, that's it," said the driver; "we can see it from here, though
we're more than three miles from it by the road."

Noel tried in vain to look in the direction indicated by the driver's
whip; he was unable to turn his head far enough.

"The twin brothers still live there, I suppose?" said the other man.

"Ay, but they're not at home now. Went off this very mornin' to furrin
parts."

"What—the cracky one too!"

The driver nodded. "'Tain't likely his brother would leave him behind."

"Is he really as mad as folks say?"

"Not likely," returned the driver; "I never knew folks tell the truth
yet. They say that he's a miser, and hides his money in out-of-the-way
places; and goes to count it when other folks are sleeping. They'll
tell you he haunts the rocks at night, and is a sort of wizard, or
something uncanny; but don't you believe it! I don't."

"They're very rich, ain't they?" said the big man. "Is the brother
miserly too?"

"Not he," replied the driver. "Mr. Oscar Torrington is as open-handed
as his brother's the opposite. I don't suppose he's over rich; but he
gave a hundred pounds to the Trevethick Lifeboat Fund, and he lets the
widow of a man who was drowned last year live in one of his cottages
rent-free."

"Oh, he's a good fellow; but his brother has got his crotchets—a bit
here, you know—" he touched his forehead—"there's no denying that."

"Do they live alone?" asked the man.

"They've no one belonging to them, if that's what you mean; but a lady
keeps house for them, and a real nice lady she is too. What is the
matter, sonny? A bit squeezed-eh?"

Noel in his excitement at hearing his mother thus mentioned was making
frantic attempts to get his arms free that he might signal to Duke. He
blushed and became very still; but only for a few moments. The horses
were turning a corner. Two or three cottages came into sight, together
with a quaint old inn, distinguished by a sign bearing a bold and
extraordinary painting of a lion.

But Noel did not observe this curious representation of the king of
beasts. His eyes fell on a lady who stood a few paces from the inn,
gazing eagerly up the road.

"Oh, there's mother—mother!" he cried, forgetting his shyness in the
rapture of the moment. "Duke, do you see? There's mother!"

"You don't mean to say she's your mother!" said the driver. "Well, to
be sure!"



CHAPTER III.

THE WRECKERS' LAMP.

Tun boys found Egloshayle House the most remarkable dwelling they had
ever seen. It would be difficult to imagine an abode more unlike the
ordinary town house to which they were accustomed. It stood at the
head of a rocky gorge, or chine, as it would be called in the south of
England, through which a swift, narrow stream made its way to the sea.

The house consisted of two parts, one modern, one very old. The
modern rooms had large windows and faced a bright flower-garden, with
a gravelled drive leading to the stately entrance. The old part lay
behind and extended almost to the edge of the gorge, which it seemed
to overhang. Here the rooms were low, the roof had deep eaves which
sheltered a whole colony of swallows, and ivy grew thickly about the
small-paned windows.

A curious little tower rose at one side. The boys' mother told them
that in the old days a lamp had always burned at night in the window of
this tower, giving a light which could be seen far out at sea. The boys
asked why this was no longer done, and she said she was afraid the lamp
had been no good.

It was said that a former dweller at Egloshayle had used it as a
treacherous beacon to lure vessels on to the deadly rocks below. That
was in the old wrecking days, when men believed that all that the sea
brought to their shore was their lawful prey, and instead of seeking to
save shipwrecked sailors, sought rather to hasten their doom that they
might enrich themselves by the spoil that the waves cast up.

"It is much better there should be no light in the tower," Mrs. Bryden
said, "than that men should mistake it for the light at the entrance to
Trevethick harbour and steer their vessels accordingly."

"It should show a red light," said Duke; "that means danger, and when
the sailors saw it, they would know they must keep away."

"Ah, yes," said his mother; "then it would be a useful warning. It
would be a terrible thing to show a light that would lead men to
destruction."

"Noel," said Duke to his brother, on the night of their arrival, just
as they were about to fall asleep, in the bedroom which their mother
had prepared for them next to her own, "I wish it was not Sunday
to-morrow. We shall not be able to bathe, or to paddle, and I do want
to see what the sands are like."

"Oh, I'm glad it'll be Sunday," said Noel, "for we shall have mother
with us all day."

They were both so tired from their long journey that this was the last
word said ere sleep overcame them.

The boys did not wake till a late hour the next morning. Then, as
they rushed to their window, which looked towards the sea, it was
a disappointment to find that a fine, driving mist hid the cliffs,
and the air felt almost as chill as winter. But by the time they had
finished breakfast, which was rather a long meal, since they had so
many questions to ask their mother, and she had so much to say to them,
the sun was beginning to shine through the mist.

They walked with their mother to an interesting old church, set in the
midst of the green downs. By the time the service was over the sun had
conquered the clouds, and in brilliant sunshine they took their way
home along the cliff path.

The boys could hardly contain themselves for joy as they bounded over
the soft, springy turf or gazed down on the blue sea, fringed with foam
wherever it touched the land, and the rugged brown cliffs, tinged in
places with streaks of rust-colour, which their mother told them marked
the presence of iron.

Here and there huge rocks stood detached from the cliffs, and the waves
surging fiercely against them seemed possessed by an angry desire to
bring down their pride.

Mrs. Bryden felt some qualms of fear as she warned her children not to
go too near the edge of the cliff. It was a place where a boy's high
spirits and contempt of fear might easily betray him into danger; but
she foresaw that she must harden herself to accept some risk if she
would not spoil her boys' pleasure or prevent their gaining proper
courage and self-control.

"Listen to me, boys," she said. "I want you to enjoy a good holiday
here; but I cannot always be with you. My duties will oblige me often
to leave you to yourselves; but I dare not let you go beyond the garden
alone unless you will promise me to be careful and not do things of
which you know I should not approve."

"You, Duke, are old enough to understand when there is danger which you
ought to avoid, and I shall make you responsible for Noel's safety.
You are not to let him climb into dangerous places. Remember that he
is younger and weaker than you, and things that you could attempt with
safety might prove too much for him. Will you promise me?"

"Yes, mother," said Duke; "but we can bathe, can't we?"

"Not alone," said his mother; "there is a good bathing beach at a
little distance, where it is safe to bathe. I will take you there
to-morrow morning if it is fine. When I am unable to go with you, I
will try to find some one to take my place."

"Why can't I bathe alone?" asked Duke. "I have learned to swim in the
swimming-bath at school, and I can do six strokes quite easily."

