WE SUCCEED AETER A TERRIBLE FRIGHT. 
279 
to go out. Thirdly, a hundred or more bats, alarmed by 
such unusual noises, left their various stow-holes, and, 
flying in our faces, added their disgusting contact to the 
general drawbacks of the adventure. I began to wish 
myself with the German, and, in order to gratify the 
longing, hauled heavily on the evcr-friendly line, and 
with the next sw'ell we righted to an even keel and 
surged ahead clear of the rock. We were no sooner 
again upright, however, than our courage returned, and 
we came to another halt and began feeling about for the 
lanterns and matches. These found and lit, we noticed 
that the fright had considerably sharpened our sense of 
vision : I suppose our eyes had by this time adapted 
themselves to the darkness. 
We now backed in again, slackening the line with 
more confidence, and poling her clear of the sunken rock 
with boat-hooks. Once inside of that, we were all right, 
and the next moment the party jumped on one of the 
large boulders of massive granite that apparently com- 
posed the flooring of the cave, while I returned for the 
outsiders in a most triumphant mood. 
This time we got in without any difliculty, one of those 
already there having remained on the boulder with his 
light, to warn us as to the bearing of the sunken rock, 
which, being between him and the entrance, was plainly 
visible as the swell broke over it. 
Leaving one of the boys in the boat to keep her clear 
of the rocks, we now lit our candles and commenced 
climbing over the boulders toward the centre of the 
dome, where we could see the dim and uncertain outlines 
of a truncated cone, upon the top of \vhich was perched 
