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."