"I am glad to hear it," said his mother with a smile; "but the water
off this coast is very different from that in the swimming-bath. There
is often a strong undercurrent too, and it would take more than six
strokes to save you, if that carried you out of your depth."

"Mother," said Noel, as they came in sight of Egloshayle House, "who
sleeps in those rooms with the ivy almost covering the windows?"

"No one," said Mrs. Bryden; "those rooms are all unoccupied, with the
exception of the one next the tower, which Mr. Alan uses as a kind of a
study."

"Is Mr. Alan the one who is a miser?" asked Noel.

"A miser!" repeated his mother in surprise. "Who has been telling you
such a thing about him?"

Noel told her, pretty correctly, the talk he had heard on the coach.



CHAPTER IV.

EXPLORING THE CAVE.

FROM Egloshayle House the nearest way to the sea lay through the glen
into which a steep narrow path descended close to the foot of the
tower. The boys could never have imagined such a wild lovely place as
this glen. Green cliffs with rocky crags jutting from them enclosed
the clear brown stream. Rich ivy mantled the crags and purple heather
grew thickly about them. On either side the stream were tangles of
meadow-sweet, crimson-vetch, honeysuckle and other flowers. Bees and
butterflies flitted amid these, while dragon-flies darted to and fro or
hovered above the stream.

The boys found so many attractions in the glen that they felt as if
they wanted to be in twenty places at once. At its lower end the cliffs
grew bleaker and the stream was forced into a narrow, channel between
straight black rocks forming what in Scotland, Mrs. Bryden told her
boys, was called a linn.

The water descended from level to level, in a series of snowy cascades,
to the sea, which at high tide rushed forward to meet it, swelling deep
and strong between the rugged cliffs and breaking in great foaming
billows over the platforms of rock through which the stream had cut
its way. At low tide it lost itself in the yellow sand of a little
sheltered cove and rippled in many a tiny streamlet to join the waves.

Into this sanded cove the boys came one morning about a week after
their arrival at Egloshayle. The sea was unusually calm, and fell on
the shore with a soft murmur. The tide was going out, and as Duke and
Noel ran over the sand they came to heaps of beautiful seaweed, and
gathered some lovely specimens to carry home. They seldom saw anyone
else at this spot, for it was considered dangerous to bathe in the
cove, and most of the visitors preferred to spend the morning on the
large bathing beach to the west.

Gulls haunted the place. There was quite a congregation of them on the
tall rock which stood a few paces from the shore.

"Come along, Noel!" Duke cried. "Now's our time to explore this cave.
The sea won't be back for hours. I've got a bit of candle and some
matches. We'll go back as far as ever we can."

Noel looked grave as he followed his brother to the mouth of the deep
cave that opened on to the beach. He was naturally timid, and he did
not like the thought of their venturing alone into the hidden recesses
of the rock; but he would not say so. Noel was much ashamed of the
fears he could not banish.

The sand within the cave was wet, the rocks green and slimy. Duke had
taken the precaution to remove his shoes and stockings, and he sped
forward fearlessly. Noel followed more cautiously and lingered to look
up at the green fronds hanging from the roof of the cave. He had kept
his sand-shoes on, for he had a horror of coming into contact with
crabs or jelly-fish.

The cave ran back for several yards, and grew narrower and lower as
they went on.

"We can't go any farther," Noel said as he bent to avoid knocking his
head against the rock above.

"Yes, we can!" Duke cried. "Here's a hole, and we can get through into
another cave. Come along," He was clambering through as he spoke. Noel
followed him, and found himself in a larger cave.

"It's rather dark and not very nice here," he said with a shiver.

"Hallo!" exclaimed Duke, peering upwards. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Noel asked fearfully in reply to his brother.

"Don't you see that big hole up there? It's like a little room."

Noel looked up and saw a square opening, revealing a deep recess,
exactly opposite a window in the rock which threw light into it.

"Yes, it is like a room," Noel said, adding, with a sigh of relief,
"but there's no way of getting into it."

"I daresay I could climb up," said Duke; but the straight smooth wall
of rock seemed to offer no foothold.

Though he would not allow it was impossible, Duke made no attempt to
reach the rock chamber. When they had fully examined the inner cave,
there seemed no opening for further exploration, and Duke was willing
to return. Noel hurried back eagerly, and was thankful to find himself
once more in bright sunshine.

Almost the first thing he saw as he came out of the cave was a boy
disporting himself in the waves.

"Oh, look, Duke!" he cried. "There's a boy bathing. He can't know that
it's dangerous to bathe here."

"I don't believe it is dangerous to-day," said Duke; "it doesn't look
so."

"Oh, but you know Box says that there is always a dangerous eddy at
that point. Don't you think we ought to warn him?"

"All right," said Duke, quite willing to make acquaintance with the
young stranger, who seemed to be a year or two older than himself.

"I say, boy, whatever's your name!" he shouted. "Don't you know it's
dangerous to bathe off this beach? Look out for a groundswell—do you
hear?"

Clearly the boy heard, for he smiled and nodded gaily as he stood with
the water almost to his shoulders and shook the drops from his dark
hair; but he only uttered a sound which appeared to the others like
"Yah! yah!" He threw himself forward, apparently wishing to show the
strange boys that he knew how to swim; but the attempt was feeble. It
carried him, however, beyond his depth, and when he tried to return he
lost himself altogether. He screamed for help as he felt the current
sweeping him away.

"Oh, Duke, he'll be drowned! Can't you go to him?" Noel cried.

"I don't believe I could swim to where he is," said Duke, growing very
white.

"Oh, you could! It is not more than six strokes," Noel said.

An instant later he wished he could recall the words, for Duke threw
off his coat and plunged into the sea. He struck out bravely, land the
current helping him, was soon beside the other boy, who clutched at
him instantly, with the result that they both disappeared beneath the
water, while Noel uttered a succession of piercing screams.

The next moment there was a great splash. A huge dog had sprung from
somewhere and was swimming to the rescue. As the boys rose again to the
surface the dog seized hold of Duke by his clothing and held him up in
the water, with the other boy still clinging to him.

The dog could hardly have dragged them to shore, but other help was
at hand. The dog's owner, hearing Noel's screams, had followed him
rapidly. He too plunged into the sea, and being a strong man and an
excellent swimmer, he had the two boys on shore in a few moments.
They had not wholly lost consciousness, and some vigorous rubbing and
arm-exercise restored them to animation.

Meanwhile Noel had been sent running back to the house to fetch a
change of clothing for Duke. He was told not to frighten his mother,
but the sight of his scared face and breathless haste was sufficiently
alarming. Mrs. Bryden ran down to the beach in a terrible state of
anxiety, but was relieved when she saw Duke's smiling face.

