SQUIRES THINKS HE KNOWS WHAT IIE’S ABOUT. 277 
“Slack the line, II , and let her go in,” said the 
doctor. (Said II . who was seated in the bow's, with 
his feet braced firnuv against the stem, thought he’d 
mucli better hold on to the line until he could see where 
he was going to slack her to,) 
“I feel bottom!” exclaimed Squires, who was leaning 
over the side with a boat-hook. 
“You feel the mischief!” said Lawton. “You’re feel- 
ing the boat's bottom.” 
“I suppose I know what I’m about!” retorted the in- 
dignant feeler: “darkness don’t keep one from feeling '' 
“I not loiks it!” broke in the German; “much better 
vone, two, three, at vonce. Boat var small.” 
“Well, let’s haul out again and leave half on the 
rocks,” said another, who evidently began to think with 
him. 
“Well, all right!” exclaimed several more of the party. 
I didn’t say much, but hung back on the line with such 
eftect as to change night into day in a most amazingly 
short space of time. I didn’t like the gurgling noises in 
our rear: they sounded too much like a subterranean 
Avatercourse to make it pleasant. 
“ Vel, I gets out,” said the German, as we ranged up 
alongside of the entrance. 
“Oh, no! you'd better hold on,” said he Avho had 
accused Squires of feeling the boat’s bottom. 
“Yo, but I loiks better here,” replied the former 
explorer of European caves, as he jumped upon the 
rocks and advised that “vone, two, three, more better at 
vonce.” 
One by t>ne the party followed his example, until there 
