278 
EXCITEMENT, DARKNESS, AND RATS. 
■were bat four of us left to make the second attempt, — 
tlie doctor, the master, he who had accused him of the 
boat-liook of feeling the wrong bottom, and myself. 
Backing in as before, we progressed backward quite 
sniootlily until arrived near our former stot)ping-place, 
when the doctor wisely remarked that ‘‘we’d better hold 
on a minute until our eyes became accustomed to the 
darkness: probably we might be able- to see.” So my 
fingers again tautened around the line, and the party 
came to another halt. The wisdom of this proceeding 
soon made itself apparent, and then we began to wonder 
why some one hadn’t thought of it before. Tlie dark 
outlines of a vast and domc-liko apartment became now 
cverj^ moment more distinct, until, with the assistance of 
our lights, we could see passably well. “Humph!” said 
one; “there’s no whirlpool, after all: it’s only the surf 
rolling in among the rocks.” “I don’t believe there’s 
any current sets in, either: it’s all humbug,” said another. 
“Give her a shove astern, II 
So I slackened the line, and, trusting to the eyes in the 
other end of the boat, gave her a most energetic shove. 
“There it is!” ^^Now we’re in for it!” “ZV/m boat!” 
“ Haul out, II !” “ Confound the bats !” 
These confused and excited exclamations wore the re- 
sult of three things. The “energetic shove” had landed 
the old boat’s stern on a sunken rock, which we subse- 
quently found to be located exactly in mid-channel. Se- 
condly, the swell leaving her there, she canted over and 
came within an ace of spilling us all out. Lanterns M'ere 
let fall, the better to enable their holders to look out for 
“I7o. 1,” and the caudles took advantage of the occasion 
