This Was Our Pact

The boys draw up to the opening of a cave. As they row inside, Ben expresses fears about dangerous animals. He is not particularly comforted by Nathaniel’s assurance that they are only likely to encounter things like bats and spiders. Nathaniel tells him about olm salamanders, assuring him that the creatures do not live in their area. He tells Ben that, in any case, Sebastian would warn them if there were any dangerous creatures around. Beneath their boat, hidden from their view, a gigantic olm salamander swims past.

When the boys light a lantern, they see that above the water level, there are many tunnels in the rock walls of the caves. Nathaniel imagines aloud that there is a mysterious creature living in the tunnels. Ben thinks that Nathaniel is trying to scare him, but Nathaniel excitedly adds, “Maybe it’ll have a magic ring that I can win in a battle of riddles” (200). Suddenly, Sebastian growls; the boys see a form shrouded in darkness and are afraid that it is a mysterious creature from the tunnels. They frantically try to stop the boat, but it keeps drifting closer to the figure. The figure rises; it calls out to them, clearly confused about who they are.