But now and all at once I started to feel a great splash of rain upon my cheek, and glancing up saw the sky all overcast while seaward the whole horizon was very black and ominous; great ma.s.ses of writhing vapour and these threatening clouds lit ever and anon by a reddish glow, and pierced by vivid lightning flashes. All of which took us mightily by surprise, we having been too intent upon these new buskins to heed aught else.
"Yonder is storm and tempest," says I, "see how it sweeps towards us!"
And I pointed where, far across the dark sea, a line of foam marked the oncoming fury of the wind. And presently we heard it, a faint hum, growing ever louder and fiercer.
"O Martin, see yonder!" and she pointed to the onrushing of the foaming waters. ""Tis very awful but very grand!"
"Let us go in!" says I, catching up my tools. "Come, soon will be roaring havoc all about us!"
"Nay, let us stay awhile and watch."
As she spoke it seemed as the sea gathered itself into one great and mighty wave, a huge wall of foaming waters that rolled onward hissing and roaring as it would "whelm the very island beneath it. On it rushed, swelling ever higher, and so burst in thunder upon the barrier reef, filling the air with whirling foam. And then--then came the wind--a screaming, howling, vicious t.i.tan that hurled us flat and pinned me breathless and scarce able to move; howbeit I crawled where she crouched somewhat sheltered by a rock, and clasping her within my arm lay there nor dared to stir until the mad fury of the wind abated somewhat. Then, side by side, on hands and knees, we gained our rocky fastness, and closing the door, which was screened from the direct force of the tempest, I barred it with the beam I had made for the purpose, and stood staring at my companion and she on me, while all the world about us roared and clamoured loud and louder until it seemed here was to be an end of all things. And now suddenly came darkness; and in this darkness her hand found mine and nestled there. Thus we remained a great while hearkening to the awful booming of this rushing, mighty wind, a sound indescribable in itself, yet one to shake the very soul. In a while, the tumult subsiding a little we might distinguish other sounds, as the rolling of thunder, the rending crash of falling trees hard by, and the roar of mighty waters. And presently her voice came to me:
"G.o.d pity all poor mariners, Martin!"
"Amen!" says I. And needs must think of Adam and G.o.dby and wonder where they might be.
""Tis very dark, shall we not have a light?" she questioned.
"If I can find our lamp," says I, groping about for it.
"Here is a candle!"
"A candle?" says I, "And where should we find a candle?"
"We have three, Martin. I made them with tallow from our goat, though they are poor things, I fear."
Taking out my tinder-box I very soon had these candles burning, and though they smoked somewhat, a very excellent light we thought them.
"And now for supper!" says she, beginning to bustle about. "Our meat is in the larder, Martin." Now this larder was our third and smallest cave, and going therein I was immediately struck by the coldness of it, moreover the flame of the candle I bore flickered as in a draught of air, insomuch that, forgetting the meat, I began searching high and low, looking for some crack or crevice whence this draught issued, yet found none. This set me to wondering; for here was the cave some ten feet by twelve or more, and set deep within the living rock, the walls smoothed off, here and there, as by hand, but with never a crack or fissure in roof or walls so far as I might discover. Yet was I conscious of this cold breath of air so that my puzzlement grew the greater.
Presently as I stood thus staring about, to me comes my lady:
"Good lack, Martin," says she, "if we sup on goat to-night we must eat it raw, for we have no fire!"
"Fire?" says I. "Hum! Smoke would do it, "tis an excellent thought."
"Do what, Martin!"
"Look at the candle-flame and hark!"
And now, the booming of the wind dying down somewhat, we heard a strange and dismal wailing and therewith a sound of water afar.
"O Martin!" she whispered, clasping her hands and coming nearer to me, "What is it?"
"Nought to fear, comrade. But somewhere in this larder of ours is an opening or fissure, the question is--where? And this I go to find out."
"Aye, but how?" she questioned, coming nearer yet, for now the wailing had sunk to a groan, and this gave place to a bubbling gasp mighty unpleasant to hear.
"With smoke," says I, setting the candle in a niche of rock, "I will light a fire here."
"But we have no fuel, Martin."
"There is plenty in my bed."
"But how will you sleep and no bed?"
"Well enough, as I have done many a time and oft!"
"But, O Martin, "twill make such dire mess and this our larder!"
"No matter, I"ll clean it up. Howbeit I must learn whence cometh this cold-breathing air. Besides, the fire shall cook our supper and moreover--"
But here I checked speaking all at once, for above the dismal groans and wailing I had heard a sudden fierce whispering:
"O Martin, O Martin!" sighed my companion, "We are not alone--somewhere there are people whispering! Did you hear, Martin, O did you hear?"
And I felt her all of a-tremble where she leaned against me.
""Tis gone now!" says I, speaking under my breath.
"But "twas there, Martin--a hateful whispering."
"Aye, I heard it," says I fierce and loud, "and I"ll find out who or what--"
"Who or what!" hissed a soft voice. Hereupon I sheathed the knife I had drawn and laughed, and immediately there came another laugh, though very soft.
"Ahoy!" I shouted, and presently back came the answer "Ahoy!" and then again, though much fainter, "Ahoy!" ""Tis nought but an echo," says I laughing (yet mighty relieved all the same).
"Thank G.o.d!" says she faintly, and would have fallen but for my arm.
"Why, comrade, how now?" says I; and for a moment her soft cheek rested against my leathern jerkin.
"O Martin," says she, sighing, "I do fear me I"m a monstrous craven--sometimes! Forgive me!"
"Forgive you?" says I, and looking down on her bowed head, feeling her thus all a-tremble against me, I fell a-stammering, "Forgive you, nay--where--here was an unchancy thing--"tis small wonder--no wonder you should grow affrighted and tremble a little--"
"You are trembling also," says she, her voice m.u.f.fled against me.
"Am I?"
"Yes, Martin. Were you afraid likewise?"
"No--Yes!" says I, and feeling her stir in my hold, I loosed her.
And now, bringing fern and bracken from my bed I kindled a fire and, damping this a little, made a smoke the which, rising to a certain height, blew back upon us but always from the one direction; and peering up thither I judged here must be a s.p.a.ce "twixt the roof and the face of the rock, though marvellous well-hid from all observation.
Hereupon, the place being full of smoke I must needs stamp out the fire lest we stifle; yet I had discovered what I sought. So whilst my companion busied herself about supper, I dragged our table from the outer cave, setting it in a certain corner and, mounted thereon, reached up and grasped a ledge of rock by which I drew myself up and found I was in a narrow opening or tunnel, and so low that I must creep on hands and knees.
"Will you have a candle, Martin?" And there was my lady standing below me on the table, all anxious-eyed. So I took the candle and creeping through this narrow pa.s.sage suddenly found myself in another cavern very s.p.a.cious and lofty; and now, standing in this place, I stared about me very full of wonder, as well I might be, for I saw this: Before me a narrow door, very stout and pierced with a loophole, and beyond this a rocky pa.s.sage that led steeply down: on my right hand, in a corner, a rough bed with a bundle of goat-skins and sheets that looked like sailcloth; on my left a table and armchair, rough-builded like the bed, and above these, a row of shelves against the rocky wall whereon stood three pipkins, an iron, three-legged cooking-pot, a candlestick and an inkhorn with pen in it. Lastly, in a corner close beside the bed, I spied a long-barrelled firelock with bandoliers complete. I was about to reach this (and very joyously) when my lady"s voice arrested me.
"Martin, are you there? Are you safe?"