"A brave boy, madam," said the stranger as he gave Duke into his
mother's care, "though he set himself a task beyond his strength. I
congratulate you on having such a son!"

Mrs. Bryden burst into tears, and Duke and Noel cried too, though Duke
could never afterwards bear to be reminded of the fact.

In a few minutes all were calm enough to enter upon explanations.
Then it appeared that the strange boy was an Italian who had come to
Trevethick with the English tutor who had charge of him. He knew so
little of English that he had utterly failed to understand the warning
Duke had tried to give to him.

"Luigio brought this trouble on himself through disobedience," said his
tutor. "I distinctly told him that he was not to go into the water till
I joined him. We only came into this neighbourhood last evening. When
I saw this little beach I thought it looked a delightful place for a
bathe; but I meant to make inquiries as to its safety before I allowed
Luigio to go in."



CHAPTER V.

EXPLORING THE OLD HOUSE.

WHEN they reached home, Duke was put to bed, where he remained for the
rest of the day. His mother would not let him talk of what had happened.

"Thank God that your life was spared, my boy," she said, "and then try
to forget it all in sleep."

Duke did try to thank God as he lay still, feeling strangely awed.

"Mother," said Noel, as they sat at dinner together, "are you glad that
Duke was so brave?"

"Oh, yes, I am glad," said Mrs. Dryden, though tears sprang to her
eyes, "I want my boys to be brave. And yet I don't know how I should
have felt if he had been drowned. It seems to me I could not have borne
it."

"I told him to go, mother, so it would have been my fault if he had
been drowned," Noel said gravely. "I felt dreadful when I saw him go
under, yet I thought God would save him somehow, and He did."

"Oh, we can never thank Him enough that it ended happily," said Mrs.
Bryden.

"But we must go on being brave," said Noel.

"Yes," said his mother, "you must go on being brave. There is nothing
I more desire than that my boys should grow up to be brave, good
men—Jesus Christ's men. You know that He was the bravest, noblest Man
that ever lived upon this earth. If you truly follow Him, your lives
cannot but be heroic, it seems to me."

On the following day Duke seemed just as usual; but there could be no
going down to the shore that morning. The sky was dark, and a wild
stormy wind prevailed, which beat in fierce squalls against the house,
accompanied by drenching showers. It was plain that the boys must find
amusement indoors. By this time the front rooms were in the hands of
the workmen.

Ever since he arrived, Duke had felt a longing to explore the old part
of the house, but as long as fine weather lasted the attractions of the
outer world proved stronger.

A stout door, locked and bolted, separated the inhabited part of the
house from the old portion, used only by the eccentric Mr. Alan. One of
the servants opened the door for the boys. Their mother had too many
matters in hand that morning to be able to accompany them.

This door admitted them into a narrow passage, passing along which they
came to a small square hall, and from this a narrow twisted staircase
ascended.

"The tower! the tower!" cried Duke, and darted up the steps. Noel
followed swiftly, in fear of being left far behind, for the stairway
was narrow and dark; but it was not long, and they quickly emerged into
a tiny square chamber, with a window occupying nearly the whole of each
side. All the boys could see from it at this time, however, was grey
mist and driving rain. There was no furniture save a tall, three-legged
stool.

"I say," exclaimed Duke, "what a jolly view there must be from here
when it's clear!"

"We can't see anything now," remarked Noel, "and it's awfully cold."

"So it is," said Duke. "We'll go down again. We haven't seen Mr. Alan's
room."

"Where is it?" Noel asked.

"That's what we've got to find out," responded his brother as he ran
down the steps.

There was a door very near the foot of the stairs, but it was locked.
Peeping through the keyhole, Duke saw enough to convince him that it
was Mr. Alan's room.

"Mother did not say it was locked," said Noel.

"She did not say it was not," replied Duke. "Let us see if there is not
a key in one of the other doors that will open it."

Just then Noel's eyes spied a key lying under a step in the bend of
the stairway. Duke pushed it into the lock and found that it turned it
easily.

The room they entered was small and comfortably furnished, but it
seemed to be in an amazing state of disorder. A large writing-table was
littered with books, papers, diagrams, stones and other things which
seemed to the boys mere rubbish. The table had several drawers, and
more than one of them stood open, showing the contents thrown together
in the utmost confusion.

"He did leave his things in a muddle when he went away," said Noel,
wide-eyed with wonder.

"And here's his pipe on the mantelpiece," said Duke. "Now would you
have expected that Mr. Alan would smoke a short black stump like this?"

"You forget he is a miser," said Noel. "He would not like to buy a
better one."

"Hulloa!" exclaimed Duke. "Look here! He's been eating bread and
cheese! Did you ever!"

As Duke touched the paper with his foot, a mouse darted from beneath
it, and Noel uttered a scream.

"What a coward you are, Noel! You're as bad as a girl. They always
scream when they see a mouse."

"Hulloa!" said Duke, as he examined the relics more closely. "This
cannot be his bread and cheese. Do you see the date on this paper?
Yesterday was the 12th of August."

"P'raps one of the workmen brought it up here," suggested Noel. "They
have bread and cheese for dinner."

"But why in the world should he come here to eat it? I shouldn't think
Mr. Alan would like him to make so free with his room."

"How could he get into this part of the house?" asked Noel. "The door
is kept locked."

"I guess a workman would know how to get in if he wanted to," said
Duke. "Besides, there's a door in the hall below. I think it opens
on to the down, just below the tower. I've often noticed it from the
outside. Let's go and see."

They ran downstairs and were crossing the hall when Noel clutched his
brother by the sleeve.

"Duke," he whispered, "there's a man in that room we've just passed."

"A man, Noel? Nonsense!"

"But there is. I saw him through the chink of the door."

Duke was for going back to see, but Noel in terror pushed him into the
next room and implored him not to go. The nest moment they heard a
heavy step cross the hall and a door closed with a bang.

Duke ran to the window and looked out. He caught sight of a man
disappearing in the mist.

"He's gone, whoever he was," he said, "What was there to be so
frightened about?"

"Was it one of the workmen?" asked Noel, feeling ashamed.

"I don't know. He didn't look much like one. He had on a rough sort of
coat like sailors wear."

Duke went across the hall to examine the door. It opened easily. They
stood for a moment looking forth on the wet turf and driving rain.

"He shan't come in again this way," said Duke, as he shut the door and
pushed the rusty bolts into their sockets; there was no key. Then they
dismissed the man from their minds, and went back to Mr. Alan's room.



