"No go, sir; just like one of them fishy things we get alongside."
"Try another."
_Whisk_--_crick_--_crick_--_crack_--and a flash of light.
"Hooray!" cried Ned, as the tiny taper blazed up and burned steadily, showing that the holder was close to the edge of a huge chasm, down which a couple of strides would have taken him, and as the light burned lower Jack crept quickly to where Ned still crouched by the side of the passage.
"Why, Ned, I could not see much, but this opens out here into a vast place."
"Yes, sir; I got a glimpse of it. Shall I light another match?"
"No, no, save them."
"But we ought to get out of here as soon as we can, sir."
"Of course, but we shall see a faint gleam from the entrance directly our eyes have grown used to the change."
"Shall we, sir?"
"Of course."
"Well, I don't want to show the white feather again, but I can't help feeling that we ought to be out of this."
"Wait and listen."
"Can't hear nothing, sir," said the man after a minute's pause.
"No, and I can see the faint dawn of light there gleaming against the wall yonder. Let's begin to go back very quietly in case the blacks are still there."
"I'm more than ready, sir."
"Then lead on, Ned."
"Mean it, sir?"
"Yes, go on."
Ned rose, and Jack followed suit, to begin stepping cautiously on, till by slow degrees they reached the sharp angle in the passage, and could look straight out to the entrance and see that all was clear, while there before them was the bright sunny sky, and away in the distance the gleaming sea.
"I say, who's afraid?" cried Ned excitedly. "But, Mr Jack, sir, what a rum thing darkness is! I felt twice as much scared over that as I did about the niggers, and--Oh, I say, look at that!"
Before the lad could grasp what he was about to do, Ned ran forward toward the light till he was half-way to the mouth of the cavern, when Jack saw the dark silhouette-like figure stoop down again and again, to pick up something each time, and he returned laughing, bearing quite a bundle of spears, bows, and arrows.
"There, I was right," cried Jack; "they were frightened--so scared that they dropped their weapons and ran."
"Yes, sir, and set us up with some tools. Oh, if it had only been our guns!"
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
THE EVIL OF NOT BEING USED TO IT.
But the blacks had not left the guns, and utterly unused as these two were to the use of such savage weapons, they felt a thrill of satisfaction run through them as they grasped the means of making one stroke in defence of their lives.
"It's a many years since I used to go into the copses to cut myself a good hazel and make myself a bow, Mr Jack, and get reeds out of the edge of the long lake, to tie nails in the ends and use for arrows. I used to bind the nails in with whitey-brown thread well beeswaxed, and then dress the notch at the other end to keep the bowstring from splitting it up. I've hit rabbits with an arrow before now, though they always run into their holes. You can shoot with a bow and arrow at a target of course?"
"I? No, Ned," said the boy sadly. "I can't do anything but read."
"Oh, I say, sir! Why, I've seen you knock over things with a gun. Look how you finished that sea snake."
"I suppose I'd better try though, Ned."
"Why of course, sir. You take the one you like. Here's three of them.
Wish they hadn't been so stingy with the arrows--only five between two of us. Never mind. Hadn't got any ten minutes ago. We'll keep a pair apiece and have one to spare, and a spear each. We'll leave the others in here, and let 'em fetch 'em if they dare."
"Yes," said Jack, selecting his weapons; "but we must not go out yet."
"Well, sir, I don't want to interfere, but I haven't had anything to eat since lunch yesterday, and if I don't soon do some stoking my engine won't go."
"But you don't expect that you are going to kill anything with these things?" cried Jack.
"I'm going to try, sir. Savages can, and have a feast of roast pig after, so we ought to be able to. Don't you think we might risk starting, and get higher up the mountain, and then round somehow, and make for the shore?"
"It will be very risky by daylight."
"But we can't go in the dark, sir."
"Come on then," cried Jack. "The blacks may have been scared right away, so let's chance it."
He led the way to the entrance, where, to the great delight of both, they found another bow lying, and close by one of the melon-headed war-clubs and a bundle of arrows, upon which Ned pounced regardless of danger, while Jack crept to the stones outside and took a long look round, over gully, rock, and patch of forest. But there was nothing living within sight but a couple of flocks of birds, one green, the others milky white, and showing plainly as they flew over against the green trees.
"See anything of that lame pig, sir?" said Ned, handing him the arrows to take what he liked.
"No; nor the blacks neither."
"They're hiding somewhere, sir, and I dare say on the look-out, or I'd be for going to have a look below there."
"That would be too risky, Ned. Let's creep to where we can get cover, and then do as you say, keep along the more open part under the trees, and see if we can get round somewhere by the sands."
"On you go then, sir, and whatever you do, don't lose a chance of a shot. We must have something to eat, or we can never get back. Oh yes, you're a very beautiful island, no doubt--very well to look at, but I don't think much of a place where you can't find the very fruit as would be a blessing to us now."
"And what fruit's that, Ned?" said Jack, as they reached the shelter of the trees about a couple of hundred yards from the mouth of the cave.
"Well, sir, I'm not an Irishman, for as far back as I know we all came from Surrey; but I'd give something if I could find a patch of 'em going off at the haulm, ready to be grubbed up and shoved in the ashes of a fire to roast."
"What, potatoes?"