This was once the channel of the stream, till it ate its way down through the rock to a lower one, and that's it we can hear running somewhere below." "Perhaps," said Mike; but his words implied doubt, and, after once more examining the candle in the lanthorn, he led on, but very cautiously and slowly now, though the passage was easier, and the slope less broken by step-like faults in the granite, over which the water must once have flowed.
At the end of a dozen yards Mike stopped again, and Vince quite as willingly, for the dull rushing sound continued, and they looked at each other by the light of the lanthorn.
"How far down are we, do you think ?" said Mike.
"I dunno.

Must be a long way below the sea." Mike nodded, and Vince continued: "I thought it led down into the Scraw cove, but we must be lower than that." "Yes, ever so much; and it strikes me that we might go on down and down for hours.

Haven't we done enough for this time ?" "Well, yes," said Vince, in a hesitating tone; "only I should have liked to find out something better than going on and on, just like in one of the caverns on the shore stretched out a tremendous way." "Yes, I should have liked to see something more; but this is a curious place.

Old Deane would like to come down here and see those round stones in the holes." "We'll bring him some day," said Vince.

"Well, suppose we'd better go back, for it seems to be all like this." "Can't be all like this, because there's water rushing somewhere down below." "Well, let's go on till we come to the water, and then turn back." "But if it's very dangerous ?" "We won't go into danger.