In the King's Name; or, The Cruise of the Kestrel, by George ManvilleFenn. 

________________________________________________________________________This is quite a long book, and one of G. M. Fenn's very best, for hishero gets into all sorts of tight corners, from which there appears nopossible escape, just in the manner of most of Fenn's books, for he isthe very master of suspense. 

It starts off with a coastguard vessel, the "Kestrel", on patrollooking for smugglers, Jacobites, or anything else that appearssuspicious. 

Most of the action, however, takes place on the land, though sometimesin smugglers' caves near the shore. 

It makes a brilliant audiobook for your enjoyment. 

________________________________________________________________________

IN THE KING'S NAME; OR, THE CRUISE OF THE KESTREL, BY GEORGE MANVILLEFENN. 

CHAPTER ONE. 

ON BOARD THE "KESTREL. "

Morning on board the _Kestrel_, his Britannic majesty's cutter, lying onand off the south coast on the lookout for larks, or what were to herthe dainty little birds that the little falcon, her namesake, would pickup. For the _Kestrel's_ wings were widespread to the softsouth-easterly breeze that barely rippled the water; and mainsail, gafftopsail, staysail, and jib were so new and white that they seemed toshine like silver in the sun. 

The larks the hover-winged _Kestrel_ was on the watch to pick up weresmuggling boats of any sort or size, or Jacobite messages, or exiles, orfugitives--anything, in fact, that was not in accordance with the lawsof his most gracious majesty King George the Second, whose troops hadnot long before dealt that fatal blow to the young Pretender's hopes atthe battle of Culloden. 

The sea was as bright and blue as the sea can look in the Channel whenthe bright sun is shining, and the arch above reflects itself in itsbosom. The gulls floated half asleep on the water, with one eye openand the other closed; and the pale-grey kittiwakes seemed to glide abouton the wing, to dip down here and there and cleverly snatch a tiny fishfrom the surface of the softly heaving sea. 

On the deck of the little cutter all was in that well-known apple-pieorder customary on board a man-of-war, for so Lieutenant Lipscombe incommand always took care to call it, and in this he was diligentlyechoed by the young gentleman who acted as his first officer, and, truthto say, second and third officer as well, for he was the only one--towit, Hilary Leigh, midshipman, lately drafted to this duty, to his greatdisgust, from on board the dashing frigate _Golden Fleece_. 

"Man-o'-war!" he had said in disgust; "a contemptible little cock-boat. They ought to have called her a boy-o'-war--a little boy-o'-war. Ishall walk overboard the first time I try to stretch my legs. "

But somehow he had soon settled down on board the swift little craftwith its very modest crew, and felt no small pride in the importance ofhis position, feeling quite a first lieutenant in his way, and for thegreater part of the time almost entirely commanding the vessel. 

She was just about the cut of a goodsized modern yacht, and though notso swift, a splendid sailer, carrying immense spars for her tonnage, andspreading canvas enough to have swamped a less deeply built craft. 

The decks were as white as holystone could make them, the sails and thebell shone in the morning sun like gold, and there was not a speck to beseen on the cabin skylight any more than upon either of the three brassguns, a long and two shorts, as Billy Waters, who was gunner andgunner's mate all in one, used to call them. 

Upon this bright summer morning Hilary Leigh was sitting, with his legsdangling over the side and his back against a stay, holding a fishingline, which, with a tiny silvery slip off the tail-end of a mackerel, was trailing behind the cutter, fathoms away, waving and playing aboutin the vessel's wake, to tempt some ripple-sided mackerel to dart at it, do a little bit of cannibalism, and die in the act. 

Two had already been hauled on board, and lay in a wooden bucket, looking as if they had been carved out of pieces of solid sea atsunrise, so brilliant were the ripple marks and tints of pink and purpleand grey and orange and gold--bright enough to make the gayestmother-o'-pearl shell blush for shame. Hilary Leigh had set his mindupon catching four--two for himself and two for the skipper--and he hadcongratulated himself upon the fact that he had already caught his two, when there was a sharp snatch, the line began to quiver, and for thenext minute it was as though the hook was fast in the barbs of a silverarrow that was darting in all directions through the sea. 

"Here's another, Billy!" cried the young man, or boy--for he was on thedebatable ground of eighteen, when one may be either boy or man, according to one's acts, deeds, or exploits, as it used to say inCarpenter's Spelling. 

Hilary Leigh, from his appearance, partook more of the man than the boy, for, though his face was as smooth as a new-laid egg, he had well-cut, decisive-looking Saxon features, and one of those capitalclosely-fitting heads of hair that look as if they never needed cutting, but settle round ears and forehead in not too tight clustering curls. 

"Here's another, Billy, " he cried; and a stoutly built sailor amidshipscried, "Cheer ho, sir! Haul away, sir! Will it be a mess o' mick-a-ralfor the lads to-day?"

"Don't know, Billy, " was the reply, as the beautiful fish was hauled in, unhooked, a fresh lask or tongue of silvery bait put on, and the leadedline thrown over and allowed to run out fathoms astern once again. 

Billy Waters, the gunner, went on with his task, rather a peculiar one, which would have been performed below in a larger vessel, but here themen pretty well lived on deck, caring little for the close stuffyquarters that formed the forecastle, where they had, being consideredinferior beings, considerably less space than was apportioned to theirtwo officers. 

Billy's work was that of carefully binding or lashing round and roundthe great mass of hair hanging from the poll of a messmate, so as toform it into the orthodox pigtail of which the sailors of the day wereexcessively vain. The tail in question was the finest in the cutter, and was exactly two feet six inches long, hanging down between thesailor's shoulders, when duly lashed up and tied, like a long handleused for lifting off the top of his skull. 

But, alas for the vanity of human nature! Tom Tully, owner of thelongest tail in the cutter, and the envy of all his messmates, was nothappy. He was ambitious; and where a man is ambitious there is butlittle true bliss. He wanted "that 'ere tail" to be half a fathom long, and though it was duly measured every week "that 'ere tail" refused togrow another inch. 

Billy Waters had a fine tail, but his was only, to use his own words, "two foot one, " but it was "half as thick agen as Tom Tully's, " so hedid not mind. In fact the first glance at the gunner's roundgood-humoured face told that there was neither envy nor ambition there. Give him enough to eat, his daily portion of cold water grog, and his'bacco, and, again to use his own words, he "wouldn't change berths withthe king hissen. "

"Easy there, Billy messmet, " growled Tom Tully; "avast hauling quite sohard. My tail ain't the cable. "

"Why, you don't call that 'ere hauling, Tommy lad, do you?"

"'Nuff to take a fellow's head off, " growled the other, just as themidshipman pulled in another mackerel, and directly after another, andanother, for they were sailing through a shoal, and the man at the helmlet his stolid face break up into a broad grin as the chance of a messof mackerel for the men's dinner began to increase. 

 "Singing down deny, down deny, down deny down, Sing--"

"Easy, messmet, d'yer hear, " growled Tom Tully, straining his head roundto look appealingly at the operator on his tail. "Why don't yer leaveoff singing till you've done?"

"Just you lay that there nose o' your'n straight amidships, " criedBilly, using the tail as if it was a tiller, and steering the sailor'shead into the proper position. "I can't work without I sing. "

 "For this I can tell, that nought will be well, Till the king enjoys his own again. "

He trolled out these words in a pleasant tenor voice, and was justdrawing in breath to continue the rattling cavalier ballad when theyoung officer swung his right leg in board, and, sitting astride the lowbulwark, exclaimed--

"I say, Billy, are you mad?"

"Mad, sir? not that I knows on, why?"

"For singing a disloyal song like that. You'll be yard-armed, youngfellow, if you don't mind. "

"What, for singing about the king?"

"Yes; if you get singing about a king over the water, my lad. That's anold song; but some people would think you meant the Pretend--Hallo! lookthere. You look out there forward, why didn't you hail? Hi! here fetchme a glass. Catch hold of that line, Billy. She's running forShoreham, as sure as a gun. No: all right; let go. "

He threw the line to the gunner just as a mackerel made a snatch at thebait, and before the sailor could catch it, away went the end astern, when the man at the helm made a dash at it just as the slight cord wasrunning over the side. 

Billy Waters made a dash at it just at the same moment, and there was adull thud as the two men's heads came in contact, and they fell backinto a sitting position on the deck, while the mackerel dartedfrightened away to puzzle the whole shoal of its fellows with the novelappendage hanging to its snout. 

"Avast there, you lubber!" exclaimed Billy Waters angrily. "Stand by, my lad, stand by, " replied the other, making a dart back at the helmjust as the cutter was beginning to fall off. 

"Look ye here, messmet, air you agoin' to make my head shipshape, or airyou not?" growled Tom Tully; and then, before his hairdresser couldfinish tying the last knot, the lieutenant came on deck. 

For when Hilary Leigh ran below, it was to seize a long spyglass out ofthe slings in the cabin bulkhead, and to give his commanding officer atremendous shake. 

"Sail on the larboard bow, Mr Lipscombe, sir. I say, do wake up, sir;I think it is something this time. "

The officer in question, who was a hollow-cheeked man of about forty, very sallow-looking, and far from prepossessing in his features, openedhis eye, but he did not attempt to rise from the bunker upon which hewas stretched. 

"Leigh, " he said, turning his eye round towards the little oval thickglass window nearest to him, "You're a most painstaking young officer, but you are always mare's-nesting. What is it now?"

"One of those three-masted luggers, sir--a Frenchman--a _chasse maree_, laden deeply, and running for Shoreham. "

"Let her run, " said the lieutenant, closing his eye again; the other waspermanently closed, having been poked out in boarding a Frenchman someyears before, and with the extinction of that optic went the prospect ofthe lieutenant's being made a post-captain, and he was put in command ofthe _Kestrel_ when he grew well. 

"But it _is_ something this time, sir, I'm sure. "

"Leigh, " said the lieutenant, yawning, "I was just in a delicious dream, and thoroughly enjoying myself when you come down and bother me aboutsome confounded fishing-boat. There, be off. No: I'll come this time. "

He yawned, and showed a set of very yellow teeth; and then, as if by aneffort, leaped up and preceded the young officer on deck. 

"Let's have a look at her, Leigh, " he said, after a glance at a long, low, red-sailed lugger, about a couple of miles ahead, sailing fast inthe light breeze. 

He took the spyglass, and, going forward, looked long and steadily atthe lugger before saying a word. 

"Well, sir?"

"French lugger, certainly, Leigh, " he said, quietly; "fresh from thefishing-ground I should say. They wouldn't attempt to run a cargo now. "

"But you'll overhaul her, sir, won't you?"

"It's not worth while, Leigh, but as you have roused me up, it will besomething to do. Here, call the lads up. Where's Waters? Waters!"

"Ay, ay, sir, " replied that worthy in a voice of thunder, though he wasclose at hand. 

"Load the long gun, and be ready to fire. "

"Ay, ay, sir. "

There was no beating to quarters, for the little crew were on deck, andevery man fell naturally into his place as the lieutenant seemed now towake up to his work, and glanced at the sails, which were all set, andgiving his orders sharply and well, a pull was taken at a sheet here anda pull there, the helm altered, and in spite of the lightness of thebreeze the _Kestrel_ began to work along with an increase of speed ofquite two knots an hour. 

"Now then, Leigh, shall we ever have her, or shall we have to throw ashot across her bows to bring her to?"

"Let them have a shot, sir, " cried the young officer, whose cheeks werebeginning to flush with excitement, as he watched the quarry of whichthe little falcon was in chase. 

"And waste the king's powder and ball, eh? No, Leigh, there will be noneed. But we may as well put on our swords. "

Meanwhile, Billy Waters was busy unlashing the tail of Long Tom, as hecalled the iron gun forward, and with a pat of affection he opened theammunition chest, and got out the flannel bag of powder and smiled at amessmate, rammer in hand. 

"Let's give him his breakfast, or else he won't bark, " he said, with agrin; and the charge was rammed home, the ball sent after it with a bigwad to keep it in its place, and the men waited eagerly for the order tofire. 

Billy Waters knew that that would not come for some time, so he sidledup to Hilary, and whispered as the young man was buckling on his sword, the lieutenant having gone below to exchange a shabby cap for his cockedhat, "Let me have your sword a minute, sir, and I'll make it like arazor. "

Hilary hesitated for a moment, and then drew it, and held it out to thegunner, who went below, and by the time the young officer had had a goodinspection of the lugger, Billy came back with his left thumb trying theedge of the sword. 

"I wouldn't be too hard on 'em, sir, " he said, with mock respect. 

"What do you mean, Billy?"

"Don't take off too many Frenchies' heads, sir; not as they'd know it, with a blade like that. "

"Are we gaining on her, Leigh?" said the lieutenant. 

"Just a little, sir, I think; but she creeps through the water at anawful rate. "

The lieutenant looked up at the white sails, but nothing more could bedone, for the _Kestrel_ was flying her best; and the water bubbled andsparkled as she cut her way through, leaving an ever-widening trainbehind. 

There was no chance of more wind, and nothing could be done but to holdsteadily on, for, at the end of half an hour, it was plain enough thatthe distance had been slightly reduced. 

"However do they manage to make those luggers sail so fast?" exclaimedthe lieutenant impatiently. "Leigh, if this turns out to be another ofyour mares' nests, you'll be in disgrace. "

"Very well, sir, " said the young man quietly. 

And then to himself: "Better make some mistake than let the real thingslip by. "

The arms were not served out, for that would be but a minute's task; butan arm chest was opened ready, and the men stood at their variousstations, but in a far more lax and careless way than would have beenobserved on board a larger vessel, which in its turn would have been inpoint of discipline far behind a vessel of the present day. 

The gulls and kittiwakes rose and fell, uttering their peevish wails; alarge shoal of fish fretting the radiant surface of the sea was passedand about a dozen porpoises went right across the cutter's bow, risingand diving down one after the other like so many black water-boys, playing at "Follow my leader;" but the eyes of all on board the_Kestrel_ were fixed upon the dingy looking _chasse maree_, whichapparently still kept on trying hard to escape by its speed. 

And now the time, according to Billy Waters' judgment, having come forsending a shot, he stood ready, linstock in hand, watching thelieutenant, whose one eye was gazing intently through the longleather-covered glass. 

"Fire!" he said at last. "Well ahead!"

The muzzle of the piece was trained a little more to the right, thelinstock was applied, there was a puff of white smoke, a heavy deafeningroar; and as Hilary Leigh gazed in the direction of the lugger, he sawthe sea splashed a few hundred yards ahead, and then dip, dip, dip, dip, the water was thrown up at intervals as the shot ricochetted, makingducks and drakes right across the bows of the lugger. 

"Curse his impudence!" cried the lieutenant, as the men busily spongedout and began to reload Long Tom; for the lugger paid not the slightestheed to the summons, but sailed away. 

"Give her another--closer this time, " cried the lieutenant; and oncemore the gun uttered its deep-mouthed roar, and the shot went skippingalong the smooth surface of the sea, this time splashing the water a fewyards only ahead of the lugger. 

"I think that will bring him to his senses, " cried the lieutenant, usinghis glass. 

If the lowering of first one and then another sail meant bringing thelugger to its senses, the lieutenant was right, for first one ruddybrown spread of canvas sank with its spar into the lugger, and thenanother and another, the long low vessel lying passive upon the water, and in due time the cutter was steered close up, her sails flapped, andher boat which had been held ready was lowered, and Leigh with three menjumped in. 

"Here, let me go too, " exclaimed the lieutenant; "you don't halfunderstand these fellows' French. "

Hilary flushed, for he fancied he was a bit of a French scholar, but hesaid nothing; and the lieutenant jumped into the boat. A few strokestook them to the dingy lugger, at whose side were gathered about a dozendirty-looking men and boys, for the most part in scarlet worsted caps, blue jerseys, and stiff canvas petticoats, sewn between the legs, tomake believe they were trousers. 

"Va t'en chien de Francais. Pourquoi de diable n'arretez vous pas?"shouted the lieutenant to a yellow-looking man with whiskerless face, and thin gold rings in his ears. 

"Hey?"