CHAPTER VI.

AN AMAZING DISCOVERY.

ON the wall to the right, as one entered Mr. Alan's room, hung a long,
narrow picture which had a strange interest for the boys.

It was a life-size painting of a man in the dress of a Cavalier,
with feathered hat and ample cloak, lace ruffles and pointed shoes.
He was leaning forward with his finger on his lips as if enjoining
silence. The boys were struck with the disagreeable expression of
the countenance and the cunning leer in the eyes. Noel was uneasily
conscious that the eyes followed him to whatever side of the room
he retreated.

"I hate that picture," he said; "the man keeps staring at me as if he
were alive."

"What does that matter when you know he is not?" said Duke. "Let him
stare. I snap my fingers at him. I would turn him round with his face
to the wall if the frame were not so large."

He laid his hand on the picture as he spoke and gave it a slight push.

Then an amazing thing happened.

The picture swung slowly back, revealing an opening. Gazing into it
with startled eyes, the boys saw the beginning of a narrow flight of
stairs leading downwards.

"Oh, look, Noel, look!" cried Duke. "A hidden staircase! Let us go down
and see where it leads to."

"Oh, no, no!" cried Noel, shrinking back.

"Why not? Well, you are a fellow! I am going down." Duke descended a
few steps and was lost to sight. Noel waited in breathless suspense. He
was trying hard to nerve himself to follow, when his brother reappeared.

"The steps go a long way down," he said "they are quite easy, but it's
rather dark. We'll come again to-morrow and bring some bits of candle."

"Does mother know about it, do you think?" asked Noel.

"I can't tell. I dare say she does not," said Duke. "But look here,
Noel, we won't say anything about it till we've been down and seen what
it's like."

"But don't you think we ought to tell her?" said Noel. "Then p'raps
she'd let Box go with us."

"Box!" returned Duke contemptuously. "Much good it would be to go
with an old fellow like that! Really, Noel, I think you should have a
nursemaid. I'll go by myself if you're afraid. Only be quiet about it
for the present. Now we'll push the picture back. See how easily it
goes!"

"How clever to make a picture into a door!" said Noel. "No one would
guess it was that."

"No, but aren't you glad we've found it out? Now I feel as if it must
be about dinner-time, so we'll go back into the house."

In the afternoon the rain ceased and the sky gradually grew clearer;
but the force of the wind increased. Standing by a window, the boys
could hear the roar of the waves mingling with the noise of the blast.

"Oh, what a sea there must be!" cried Duke. "Do let us go down to see
it, mother!"

"Will it be mountains high?" asked Noel.

"I can't say that," replied his mother with a smile, "but it is sure
to be a grand sight. I dare not let you go down to the shore alone. In
half an hour I shall have finished this work, and then, if it is still
fine, I will go with you."

Never did half an hour seem so long. The boys were impatient to be
off. At last their mother was ready, and they set out. Mrs. Bryden had
wrapped herself in a cloak with a hood, which she drew over her head,
for it was impossible to wear a hat in such a gale. The boys drew their
caps low down on their heads that the wind might not carry them away,
and set off in high glee.

It was hard work fighting their way down the glen in the teeth of the
wind; but Duke and Noel found it good fun.

Mrs. Bryden was obliged to pause now and then, shrinking into some
sheltered nook while she regained her breath.

At last they came on to a rocky platform beyond which it was impossible
to go, for the sea was raging high between the cliffs and dashing in
mad fury against the rocks that barred the entrance to the glen. In the
distance the waves might be seen towering like high walls of palest
green ere they rolled over in foaming billows. Where they struck the
side of the cliff a cloud of spray resembling smoke rose to the green
summit. It was grand to watch the fury of the breakers as they dashed
against the rocks.

Retreating, they left behind them a surf which lay like soapsuds in the
hollows, or was driven landward by the wind in fragments, giving the
effect of a snowstorm. The boys never forgot that spectacle.

As the three stood watching it, they were joined by the Italian boy and
his tutor, Mr. Fletcher, accompanied by the huge mastiff they called
Nero.

Their greetings were mute at first, for it was scarcely possible
to hear each other speak, so great was the tumult of the elements.
In addition to the uproar of wind and waves there was the loud and
peculiar noise made by the sea as it rushed into the deep caverns
so numerous along that coast. With a roll as of thunder the waves
made their way into the long cave which the boys had explored only,
yesterday; then came some loud and terrific reports as the sea entered
the rocky passage into the inner cave, followed, after a few seconds,
by a sound of sobbing and wailing as from a soul in deep distress.

"Oh, mother, what is it?" Noel asked, with his lips close to his
mother's ear.

"Only the sea, dear," she answered. "It makes that noise as it rushes
along the hidden passages in the rooks. I have heard it before in
stormy weather."

"I don't, like to hear it, mother. It sounds as if someone were crying
out. Oh, would it not be awful to fall into that sea!"

"Awful indeed!" said Mrs. Bryden with a shudder as she moved forward
to draw Duke farther from the edge of the platform. "Now, children, we
must go back. You will catch cold if you stay here longer."

In spite of their protests she was firm, and they turned their steps
homeward. Mr. Fletcher and his charge walked with them to the head of
the glen.

"I fear the storm will rage all night," Mr. Fletcher said as he bade
Mrs. Bryden good-day. "I pity all upon the sea, especially such as must
pass along this coast."

"Noel," said Duke, drawing his brother aside, "I've got a splendid
idea."

"What is it?" Noel asked, with some anxiety.

"You heard what Mr. Fletcher said? Well, I'm going to put a light in
the tower to-night to warn the sailors of the rocks below."

"But how can you, Duke?" said Noel.

"Easily enough," replied his brother. "I saw an old lantern in one of
the rooms this morning. I shall put a candle in it and set it in the
tower."

"But is it a red lantern?" Noel asked; "for if it is not, they won't
know it means danger."

"Of course it isn't a red lantern; but I can make it look red. I shall
ask mother to give me a bit of that red gauze she was wrapping round
the mirror in the drawing-room yesterday. If I fasten it round the
lantern the light will look red; you see if it does not! We'll go and
fix it after tea, and I'll light it as soon as it gets dusk."



CHAPTER VII.

DUKE'S BEACON.

THE gale was at its height. The wind beat in thunderous blasts from
the sea, but the boys sleeping in their cosy beds heard nothing of the
uproar. They had fallen asleep, happy in the belief that they had done
something to secure the safety of those "in peril on the sea," for
while they slept the thick candle they had coaxed their mother into
giving them showed a brave light through the windows of the tower.

