Page:Dave Porter on Cave Island.djvu/282

264 "I think so. Anyway we can try. Remember, Captain Sanders and Smiley may be following Geswick and Jasniff, and if they are, they'll come to our aid."

"I'll wait, but it's a hard thing to do, don't you know," grumbled the Englishman who had been robbed.

"We had better set a guard, so that we are not surprised," advised Phil. "Supposing we scatter around the rocks and in the vines?"

This was agreed upon, and it was also agreed that Dave should give a whistle when he wanted an attack made.

After this came a long period of waiting. All remained silent, until, of a sudden, everybody was startled by a distant cannon shot.

"What in the world can that mean?" cried Phil, who lay close to our hero.

"It's a shot from a ship's cannon, and it came from the direction of the shore!" returned Dave.

"It may be some sort of a signal."

"Do you suppose it's a summons to Pardell and Rumney?"

"It may be. Wait, I'll look into the cave again and see what they are doing."

Losing no time, our hero crawled forward once more to the position he had before occupied. Then he pushed the vines aside and looked into the long cave.