"I say pourquoi n'arretez vous pas?" roared the lieutenant fiercely. 

"I ar'nt a Dutchman. I don't understand. Nichts verstand, " shouted theman through his hollow hands, as if he were hailing some one a mileaway. 

"You scoundrel, why didn't you say you could speak English?"

"You never arkst me, " growled the man. 

"Silence, sir. How dare you address an officer of a king's ship likethat!"

"Then what do you go shooting at me for? King George don't tell you togo firin' guns at peaceable fisher folk, as me. "

"Silence, sir, or I'll put you in irons, and take you on board thecutter. Why didn't you obey my signals to heave-to?"

"Signals! I never see no signals. "

"How dare you, sir! you know I fired. "

"Oh, them! We thought you was practisin', and hauled down till you'ddone, for the balls was flying very near. "

"Where are you from?"

"From? Nowheres. We been out all night fishing. "

"What's your port?"

"Shoreham. "

"And what have you on board? Who are those people?"

Those two people had been seen on the instant by Hilary Leigh, as theysat below the half-deck of the lugger, shrinking from observation in thesemi-darkness. He had noticed that, though wearing rough canvascovering similar to those affected by a crew in stormy weather, theywere of a different class; and as the lieutenant was in converse withthe skipper of the lugger, he climbed over the lowered sail between, andsaw that one of the two whom the other tried to screen was quite a younggirl. 

It was but a momentary glance, for she hastily drew a hood over herface, as she saw that she was noticed. 

"Jacobites for a crown!" said Hilary to himself, as he saw a pair offierce dark eyes fixed upon him. 

"Who are you?" he exclaimed. 

"Hush, for heaven's sake!" was the answer whispered back; "don't youknow me, Leigh? A word from you and they will shoot me like a dog. "

At the same moment there was a faint cry, and Hilary saw that the younggirl had sunk back, fainting. 

CHAPTER TWO. 

A STRICT SEARCH. 

"Sir Henry!" ejaculated Hilary Leigh; and for the moment his heartseemed to stand still, for his duties as a king's officer had broughthim face to face with a dear old friend, at whose house he had passedsome of his happiest days, and he knew that the disguised figure theJacobite gentleman sought to hide was his only daughter, Adela, Hilary'sold playmate and friend, but so grown and changed that he hardlyrecognised her in the momentary glance he had of her fair young face. 

"Hush! silence! Are you mad?" was the reply, in tones that set theyoung man's heart beating furiously, for he knew that Sir Henry Norlandwas proscribed for the part he had take in the attempt of the YoungPretender, and Leigh had thought that he was in France. 

"Who are they, Mr Leigh?" said the lieutenants striding over the lumberin the bottom of the boat. 

"Seems to be an English gentleman, sir, " said Leigh, in answer to anagonised appeal from Sir Henry's eyes. 

"I am an English gentleman, sir, and this is my daughter. She is veryill. "

"Of course she is, " cried the lieutenant testily. "Women are sure to besick if you bring them to sea. But look here, my good fellow, Englishgentleman or no English gentleman, you can't deceive me. Now then, whathave you got on board?"

"Fish, I believe, " said Sir Henry. 

"Yes, of course, " sneered the lieutenant; "and brandy, and silk, andvelvet, and lace. Now then, skipper, you are caught this time. Butlook here, you scoundrel, what do you mean by pretending to be aFrenchman?"

"Frenchman? Frenchman?" said the skipper with a look of extremestupidity. "You said I was a Dutchman. "

"You lie, you scoundrel. Here, come forward and move that sail andthose nets. Now no nonsense; set your fellows to work. "

He clapped his hand sharply on the skipper's shoulder, and turned himround, following him forward. 

"Take a man, Mr Leigh, and search that dog-hole. "

Hilary Leigh was astounded, for knowing what he did he expected that thelieutenant would have instantly divined what seemed patent to him--thatSir Henry Norland was trying, for some reason or another, to get back toEngland, and that although the lugger was commanded by an Englishman, she was undoubtedly a French _chasse maree_ from Saint Malo. 

But the lieutenant had got it into his head that he had overhauled asmuggling vessel laden with what would turn into prize-money for himselfand men, and the thought that she might be bound on a political erranddid not cross his mind. 

"I'll search fully, " said Leigh; and bidding the sailor with the longpigtail stay where he was, the young officer bent down and crept inunder the half-deck just as the fainting girl recovered. 

As she caught sight of Hilary she made a snatch at his hand, and in achoking voice exclaimed:

"Oh, Hilary! don't you know me again? Pray, pray save my poor father. Oh, you will not give him up?"

The young man's heart seemed to stand still as the dilemma in which hewas placed forced itself upon him. He was in his majesty's service, andin the king's name he ought to have called upon this gentleman, awell-known Jacobite, to surrender, and tell the lieutenant who he was. 

On the other hand, if he did this unpleasant duty he would be betrayinga dear old companion of his father, a man who had watched his own careerwith interest and helped him through many a little trouble; and, aboveall, he would be, as the thought flashed upon him, sending Adela'sfather--his own old companion's father--to the scaffold. 

These thoughts flashed through his mind, and with them recollections ofthose delightful schoolboy days that he had passed at the Old ManorHouse, Sir Henry's pleasant home, in Sussex, when boy and girl he andAdela had roamed the woods, boated on the lake, and fished the riverhard by. 

"No, " he muttered between his teeth; "I meant to be a faithful officerto my king; but I'd sooner jump overboard than do such dirty work asthat. "

There was an angry look in the young girl's eyes; and as Hilary read herthoughts he could not help thinking how bright and beautiful a woman shewas growing. He saw that she believed he was hesitating, and there wassomething scornful in her gaze, an echo, as it were, of that of hergrey-haired, careworn father, whose eyebrows even seemed to have turnedwhite, though his dark eyes were fiery as ever. 

There was no doubt about it; they believed that he would betray them, and there was something almost of loathing in Adela Norland's face asher hood fell back, and the motion she made to place her hands in herfather's brought her head out of the shadow into the bright morninglight. 

"Thank ye, ma'am, " said Hilary in a rough, brisk voice; "I was justgoing to ask you to move. You'd better come in, Tom Tully, there's alot of things to move. P'r'aps this gentleman will stand outside. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " growled Tom Tully, as Hilary darted one meaning look atthe proscribed man. 

"Look here, sir, " continued Hilary, as he heard the lieutenantapproaching, "you may just as well save us the trouble by declaring whatyou have hidden. We are sure to find it. "

"Got anything, Mr Leigh?" said the lieutenant briskly. 

"Nothing yet, sir. Have you?"

"Not a tub, or a package. "

"If you imagine, sir, that this boat is laden with smuggled goods youmay save yourselves a great deal of trouble, for there is nothingcontraband on board, I feel sure. "

"Thank you, " said the lieutenant politely, and with a satirical laugh;"but you'd hardly believe it, my dear sir, when I tell you that dozensof skippers and passengers in boats have said the very same thing to me, and whenever that has been the case we have generally made a pretty goodhaul of smuggled goods. Go on, my lads; I can't leave a cornerunsearched. "

Sir Henry gave his shoulders a slight shrug, and turned to draw hisdaughter's hood over her head. 

"You'll excuse my child, gentlemen, " he said coldly. "She is very weakand ill. "

"Oh! of course, " said Hilary; "we've searched here, sir; she can liedown again. "

Adela uttered a low sigh of relief, and she longed to dart a gratefullook at the young officer, but she dared not; and knowing that in placeof looking pale and ill a warm flush of excitement was beaming in hercheeks, she hastily drew her hand closer over her face, and let herfather place her upon a rough couch of dry nets. 

"Heaven bless him!" muttered Sir Henry to himself; "but it was astruggle between friendship and duty, I could see. "

Meanwhile the lugger was ransacked from end to end, three more men beingcalled from the cutter for the purpose. Tubs were turned over, sparesails and nets dragged about, planks lifted, bunks and lockers searched, but nothing contraband was found, and all the while the skipper of thelugger and his crew stood staring stupidly at the efforts of the king'smen. 

"Labour in vain, Leigh, " said the lieutenant at last. "Into the boatthere. Confound that scoundrel! I wish he was overboard. "

The lieutenant did not say what for, but as soon as the men were in theboat he turned to the skipper:

"Look ye here, my fine fellow, you've had a narrow escape. "

"Yes, " said the man stolidly, "I thought you'd have hit us. "

The lieutenant did not condescend to reply, but climbed over the sideinto the cutter's boat, and motioned to Leigh to follow, which he did, not daring to glance at the passengers. 

"Are you quite done, officer?" growled the skipper. 

No answer was given, and as the boat reached the side of the cutter thesails of the lugger were being hoisted, and she began to move quicklythrough the water at once. 

"Lay her head to the eastward, " said the lieutenant sourly; "and lookhere, Leigh, don't you rouse me up again for one of your mare's nests, or it will be the--"

"Worse for you, " Hilary supposed, but he did not hear the words, for thelieutenant was already down below, and the young officer took the glassand stood watching the lugger rapidly growing distant as the cutterbegan to feel the breeze. 

A curious turmoil of thought was harassing the young man's brain, for hefelt that he had been a traitor to the king, whose officer he was, andit seemed to him terrible that he should have broken his faith likethis. 

But at the same time he felt that he could not have done otherwise, andhe stood watching the lugger, and then started, for yes--no--yes--therecould be no mistake about it, a white handkerchief was being held overthe side, and it was a signal of amity to him. 

Quite a couple of hours had passed, and the lugger had for some timebeen out of sight round the headland astern, when all at once thelieutenant came on deck to where his junior was pacing up and down. 

"Why, Leigh, " he exclaimed, "I did not think of it then; but we ought tohave detained that _chasse maree_. "

"Indeed, sir; why?"

"Ah! of course it would not occur to you, being so young in the service;but depend upon it that fellow was a Jacobite, who had persuaded thosedirty-looking scoundrels to bring him across from Saint Malo, or someother French port, and he's going to play spy and work no end ofmischief. We've done wrong, Leigh, we've done wrong. "

"Think so, sir?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it. I was so intent on finding smuggled goods that Ididn't think of it at the time. But, there: it's too late now. "

"Yes, sir, " said Leigh quietly, "it's too late now. "

For he knew that by that time the fugitives must be in Shoreham harbour. 

CHAPTER THREE. 

THE LIEUTENANT'S BARGAIN. 

Three days of cruising up and down on the lookout for suspicious craft, some of which were boarded, but boarded in vain, for, however suspiciousthey might appear at a distance, there was nothing to warrant theirbeing detained and taken back into port. 

Hilary used to laugh to himself at the impudence of their midge of acutter firing shots across large merchantmen, bringing them to, andmaking them wait while the cutter sent a boat on board for their papersto be examined. 

It gradually fell to his lot to perform this duty, though if it happenedto be a very large vessel Lieutenant Lipscombe would take upon himselfto go on board, especially if he fancied that there would be aninvitation to a well-kept cabin and a glass of wine, or perhaps adinner, during which Hilary would be in command, and the cutter wouldsail on in the big ship's wake till the lieutenant thought proper tocome on board. 

The men sang songs and tied one another's pigtails; Hilary Leigh fishedand caught mackerel, bass, pollack, and sometimes a conger eel, and fora bit of excitement a little of his majesty's powder was blazed away anda cannonball sent skipping along the surface of the water, but that wasall. 

Hilary used sometimes to own to himself that it was no wonder that MrLipscombe, who was a disappointed man, should spend much time insleeping, and out of sheer imitation he once or twice took to having anap himself, but twice settled that. He had too much vitality in hiscomposition to sleep at abnormal times. 

"Hang it all, Billy Waters, " he said one day, after a week's sailing upand down doing nothing more exciting than chasing fishing-luggers andboarding trading brigs and schooners, "I do wish something would turnup. "

"If something real don't turn up, sir, " said the gunner, "I shall becertain to fire across the bows of a ship, from its always being myhabit, sir, and never hit a mark when I want it. "

"Here, hi! hail that fishing-boat, " he said; "I've fished till I'mtired, and can't catch anything; perhaps we can get something of him. "

He pointed to a little boat with a tiny sail, steered by its crew of oneman by means of an oar. The boat had been hanging about for some timeafter pulling off from the shore, and its owner was evidently fishing, but with what result the crew of the cutter could not tell. 

"He don't want no hailing, sir; he's hailing of us, " said Billy. 

It was plain enough that the man was manoeuvring his cockleshell about, so as to get the cutter between it and the shore, and with pleasantvisions in his mind of a lobster, crab, or some other fish to vary themonotony of the salt beef and pork, of which they had, in Hilary'sthinking, far too much, he leaned over the side till the man allowed hisboat to drift close up. 

"Heave us a rope, " he said. "Got any fish?"

"Yes. I want to see the captain. "

"What for?"

"You'll see. I want the captain. Are you him?"

"No; he's down below. "

"I want to see him. May I come aboard?"

"If you like, " said Hilary; and the man climbed over the side. 

He was a lithe, sunburnt fellow, and after looking at him for a fewmoments with a vague kind of feeling that he had seen him before, Hilarysent a message below, and Mr Lipscombe came up with his hand before hismouth to hide a yawn. 

"Are you the captain?" said the man. 

"I command this ship, fellow. What is it?"

"What'll you give me, captain, if I take you to a cove where they'regoing to run a cargo to-night?"

"Wait and see, my man. You take us there and you shall be rewarded. "

"No, no, " said the man laughing; "that won't do, captain. I'm not goingto risk my life for a chance of what you'll give. I want a hundredpounds. "

"Rubbish, man! Ten shillings, " said Lipscombe sharply. 

"I want a hundred pounds, " said the man. "That there cargo's going tobe worth two thousand pounds, and it's coming in a fast large Frenchschooner from Havre. I want a hundred pounds, or I don't say a word. "

A cargo worth two thousand pounds, and a smart French schooner! Thatwould be a prize indeed, and it made the lieutenant's mouth water; buthe still hesitated, for a hundred pounds was a good deal, perhaps morethan his share would be. But still if he did not promise it they mightmiss the schooner altogether, for in spite of his vigilance he knew thatcargoes were being run; so he gave way. 

"Very well then, you shall have your hundred pounds. "

"Now, captain?"

"Not likely. Earn your wages first. "

"And then suppose you say you won't pay me? What shall I do?"

"I give you my word of honour as a king's officer, sir. "

The man shook his head. 

"Write it down, " he said with all the low cunning of his class. Thelieutenant was about to make an angry reply, but he wanted to take thatprize, so he went below and wrote out and signed a memorandum to theeffect that if, by the informer's guidance, the French schooner wastaken, he should be paid one hundred pounds. 

Lipscombe returned on deck and handed the paper to the fisherman, whotook it and held it upside down, studying it attentively. 

"Now you read it, " he said to Hilary; who took it, and read it aloud. 

"Yes, " said the fellow, "that's it. Now you sign it. "

Hilary glanced at his superior, who frowned and nodded his head; and theyoung man went below and added his signature. 

"That'll do, " said the man smiling. "Now look here, captain, as soon asI'm gone you sail right off out of sight if you can, and get her lyingoff the point by about ten o'clock--two bells, or whatever it is. Thenyou wait till a small lugger comes creeping off slowly, as if it wasgoing out for the night with the drift-nets. I and my mates will beaboard that lugger, and they'll drop down alongside and put me aboard, and I'll pilot you just to the place where you can lie in the cove outof sight till the schooner comes in. If I come in my little boat theboys on shore would make signals, and the schooner would keep off, butif they see us go as usual out in our lugger they'll pay no heed. Butdon't you come in a bit nigher than this. Now I'm off!"

Lieutenant Lipscombe stood thinking for a few minutes after the man hadgone, stealing over the side of the cutter farthest from the shore, sothat when his boat drifted by it was not likely that his visit on boardwould have been seen. 

Then turning to Hilary:

"What do you think of it, Leigh?"

"It may be a ruse to get us away. "

"Yes, it may be, but I don't think it is. 'Bout ship, there!" heshouted; and the great boom of the mainsail slowly swung round, and theysailed nearly out of sight of land by sundown, when the helm was oncemore rammed down hard, the cutter careened round in a half circle, andas the white wings were swelling, they made once more for the coast. 