Every other light in the house was extinguished when two men made their
way up the narrow path through the glen. There was no moon, and the way
was hard to find in the darkness. Now and then one or other of them
would stumble, uttering a fierce exclamation which was lost in the rush
of the wind. But they knew the glen fairly well, and the noisy flow of
the swollen stream helped them to avoid its brink.

The foremost was a short, thick-set man, who wore a rough pilot coat
with its collar turned up, and a small fur cap. His companion was the
fat-faced burly man who had sat beside Noel on the coach.

As they came nearer to Egloshayle House a bend of the glen afforded
them some shelter from the wind and made it possible to hear each other
speak. It also enabled them to see the bright light that burned in the
tower.

"Hullo!" exclaimed the first man, "what on earth is the meaning of
that!"

A cry of surprise and anger broke from the other. "Don't ask me!" he
said. "You know more about the place than I do, Isaac."

"Someone must have placed that light there, it's certain," was Isaac's
reply. "Someone may be watching there now. It may be the old wizard
himself."

"How can it be when he's in France or some such place?" returned his
companion.

"He may have come back," said Isaac. "You know, Ned, I told you I did
not believe he would stay away as long as folks said."

"Well," said the other with an oath, "it will be the worse for him if
he has come back before we have discovered where he hides his money."

"Don't talk that way, Ned. I'll have nothing to do with that sort
of thing, as I told you at first; though I see no harm in helping
ourselves to a little of the gold which the old chap does not know how
to use."

"Nonsense, Isaac, I'm not going to kill him," replied the burly man.
"I'd only give him a rap on the head that would knock him silly for a
bit."

"All the same I'll have nothing to do with it," said Isaac. "I should
not wonder if that light's the work of those tiresome young kids
I saw in the house this morning. I had barely gone through all the old
miser's drawers and cupboards when they arrived, and I heard them run
up to the tower. I locked up and was off in a jiffy; but was not clear
of the place when they came scampering down. They may have caught a
glimpse of me."

"It was like your stupidity to let them," growled the other. "P'raps
they gave an alarm and there's someone there waiting for us. We must
mind what we are about."

"If he's a wizard, he may have found it out in some uncanny way,"
suggested Isaac. "He's been known to vanish into the ground when folks
were watching him, and to stay in the cave after the sea filled it
without being drowned."

"Stuff and nonsense! A pack of old women's tales!" said Ned. "If no
one saw him come out of the cave, it was because he knew of some
underground passage that would lead him to the top of the cliff. I have
been thinking there might be something of the kind, and I mean to find
out one of these days."

They had gained the top of the path, and were but a few yards from the
old tower, when they were startled by the sound of a fierce bark, and
a large dog sprang towards them from among the bushes. Convinced that
their guilty plans had been found out they fled in desperate haste,
tumbling over each other as they ran down the slope, pursued by the
angry dog, till at last he was recalled by a whistle from above.

Mr. Fletcher with his dog had lingered till a late hour on the cliff
to watch the grandeur of the storm. He had noted the light shining in
the tower of Egloshayle House, but having so recently come into the
neighbourhood he was unaware that it was unusual.

He wondered what the men were about whom his dog had disturbed. The
haste with which they fled seemed to suggest that they were there for
no good purpose. After waiting for some minutes to see if they would
return, he walked away, resolved to give Mrs. Bryden a warning on the
following day.

Ere dawn the gale had subsided, though the day proved wet and rough.
About noon the rain ceased. Mr. Fletcher took a stroll with his pupil,
but saw nothing of the boys and their mother. Later in the afternoon
he went out again, and was entering the glen, when he saw Mrs. Bryden
running down the steep path from the house, and hastened to join her,
for her appearance instantly conveyed to him the idea that something
was wrong.

"Oh, Mr. Fletcher," she cried breathlessly, "have you seen my boys?"

"No," he said; "have you lost them? Oh, do not look so distressed.
They cannot be far off. Where did they go?"

"I wish I knew," she said. "This morning, as it was wet, I let them
go and play in the old, unused part of the house. I was very busy all
the morning, and I left them to themselves till dinner-time. Then I
went to call them, but there was no response to my call. Thinking they
were hiding for fun, I went into all the rooms and up to the tower,
searching in every nook and corner; but could find them nowhere. Since
then we have looked in every possible place. Oh, you cannot think how
frightened I am!"

"Oh, but you must not give way to fear," he said. "Depend on it, they
grew tired of being indoors, and, when they saw the rain was over, they
went out. But we shall come upon them somewhere presently."

"How could they get out?" she asked. "The door below the tower, which
opens on to the down, we found bolted."

"Boys do unaccountable things," he said; "they took a way of their own."

But she shook her head in despair. The worst fears had taken possession
of her mind.



CHAPTER VIII.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CAVE.

DUKE was rather pleased than otherwise when he discovered that the
morning was wet.

"I know what I mean to do this morning," he said to Noel as they
dressed. Noel thought he knew too, and his heart sank within him.

At breakfast Duke talked a great deal about the storm. He was confident
that his warning light had proved of good service to seamen.

"I should like to know how many hours that candle burned," he said.
"King Alfred used to measure the time by candles."

"I wish we did now," said Noel; "it would be much easier than telling
the time by a clock."

A scornful laugh from his brother made him aware that he had said a
foolish thing.

"Never mind, Noel," said his mother, "you will soon be able to read the
clock easily."

"May I have another candle, mother, to put in the tower?" Duke asked.

Mrs. Bryden gave him a candle. A little later the boys went off to play
in the deserted rooms.

As soon as they were alone, Duke said to his brother—

"Did you guess why I asked mother for this candle?"

"To put in the tower," replied Noel; "you said so."

"Of course I said so, stupid, because I did not want mother to know
about the secret staircase," replied Duke; "but I thought you would
guess that I wanted it to light us down those steps."

"Oh, Duke, then you told mother a story?"

"No, I didn't; for I mean to use it for the tower as well! We are not
likely to burn up the whole candle there."

Noel earnestly hoped that they would not. He shivered as he thought of
what lay before him; but it never occurred to him to try to dissuade
Duke from going. He was sure it would be of no use, and he did not want
Duke to suspect that he was afraid.

Having made a hasty visit to the tower, and discovered that the candle
had burned right out in the most satisfactory manner, Duke hurried to
Mr. Alan's room.

"Have you brought matches?" Noel asked.

"Of course," Duke replied, showing the corner of a box protruding from
his jacket pocket. "Now then, to open this door."

