"Strike another light," said Mr Temple after they had listened once more to the horrible gurgling and washing of the incoming water, and the hardly less startling sounds it made as it escaped. "Hand the light to me directly." Josh struck a match and passed it to Mr Temple, who had just time to see that his last mark was covered, and the boat far higher up the sides of the cave before he had to drop it in the water. "Still rising," he said quietly. "This will be a curious adventure to talk of, boys, in the future." Neither Dick nor Arthur spoke, for Dick was wondering whether they would ever get out alive, and Arthur dared not trust himself to utter a word, for he was finding it terribly hard work to be brave at a time like this. All at once Josh began to whistle an air--a doleful minor melody, that sounded so strange and weird there in the darkness that Will stopped him. "Don't do that, Josh," he said softly. "Why not? One must do something." "It annoys them," whispered Will. "Ho!" said Josh. Then he was silent, and for quite half an hour all sat listening to the gurgling, hissing, and rushing noises made by the water. Then, when it seemed to Dick, who had tight hold of his brother's hand, that he could bear it no longer, his father asked for another match. Josh struck it, and it snapped in two and fell in the bottom of the boat, but burned long enough for him to light another, which was successfully handed to Mr Temple, while Will took the hitcher and forced the boat back to where the marks had been made on the wall by Mr Temple's hammer. "Strike another, my man, and hand it to me quick," cried Mr Temple excitedly; and as it was done, and the tiny flame burned brightly in the black darkness, he stood holding it close to the wall of rock; and then as he let the little flame fall and extinguish itself, he exclaimed joyfully: "At last, boys! There's no danger. The tide is falling fast." "Falling fast a'ready?" cried Josh. "Yes; it is down a foot." "Then--well, of all the gashly things! I must ha' been asleep." It was but a question of waiting now; and though the time seemed long there was plenty to interest the little party, as Mr Temple had the boat kept close up to the rock, and felt his marks, announcing from time to time how much the water had gone down. Then Dick got Will to thrust down the boat-hook to try how deep it was, but to try in vain, though they were more successful with the lead on a fishing-line, Josh measuring the line after the lead had touched bottom, and announcing it as "'bout five fathom."