It was about nine o'clock of a deliciously soft night, and the moistsweet air that came off the shore was sweetly fragrant of flowers andnew-mown hay. The night was cloudy, and very dusky for the time ofyear, a fact so much in their favour, and with the watch on the alert, for the lieutenant would not call the men to quarters in case theinformer did not come, he and Hilary leaned over the side, gazing at thescattered lights that twinkled on the shore. 

An hour and a half had passed away, and the time, which a church clockashore had struck, ten, seemed to have far exceeded this hour, when, asthey all watched the mist which hung between them and the invisibleshore, a light was suddenly seen to come as it were out of a bank offog, and glide slowly towards them, but as if to go astern. 

The cutter had a small lamp hoisted to the little masthead, and thelieutenant knew that this would be sufficient signal of theirwhereabouts, and so it proved, for the gliding light came nearer andnearer, and soon after a voice they both recognised hailed them. 

"Cutter ahoy!"

"Ahoy!"

The light came on nearer and nearer, and at last they could dimly makeout the half-hoisted sails of a small fishing lugger, which was runcleverly enough close alongside, her occupants holding on by boathooks. 

"Mind what you are doing there, " cried the lieutenant sharply; "jumpaboard, my man. "

"All right, captain. "

"Go down and get my sword, Leigh, " whispered the lieutenant; "and put onyour own. "

It was as if just then an idea had occurred to him that there might betreachery, and the thought seemed to be communicated to Hilary, who randown below, caught up the two swords from the hooks where they hung uponthe bulkhead, and was on his way up, when the lieutenant came down uponhim with a crash, there was the rattling on of the hatch, the tramplingof feet, and a short scuffle, and as Hilary leaped over his prostrateofficer, and, sword in hand, dashed up at the hatch, it was to find itfastened, for they had been cleverly trapped, and without doubt thecutter was in the smuggler's hands. 

CHAPTER FOUR. 

IN COMMAND. 

Hilary Leigh was only a boy, and he acted boyishly at that moment, forin his rage and mortification he first of all struck at the hatch withhis fist, and then shouted to the people on deck. 

"Here, hi! you sirs, open this hatch directly. "

But as he shouted he knew that his order was absurd, and tucking thelieutenant's sword under his arm he buckled on his own before leapingdown to where his leader lay. 

"Are you much hurt, sir?" he asked; but there was no answer. 

"I've got a orfle whack side o' the head, sir, " growled Tom Tully. 

"So've I, sir, " said another man. 

"Serve you right too, for not keeping a good lookout, " cried Hilarysavagely; "here, it's disgraceful! A king's ship taken by a set ofsmuggling rascals. Look alive, there, my lads. Here, you marines, besmart. Where's Billy Waters?"

"Here, sir, " cried that worthy. 

"Serve out the arms smart, my man. Two of you carry the lieutenant intothe cabin. Steady there! He isn't dead. "

For two of the men had been seen, by the dim light of a horn lantern, toseize their commanding officer in the most unceremonious way, to lug himinto the cabin. 

By this time the 'tween decks of the cutter was alive with dimly-seenfigures, for in a vessel of this description the space devoted in apeaceful vessel to the storage of cargo was utilised for the convenienceof the comparatively large crew. 

"Heave those hammocks out of the way, " cried Hilary next; and this beingdone, he stood there with twenty well-armed men awaiting his nextorders--orders which he did not give, for the simple reason that he didnot know what to do. 

It was a ticklish position for a lad of his years, to find himselfsuddenly in command of a score of fighting men, one and all excited andready for the fray, as, schooled by drill and discipline, they formedthemselves into a machine which he was to set in motion; but how, when, and where?

There was the rub, and in the midst of a dead silence Hilary listened tothe trampling of feet overhead. 

It was a curious scene--the gloomy 'tween decks of the cutter, with thegroup of eager men standing about awaiting their young officer's orders, their rough, weatherbeaten faces looking fierce in the shadowy twilight, for the lanterns swinging fore and aft only seemed to make darknessvisible; and as the trampling went on, evidently that of men wearingheavy fisher-boots, the steps were within a few inches of the heads ofthe crew. 

"Pair o' pistols, sir, " said a low, gruff voice; and Hilary started, forthe gunner had come up quite silently. "Shall I shove 'em in your belt, sir?"

"Yes, " said Hilary sharply; and the gunner thrust the barrels of the twoheavy, clumsy weapons into the young officer's sword-belt, where theystuck in a most inconvenient way. 

"Both loaded, sir, and cocked, " said the gunner quietly. Hilary nodded, and stood thinking. 

It was an awkward time for quiet thought, for he knew that the men wereanxiously awaiting some order; but, for the reasons above given, noorder came, and the force of his position came with crushing violenceupon the young officer's head. 

He knew that the lieutenant was to blame for not being prepared for anattack, however little it might be anticipated; but at the same time hewould have to share the lieutenant's disgrace as second officer--thedisgrace of a well manned and armed king's ship falling into the handsof a pack of smugglers. 

He knew, too, that if he had proposed taking precautions, LieutenantLipscombe would have laughed at him, and refused to take his advice; buthe would have felt more at rest if he had made the suggestion. 

But the mishap had happened, and according to the old proverb it was ofno use to cry over spilt milk. What he felt he had to do now was tofind a cow and get some more. 

But how?

By the sounds on deck it was evident that the cutter had been seized byquite a strong party, and it was no less certain that they would nothave made so desperate a move if they had not some particular venture onthe way. What Hilary felt then was that he must not only turn thetables on the attacking party, but try and make a valuable capture aswell. 

But again--how?

He could not answer the question, but as he tried to solve thedifficulty the feeling was strong upon him--could he manage to do thisbefore the lieutenant recovered?

The excitement produced by this idea was such that it drove away allthoughts of peril and danger, and he could think of nothing but the dashand daring of such an exploit. 

As he thought, his hand gripped the hilt of his sword more tightly, andhe whispered an order to the men:

"Close round. "

The crew eagerly pressed up to him, and he spoke. 

"We've got to wipe out a disgrace, my lads--hush! don't cheer, let themthink we are doing nothing. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " came in a low growl. 

"I say, my lads, we've got to wipe out a disgrace, and the sooner thebetter. One hour ought to be enough to get on deck and drive thesescoundrels either overboard or below. Then I think there'll be someprize-money to be earned, for they are sure to be running a cargoto-night. Silence! No cheering. Now then, to work. Waters, how arewe to get up the hatch?"

"Powder, sir, " said the gunner laconically. 

"And blow ourselves to pieces. "

"No, sir, I think I can build up a pile of hammocks and firehalf-a-dozen cartridges atop of it, and blow the hatch off withouthurting us much below. "

"Try it, " said Hilary shortly. "You marines, come aft into the cabinand we'll get the ventilators open; you can fire through there. "

The four marines and their corporal marched into the cabin, where acouple kneeled upon the little table, and two more stood ready to coverthem, when the folly of attempting to blow off the hatch became apparentto Hilary; for he saw that he would do more harm to his own men thanwould warrant the attempt. 

"Get axes, " he said. 

This was done, and the gunner brought out a long iron bar used inshifting the long gun, but he muttered a protest the while that therewas nothing like the powder. 

"Silence there, " cried Hilary. "Waters, pass that bar to Tully, and youwith your men go forward and keep the fore-hatch. If they open it andtry to come down to take us in the rear when we begin to break throughhere, up with you and gain the deck at all costs. You understand?"

"Ay, ay, sir. "

"I'll send you help if you get the hatch open. Go on!"

The gunner and half-a-dozen men went forward and stood ready, while at asign from the young officer the dimly-seen figure of Tom Tully took acouple of steps up the cabin-ladder, and there he stood with the barpoised in his bare arms ready to make his first attack upon the woodencover as soon as the order reached his ears. 

Just then a rattling noise was heard, and the hatch was evidently aboutto be removed. The next moment it was off, and the light of a lanternflashed down, showing that half-a-dozen musket barrels had been thrustinto the opening, while about them flashed the blades of as many swords. 

There was a dead silence below, for Hilary and his men were taken bysurprise, and though the hatch was now open there was such a terribledisplay of weapons in the opening that an attempt to rush up seemedmadness. 

"Below there!" cried a harsh voice; "surrender, or we fire. "

"Is Hilary Leigh there?" cried another voice, one which made the youngman start as he recognised that of Sir Harry Norland. 

"Yes, sir, I am here, " he said after a moment's pause. 

"Tell your men to surrender quietly, Mr Leigh, and if they give theirword not to attempt rescue or escape they will have two of the cutter'sboats given to them, and they can row ashore. "

"And what about the cutter, Sir Henry?" said Hilary quietly. 

"She is our lawful prize, " was the reply. 

"And no mistake, " said the rough, harsh voice, which Hilary recognisednow as that of the apparently stupid skipper of the _chasse maree_. 

"Come up first, Mr Leigh, " said Sir Henry; "but leave your arms below. I give you my word that you shall not be hurt. "

"I cannot give you my word that you will not be hurt, Sir Henry, if youdo not keep out of danger, " cried Hilary. "We are all coming on deck, cutlass in one hand, pistol in the other. Now, my lads! Forward!"

Madness or no madness he made a dash, and at the same moment Tom Tullystruck upwards with his iron bar, sweeping aside the presented muskets, half of which were fired with the effect that their bullets were buriedin the woodwork round the hatch. 

What took place during those next few moments Hilary did not know, onlythat he made a spring to mount the cabin-ladder and got nearly out atthe hatch, but as Tom Tully and another man sprang forward at the samemoment they hindered one another, when there was a few moments' intervalof fierce struggling, the sound of oaths and blows, a few shots werefired by the marines through the cabin skylight, and then Hilary foundhimself lying on the lower deck under Tom Tully, listening to thebanging down of the cabin-hatch. 

"Are you much hurt, sir?" said one of the men. 

"Don't know yet, " said Hilary, as Tully was dragged off him. "Confoundthe brutes! I'll serve them out for this. Is any one killed?"

"I ain't, " growled Tom Tully, with his hand to the back of his head. "But that there slash went half through my tail, and I've got one on thecheek. "

Tom Tully's wound on the cheek proved to be quite a slight cut, and theother man was only stunned, but the injury to his pigtail was more thanhe could bear. 

"Of all the cowardly games as ever I did come acrost, " he growled, "thishere's 'bout the worst. Think o' trying to cut off a sailor's pigtail!It's worse than mutiny!"

"Hold your tongue, you stupid fellow!" cried Hilary, who could not helpfeeling amused even then. "Why, don't you see that your tail has savedyour head?"

"Who wanted his head saved that way?" growled Tom Tully. "It'scowardly, that's what it is! I don't call it fair fighting to hit a manbehind. "

"Silence!" exclaimed Hilary; and as the trampling went on overhead hetried to make out what the enemy were doing. 

He was startled to find Sir Henry on board, but though he looked uponhim as a friend, he felt no compunction now in meeting him as an enemywho must take his chance. Betraying him when a fugitive was one thing, dealing with him as one of a party making an attack upon a king's shipanother. 

A chill of dread ran through him for a moment as he thought of thepossibility of Sir Henry's daughter being his companion, but a secondthought made him feel assured that she could not be present at a timelike this. 

"And Sir Henry would only think me a contemptible traitor if Isurrendered, " he said to himself; and then he began to make fresh plans. 

He stepped into the cabin for a moment or two, to find that thelieutenant was lying in his bed place, perfectly insensible, while themarines, with their pieces in hand, were waiting fresh orders. 

The difficulty was to give those orders, and turn which way he wouldthere was a pair of eyes fixed upon him. 

He had never before understood the responsibility of a commandingofficer in a time of emergency, and how great a call there would be uponhim for help, guidance, and protection. One thing, however, he keptbefore his eyes, and that was the idea that he must retake the cutter, and how to do it with the least loss of life was the problem to besolved. 

In his extremity he called a council of war under the big lantern, withBilly Waters, the corporal of marines, and the boatswain forcounsellors, and took their opinions. 

"Well, sir, if it was me in command I should do as I said afore, " saidBilly Waters cheerfully. "A lot o' powder would rift that therecabin-hatch right off; and them as guards it. "

"Yes, and kill the lieutenant and half the men below, " said Hilary. "What do you say, corporal?"

"I think bayonets is the best things, sir, " replied the corporal. 

"Yes, " exclaimed Hilary, "if you've got a chance to use them. What doyou say, bo'sun?"

"Well, your honour, it seems as how we shall get into no end of a pickleif we let these here smugglers capter the _Kestrel_, so I think we'dbest go below and scuttle her. It wouldn't take long. "

"Well, but, my good fellow, don't you see that we should be scuttlingourselves too?" cried Hilary. 

"Oh! no, sir, I don't mean scuttle ourselves. I only mean the cutter. She'd soon fill. We'd go off in the boats. "

"How?"

The boatswain did not seem to have taken this into consideration at all, but stood scratching his head till he scratched out a bright thought. 

"Couldn't we let them on deck know as we're going to scuttle her, sir, and then they'd sheer off, and as soon as they'd sheered off we wouldn'tscuttle her, but only go up and take possession. "

"Now, Jack Brown, how can you be such a fool?" cried Hilary, impatiently. "They're sharp smugglers who have seized the _Kestrel_, and not a pack of babies. Can't you suggest something better thanthat?"

"Well, sir, let's scuttle her, and let them know as she's sinking, andas soon as they've sheered off stop the leaks. "

"Oh! you great bullet-head, " cried Hilary angrily. "How could we?"

"Very sorry, sir, " growled the man humbly; "I don't know, sir. I cantrim and bend on sails, and overhaul the rigging as well as mostbo'suns, sir, but I never did have no head for figgers. "

"Figures!" cried Hilary, impatiently. "There, that'll do. Hark! Whatare they doing on deck?"

"Seems to me as if they're getting all sail set, " growled the boatswain. 

"And they'll run us over to the coast of France, " cried Hilaryexcitedly. "We shall be prisoners indeed. "

He drew his breath in between his teeth, and stamped on the deck in hisimpotent rage. 

"There!" he said, at last, as the crew stood impatiently awaiting theresult of their consultation. "It's of no use for me to bully you, mylads, for not giving me ideas, when I can find none myself. You are allright. We'll try all your plans, for the scoundrels must never sail the_Kestrel_ into a French port with us on board. Waters, we'll blow upthe hatchway--but the fore-hatchway, not the cabin. Corporal, you andyour lads shall give them a charge with bayonets. And lastly, if boththese plans fail Jack Brown and the carpenter shall scuttle the littlecutter; we may perhaps save our lives in the confusion. "

It was a sight to see the satisfied grin that shone out on each of therough fellows' faces, upon finding that their ideas were taken. It wasas if each had grown taller, and they smiled at each other and at theyoung officer in a most satisfied way. Hilary did not know it; but thatstroke of involuntary policy on his part had raised him enormously inthe estimation of the crew; and the little council being dissolved, itwas wonderful with what alacrity they set to work. 

For the gunner's plan was at once adopted, and in perfect silence a bedof chests was raised up close beneath the fore-hatchway, whose ladderwas cautiously removed. On this pile were placed hammocks, and againupon these short planks, so that the flat surface was close up to thesquare opening that led from the forecastle on deck. 

"You see, sir, the charge won't leave much room to strike sidewise, "said the gunner, as he helped to get all ready, ending by emptying thebags of powder that formed four charges for the long gun. These herolled up in a handkerchief, tied it pretty tightly, and before puttingit in place he made a hole in it, so that some of the powder wouldtrickle out on to the smooth plank. 

This being done, he laid a train from it to the end of the plank, made aslow-match with some wet powder and a piece of paper, and finished byraising the planks by stuffing blankets under them at Hilary'ssuggestion, till the powder charge was right up in the opening of thehatch, surrounded by the coamings, and the planks rested up against thedeck. 

"If that there don't fetch 'im off, I'm a Dutchman, " said Billy Waters. "Here, just you keep that there lantern back, will you, " he cried to thecorporal of marines; "we don't want her fired before her time. "

"Yes, that will do, " cried Hilary. "There, stand by, my lads, and themoment the charge is fired make a dash for it with the ladder, and upand clear the deck whether I lead you or no. "

There was something in those words that the men could not thenunderstand, but they did as the gunner declared all to be ready. 