It did not prove so easy as he expected. By accident he had touched
the right spot on the previous day; but now it was not till after many
knocks and pushes had been given, and when Noel was beginning to hope
that it would not yield, that the picture swung back with startling
suddenness and showed the steps behind.

"Hurrah!" cried Duke. "Come along, Noel." He knew that Noel was
trembling at the thought of descending that dim, narrow stairway; but
he did not care. Indeed, he rather found pleasure in making Noel do
what he feared to do.

Without a word Noel followed Duke. There was no light on the other
side, save what entered through the doorway.

"Now I'll light the candle," said Duke, "and then we must close this
door all but the tiniest crack, or someone may come in and discover the
secret."

"No one will come," said Noel. "Don't shut the door, Duke."

He spoke too late. As Duke gave the door what he intended to be but a
slight push it sprang back and closed with a sharp snap.

A cry broke from Noel.

"Oh, Duke, open it, open it!" he screamed.

But this was more than Duke could do. The door was fast shut, and no
pushing or knocking from this side was of the least avail. There was
no handle. Examining it by the light of his candle, Duke discovered a
small keyhole, but what was the good of a keyhole without a key?

Noel burst into tears.

"Oh, Duke, we shall never get out, never! Mother does not know where we
are, and she'll never guess that that picture is a door."

The prospect was appalling. The candle shining full on Duke's face
showed it quite white. The adventure was turning out very differently
from his expectations. He could hardly keep back his tears.

Curiously, the sight of his distress roused Noel's courage.

"Don't cry, Duke," he said softly. "Mother is sure to come and look for
us, and if we shout very loud she'll hear us."

"I'm not crying," said Duke stoutly. "I dare say mother knows all about
the picture, and if not, there must be another way out. Come along.
Let's see where these steps lead to."

Duke led the way, holding the candle high that Noel might see each
step. Thus they went down a long, narrow, crooked flight of steps,
which seemed to lead down into the heart of the earth. It ended in a
low, arched passage, just wide enough for the boys to walk side by
side. They could walk upright, but most men would have had to stoop.
The passage was not damp, but it had a strange earthy smell. It
inclined slightly downwards, and as they went on the air grew fresher
till presently a breeze blew in their faces which brought a smell of
the sea.

"Does the sea come up here?" asked Noel, inspired with a fresh fear.

"Of course not," said Duke. "Can't you see it doesn't? Oh!"

The exclamation was caused by the fact that the tunnel had brought them
out on to a broad platform of rock, enclosed by cliffs. But ere they
had time to see more a sharp gust of wind blew out Duke's candle, while
wild shrieks and flapping of wings showed that they had invaded a haunt
of sea-birds.

Noel clung to Duke in terror.

"Never mind," said Duke hoarsely, "I'll soon light it again," But
his teeth chattered as he said it, and the next moment the match-box
slipped from his trembling fingers and was lost in the gloom.

Now indeed their situation seemed terrible, and they clung to each
other in despair. The birds they had disturbed had flown away, and the
sense of utter loneliness was appalling. Then they remembered that
there was One Who would not fail to hear their cry, and from each
childish heart there went up a prayer to the "Eternal Father, strong to
save."

"Don't be afraid, Noel," Duke said in a quavering tone. "It's not
really dark. I can see the path before us, and there's light at the
end. Give me your hand."

At first Noel resisted his brother's effort to lead him forward; but
as his eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, he could distinguish the
platform on which they stood and see across it to where the path wound
on with light at the far end. So they moved forward very slowly and
carefully. The path curved downwards and the light increased as they
went on.

At last, to their great relief, they came into the light of day, and
found themselves in a small rock chamber with an opening on one side
which looked into a larger cave that had a window-like aperture,
exactly opposite their little cell, through which the sweet sunlight
came to them.

After a minute Duke recognised the spot. They were looking into the
cave which he and Noel had explored two days before. The spot on which
they stood was the very rock chamber he had foolishly boasted he could
climb into if he chose! The problem now was how to climb down from it.
At present it was impossible, for the cave was full of water.

"We can do nothing till the tide goes out," Duke said.

"It won't come up here, will it?" Noel said fearfully.

"No. You can see that it never comes as high as this," replied his
brother.

"I am so tired," Noel said, sinking on to the rock floor with a sigh
that was almost a sob, "tired and hungry. Don't you think it must be
dinner-time, Duke?"

"I dare say," was Duke's response. It seemed to him ages since
breakfast-time.

"Mother will be sure to look for us all over the old house," he said
after a minute. "P'raps if we went back to the door and shouted she
would hear us."

"But we could not go all that way back in the dark," said Noel with a
shiver. Duke assented gloomily.

He began to examine more closely the place in which they were. It was
evident that sea-birds were wont to lodge there.

"I wonder if gulls' eggs are good to eat," he said, and began to search
for them. A pale greyish plant with prickly leaves growing from a
crevice attracted his attention. He gave it a pull, and it came away
in his hand, bringing with it a great stone which nearly struck Noel's
head as it fell. This revealed a hole behind which lay a deep niche.

Duke put in his hand and pulled away another stone which guarded the
entrance to what seemed a sort of natural cupboard. Standing on tiptoe,
he thrust his arm as far as possible into the recess. His fingers came
into contact with a hard substance which gave forth a peculiar sound
as he pressed it. Tugging at it till it slowly yielded to his pull, he
dragged into the light a bulky bag made of rough canvas and securely
tied at the mouth.

"Whatever can this be?" he said.

"I hope it's something to eat," said Noel.

But the metallic sound they heard as they shook the bag was not
suggestive of food.

It took Duke's nimble fingers but a few moments to unfasten the bag. To
their amazement it was full of gold pieces.

"It must be Mr. Alan's money," said Duke, as they looked at each other
in astonishment. "There must be hundreds of sovereigns here."

"I wish it was full of biscuits," said Noel.

"Or that there was a shop at hand," said Duke.

"If there was, the money is Mr. Alan's, and it would be stealing to
take it," said Noel.

"Would it not be just as much stealing to take someone else's
biscuits?" asked Duke.

Noel was silent.

"Well, as we can't do anything with it, and ought not if we could, I'll
put the bag back," said Duke. "What a hoard! and what a miser! See, I
have stuck in the plant, and it looks just as it did. I don't believe
it was really growing there."

Noel paid little heed to his words; he was far too unhappy to get
excited over the miser's gold.



CHAPTER IX.

A WAY OUT.

