_Click, click, click, click_ rang the hammer, and _splish, splash_ went the fragments of rock that fell in the water or were thrown into it; and thus for quite two hours Mr Temple hammered away, and after giving up a fragmentary conversation Dick and Josh grew silent or only spoke at intervals. CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. HOW SEALS SOMETIMES MAKE THOSE WHO WAX EAGER STICK. "I say, Dick," said Arthur after a long silence, "I wish we could go out now." "Not frightened, are you?" "Not now," said Arthur with simple truthfulness. "I was at first, but I don't mind now." "It was _unked_, as the people here call it," said Dick, "and gashly. I wondered at first whether there were any sea-serpents or ugly things living in a place like this." "Sea-monsters," said Arthur. "So did I, but I seem to have got used to it at last." "Oh, I say," said Dick, "I'm getting so hungry! What a long time father is!" "He's finding good ore," said Arthur, "he seems to be so interested. Dick--Dick--oh! what's that?" _Snork_! It was not the snarl of a wild beast, but a sound that seemed to be represented by that word. "Old Josh's fast asleep," said Dick merrily. "It's he snoring. Let's splash him. No; I'll rock the boat." Suiting the action to the word, Dick gave the boat a rock whose result was to bump it hardly against a rock, and then there was a loud start out of the darkness a few feet away, and then the boat bumped again. "Why, halloa! what cheer--eh? What?" "Why, you've been to sleep, Josh." "No; on'y just closed my eyes," cried Josh; "on'y just shut 'em a moment;" though the fact was Josh had been asleep a long way over an hour. "Master 'most done?" "I don't know," said Dick; "I know I'm precious tired of waiting." "Tell 'ee what," said Josh suddenly, as he began to feel about with an oar as the boat swayed more up and down, and was carried a little towards where Mr Temple was standing, and then drawn back; "tide's coming in fast." "Why, Will," said Mr Temple just at the same moment, "how's this? That ledge was bare--" "Now it's six inches under water, sir," replied Will. "I think we ought to get out at once." "Stop a few minutes longer," said Mr Temple; "there is evidently the outcrop of a vein here. Hold the light." Will obeyed at once, and Mr Temple began chipping at a fresh block of quartz rock which projected from the cave wall at an angle. "Yes; copper this time," said Mr Temple. "Father," cried Dick, "Josh thinks we had better get out again now. The tide's rising." "I'll be done directly," said Mr Temple. "The tide will not run so high that we cannot pull against it." "Tide's coming in gashly fast," said Josh to himself; "but if he don't mind, I don't."