"Hush! silence, my lads, " cried Hilary. "Away aft, and all lie down. Now, Waters, give me the lantern. "

"I'll fire the train, sir. I'm gunner, " said the man. 

"No, no, " replied Hilary, "that is my task. "

"But, if you please, sir, you might get hit, and then--"

"Silence, sir! I'll fire the train, " cried Hilary, sternly. "Away aftwith the men; and look, Mr Waters, my good fellow, if I go down I trustto you to retake the cutter. "

"All right, sir, " said the gunner. "Well, sir, if you will do it, here's my last words: open your lantern and just touch the end of thepaper, then close and run aft. One touch does it; so go on, and goodluck to you!"

The young officer nodded and took the lantern, while the gunner joinedthe men as far aft as they could go. There was something very strangeand unreal to him as he took a couple of steps or so forward, andlistened to the noise of men above, hesitating for the moment as hethought of the life he was about to destroy, and mentally praying thatSir Harry Norland might not be near. Then duty reasserted itself, and, not knowing whether he might not be about to destroy the vessel, andwith it his own life, he slowly opened the door of the lantern. 

What was it to be--life and liberty, or death and destruction? He couldnot say, but feeling that he ought to stick at nothing to try and retakethe cutter, he held the flame of the wretched purser's dip in thelantern to the powder-besmeared paper, and there was on the instant ananswering burst of tiny sparks. 

CHAPTER FIVE. 

A MISSING ENEMY. 

As the slow-match began to sputter Hilary drew back, closed the door ofthe lantern, and walked backwards aft, towards where the men weregathered. The desire was strong upon him to run and rush right into thefar corner of the cabin; but he was a king's officer, and the men lookedup to him for example, so he told himself that he could not show thewhite feather. 

Fortunately he was able to keep up his dignity and retreat in safety towhere the men were crouching down, and, joining them, he too assumed areclining position upon the deck, and watched the sparkling of the pieceof paper in the darkness of the forepart of the cutter. 

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle, with plenty of scintillation; like somelittle firework made for their amusement, but no sign of the train beingfired. 

On deck there was an ominous silence, as if the smugglers had receivedwarning of the coming danger, and they too were watching for theexplosion. 

More sparkling and more bright flashes of light, and yet the train didnot catch. Never had moments seemed to Hilary so long before, and hefelt sure that the slow-match had not been connected with the train, asit must have fired before now. 

Then as he waited he wondered what would be the effect of the explosion, and whether it would do more harm than blow off the hatch. He hopednot, for Sir Henry's sake; and there were moments during that terriblylengthy time of watching when he hoped that after all the plan hadfailed, for it seemed too terrible, and he would gladly have run forwardand dashed the light aside. 

They were lightning like, these thoughts, for it really was but aquestion of very few moments before there was a flash, a hissing noise, a bright light, and then it was as though they had all been struck aviolent blow with something exceedingly soft and elastic, and at thesame moment there was a dull heavy roar. 

Simultaneously the lower deck was filled with the foul dank chokingfumes of exploded gunpowder, the thick smoke was blinding, and the mencrouched in their places for the moment forgetful of their orders tillthey heard the voice of Hilary Leigh shouting to them to come on, andthey leaped to their feet and followed. 

It was a case of blindman's-buff; but the quarters below were narrow, and after a little blundering the two men who had charge of the ladderforced aside some of the heap of chests, hammocks and planks, placed thesteps in position, and, sword in one hand, pistol in the other, theyoung officer sprang up. The gunner followed, and in less than a minutethe whole crew were over the shattered coamings of the hatchway and ondeck, ready to encounter the enemy. 

The change from the stifling fumes below to the soft night-air wasdelightful, and the men leaped along the deck after their young leader, their cutlasses flashing in the faint light cast by the lanterns swungaloft and astern; but no enemy was to be seen. 

They dashed aft right to the taffrail, and back along the starboardside, and away to the bowsprit; but the deck was without an enemy. 

"Why, they're gone!" cried Hilary, in astonishment, as he now realisedthe meaning of the silence over his head when he was awaiting theexplosion. "Here, hi! Waters, Brown, what does this mean? Quick! goto the helm, Brown!" he shouted; "we're going through the water at anawful pace. Quick! quick! down--down hard!" he roared. But it was toolate; the wheel was lashed, and before the slightest effort could bemade to check the cutter's way, she glided, with heavy sail set, overhalf a dozen long rollers, and then seemed to leap upon the beach, whichshe struck with so heavy a thud that the little vessel shuddered fromstem to stern, and pretty well the whole crew were thrown upon the deck. 

The causes of the enemy forsaking the cutter were plain enough now. They did not want her, and if they did it would have been without thecrew, who would have been a cause of risk and trouble to them. If theycould put her _hors de combat_ it would do just as well, and to this endall the sail had been hoisted and sheeted home, the wheel lashed, andwith the unfortunate cutter running dead for the beach the party who hadseized her had quietly gone over the side while Hilary and his men wereplotting their destruction, and knowing full well they had nothing tofear till next tide floated her off--if ever she floated again--theyproceeded to carry out their plans. 

The men struggled to their feet once more as the great sail flapped, while a wave that seemed bent on chasing them struck below the cutter'staffrail, and the spray leaped on board. 

Fortunately for them it was calm and the tide fast falling, or thegallant little _Kestrel_ would have flown her last flight. As it was, it was open to doubt whether she would ever spread her long wings againto skim the sea, for the rising tide might bring with it a gale, andbefore she could be got off her timbers might be torn into matchwood. 

It was a rapid change from danger to danger. But a few minutes backthey risked sinking the vessel by the explosion of gunpowder, believingher to be in the hands of the enemy who had cleverly compassed herdefeat, and now they were cast ashore. 

Hilary Leigh was seaman enough, however, to know what to do withoutconsulting the boatswain, and giving his orders rapidly he stopped theheeling over and beating of the _Kestrel_ upon the sand by relieving herof her sail, in the midst of which he was startled by the voice of MrLipscombe. 

"Good heavens, Mr Leigh!" he exclaimed, angrily, "what does this mean?I go and lie down for a few minutes, leaving you in charge of thecutter, and I come up and find her ashore. Brown, Waters! where areyou, men? Have you been mad, asleep, or drunk? Oh, my head! Goodgracious, why, what's this--blood?"

He staggered, and seemed about to fall, but Hilary caught his arm. 

"I am glad to see you better, sir, " he cried; "but had you not betterlie down?"

"Better?" he said--"better?"

"Yes, sir; don't you remember?"

"Remember? Remember?" he said, staring. 

"Yes, sir, the smugglers; they knocked us down and took possession ofthe ship. "

"Yes, of course, yes, " said the lieutenant eagerly. "I remember now. Of course, yes, Leigh. But--but where are they now?"

"That's just what I should like to know, sir, " said Leigh, sharply;"we've got rid of them, but they ran the little _Kestrel_ ashore. "

CHAPTER SIX. 

EXPLORING. 

Fortunately for the little _Kestrel_ the morning breeze was soft and thesea as smooth as a mirror, and all the crew had to do was to await thetide to float them off from where they were lying high and dry, with thekeel driven so deeply in the sand that the cutter hardly needed asupport, and the opportunity served for examining the bottom to see ifany injury had been sustained. 

Lieutenant Lipscombe appeared with a broad bandage round his head, forhis head had been severely cut in his fall, and the pain he suffered didnot improve his already sore temper. 

For though he said nothing, Hilary Leigh could see plainly enough thathis officer was bitterly annoyed at having been mastered in cunning andso nearly losing his ship. He knew that to go into port to repairdamages meant so close an investigation that the result might be theloss of his command. So, after an examination of the injuries, whichshowed that the whole of the coamings of the hatchway were blown off andthe deck terribly blackened with powder, the carpenter and his mate wereset to work to cut out and piece in as busily as possible. 

"Nothing to go into port for, Leigh, nothing at all. The men will soonput that right; but it was very badly managed, Leigh, very. Half thatquantity of powder would have done; the rest was all waste. Hang itall! what could you have been thinking about? Here am I disabled for afew minutes, and you let a parcel of scoundrels seize the cutter and runher ashore, and then, with the idea of retaking her, you go and blow uphalf the deck! My good fellow, you will never make a decent officer ifyou go on like this. "

"Well, that's grateful, certainly, " thought Hilary; and the desire cameupon him strongly to burst out into a hearty laugh, but he suppressed itand said quietly:

"Very sorry, sir; I tried to do all for the best. "

"Yes; that's what every weak-headed noodle says when he has made ablunder. Well, Leigh, it is fortunate for you that I was sufficientlyrecovered to resume the command; but of all the pickles which one of hismajesty's ships could be got into, this is about the worst. Here we areas helpless as a turned turtle on a Florida sandspit. "

"Well, sir, not quite, " replied Hilary smiling; "we've got our guns, andthe crew would give good account of--"

"Silence, sir! This is no laughing matter, " cried the lieutenantangrily. "It may seem very droll to you, but if I embody your conductof the past night in a despatch your chance of promotion is gone forever. "

Hilary stared, but he had common sense enough to say nothing, while thelieutenant took a turn up and down the deck, which would have been avery pleasant promenade for a cripple with one leg shorter than theother; but as the cutter was a good deal heeled over, it was sounpleasant for Lieutenant Lipscombe, already suffering from giddiness, the result of his wound, that he stopped short and stood holding on by astay. 

"Most extraordinary thing, " he said; "my head is always perfectly clearin the roughest seas, but ashore I turn as giddy as can be. But there;don't stand staring about, Leigh. Take half-a-dozen men and make a bitof search up and down the coast. See if you can find any traces of thesmuggling party. If you had had any thought in you such a thing mighthave been proposed at daybreak. It will be hours before we float. "

"Yes, sir, certainly, " exclaimed Leigh, rather excitedly, for he wasdelighted with the idea. "Shall I arm the men, sir?"

"Arm the men, sir! Oh, no: of course not. Let every man carry a swab, and a spoon stuck in his belt. Goodness me, Mr Leigh, where are yourbrains? You are going to track out a parcel of desperadoes, and you askme if you shall take the men armed. "

"Very sorry, sir, " said Hilary. "I'll try and do better. You see I amso sadly wanting in experience. "

The lieutenant looked at him sharply, but Hilary's face was as calm andunruffled as the sea behind him, and not finding any chance for areprimand, the lieutenant merely made a sign to him to go, walkingforward himself to hurry on the carpenter, and then repassing Hilary andgoing below to his cabin. 

"Skipper's got his legs acrost this mornin', sir, " said Billy Waters, touching his hat. "Hope you'll take me with you, sir. "

"I should like to have you, Waters, and Tom Tully. By the way, how ishe this morning? He got hurt. "

"Oh, he's all right, sir, " said the gunner grinning. "He got a knock, sir, but he didn't get hurt. Nothin' hurts old Tom. I don't believehe's got any feeling in him at all. "

"Now, if I propose to take them, " thought Hilary, "Lipscombe will saythey sha'n't go. Here he comes, though. I shall catch it for not beingoff. "

He made a run and dropped down through the damaged hatchway, alightingamidst the carpenter's tools on the lower deck, ran aft to his cabin, obtained sword and pistols, and then mounted to the deck to find thelieutenant angrily addressing Waters and Tully. 

For no sooner had Hilary disappeared, and the gunner made out that thechief officer was coming on deck, than he turned his back, busiedhimself about the breeching of one of the guns, and shouting to TomTully:

"Going to send you ashore, matey?"

"No, " growled Tully; "what's on?"

"Oh! some wild-goose hunt o' the skipper's. I don't mean to go, anddon't you if you can help it. There won't be a place to get a drop o'grog. All searching among the rocks. "

"Gunner!"

"Yes, your honour. "

Billy Waters' pigtail swung round like a pump-handle, as he lumped upand pulled his forelock to his angry officer. 

"How dare you speak like that, sir, on the deck of his majesty's vessel?How dare you--you mutinous dog, you? Go forward, sir, and you, too, Tom Tully, and the cutter's crew, under the command of Mr Leigh, andthink yourself lucky if you are not put under punishment. "

"Very sorry, sir. Humbly beg pardon, sir, " stammered the gunner. 

"Silence, sir! Forward! Serve out cutlasses and pistols to the men, and I'll talk to you afterwards. "

Billy Waters chuckled to himself at the success of his scheme, and aftera word or two of command, Hilary's little party, instead of jumping intothe cutter and rowing ashore, dropped down over the side on to thesands, and went off along the coast to the west. 

"What's going to be done first, sir?" said the gunner. 

"Well, Waters, I've just been thinking that we ought first to try andfind some traces of the boats. "

"Yes, sir; but how? They're fur enough away by now. "

"Of course; but if we look along the shore here about the level that thetide was last night I daresay we shall find some traces of them in thesands, and that may give us a hint where to search inland, for I'll bebound to say they were landing cargo somewhere. "

"I'll be bound to say you're right, sir, " said Waters, slapping his leg. "Spread out, my lads, and report the first mark of a boat's keel. "

They tramped on quite five miles over the sand and shingle, and amidstthe loose rocks, without seeing anything to take their attention, whensuddenly one of the men some fifty yards ahead gave a hail. 

"What is it, my lad?" cried Hilary, running up. 

"Only this here, sir, " said the man, pointing to a long narrow groove inthe sand, just such as might have been made by the keel of some largeboat, whilst a closer inspection showed that the sand and shingle hadbeen trampled by many feet. 

"Yes, that's a boat, certainly, " said Hilary, looking shorewards towardsthe cliffs, which rose like a vast ramp along that portion of the coast. 

There was nothing to be seen there; neither inlet nor opening in therock, nor depression in the vast line of cliffs. Why, then, should aboat be run ashore there? It looked suspicious. Nothing but a fishinglugger would be likely to be about, and no fishing lugger would have anyreason for running ashore here. Except at certain times of the tide itwould be dangerous. 

"It's the smugglers, Billy, " cried Hilary eagerly; "and there must besome way here up the rock. Hallo! what have you got there?" heexclaimed, as the gunner, true to his instinct, dropped upon his kneesand scraped the sand away from something against which he had kicked hisfoot. 

"Pistol, sir, " was the reply; and the gunner brushed the sand off thelarge clumsy weapon, and wiped away the thin film of rust. 

"And a Frenchman, " said Hilary, examining the make. 

"Frenchman it is, sir, and she ar'n't been many hours lying here. "

"Dropped by some one last night, " said Hilary. "Hurrah! my lads, we'vestruck the scent. "

Just then Tom Tully began to sniff very loudly, and turned his head invarious directions, his actions somewhat resembling those of a greatdog. 

"What yer up to, matey?" cried Waters. "Ah! I know, sir. He wasalways a wunner after his grog, and he's trying to make out whetherthey've landed and buried any kegs of brandy here. "

"Oh, nonsense!" cried Hilary; "they would not do that. Come along, mylads. One moment. Let's have a good look along the rocks for anopening. Can any of you see anything?"

"No, sir, " was chorused, after a few minutes' inspection. 

"Then now let's make a straight line for the cliff, and all of you keepa bright lookout. "

They had about a couple of hundred yards to go, for the tide ran downvery low at this point, and as they approached the great sandstonecliffs, instead of presenting the appearance of a perpendicular wall, asseen from a distance, all was broken up where the rock had split, andhuge masses had come thundering down in avalanches of stone. In fact, in several places it seemed that an active man could climb up to where athin fringe of green turf rested upon the edge of the cliff; but thisdid not satisfy Hilary, who felt convinced that such a place was notlikely to be chosen for the landing of a cargo. 

No opening in the cliff being visible, he spread his men to search rightand left, but there was no sand here; all was rough shingle and broken_debris_ from the cliff with massive weathered blocks standing up in alldirections, forming quite a maze, through which they threaded their way. 

"There might be a regular cavern about somewhere big enough to hold adozen cargoes, " thought Hilary, as he searched here and there, and thensat down to rest for a few minutes, and wiped the perspiration from hisforehead, when it suddenly occurred to him that they had been hours awayfrom the cutter, and that if he did not soon make some discovery he hadbetter return. 

