"Yes; in the eighteenth century there used to be a very heavy tax on tea in this country; hence smuggling tea was almost as paying a game as smuggling spirits and lace if the run came off successfully. Here is the main entrance; do you notice anything peculiar about the roof?" "Yes, sir," replied several of the lads. "There looks as if there's a deep notch cut across it." "That is where the smugglers used to hang a painted canvas curtain from to deceive the revenue people. Viewed from seaward it was almost impossible to detect the mouth of the cave." "But how was the tea carried there? There is no place for a boat to land at the foot of the cliffs." "That was another smugglers' ruse. The contraband goods were brought ashore at the same place as where we first landed on Seal Island. Wines and spirits were usually taken to Dollar Cove, and hidden in the cave we explored this morning. The chests of tea were carried across the Island, lowered over the cliff, taken along the path we have just traversed, and stored in these caves. [Illustration: "He slipped over the cliff and was slowly lowered." _Page_ 73.] By choosing a hiding-place not directly accessible from the sea, the law-breakers put the excise authorities off the scent." "Isn't it dry here," remarked Phillips. "The dust on the floor is as dry as powder." "Yes, and you will find that in a few moments our footprints will be wiped out by the wind smoothing over the sand and dust. Did anybody think to bring a candle?" "I have two, sir," replied Baker. "Good, lad!" exclaimed Mr Trematon, approvingly. "Quite a display of foresight, eh?" "No, sir," admitted the Scout, candidly. "They fell out of a parcel as we were carrying the baggage up to the camp last night. I picked them up and put them in my pocket, forgetting all about them till you spoke." "All the same they will be useful. Give one to Everest, and the two will be sufficient light for us to see our way." "Are we going to use twine as a guide, sir?" asked Atherton. "I have a ball of it." "Not necessarily in this case, Atherton," replied the Scoutmaster. "I know the ins and outs of this place very well, and after all they are not so very extensive." At twenty yards from its mouth the cave apparently terminated, but Mr Trematon called attention to a small hole barely eighteen inches across, and almost on the floor level. "Slip through, Atherton, feet first and let yourself drop." Unhesitatingly the Leader obeyed. It was an uncanny sensation allowing oneself to drop into an invisible pit, but five feet from the edge of the hole Atherton's feet encountered soft sand. "I'm all right," he said, his voice sounding hollow and unreal in the pitch dark cave. "Follow on, you fellows," ordered the Scoutmaster. "Pass the light to Atherton, Baker."