WATCHING the waves as they flowed into the cave, Duke came to the
conclusion that it was barely high tide. He and Noel would have to wait
a long, long time ere it was possible to get home by way of the beach,
even if they were able to climb down from their chamber in the rock. As
he sat beside his brother, Duke tried hard to wait patiently, but to
sit still is never easy for a boy so restless as he.

Long shafts of golden light were slanting through the window-like
opening across the cave. From the direction they took Duke guessed that
the sun was low in the west and the afternoon wearing to its close.

He could see gulls sailing by on white wings or perching for an instant
on the edge of the window. He could catch a glimpse of the blue sky and
hear the great waves dashing against the outside of the cave. Gradually
their onset grew quieter. Turning to look at Noel, Duke saw that he had
fallen asleep with his head resting on the hard rock.

"A stone for his pillow, like Jacob," Duke said to himself, and a
feeling of pity and love for his little brother swept over him. He
reproached himself for having led Noel into this trouble. He had
promised his mother that he would guard Noel from danger, but not a
thought had he given to this promise, nor to the possible consequences
of his action when he led Noel through the secret doorway.

"If I'd been straight with mother about the candle this would not have
happened," he reflected. "Poor little chap! he does look tired, and
he's taken it like a brick and never said a nasty word."

Filled with remorse, Duke slipped off his coat, and rolling it into a
rough bolster, placed it beneath Noel's head. Noel opened his eyes as
his brother raised him, but they closed again in a moment. Duke watched
him with envy. He wished he could sleep. Waiting was dull indeed when
he could not talk to Noel.

Then an idea struck him. He would do a little exploring alone. He had
taken care not to lose the candle. Perhaps if he found his way back to
the rocky platform and groped about on it, he might find the box of
matches. If he could only light the candle he would soon run back by
the way they had come, and try what hammering on the door would effect.

Screwing up his courage, he set out. It seemed horribly dark in the
narrow passage as he moved along it with his back to the light; but
Duke went bravely forward till he reached the platform. Once more he
caused a flight of birds; but he was prepared for this now, and it
startled him less. In vain he searched for the matches; they were not
to be found.

Duke made a discovery, however. He came upon the entrance to a path
tunnelled through the cliff at a sharp angle to the one which he and
Noel had descended. Venturing into it, he perceived to his delight that
it rose steeply, and there was a spark of light at its far end. It was
a narrower and more rugged path than the other. In places huge stones
blocked the way and threatened to make progress impossible; but Duke
clambered over them and struggled on, climbing on hands and knees.

The light grew clearer as he went on, till at last he saw before him
an opening, veiled by a curtain of brambles, through which a man might
have climbed.

The next minute a welcome sound reached Duke's ears. It was the loud,
deep bark of a dog.

"Nero! Nero!" Duke shouted, almost beside himself with joy.

Ere he could reach the opening, he saw the dog's dark body pass it,
then return, his black muzzle sniffing about the brambles. With a great
effort Duke struggled up the last steep bit, pitched head foremost
through the brambles, and found himself lying on a grassy slope not
far from the top of the cliff, with Nero standing over him. Recovering
himself after a few moments, he followed Nero, whose master was not far
off, along a little path to the safe ground above.

While Duke was making his way up the hard, steep path, Noel continued
to sleep. He was roused by the sound of voices close at hand. He felt
sick and giddy as he sat up and looked about him in bewilderment. What
strange place was this that he was in, and where was Duke?

Recollection came to him in a moment and added to his distress at
Duke's absence. Where could he be? His was not one of the voices which
he now heard again and knew that he had already heard in his dreams.

"You must not mind wetting your feet, Ned," said a man's voice. "I
can't bring the boat any nearer. You'll just have to wade."

There followed the sound of knocks and splashes with smothered cries
and laughter.

"Duke, Duke!" cried Noel. "Where are you? Come quickly. There is
someone here with a boat. They must have come to take us home."

Even in his own ears his voice had a strange hollow sound. From the
dim recesses of the cave a faint echo seemed to mock him. There was no
other response, and his words ended in a sob.

Presently curious sounds caused him to peep down into the cave below.
He was in time to see a man's head appearing from the other side of
the hole which communicated with the outer cave. Noel recognised the
head. It was that of the big round-faced man who had squeezed him so
unmercifully as he sat on the coach.

With a painful effort he dragged his unwieldy body through the opening,
then pulled after him a short ladder, behind which appeared another man
who wore a fur cap. He looked like a sailor and had small, narrow eyes
which glanced furtively around as he entered the cave.

"What was it made that cry?" he asked. "I did not like it. It sounded
wisht."

"Wisht!" echoed the other contemptuously. "It does not take much to
frighten you Cornishmen with your signs and omens. You heard nothing
but the screech of a gull. Bring the ladder here. We'll soon see if the
old chap hides his gold in that hole up there."



CHAPTER X.

NOEL GUARDS THE SECRET.

NOEL crouched back trembling. He knew now that these men had not come
as his friends. He glanced upwards and saw the plant flourishing over
his head in the crevice it was put to screen. Oh! if only Duke were
there! Duke was so fearless and always knew what to do.

"I'd better mount first while you hold the ladder," said the stout man.

Noel heard them placing the ladder against the wall of rock immediately
below the place where he sat. In another minute the head and shoulders
of the fat-faced man appeared above the opening. Noel stared at him,
unable to speak, while he appeared amazed to see the boy.

"Well! I never!" he exclaimed. "Here's your banshee or whatever you
call it, Isaac. Who would have expected to find a kid in this hole?
I think I have seen you before, my young friend. Now tell me how you
come to be perched up here?"

He climbed into the rock cell and stood over Noel, awaiting his reply.
Noel was almost too frightened to speak.

"We came down from the old house," he said breathlessly; "the door
slammed and we could not open it again."

"From the old house!" repeated the man eagerly. "Then there is a way
down. Tell me how you found it."

"Duke found it, I didn't," said Noel.

"Who is Duke, and where is he?" demanded the man.

"Duke's my brother. I don't know where he is. I wish I did," said Noel,
beginning to cry.

By this time the other man had climbed up beside them. Noel's sobs
ceased for very terror as he met the glances with which they were
regarding him.

"Look here, Ned," said Isaac. "We shall have to be quick if we are
going to get through with this business. The other kid's got off, it
seems. He may find his way home and bring others to this place. You
can see for yourself that it's not here the old chap hides his gold.
There's no sign of a trap-door or anything of the sort."

The big man glanced around him at the solid rook which formed the three
walls, roof, and floor of the chamber. He saw nothing like an opening.