"And I don't like to go back without having done something, " he thought. "Perhaps if we keep on looking we may make a find worth the trouble, and--what's that?"

Nothing much; only a little bird that kept rising up from a patch ofwiry herbage at the foot of the cliff, jerking itself up some twenty orthirty feet and then letting itself down as it twittered out a pleasantlittle song. 

Only a bird; but as he watched that bird, he did not know why, itsuddenly went out of sight some twenty feet or so up the rock, and whilehe was wondering it came into sight again and fluttered downwards. 

"Why, there must be a way through there, " he cried, rising and gazingintently at the face of the rock, but seeing nothing but yellowishsandstone looking jagged and wild. 

"No, there can't be, " he muttered; "but I'll make sure. "

Climbing over three or four large blocks, he lowered himself into anarrow passage which seemed to run parallel with the cliff, but doubledback directly, and in and out, and then stopped short at a perpendicularmass some twenty feet high. 

"Leads nowhere, " he said, feeling very hot and tired, and, turning to goback disappointed and panting, he took another look up at the loweringface of the cliff to see now that a large portion was apparently splitaway, but remained standing overlapping the main portion, and so like itthat at a short distance the fracture could not be seen. 

"There's a way round there for a guinea, " thought Hilary, "but how toget there? Why, of course, one must climb over here. "

"Here" was a rugged piece of rock about fifty feet back from the _cul desac_ to which he had reached, and placing his right foot in a chink anddrawing himself up he was soon on the top with a rugged track before himto the face of the cliff; but as he took a step forward, meaning toinvestigate a little, and then summon his men, a low chirping noise onhis right took his attention, and going cautiously forward he leanedtowards a rock to see what animal it was, when something came like ablack cloud over his head and he was thrown violently down. 

CHAPTER SEVEN. 

HILARY LEIGH FINDS HIMSELF IN AN UNDIGNIFIED POSITION. 

"That's a boat-cloak, and the brute's sitting on me, " said Hilary Leighto himself as he vainly struggled to get free and shout for help. Hedid utter a few inarticulate noises, but they were smothered in thefolds of the thick cloak, and he felt as if he were about to besmothered himself. Getting free he soon found was out of the question, so was making use of the weapons with which he was armed, for his wristswere wrenched round behind his back and his elbows firmly lashed. Sowere his ankles, and at the same time he felt the pistols dragged out ofhis belt and his sword unhooked and taken away. 

"Well, I've discovered the smugglers' place and no mistake, " he thought;"but I might just as well have left it alone. Oh, this is too bad!Only last night in trouble, and now prisoner! I wonder what they aregoing to do?"

He was not long left in doubt, for he suddenly felt himself roughlyseized and treated like a sack, for he was hauled on to some one's backand borne along in a very uncomfortable position, his legs being bangedagainst corners of the rock as if he were being carried through a verynarrow place. 

This went on for a few minutes, during which he was, of course, in utterdarkness, and panting for breath. Then he was allowed to slide down, with a bump, on to the rock. 

"They're not going to kill me, " thought Hilary, "or they would not havetaken so much trouble. I wish I could make Billy Waters hear. "

He tried to shout, but only produced a smothered noise, with the resultthat some one kicked him in the side. 

"That's only lent, my friend, " thought Hilary. "It shall be paid backif ever I get a chance. What now? I am trussed; are they going toroast me?"

For just then he felt a rope was passed round him, and a slip-knot drawntight under his arms. Then there was a sudden snatch, and he was raisedupon his feet, steadied for a moment by a pair of hands, the ropetightened more and more, and he felt himself being drawn up, risingthrough the air, and slowly turning round, one elbow rasping gentlyagainst the rock from time to time. 

"Well, I'm learning some of their secrets, " thought Hilary, "even ifthey are keeping me in the dark. This is either the way up to theirplace, or else it's the way they get up their cargoes. "

"Yes, cargoes only, " he said directly, as he heard indistinctly a gruffvoice at his elbow, some one being evidently climbing up at his side. "I hope they won't drop me. "

In another minute he was dragged sidewise and lowered on to the rock, achange he gladly welcomed, for the rope had hurt him intolerably, andseemed to compress his chest so that he could hardly breathe. 

"Well, this is pleasant, " he thought, as he bit his lip with vexation. "The lads will have a good hunt for me, find nothing, and then go backand tell Lipscombe. He will lie on and off for an hour or two, and thengo and report that I have deserted or gone off for a game, or some otherpleasant thing. Oh, hang it all! this won't do. I must escape somehow. I wish they'd take off this cloak. "

That seemed to be about the last thing his captors were disposed to do, for after he had been lying there in a most painfully uncomfortableposition for quite an hour, every effort to obtain relief being met witha kick, save one, when he felt the cold ring of a pistol muzzle pressedagainst his neck under the cloak, he was lifted by the head and heels, some one else put an arm round him, and he was carried over some ruggedground, lifted up higher, and then his heart seemed to stand still, forhe felt that he was going to be allowed to fall, and if allowed to fallit would be, he thought, from the top of the cliff. 

The feeling was terrible, but the fall ridiculous, for it was a distanceof a foot on to some straw. Then he felt straw thrown over him--a goodheap--and directly after there was a jolting sensation, and he knew hewas in a cart on a very rugged road. The sound of blows came dull uponhis ear, and a faint hoarse "Go on!" And in spite of his pain, misery, and the ignorance he was in respecting his fate, Hilary Leigh began tolaugh with all the light-heartedness of a lad, as he mentally said:

"Oh, this is too absurd! I'm in a donkey-cart, and the fellow who isdriving can't make the brute go. "

CHAPTER EIGHT. 

LIEUTENANT LIPSCOMBE LAYS DOWN THE LAW. 

"Say, lads, I'm getting tired of this here, " said Tom Tully, bringinghimself to an anchor on a patch of sand; "I'm as hot as I am dry. Where's our orsifer?"

"I d'no, " said another. "Ahoy! Billy Waters, ahoy-y-y!"

"Ahoy!" came from amongst the rocks; and the gunner plodded up wipinghis face, and another of the little party came at the same time from theother direction. 

"Where's Muster Leigh?" said Tom Tully. 

"Isn't he along of you?" said Waters. 

"No, I ar'n't seen him for ever so long. "

Notes were compared, as the hailing brought the rest of the partytogether, and it was agreed on all sides that Hilary had gone in amongstthe rocks close by where they were standing. 

"I know how it is, " growled Tom Tully, "he's having a caulk under thelee of one of these here stones while we do all the hunting about; and Ican't walk half so well as I used, after being shut up aboard that therelittle cutter. "

"Oh, no, he wouldn't go to sleep, " said the gunner. "He's close heresomewhere. I hope he's had better luck than we, for I ar'n't foundnothing; have you?"

"No, no, " arose on all sides. 

"Why, there ain't nothin' to find, " growled Tom Tully. "I wish I wasaboard. You're chief orsifer when he ar'n't here, Billy Waters. Givethe order and let's go back. "

"What, without Mr Leigh?" said the gunner; "that's a likely tale, thatis. Here, come on lads, and let's find him. Ahoy!"

"Ahoy!" came back from the rocks. 

"There he is, " said one of the men. 

"No, my lads, that's only the ecker, " said Billy Waters. "Hark ye--Ahoy!"

"Ahoy!" came back directly. 

"Hoy--hoy--hoy-y-y!" shouted the gunner again. 

"Hoy--hoy-y-y!" came back. 

"Mis' Leigh, ahoy!" roared the gunner. 

"Leigh--hoy!" was the response. 

"Told you so, my lads; he ar'n't about here. Let's go further on. Nowthen, Tom Tully, we must have off some o' that there tail if it's soheavy it keeps you anchored down. Get up, will you?"

The sailor got up unwillingly, and in obedience to the gunner's ordersthey began now, in place of searching for traces of the smugglers, tolook for their missing officer, scattering along, as fate had it, farther and farther from the spot where he had disappeared, no oneseeing a face watching them intently through the thin wiry strands of atuft of grass growing close up under the cliff. 

The heat was now intense, for the sun seemed to be reflected back fromthe face of the rocks, and the men were regularly fagged. 

They shouted and waited, and shouted again, but the only answer they gotwas from the echoes; and at last they stood together in a knot, withBilly Waters scratching his head with all his might, and they were agood half mile now from where Hilary had made his discovery and steppedinto a trap. 

"Well, this here _is_ a rummy go, " exclaimed the gunner, after lookingfrom face to face for the counsel that there was not. "Let's see, mylads; it was just about here as he went forrard, warn't it?"

"No, " growled Tom Tully; "it were a good two-score fathom more to theeast'ard. "

"Nay, nay, lad; it were a couple o' cables' length doo west, " saidanother. 

"I think it were 'bout here, " said Tom Tully; "but I can't find thatthere track o' the boat's keel now. What's going to be done?"

"Let's go aboard again, " growled Tom Tully. "I'm 'bout sick o' thishere, mates. "

"But I tell yer we can't go aboard without our orsifer, " cried thegunner. "'Taint likely. "

"He'd go aboard without one of us, " growled Tom Tully, "so where's thedifference?"

"There's lots o' difference, my lad. We can't go aboard without him. But where is he?"

"Having a caulk somewhere, " said Tully gruffly; "and I on'y wish I weredoing of that same myself. If we stop here much longer we shall becooked like herrings. It's as hot as hot. "

"I tell you he wouldn't desert us and go to sleep, " said the gunnerstubbornly. "Mr Leigh's a lad as would stick to his men like pitch toa ball o' oakum. "

"Then why don't he?" growled Tom Tully in an ill-used tone. "What doeshe go and sail away from conwoy for?"

"He couldn't have got up the cliffs, " mused the gunner; "'cause theredon't seem to be no way, and he couldn't have gone more to west'ard, 'cause we must have seen him. There ain't been no boats along shore, and he can't have gone back to the cutter. I say, my lads, we've beenand gone and got ourselves into a reg'lar mess. What's the skippergoing to say when he sees us? You see we can't tell him as theyoungster's fell overboard. "

"No, " growled Tom Tully; "'cause there ar'n't no overboard for him tofall. I'm right, I know; he's having a caulk. "

"Tell yer he ain't, " roared Waters fiercely; "and if any one says againas my young orsifer's doing such a thing as to leave his men in thelurch and go to sleep on a hot day like this, he'll get my fist in hismouth. "

"Sail ho!" cried one of the men; and looking in the indicated direction, there was the cutter afloat once more, and sailing towards them, quite acouple of miles away, and as they looked there was a little puff ofwhite smoke from her side, and a few seconds after a dull report. 

"Look at that now;" cried Billy Waters, "there's the skipper got someone meddling with my guns. That's that Jack Brown, that is; and heknows no more about firing a gun than he do 'bout Dutch. There was adirty sort of a shot. "

"That's a signal, that is, for us to come aboard, " growled Tom Tully. 

"Well, nobody said it warn't, did they?" cried Waters, who was regularlyout of temper now. 

"No, " growled Tom Tully, "on'y wishes I was aboard, I do. "

"Then you ain't going till you've found your orsifer, my lad. "

"Hah!" said Tom Tully, oracularly. "Shouldn't wonder if he ar'n'tdesarted 'cause the skipper give him such a setting down this morning. "

"Now just hark at this here chap, " cried the gunner, appealing to theothers. "He'd just go and do such a dirty thing hisself, and so hethinks every one else would do the same. Tom Tully, I'm 'bout ashamedo' you. I shouldn't ha' thought as a fellow with such a pigtail asyou've got to your headpiece would say such a thing of his orsifer. "

"Then what call's he got to go and desart us for like this here, messmet?" growled Tom Tully. "I don't want to say no hard things o'nobody, but here's the skin off one o' my heels, and my tongue's baked;and what I says is, where is he if he ar'n't gone?"

That was a poser; and as after another short search there was a secondgun fired from the cutter, and a boat was seen to put off and cometowards them, there was nothing for them but to go down to the water andget into the boat, after Billy Waters had taken bearings, as he calledit, of the place where the young officer had left them, setting upstones for marks, --which, however, through the deceptive nature andsimilarity of the coast in one part to another, were above half a milefrom the true spot, --and suffer themselves to be rowed aboard. 

"The skipper's in a fine temper, " said one of the crew. "Where's MusterLeigh?"

"Ah! that's just what I want to know, " said Waters, ruefully. "He'll bedown upon me for losing on him--just as if I took him ashore like a dogtied to a string. How did you get the cutter off?"

"Easy as a glove, " was the reply. "We just took out the little anchorand dropped it over, and when the tide come up hauled on it a bit, andshe rode out as easy as a duck. But he's been going on savage becauseMuster Leigh didn't come back. Has he desarted?"

The gunner turned upon him so fierce a look, and made so menacing amovement, that the man shrank away, and catching what is called a crabupset the rower behind him, the crew for the moment being thrown intoconfusion, just as the lieutenant had raised his spyglass to his eye andwas watching the coming off of the boat. 

"What call had you got to do that, Billy?" cried the man, rubbing hiselbows. "There'll be a row about that. Here, give way, my lads, andlet's get aboard. "

The men made the stout ashen blades bend as they forced the boat throughthe water, and at the end of a few minutes the oars were turned up, laidneatly over the thwarts, and the bowman held on with the boathook whilethe search party tumbled on board, the sides of the cutter being at nogreat height above the water. 

The lieutenant was there, with his glass under his arm, his head tied upso that one eye was covered, and his cocked hat was rightly named in adouble sense, being cocked almost off his head. 

"Disgraceful, Mr Leigh!" he exclaimed furiously. "You deserve to becourt-martialled, sir! Never saw a boat worse manned and rowed, sir. Inever saw from the most beggarly crew of a wretched merchantman worsetime kept. Why, the men were catching crabs, sir, from the moment theyleft the shore till the moment they came alongside. Bless mycommission, sir! were you all drunk?"

He had one eye shut by the old accident, as we have intimated, and theinjury of the previous night had so affected the other that he sawanything but clearly, as he kept stamping up and down the deck. 

"Do you hear, sir? I say were you all drunk?" roared the lieutenant. 

"Please your honour, " said the gunner, "we never see a drop of anythingexcept seawater since we went ashore. "

"Silence, sir! How dare you speak?" roared the lieutenant. "Insubordination and mutiny. Did I speak to you, sir? I say, did Ispeak to you?"

"No, your honour, but--"

"If you say another word I'll clap you in irons, you dog!" cried thelieutenant. "A pretty state of affairs, indeed, when men are to answertheir officers. Do you hear, there, you mutinous dogs! If another manamong you dares to speak I'll clap him in irons. "

The men exchanged glances, and there was a general hitching up oftrousers along the little line in which the men were drawn up. 

"Now then, sir. Have the goodness to explain why you have been so long, and why all my signals for recall have been disregarded. Silence, sir!don't speak till I've done, " he continued, as one of the men, who hadlet a little tobacco juice get too near the swallowing point, gave asort of snorting cough. 

There was dead silence on board, save a slight creaking noise made bythe crutch of the big boom as it swung gently and rubbed the mast. 

"I call upon you, Mr Leigh, sir, for an explanation, " continued thelieutenant. "Silence, sir! Not yet. I sent you ashore to make asearch, expecting that your good sense would lead you to make it brief, and to get back in time to assist in hauling off the cutter which youhad run ashore. Instead of doing this, sir, you race off with the menlike a pack of schoolboys, sir, larking about among the rocks, andutterly refusing to notice my signals, sir, though they have beenflying, sir, for hours; and here have I been obliged to waste hismajesty's powder, sir, and foul his majesty's guns, sir. "

Here, as the lieutenant's back was turned, Billy Waters shook his greatfist at Jack Brown, the boatswain, going through sundry pantomimicmotions to show how he, Billy Waters, would like to punch Jack Brown, the boatswain's head. To which, waiting until the lieutenant had turnedand had his back to him, Jack Brown responded by taking his leg in histwo hands just above the knee and shaking it in a very decisive mannerat the gunner. 

