Part 18 (1/2)

”Yes, yes; but Vince, old chap, tell me how I am to help you”

”I can't: I don't know I think I can clioes, though I can't stay like this”

Mike stood gazing down at the bushes, tre sound beneath, whichto speak and ask questions about how his coot on, but he feared to do so lest he should take his attention fro stone going slowly down, as if there were a good, steady slope; and the boy listened for its plunge into water far beneath, but the falling of the stone ceased to be heard, while the rustling and scraping sound an to move and a hand appeared at the far end

”Take care! pray take care!” cried Mike ”Don't--pray don't slip back!”

”Oh, it's all right now,” said Vince, to the watcher's great relief

”It's all of a slope here, as if it had once been a place where water ran down Wait a et outwhich Mike cliet out; and he was there by the ti knife, first his aretting hi the hand extended to him from where Mike knelt and reached down

”Hah!” cried Vince, as he clied blocks, ”that wasn't nice It slopes down froh I , and then fell this way on , when a lot of stones that had been waiting for a touch went down”

”But are you hurt?” cried Mike anxiously

”Not much: bit bruised, I suppose But I say, isn't it ru tothe botto its way, like your father and otten,” said Mike ”But if it ran down there, where did it go to?”

”Down to the sea, of course, and--I say, Mike, don't you see?” cried Vince excitedly

”See? See what?” said the lad, staring

”What I said”

”How could any one see what you said!” cried Mike, ready enough to laugh now that his coer

”Oh, don't be stupid at a tiins to eat away, it goes on eating a channel for itself, like it does at the waterfall over the other side of the island Well, thispassage, and it o down to the shore Can't you see now?”

”I don't know Do you mean that hole leads down to the shore?”

”Yes, or into soreat holes where the stream runs out into the sea”

”Then it would be a way down into the Black Scraw?” cried Mike excitedly

”Of course it would Why, Mikey, we've found out ere looking for!”

”You

”Tuerness

”Coht”