to express his joy at Jack's safety. I say he attempted to wink,
but I am bound to add that he did not succeed, for his eyes were so
much swollen with weeping, that his frequent attempts only resulted
in a series of violent and altogether idiotical contortions of the
face, that were very far from expressing what he intended.
However, I knew what the poor fellow meant by it, so I smiled to
him in return, and endeavoured to make believe that he was winking.

"Now, lads," said Jack, when we were composed enough to listen to
him, "yon green object is not a shark; it is a stream of light
issuing from a cave in the rocks. Just after I made my dive, I
observed that this light came from the side of the rock above which
we are now sitting; so I struck out for it, and saw an opening into
some place or other that appeared to be luminous within. For one
instant I paused to think whether I ought to venture. Then I made
up my mind, and dashed into it. For you see, Peterkin, although I
take some time to tell this, it happened in the space of a few
seconds, so that I knew I had wind enough in me to serve to bring
me out o' the hole and up to the surface again. Well, I was just
on the point of turning, - for I began to feel a little
uncomfortable in such a place, - when it seemed to me as if there
was a faint light right above me. I darted upwards, and found my
head out of water. This relieved me greatly, for I now felt that I
could take in air enough to enable me to return the way I came.
Then it all at once occurred to me that I might not be able to find
the way out again; but, on glancing downwards, my mind was put
quite at rest by seeing the green light below me streaming into the
cave, just like the light that we had seen streaming out of it,
only what I now saw was much brighter.