"And what is more, sir, " continued the lieutenant, "you had my gunnerwith you. "

Billy Waters, who had drawn back his fist level with his armpit in theact of striking an imaginary blow at the boatswain, stopped short as heheard himself mentioned, and the lieutenant continued his trot up anddown like an angry wild beast in a narrow cage and went on:

"And, sir, I had to intrust the firing of that gun to a bungling, thick-headed, stupid idiot of a fellow, who don't know muzzle from vent;and the wonder is that he didn't blow one of his majesty's liegesubjects into smithereens. "

The lieutenant's back was now turned to Billy Waters, who as he saw JackBrown's jaw drop placed his hands to his sides, and lifting up first oneleg and then the other, as if in an agony of spasmodic delight, bentover first to starboard and then to larboard, and laughed silently tillthe tears ran down his cheeks. 

"I say, sir--I say, " continued the lieutenant, pushing up his bandage alittle, "that such conduct is disgraceful, sir; and what is more, Isay--"

The lieutenant did not finish the sentence then, for in him angryexcitement he had continued his blind walk, extending it more and moretill he had approached close to where the carpenter had sawn out severalof the ragged planks torn by the previous night's explosion, and as helifted his leg for another step it was right over the yawning openinginto the men's quarters in the forecastle below. 

CHAPTER NINE. 

BLIND PROCEEDINGS. 

It would have been an ugly fall for the lieutenant, for according to thewholesome custom observed by most mechanics, the carpenter had turnedthe damaged hatchway into a very pleasant kind of pitfall, such as thegentle mild Hindoo might have dug for his enemy the crafty tiger, withits arrangements for impaling whatever fell. 

In this case Chips had all the ragged and jagged pieces of plankcarefully stuck point upwards, with a couple of augers, a chisel or two, and a fair amount of gimlets and iron spike-like nails, so that it wouldhave been impossible for his officer have fallen without receiving oneor two ugly wounds. 

Just in the nick of time, however, Jack Brown, the boatswain, dartedforward and gave the lieutenant a tremendous push, which sent him clearof the opening in the deck, but in a sitting position under the bulwark, against which his head went with a goodly rap. 

"Mutiny, by Jove!" he roared, in astonished fury. "Marines, fixbayonets! Run that scoundrel through. "

"Beg your honour's pardon, " began Jack Brown, offering his hand toassist the astonished commander to rise. 

"It's a lie, sir! How dare you say it was an accident?" cried thelieutenant, struggling up and readjusting the handkerchief tied roundhis injured head, and his cocked hat over that. "It's mutiny, sir, rankmutiny. You struck your officer, sir, and you'll be shot. Corporal, take this man below. In irons, sir, in irons. "

"But your honour would have gone through the hole squelch on to thelower deck, " growled Jack Brown in an injured tone. 

"Silence, sir, " roared the lieutenant. "Corporal, do your duty. "

"All right, corpy, I'm coming, " said the boatswain, as the marine laidhis hand upon his arm. "But the skipper may fall overboard and drownhisself next time, afore I gives him a helping hand. "

"Mutiny! mutiny!" cried the lieutenant. "Do you hear, Mr Leigh? Theship's crew are in open mutiny, and uttering threats. Fetch my pistols, sir, " he cried, drawing his sword. "Cut down the first man who uttersanother word. Do you hear, Mr Leigh? Quick! my pistols!"

"If you please, your honour, " began Billy Waters, pulling his forelockand giving a kick out behind. 

"Si-lence!" roared the lieutenant. "Here, marines, come on my side. I'll cut down the next man who dares to speak. Have you got thepistols, Mr Leigh?"

Of course there was no answer. 

"I say, have you got my pistols, Mr Leigh?" cried the lieutenant again. 

Still there was silence, and in his fury the lieutenant thrust thebandage up from over his inflamed eye, and tried to see what was goingon. 

Truth to speak, he was as blind as an owl in broad sunshine; but in hisirritable frame of mind he would not own it, even to himself, andpushing the bandage higher he tilted off his cocked hat, which fell witha bang on the deck, and in trying to save his hat he struck himself onthe jaw with the hilt of his sword, and dropped that in turn, to fallwith a ringing noise on the whitened planks. 

"Confusion!" he exclaimed as the corporal picked up hat and sword inturn, and handed them to the irate officer, whose temper was in no wisesweetened by this last upset. "Ha! thank you, Mr Leigh, you are verypolite all at once, " he cried sarcastically, as he stared at thecorporal, who stood before him drawn up stiff as a ramrod, butrepresenting nothing but a blurred figure before the inflamed optic ofthe lieutenant. "Well, sir! Now, sir! perhaps you will condescend togive some explanation of your conduct. Silence, there! If any man ofthis crew dares to speak I'll cut him down. Now, Mr Leigh, I call uponyou for an explanation. "

No answer, of course. 

"Do you hear what I say, sir?"

The corporal did not stir or move a muscle. 

"Once more, sir, I demand why you do not explain your conduct, " criedthe lieutenant. 

The corporal drew himself up a little tighter, and his eyes were fixedupon the bright blade quivering in the lieutenant's hand. 

"Speak, sir. It's mutiny by all the articles of war, " roared thelieutenant, taking a step forward, seizing the corporal by the collar, and presenting at his throat the point of the sword. 

"Mind my eyes, your honour, " cried the corporal, flinching; "I ain't MrLeigh. "

"Where is he then?" cried the astonished lieutenant. 

"Your honour won't cut me down if I speak?" said the corporal. 

"No, no, " said the lieutenant, lowering the point of his sword; "whereis Mr Leigh?"

"Ain't come aboard, sir. "

"Not come aboard? Here, Waters!"

The gunner trotted forward, pulled his forelock and kicked out his rightleg behind. 

"Where is Mr Leigh?"

The gunner pulled his forelock again, kicked out his left leg, and as hebobbed his head, his pigtail went up and came down again flop betweenhis shoulders as if it were a long knocker. 

"I say, where is Mr Leigh? You mutinous scoundrel, why don't youspeak?"

"Honour said you'd cut me down if I did. "

"Rubbish! Nonsense! Tell me, where is Mr Leigh?"

"Don't know, your honour. "

"Don't know, sir? What do you mean?"

"Please your honour, we'd found tracks, as we thought, of the smugglers'lugger, and then Mr Leigh lost us. No; I mean, your honour, we losthim. No, he lost--I say, Tom Tully, my lad, which way weer it?"

Tom Tully grunted, gave his trousers a hitch, and looked at thelieutenant's sword. 

"Well, sir, do you hear?" cried the lieutenant; "how was it?"

"Stow all cuttin's down, " grumbled Tom Tully, putting his hand behind soas to readjust the fall of his pigtail. 

"Will--you--speak--out--you--ras-cal?" cried the lieutenant. 

"Don't know, your honour, " growled Tom Tully; "only as Muster Leigh wentoff. "

"There, I thought as much!" cried the lieutenant. "Deserted his men, and gone off. "

"Please your honour, I don't think as--"

"Silence!" cried the lieutenant, so fiercely that Billy Waters gave upthe young officer's defence, and shut his teeth together with a loudsnap like that of a trap. 

"All hands 'bout ship!" cried the lieutenant. "He'll be coming backpresently, and signalling for a boat to fetch him off, but he shall comeon to Portsmouth and make his report to the admiral. "

The great mainsail swung over to the other side, and the breezefavouring, the squaresail was set as well, and the _Kestrel_, so latehelpless on shore, began to skim over the surface of the water at atremendous rate, while the lieutenant, having given his orders as towhich way the cutter's head should be laid, went down to the cabin tobathe his painful eye, having told one of the men to bring him some warmwater from the galley. 

The man he told happened to be Tom Tully, and as he stood by, ready tofetch more if it should be wanted, the bathing seemed to allay theirritation, so that the commander grew less angry, and condescended toask a few questions. Then he began to think of the _Kestrel_ havingbeen ashore, the state of her deck about the fore-hatchway, and the lateencounter, all of which he would have to minutely describe to theadmiral if he ran into harbour to report Hilary Leigh's evasion. 

Then, as he grew more comfortable, he began to think that perhaps, afterall, the young man had not run off. Furthermore, as he owned that hewas an indefatigable young officer, he came to the conclusion thatperhaps Leigh might have discovered further traces of the smugglers, and, if so, it would be wrong to leave him in the lurch, especially as agood capture might be made, and with it a heap of prize-money. 

"And besides, I'll give fifty pounds to run up against that scoundrelwho led me into that trap. "

A little more bathing made the lieutenant see so much more clearly, mentally as well as optically, that he went on deck and repeated hisformer orders of "'Bout ship, " with the result that the _Kestrel_ wasonce more gently gliding along off the cliff-bound stretch of land whereHilary Leigh had fallen into strange hands. 

CHAPTER TEN. 

IN THE DARK. 

Hilary's burst of merriment was of very short duration. There is, nodoubt, something very amusing to a young naval officer in the fact ofhis being made a prisoner, and carried off in a donkey-cart; but thepleasure is not of a lasting kind. 

At the end of a few moments Hilary's mirth ceased, and he grew verywrathful. He was exceedingly hot and in no little pain, and in additionhis sensations were such that he began to wonder whether he should liveto reach his destination, where ever that might be, without beingstifled. 

For the folds of the cloak were very tight about his head, and the strawon which he lay let him settle down into a hole, while that above shookdown more closely and kept out the air. 

For a few minutes a horrible sensation of dread troubled him, and heuttered a hoarse cry; but, making a struggle to master his fear, he grewmore calm, and though he was exceedingly hot and the effort was painful, he found he could breathe, and after a final effort to relieve himselfof his bonds he lay still, patiently waiting for his release. 

The road seemed to grow rougher and rougher, and he felt that he must begoing along some out-of-the-way by-lane, full of tremendous ruts, forsometimes one wheel would be down low, sometimes the other; and everynow and then the cart seemed to stick fast, and then followed the soundof blows. 

Whenever there came this sound of blows the cart began to echo back thenoise with a series of tremendous kicks; for it soon became evident thatthis was no patient, long-suffering donkey, but one with a spirit of itsown, and ready to resist. 

On again, and then another stick-fast. 

Whack! whack! whack! went a stick, and clatter, clatter came thedonkey's heels against the front of the cart, in such close proximity toHilary's head that he began to be alarmed for the safety of his skull, and after a good dead of wriggling he managed to screw himself so farround that when the next assault took place with the stick and batteringwith the donkey's heels the front boards of the cart only jarred againstHilary's arm. 

Another term of progress, during which the road seemed better, and theyappeared to get along some distance before there was another jerk up andanother jerk down, and then a series of jumps as if they were goingdownhill; and then the cart gave a big bump and stuck fast. 

The driver shouted and banged the donkey, and the donkey brayed andbattered the front of the cart, and once more, in spite of his pain anddiscomfort, Hilary lay under the straw and laughed as he picturedaccurately enough the scene that was taking place in that narrow lane. 

For he was in a rutty, little-used track, in a roughly-made, springlesscart, drawn by a big, ragged, powerful jackass, which every time thecart stuck, and his driver used the light ash stick he carried, laiddown his ears, bared his teeth, and kicked at the front of the cart, which was rough with indentations and splinters, the result of theprowess of the donkey's heels. 

On again--stop again--jolt here--jolt there--more blows and kicking, andHilary still lying there half stifled beneath the straw; but his youthand abundant vitality kept him up, so that he lay listening to thebattles between the donkey and his driver; then he thought of his men, and wondered whether they had made a good search for him; then he beganto think of the lieutenant, and wondered what he would say when the menwent back and reported his absence; lastly, he began to wonder whetherMr Lipscombe would come with the _Kestrel_ and try to find him. 

"Not much good to come with the cutter, " he thought as drew a longbreath; "he would want a troop of light horse if I'm being taken inland, as it seems to me I am. "

Then he began to wonder what would be done with him, whether Sir HenryNorland knew of his capture. Perhaps it was by Sir Henry's orders. 

"Well, if it is, " he said, half aloud, "if he don't behave well to me heis no gentleman. "

He began musing next about Adela, and thought of how she had alteredsince the old days when Sir Henry was a quiet country gentleman, and hadnot begun to mix himself up with the political questions of the day. 

"Oh!" said Hilary at last, "this is horribly tiresome and verydisgusting. I don't know that I should have much minded being madeprisoner by a French ship, and then sent ashore, so long as they treatedme well; but to be kidnapped like this by a beggarly set of smugglers istoo bad. "

"Well, " he thought, "I don't see that I shall be very much better off ifI make myself miserable about my condition. I can't escape just atpresent; they are evidently not going to kill me. That's not likely. Why should they? So I shall just make the best of things, and oldLipscombe must grumble as long as he likes. "

Phew! It was very hot, and he was very weary. The kicking of thedonkey and the sound of the blows had ceased to amuse him. He was sosore with the jolting that he told himself he could not get any worse. And still the cart went on, jolt, jolt, till a curious sensation ofdrowsiness came over him, and before he was aware that such a change wasapproaching he dropped off fast asleep, to make up for the wakefulnessand excitement of the past night, the long and arduous walk of thatmorning, and the exhaustion produced by the jolting and shaking to whichhe had been subjected at intervals for the past two hours. During thattime he had striven very hard to guess in which direction he was beingtaken, and wished he had known a little more of the locality inland, hisgeographical knowledge being confined to the points, bays, cliffs, villages, churches, and ports along the coast. 

It was no slow dozing off and re-awaking--no softly passing through apleasant dreamy state into a light sleep, for Nature seemed to say, withstern decision, that his body and mind had borne as great a strain aswas good for either; and one moment he was awake, feeling rather drowsy;the next he was gone--plunged deep down in one of those heavy, dreamlesssleeps in which hours pass away like moments, and the awakened sleeperwonders at the lapse of time. 

Nature is very kind to her children, whether they are old or young; andduring those restful times she builds up what the learned folks calltissue, and strengthens mind and muscle, fitting the said children forthe wear and tear that is to go on again the next day, and the next. 

Hilary awoke with a start, and so deep had been his sleep that it wassome little time before he could recall what had taken place. 

At first he thought he was in his berth on board the _Kestrel_, for itwas intensely dark, but on stretching out his hands he could touchnothing, so it could not be there, where his elbows struck the side, andnot many inches above his head there was the top. 

No, it could not be there. Where was he then?

Asleep and dreaming, he believed the next minute; and then all came backwith a leap--his capture, the swing off the cliff, the straw in thedonkey-cart, and that was where he was now, only the donkey was standingstill, for there was no jolting, and it had ceased to kick the frontboard of the cart. 

He had either been asleep or insensible, he knew, and--

"Hullo! they've untied my arms, " he exclaimed; "and it isn't so hot asit was. They must have taken off the cloak. "

Yes; the cloak was gone and his arms were free. So were his legs. 

No; his legs were securely tied, but the straw over his head had beentaken away. 

He lay perfectly still for a few minutes, thinking, and with his eyestrying in all directions to pierce the thick black darkness by which hewas surrounded, but without avail. 

"I wonder where I am, " he thought, as, after forcing his mind to obeyhis will, he went over in review all the adventures that had befallenhim from the time he left the ship till he was jolting along in thatdonkey-cart, half-suffocated in the boat-cloak and straw. 

Then there came a dead stoppage. He could get no farther. He knew hemust have gone to sleep, and the probabilities were that the cart hadbeen backed into some shed, the donkey taken out, and he had been leftto finish his sleep. 

"I wish I knew what time it was, " thought Hilary. "How dark it is, tobe sure. I wonder where the donkey is; and--hullo! where are the sidesof the cart?"

He felt about, but could touch only straw; and on stretching his handsout farther, it was with no better result. 

He listened. 

Not a sound. 

Strained his eyes. 

All was blacker than the blackest night. 

What should he do? Get up? Crawl about? Shout?

He could not answer his own questions; and as he lay there wonderingwhat would be best, that strange feeling of confusion that oppresses thestrongest of us in the dark when we are ignorant of where we are, cameupon him, and he lay there at last with the perspiration gathering inbig drops upon his brow. 

CHAPTER ELEVEN. 

AN UNPLEASANT AWAKENING. 