"Let's ask the kid," he suggested. "He may be able to tell us
something."

"My dear little man," he said, changing his tone and adopting a
wheedling manner, "you seem to have got here by a track that would suit
a mole better than me. Did you on your way down come across anything
like a hidden chest or box, or see any sort of place where a miser
might hide his money?"

A denial leaped to Noel's lips; but he did not suffer it to pass them.
He was silent for a moment ere he said: "I have not seen a box."

"Ah ha! but you have seen something," said the burly man. "Look, Isaac,
this boy can tell us where the money is!"

"Then he'd better tell us at once," said Isaac sharply. "Out with it,
lad, and no humbug."

Noel's face had grown very white; but he set his lips firmly and said
not a word.

"Speak this instant," said the round-faced man fiercely. "Tell us where
it is, or I'll—" His hand was uplifted to strike. Noel closed his eyes
as he awaited the blow. He believed these men might kill him, but he
would not betray the secret; nor would he say that he did not know
where the gold was. But ere the blow descended the man named Isaac had
seized his comrade's arm.

"Stay, Ned," he said in an undertone. "I told you I would have no
violence, and I meant it. There's no need for it, if you manage the
little lad properly. Let me speak to him."

"Now look here, little master," he said, addressing Noel—"if you tell
me all you know, it shall be the better for you. I'll see that you have
something good to carry back to school. But if you refuse to help us,
we'll just take and pitch you into the sea, or throw you down from the
rock. Now then."

Noel made no reply, nor did a violent shake produce from him anything
more than a sob of fear.

"Leave him alone," said the big man in a tone of disgust. "He's just
as senseless as a mouse in the clutches of a cat. I don't believe he
knows, after all. We'll find it without his help if it's anywhere near.
Let us see where this passage leads."

"Ay, but first we must stop the kid's mouth," said the other. "We
don't want his cries to attract attention to us. Give us that silk
handkerchief of yours, Ned."

His companion handed over the article and looked on without pity
while Isaac skilfully bound it as a gag across Noel's mouth. Then he
proceeded, to tie the boy's hands and feet together.

This task, however, was never finished, for suddenly the barking of a
dog and the sound of voices were heard from outside the cave. Isaac
sprang down the ladder and was off like a shot. The other man tried to
follow, but ere he could get his big form through the hole which opened
into the outer cave, Nero had gripped him and held him a prisoner with
the upper part of his body in one cave and his legs in the other.

It would have gone badly with him had not Mr. Fletcher come speedily to
the rescue. Then the ruffian got off, much to the gentleman's regret
when he found the condition in which poor little Noel was left. As it
had been impossible for the men in their haste to remove the ladder,
Mr. Fletcher had no difficulty in reaching the boy and carrying him
down in safety.

Noel had fainted, and as an unconscious burden Mr. Fletcher bore him
through the waves to where his mother and Duke were waiting just beyond
their reach.

It took Noel some days to recover from the shock of that alarming
adventure. Meanwhile, efforts were made to trace the two scoundrels
who had treated him so roughly. The man named Isaac was well known
to the police as a seaman of doubtful character belonging to that
neighbourhood, whose occasional visits to his native place afforded
little satisfaction to the inhabitants.

Of the big man nothing was known save that he had visited Trevethick
during the previous summer, and was believed to have come from Bristol.



CHAPTER XI.

NO COWARD AFTER ALL.

WHEN he began to talk things over with Duke, Noel was much astonished
to find that his brother regarded him in the light of a hero.

"I could never have done it," Duke protested. "I should either have
shown the men where the money was, or I should have told a story and
declared that I did not know. After all, Noel, you are braver than I."

"Oh, no! How can you say so?" cried Noel. "You know how I hate being
alone in the dark, and I am frightened at ever so many things that you
don't mind in the least."

"All the same, I should have been afraid of those men, and I would not
have held out as you did," said Duke. "I should have told them a lie,
and that would show me a coward, would it not, mother?"

"You are right; it is a cowardly thing to tell a lie," said Mrs.
Bryden. "Noel was sorely tempted to do so, and I am glad and thankful
that he resisted the temptation. A man, or a boy, is not a coward
because he feels fear, but only if he gives way to that fear when he
ought to struggle against it. A man's limbs may tremble when his heart
is resolute, and it is the heart that counts. You cannot grow up to
be brave, true, strong men, fighters on Christ's side against the
evil of the world, unless you learn while you are boys to resist the
temptations to meanness and cowardice and deceit, which are, I think, a
boy's worst faults."

"It was all through my not being straight that we got shut behind that
door," said Duke. "Mother, I will try to be straight; but it is not
easy when the other boys want you to do things."

"I know it is not easy," said his mother. "It is often very hard to
do right; but there is One Who is ready to help us in every difficult
effort if we trust in Him. You know Whom I mean, boys—our Elder
Brother, Who was tempted as we are, yet never overcome by evil."

The boys were silent for a few moments, then Noel asked:

"Did you know, mother, that there was a door behind that picture?"

"No, dear. I wonder now that it never struck me that there must be
a secret passage to the shore from the old tower, for that explains
why it was so difficult to trace Mr. Alan's comings and goings. His
movements were attended by so much mystery that some of the more
ignorant people about here believed him to be a wizard."

"Will you tell him how we found his gold?" asked Duke.

"I think not," said Mrs. Bryden; "it would excite him too much. But I
shall tell his brother."

She had hardly said it when the post arrived, bringing her a letter.
It was from Mr. Oscar Torrington, and brought sad news. The change had
done his brother no good. His mental trouble had increased. In fact,
he had grown worse, and had died in a few days. Mr. Oscar was bringing
his brother's body home to be buried at Trevethick, and the funeral
would take place on the day following his arrival. After giving many
necessary directions, Mr. Torrington thoughtfully added a line to beg
that Mrs. Bryden would not send away her boys on his account.

So it came about that the boys themselves led Mr. Torrington to the
spot where his brother's hoard was hidden. He was greatly interested in
the story of Noel's encounter with the thieves. He took such a liking
for the little boy as helped to soothe his grief for the loss of his
brother. He told Mrs. Bryden that the money Noel had saved from the men
should be spent on his education and advancement in life.

In after years the boys spent many happy days at Egloshayle House.
Noel continued to be such a favourite with its owner, who had no near
relatives of his own, that, as the lad approached manhood, it was
rumoured in the neighbourhood that Mr. Torrington meant to make him
his heir.



THE END.



LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED.





*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Wizard's Cave" ***


Copyright 2023 LibraryBlog. All rights reserved.