Did you ever suffer from that unpleasant bodily disorder--sleep-walking?Did you ever wake up and find yourself standing undressed in the cold--somewhere--you can't tell where, only that you are out of bed and on thefloor? You are confused--puzzled--and you want to know what is thematter. You know you ought to be in bed, or rather you have a vaguekind of belief that you ought to be in bed, and you want to be backthere, but the question directly arises--where is the bed? and for thelife of you you cannot tell. You hold out your hands, and they touchnothing. You try in another direction--another, and another, with thesame result, and, at last with one hand outstretched to the full extent, you gradually edge along sidewise till you touch something--wall, wardrobe, door, and somehow it feels so strange that you seem never tohave touched it before; perhaps you never have, for in daylight one doesnot go about one's room touching doors and walls. 

Of course the result is that you find your bed at last, and that it isclose to you, for you stretched your hands right over it again andagain; but all the same it is a very singular experience, and theaccompanying confusion most peculiar, and those who have ever had suchan awakening can the better understand Hilary Leigh's feelings as he laythere longing for the light. 

"Well, " he exclaimed at last, after vainly endeavouring to pierce thedarkness, and to touch something else but straw and the stones uponwhich it had been heaped, "if any one had told me that I should be sucha coward on waking up and finding myself in the dark, I should have hithim, I'm sure I should. But it is unpleasant all the same. Oh, I say, how my legs ache!"

This took his attention from his position, and he sat up and then drewup his legs. 

"Well, I must be stupid and confused, " he muttered impatiently. "Why doI sit here and let my legs ache with this rope tied round them when Imight take it off?"

This was better still; it gave him something to do; and he at onceattacked the tight knots, which proved so hard that he pulled out hispocket-knife, which had not been taken away. But the rope might beuseful for escape! So he closed his knife, and with all a sailor'sdeftness of fingers attacked the knots so successfully that he at lastset his legs free, and, coiling up the rope, tucked it beneath thestraw. 

"Murder!" he muttered, drawing in his breath; for now that his legs werefreed they seemed to ache and smart most terribly. They throbbed, andburned, and stung, till he had been rubbing at them for a goodhalf-hour, after which the circulation seemed to be restored to itsproper force, and he felt better; but even then, when he tried to standup they would hardly support his weight, and he was glad to sit downonce more and think. 

The darkness was terrible now that he had no longer to make any effort, and the silence was worse. He might have been buried alive, so solemnand still did all seem. 

But Hilary soon shook off any weak dread that tried to oppress him, andrising at last he found that he could walk with less pain, andcautiously leaving the heap of straw upon which he had been lying, hebegan to explore. 

Slowly and carefully he thrust out one foot and drew the other to it, feeling with his hands the while, till they came in contact with a wallthat was roughly plastered. 

That was something tangible; and gradually feeling his way along this hecame to an angle in the wall, starting off in another direction. 

This he traced, and at the end of a few paces came to another angle. Then again another, and in the next side of what was a stone-floored, nearly square apartment, he felt a door. 

There was the way out, then. The door was not panelled, but of slantbevelled boards, crossed by strong iron hinges, and--yes--here was thekeyhole; but on bending down and looking through, he could feel a colddraught of air, but see no light. 

"There must be a window, " he thought; and to find this he searched theplace again as high as he could reach, but without avail; and at last hefound his way back to the heap of straw, and threw himself down indisgust. 

"Well, I sha'n't bother, " he muttered. "I'm shut up here just as if Iwas in prison. I've been to sleep, and I've woke up in the dark, because it's night; and that's about the worst of it. I don't seeanything to mind. There's no watch to keep, so I sha'n't be roused upby that precious bell; and as every sailor ought to get a good longsleep whenever he can, why here goes. "

Perhaps Hilary Leigh's thoughts were not quite so doughty as his words;but whatever his thoughts were, he fought them down in the most manfulway, stretched himself out upon the straw, and after lying thinking fora few minutes he dropped off fast asleep, breathing as regularly andeasily as if he had been on board the _Kestrel_, and rocked in thecradle of the deep. 

CHAPTER TWELVE. 

A MORE PLEASANT AWAKENING, WITH A HUNGRY FIT. 

"Tchu weet--tchu weet--tchu weet! Come to tea, Jack! Come to tea, Jack! Come to tea, Jack! Whips Kitty! Whips Kitty! Whips Kitty!Tcho-tcho-tcho!"

Hilary Leigh lay half awake, listening to the loud song of a thrush, full-throated and joyous, whistling away to his mate sitting close by inher clay cup of a nest upon four pale greenish-blue spotted eggs; and ashe heard the notes he seemed to be in the old bedroom at Sir HenryNorland's, where he used to leave his window open to be called by thebirds. 

Yes, he was back in the old place, and here was the rich, ruddy, goldenlight of the sun streaming in at his window, and through on to theopposite wall; and it was such a beautiful morning that he would jump upand take his rod, and go down to the big hole in the river. The tenchwould bite like fun on a morning like this. There were plenty of bigworms, too, in the old watering-pot, tough as worms should be after agood scouring in a heap of wet moss. Just another five minutes and he'dget up, and when he met Adela at breakfast he could brag about what agood one he was at early rising, and show her all the beautiful tench, and--

"Hallo! Am I awake?"

There was no mistake about it. He was wide awake now, and it was yearsago that he used to listen to the birds in his old bedroom at Sir HenryNorland's; and though a thrush was whistling away outside, and therising sun was streaming in at a window and shining on the oppositewall, where he was now Hilary Leigh did not know, only that he wasseated on a heap of straw, and that he was in what looked like a part ofan old-fashioned chapel, with a window high up above his reach. 

"I feel as if I had been asleep for about a week, " muttered Hilary, "andI'm so hungry that if they, whoever they are, don't soon bring me somebreakfast I shall eat my boots. "

"Why, they must have carried me in here while I was asleep, " he thought;and then, "Hallo, old fellow!" he cried, laughing, "there you are, areyou?"

For just then, completely eclipsing the thrush in power, a donkey--probably, he thought, the one that brought him there--trumpeted forthhis own resonant song, the song that made the savage Irishman exclaimthat it was "a wonderful bird for singing, only it seemed to have amoighty cowld. " And if there had been any doubt before what donkey itwas, Hilary's mind was set at rest, for as the bray ended in along-drawn minor howl there came two or three sharp raps, just as if thejackass has relieved his feelings with these good kicks, as was thecase, up against the boards of the shed in which he was confined. 

"Well, this is a rum set-out, " said Hilary, getting up, and then bendingdown to have a rub at his legs, which still suffered from thecompression of the cord. "Hang it all! what a mess my uniform is inwith this chaffy straw!"

He set to and brushed off as much as he could, and then began to inspectthe place in which he was imprisoned, to find that the ideas he hadformed of it in the dark were not far wrong, inasmuch as there was aplastered wall, a stone floor, an ancient-looking door with a bigkeyhole, through which he could see nothing, and the Gothic window withiron bars across, and no glass to keep out the air. 

"Well, if any fellow had told me about this I should have said he wasinventing. I suppose I'm a prisoner. I wonder what Lipscombe thinks ofmy not coming back. Well, I can't help it; and he must come with someof our men to cut me out. "

"Come to tea, Jack! Come to tea, Jack! Whips Kitty! Whips Kitty!Whips Kitty!"

"Yes, I'll come to tea, " said Hilary, as the thrush sang on; "but how amI to come? Oh! I say, I am so precious hungry. I could eat thehardest biscuit and the toughest bit of salt beef that ever a fellow putbetween his teeth. They might bring me some prog. "

Hilary was well rested by his sleep, and felt as active as a young goatnow, so running to the door he tried it again, to find it shut fast, andno chance of getting it open. So he turned at once to the window, andlooked around for something to enable him to reach it, but looked invain, for there was nothing to be seen. 

"Never mind; here goes!" he cried; and walking back to the opposite wallhe took a run and a jump, and succeeded in getting his hands upon theold stone sill, but only to slip back again. 

He repeated his efforts several times, but in vain; and at last findingthis was hopeless, unless for the time being he had been furnished withthe hind-legs of a kangaroo, he took out his pocket-knife, opened it, and began to cut a notch in the wall. 

It was the soft sandstone of the district, and he was not long incarving a good resting-place for one foot; and this he followed up, cutting another niche about a foot higher. 

"I'm making a pretty mess, " he muttered as he looked down; "serve 'emright for shutting me up. "

On he went carving away with the big jack-knife, which was an offeringmade by Billy Waters, and his perseverance was at last rewarded by hiscontriving a series of niches in the stone wall by whose means heclimbed up sufficiently high to enable him to reach the iron bars, whenhe easily drew himself up to the broad sill, upon which he could sit, and with one arm through the bars, make himself pretty comfortable andenjoy the view. 

His first glance, though, was at the iron bars embedded in the stone, and he came to the conclusion that, given enough time, he could pickaway the cement and make his escape; but as it would be a matter of timehe thought that perhaps it would be better to defer it until he knewwhere he was. 

"Looking due east, " said Hilary, as he began taking observations; "thenthe sea must be to the right, over those hills; and out here to theleft--my word, what a pretty place! Why, it is like a park!"

For gazing to the left, or northward, his eye ranged over the lovelyundulating Sussex Weald, with its park-like, well-wooded hills andvalleys, now in the first blush of their summer beauty, the leafage alltender green, and the soft meadowlike pastures gilded with the dazzlingyellow of the over-abundant crowfoot. 

There was a thick dew upon the grass, which sparkled like myriads ofdiamonds, emeralds, and sapphires in the morning sun. Here was a patchof vivid blue where the wild hyacinths were peering out from the edge ofa wood which, farther in, was tinted with the delicate French-white ofthe anemones; the cuckoo-flowers rose with their pale lavender turretsof bloom above the hedgeside herbage, and the rich purple of the spottedorchis was on every side. 

There was a cottage here, a mossy-roofed barn there, all green andyellow; and a tile roofed and sided farmhouse peered from an appleorchard all pink blossoms farther on; and dotted about were the patcheslike pinky snow lying thick amongst the trees, telling of golden andruddy russet apples in the days to come. 

Here and there the land dipped down sharply into woody ravines, from outof whose depths there were reflected back the brilliant flashes of thesun where the little streamlets trickled down towards one that wasbroader, and opened out into quite a little lake, with a hoary-lookingbuilding at one end, where something seemed to be in motion, and, makinga telescope of his hands, he could just discern that it was a greatwheel, from which the water was falling in splashes that glistened andsparkled in the sun. Far away the hills seemed of a pale misty blue, near at hand they were of a golden green, and as he drank in with hiseyes the beauty of the scene beneath the brilliant blue sky Hilary Leighexclaimed:

"Oh! how I could enjoy all this, if I were not so jolly hungry!"

He forgot his hunger the next moment, for he caught sight of a couple oftiny white tails seeming to run up a sandy bank, their owners, a pair ofbrown rabbits, making for their holes as if ashamed of having been seenby daylight after eating tender herbage all the night. Far above themthe bird that gave its name to the cutter was hovering in the air, seemingly motionless at times, as it poised itself over something thattried to hide itself in the grass. 

The proceedings of the kestrel interested Hilary to no small extent ashe saw it stoop, rise, hover again, and end by making a dash down likean arrow, and then skim along the ground and fly away without its prey. 

"Like our dash after the smugglers, " he said to himself; and then helooked closer home, to see that where he was formed part of a veryancient house, one of whose mossy-roofed, ivy-grown gables he could justmake out by pressing his cheek very hard against the iron bars. Besideit was an orchard full of very old lichened trees, with patches of greenmoss about their boles, and beyond this there seemed to be a garden in avery neglected state, while surrounding all was a wide black moat. 

"I wonder whether there's a bridge, " thought Hilary, as he looked at thesmooth dark water, dotted with the broad leaves of the yellowwater-lily, and amidst the herbage of whose banks a sooty-lookingwater-hen was walking delicately upon its long thin green toes, dartingits crimson-shielded head forward and flicking its white black-barredtail at every step. 

"It's very nice to be growing a man, " mused Hilary; "but how I couldenjoy being a boy again! I'll be bound to say there's heaps of fish inthat great moat, for it looks as deep as deep. "

It was not above twenty yards from him at the nearest end, where itcurved round the place that formed his prison, and from his elevatedposition he could command a good view. 

"There, I said so!" he exclaimed; "I can see the lily leaves moving. There's a big tench pushing about amongst the stems. Smack! That was agreat carp. "

The water moved in a series of rings in the spot whence the loudsmacking noise had come, and as Hilary excitedly watched the place afaint nibbling noise reached his ear. After looking about he saw whatproduced the sound, in the shape of a pretty little animal, that seemedto be made of the softest and finest of black velvet. It had crawled alittle way up a strand of reed, and was nibbling its way through sorapidly that the reed fell over with a light splash in the water, whenthe little animal followed, took the cut end in its teeth, and swamacross the moat, trailing the reed, and disappearing with it under someoverhanging bushes, where it probably had its hole. 

"I could be as happy as a king here, " thought Hilary, "if I could goabout as I liked. Why, there's a snake crawling out in the sun on thatpatch of sand, and--phew! what a whopper! a ten-pounder, if he's anounce!" he cried, as, simultaneously with the flashing out of a shoal oflittle silvery fish from the black surface of the moat there was a rush, a swirl, a tremendous splash, and the green and gold of a large pike wasseen as it threw itself out of the water in pursuit of its prey. 

"I wonder whether they've got any fishing-tackle here, " he criedexcitedly. "How I could enjoy a week or two at this place! Why, there'd be no end of fun, only one would want a companion. Birds' nestsmust swarm, and one might get rabbits and hares, and fish of anevening. "

He stopped short, for an acute pang drew his attention to an extremelyvulgar want. 

"Oh, I say, what a boy I am still!" he said, half aloud. "Here I am, half starved for want of food. I'm a king's officer taken prisoner by apack of dirty smugglers, and I'm keeping up my dignity as a gentleman inthe king's service by thinking about chasing water-rats and fishing forcarp and pike. 'Pon my word I'm about ashamed of myself. What abeautiful magpie, though!" he continued, staring out of the window; "Inever saw one with so large a tail. Why, there are jays, too calling inthe wood. Yes, there they go--char, char, char! One might keep 'emaboard ship to make fog-signals in thick weather. My word, how thisdoes bring back all the old times! I feel as boyish and as bright and--Oh! I say, are you going to starve a fellow to death? I can't standthis. Ahoy! Is there any one here? Ahoy! Pipe all hands tobreakfast, will you? Ahoy!"

He placed one hand to the side of his face and shouted with all hismight, and as he ceased--

"Haw-w! hee-haw! hee-haw! hee-haw! hee-haw! haw-haw! haw-haw-wk!" camefrom a short distance, as if in answer to his hail, followed directly byhalf a dozen lively kicks. 

"Sweet, intelligent beast!" cried Hilary. "What, are you hungry too?Surely they have not left us to starve, my gentle friend in misfortune. "

Growing too hungry and impatient to be interested any longer by thebeauty of the scene, Hilary shouted again several times, but withoutobtaining an answer. He startled some pigeons, though, from somewhereupon the roof, and they circled round a few times before settling downagain, and beginning to sing, "Koo-coo-coo-cooo! koo-coo-coo-cooo!" overand over again. 

He leaped down, went to the door, and hammered and kicked and shoutedtill his toes were tender and his throat hoarse; but in answer to hiskicks came hollow echoes, and to his shouts the donkey's brays, and atlast he threw himself sulkily down upon the straw. 

"I'm not going to stop here and be starved to death, " he exclaimedangrily; "there's no one in the place, that's my opinion, and they'vestuffed me in here while they get out of the country. "

He jumped up in a fury and went and kicked at the door again, but themocking echoes were the only response, and, tired of that, he shoutedthrough the keyhole, ran, jumped, and clambered to the window, as hetook out his knife, opened it, and began to dig at the stonework toloosen the bars, when the donkey brayed once more. 

"Be quiet, will you, " roared Hilary, "or I'll kill you, and eat youafterwards. "

As he said this he burst out laughing at the ludicrous situation, andthis did him good, for he felt that it would be best to be patient. 

So there he sat, listening for some sound to indicate the presence of ahuman being, but hearing nothing, longing intensely the while for somebreakfast; and just as he was conjuring up visions of a country-housemeal, with hot bread, delicious butter, and yellow cream, he detected inthe distance the cooking of home-made bacon, and as if to add poignancyto the keen edge of his hunger, a hen began loudly to announce thatsomewhere or other there was a new-laid egg. 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. 

BREAKFAST UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 

"Well, this beats everything I've had to do with, " said Hilary, as thehours glided by, and he began to suffer acutely. Visions of deliciouscountry breakfasts, for which he had longed, had now given place to thehumblest of desires, for he felt as if he would have given anything forthe most mouldy, weevilly biscuit that ever came out of a dirty bag in apurser's locker. He had fasted before now, but never to such an extentas this, and he sat upon his straw heap at last, chewing pieces to tryand relieve his pain. 

He had worked at the iron bars for a time, but had now given it up, finding that he would be knifeless long before he could loosen a singlebar; besides, that gnawing hunger mastered everything else, and in placeof the active the passive state had set in: with a feeling of obstinateannoyance against his captors he had determined to sit still and starve. 

The probabilities are that Hilary's obstinate determination would havelasted about an hour; but he was not called upon to carry it out, forjust about noon, as he guessed, he fancied he heard a voice, and jumpingup he ran to the window and listened. 

Yes, there was no mistake about it. Some one was singing, and it was insweet girlish tones. 

"Ahoy! I say there!" shouted Hilary at the invisible singer, who seemedto be right away on the other side of the garden; and the singingstopped on the instant. "Is any one there?"

There was not a sound now, and he was about to cry out once more when hecaught a glimpse of a lady's dress, and a little slight figure camecautiously through the trees, looking wonderingly about. 

"Hurrah!" shouted Hilary, thrusting out his arm and waving his hand, "Addy! Addy! Here!"

The figure came closer, showing the pleasant face and bright wonderingeyes of Sir Henry Norland's daughter, who came timidly on towards thebuilding where Hilary was confined. 

"Don't you know me, Addy?" he cried. 

"Hilary! you here?"

"Yes, for the present; and I've been kicking and shouting for hours. AmI to be starved to death?"

"Oh, Hilary!" she cried. 

"Well, it seems like it. I haven't had a morsel since yesterdaymorning. Get me something, there's a dear girl--bread, meat, tea, coffee, anything, if it's only oats or barley. "

"Wait a minute, " cried the girl, turning to go. 

"You mustn't be longer, or I shall be dead, " shouted Hilary as she ranoff; and then, dropping from the window, the young fellow executed afigure out of the dance of delight invented for such occasions by DameNature to aid young people in getting rid of their exuberance, stoppedshort, pulled out a pocket-comb, and carefully touched up his hair, relieving it from a number of scraps of straw and chaff in the process. 

"A nice Tom o' Bedlam I must have looked, " he said to himself. "Nowonder she didn't know me. "

"Hil! Hil!"

"Ahoy!" he shouted, scrambling up to the window and slipping down again, to try the next time more carefully and on regaining the window-sillthere was the bright, eager-looking girl beneath, with a jug of milk anda great piece of bread. 

"This was all I could get now, Hil, " she said, her eyes sparkling withpleasure. 

"All!" he cried. "New bread and new milk! Oh, Addy, it's lovely!There's nothing I like better for breakfast, and our cow on board won'tmilk and our oven won't bake. Give us hold: I'm ravenous for thefeast. "

Hilary reached one arm down and Adela Norland reached one arm up, butwhen they had strained to the utmost a good six feet intervened betweenHilary's hand and the slice of bread. 

"Oh, I say, how tantalising!" he cried, giving a shake at the bars. "Make haste, Addy, and do something. Isn't there a ladder?"

"No, " she said, shaking her head. "I'll get a chair. "

"Two chairs wouldn't do it, " cried Hilary, who, sailor-like, was prettyready at ideas. "Here, I know. Get a long stick; put the bread andmilk down first. "

She placed the jug on the ground, and was about to run off. 

"Cover your handkerchief over them first, " cried Hilary, "or I can'tbear to sit and look at them. "

"I won't be a minute, " cried the girl; and she ran off, leaving theyoung sailor in the position of that mythical gentleman Tantalus, waiting her return. 

The minute had reached two when a peculiar grunting noise was heard, and, to Hilary's horror, an exceedingly pendulous, narrow-backed pigcame snuffing and rooting into sight, turning over stones with its hugepointed snout, investigating clods of earth, pushing aside pieces ofwood, and all the while making an ill-used grunting squeaking noise, asif protesting against the long period that had elapsed since it was fed. 

"Well, of all the ugly, hungry-looking brutes I ever saw, " said Hilary, as he gazed down at the pig, "you are about the worst. Why, you are notfit to cut up and salt for a ship's company, which is saying a deal. Umph! indeed! Get out you ugly--Oh, murder! the brute's coming at mybreakfast! Addy, Addy, quick! Yah! Pst! Get out! Ciss! Swine!Co-chon! Boo! Bah-h-h! Oh, if I'd only got something to throw at thewretch! Quick, Addy, quick!"

His sufferings were bad enough before, but now they were agonising, for, treating the loud objurgations of the prisoner with the greatestcontempt, after raising its snout sidewise and gazing up at him with onelittle eye full of porcine wisdom, and flapping one of its ears thewhile, the pig came to the conclusion that Hilary could only throw wordsat it such as would not injure its pachydermatous hide, and then with acontemptuous grunt it came on. 

Nearer and nearer to the breakfast came the pig, twiddling its miserablelittle tail about, investigating here and turning over there; and morefrantic grew the prisoner. He abused that unfortunate pig with everysentence, phrase, and term he could remember or invent, but the animalpaid not the slightest heed. 

"Au, you thick-skinned beast, " he cried; "if I were only down there witha stick!"

But he was not down there with a stick, and the pig evidently knew, though as yet he did not know of the breakfast lying on the ground soinvitingly close, or it would have disappeared at once. Still, therewas no doubt that before many minutes had passed it would be gone ifAdela did not return, and at last Hilary pulled off a shoe, and as theanimal came now in a straight line for the bread, he took careful aimand hit the intruder on the nose. 

The pig uttered an angry squeal, and jumped back; but as the shoe laymotionless, it concluded that it was probably something thrown it toeat, and in this belief it approached the foot-guard, turned it over, thrust its nose right inside, and lifted it up, flung it off its snout, and proceeded to taste the leather, when, to Hilary's horror, the breadmet the ugly little pink eyes. 

The pig uttered a squeal of pleasure, and dropped the shoe. Hilaryuttered a yell of horror, and threw the fellow shoe, and the pig madefor the bread, just as, armed with a long stick, Adela came round thecorner, saw the position, and rushed at the intruder, whom a blow fromthe stick drove grunting away. 

"Oh, I am glad you came, " cried Hilary. "You were only just in time. "

"The nasty thing, " cried the lady, picking up the bread. "Had hetouched it?"

"No, " said Hilary pointedly; "_she_ had. But pray make haste. "

"Oh, what fun!" cried Adela, sticking the point of the stick into thebread, and then, with the weight at the end making the wand bend like afishing-rod, she held it up bobbing and bowing about to Hilary, whocaught at it eagerly, and took a most frightful bite out of one side, leaving a model for the arch of a bridge perfectly visible to the younglady. 

"What lovely bread!" said Hilary, with his mouth full. Another modelarch made in the bread. 

"I was so precious hungry. "

"I can see you were, " cried Adela laughing. 

"But I say, " said Hilary, with his mouth full; "this is just likefeeding a wild beast in a cage. "

"But however did you come to be here?" cried the girl. 

"Can't talk till I've been fed a little more, " replied Hilary. "I say, Addy, dear, how about that milk?"

"That's what I was thinking, " said the girl; "I can't push that up toyou on the stick. "

"No, " said Hilary, munching away. "What are we to do?"

"I don't know, Hil. "

"I do. "

He took another tremendous bite, which made the two arches into one bythe destruction of the model pier, laid the bread down on thewindow-sill, and was about to leap down, when he remembered something. 

"I beg your pardon, " he said politely; "would you mind picking up myshoes on the end of that stick, and passing them up?"

"Oh, Hilary!"

"I was obliged to shy them at the pig to save my breakfast. Thank you, "he continued, as she laughingly picked up a shoe on the end of the stickand passed it up. "Now the other. Thanks, " he added, dropping theminside his prison. "Now I want that milk. "

As Adela picked up the jug the sailor dropped back after his shoes, putthem on, ran to his straw bed, munching away the while, and drew out thecord that had been used to bind his legs. 

"How useful a bit of line always is!" he muttered as he climbed back tothe window-sill, held on with one arm through the bars, and took anothertremendous bite from the bread, nodding pleasantly the while at his oldfriend. 

"Why, Hil, how hungry you must have been!" she said. "Let me run andget some butter. "

"How hungry I am, you mean, " he said. "Addy, dear, I feel now just likewhat wolves must feel when they eat little children and old women. I'llnever speak disrespectfully of a wolf again. Why, I could have eatenyou. "

"Oh, what nonsense!"

"I don't know so much about that, " he said; "but never mind about thebutter; let me have some of that milk. Look here, tie one end of thiscord round the handle of the jug, and then I'll haul it up. "

He lowered down one end of the cord and watched her carefully, munchingbusily the while, as she cleverly tied the end to the jug handle, andthen held the vessel of milk up so that he should not have so far tohaul. 

"Steady, " said Hilary, with his mouth unpleasantly full; and he softlydrew the cord tight, but only to find that the want of balance wouldpull the jug so much on one side that half the milk would be spilled. 

"That won't do, " he said; "and I can't wait for you to tie the cordafresh; besides, I don't think you could do it right. I say, Addy, drink some of it, there's a good girl; it would be a pity to spill any. "

Adela hesitated a moment, and then placed the jug to her lips, Hilarywatching her attentively the while. 

"Steady, " he cried excitedly; "steady! Don't drink it all. "

"Oh, Hilary, " said the girl laughing, "what a greedy boy you are!You're just as bad as you used to be over the cider. "

"Can't help it, " he said. "There, drink a little more. You don't knowhow bad I am. "

"Poor fellow!" she said feelingly; and having drunk a little more sheagain held up the jug, which he drew rapidly to the window, but notwithout spilling a good deal. 

"Hah!" he exclaimed as he got hold of the vessel. "Good health. "

He drank long and with avidity; and then setting down the jug once more, partook of some bread, looking down the while at his little benefactor, and ending by saying:

"Why, Addy, what a nice girl you have grown!"

"Have I!" she said laughingly. "And what a great big fellow you havegrown; and oh, Hilary, " she said, with her face becoming serious, "thankyou--thank you for being so very, very kind to us the other day. "

"Yes, " he said, "and this is the way you show it. Now I'm better, and Iwant to know how you came here. "

"Oh, this is a very old house--a Place they call it--where papa and Ihave been staying for some time. Poor papa is obliged to be in hiding. "

"And who lives here?"

"Well, Hilary, perhaps I ought not to say, " she said sadly. 

"Tell me, then, how far are we from the sea?"

"About eight miles. "

"Only eight miles? Well, how did I come here?"

"I don't know. I want to know. "

"Am I a prisoner?"

"It seems like it. "

"But where's everybody? I haven't heard a soul about till you came. "

"They are not up yet, " said Adela, glancing over her shoulder. "Theyhave been out all night, Hilary. "

"Oh, then, I'm in a regular smuggler's den, I suppose. What place isthis I am in?"

"The old chapel, Hilary. They say it's haunted, and for the moment, when I saw you, I was frightened. "

"What! are there ghosts here?" said Hilary, glancing inside. 

"Yes, they say one walks there sometimes. "

"I only wish he had walked here last night, and left the door open, "said Hilary. "But I say, Addy, how funny that we should meet again likethis. "

"Yes, isn't it, Hilary? And yet, " said the girl thoughtfully, "it isnot funny, but sad, for the days are not so happy now as they were whenwe played together years ago. "

"And we've both grown so, " said Hilary thoughtfully. "But look here, "he exclaimed, as a sudden thought struck him. "I want to see somebody. I'm not going to be made a prisoner here in my own country. I'm notcross with you, Addy, but I must have this set right. Where is SirHenry?"

As he asked the question a distant voice was heard calling the younggirl's name, and she turned, ran, and was out of sight in an instant. 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. 

A TEMPTING OFFER. 

Hilary sat upon the window-ledge and listened, but he heard no furthersound; so, coming to the conclusion that though he was extremelyindignant he was also still uncommonly hungry, he drained the jug ofmilk, and went on steadily until he had finished his bread, after which, feeling better, he let himself down from the ledge, which was anythingbut a comfortable place, and began walking up and down the littlechapel. 

For a few minutes he was too indignant to do more than think about hisposition; and he kept on muttering about "A gross case of kidnapping!""Cowardly scoundrels!" "Insult to king's officer!" and a few more suchexpressions; but having partaken of food he felt easier and soon hadanother good look round the place. 

It was only a portion of the old chapel, and had evidently been patchedand used for different purposes of late years, so that its old religiouscharacter was to a great extent gone. 

"I don't think it would be so very hard to get out, " he said to himself, "if a fellow made up his mind to it, and--hallo! here's some one comingat last. "

His quick ears had detected footsteps, followed by the unlocking of adoor; then the steps passed over a boarded floor in some empty echoingroom. 

Then he heard voices, and the unlocking of another door, when the voicesand steps sounded plainer, and he began to understand how it was thathis shouts had not been heard, for the people, whoever they were, nowseemed to come down along a stone passage before they stopped at andunlocked the door of his prison. 

As the heavy old door was thrown open Hilary saw two things--one whichmade him very cross, the other which made him very glad. 

The sight that roused his anger was Sir Henry Norland, in eleganthalf-military costume, with high riding boots and spurs; the other was arough, ill-looking man, carrying a tray, on which was bread, a coldchicken, and what seemed to be a flask of French wine. 

Certainly Hilary had just partaken of food, but a draught of milk andsome bread seemed only provocatives to fresh eating in the case of ayoung growing fellow who had been fasting for considerably more thantwenty-four hours. 

"Set the tray down, Allstone, " said Sir Henry. "Don't wait, " hecontinued; "I'll lock the door after me when I come out. "

"The skipper said I was to keep charge of the young lad, " said the man, surlily. 

"Keep charge, then, " said Sir Henry sharply, "but wait outside. "

The man scowled and withdrew, whereupon Sir Henry held out his hand. 

"Well, Hilary, " he said, "you and I seem to meet under strangeconditions. "

"May I ask, Sir Henry, " cried Hilary sharply, and without looking at theextended hand, "why I am seized, bound, and kidnapped in thisdisgraceful way?"

"Certainly, my dear boy, " said Sir Henry; "but let me tell you at oncethat I had nothing whatever to do with it. "

"Who had, then?" cried Hilary, with the blood flaming in his cheeks. 

"That I cannot exactly answer; but from what I can learn it seems thatyou were found prying rather too closely into the affairs of somefriends of mine, and they pounced upon you and carried you off. "

"Yes, and I'll pounce upon some of them, " cried Hilary, "and carry themoff. "

"When you get your liberty, " said Sir Henry with a smile. 

"Yes; when I get my liberty, " cried Hilary; "and that sha'n't be longfirst. Even now my commander will be searching for me. "

"Very likely, Hilary, " said Sir Henry; "but you must be very hungry. Ihave only just learned of your being here, and that you had not beenattended to. The habits of my friends here are somewhat nocturnal, andhence they are irregular by day. Come, sit down, man, and eat. Wecampaigners are not so particular as some people. "

He seated himself upon the straw as he spoke, and looked up so franklyand with such friendly eyes at the young man, that Hilary was slightlysoftened. 

"Adela is here, " he said. 

"Yes, I know; I have seen her this morning, Sir Henry. "

"Seen her! Oh, yes, I see--from the window. But come, fall to. "

Hilary glanced at the chicken and the bread, and felt disposed to resenthis rough treatment, especially as just then the donkey brayed loudly, and fired off a salute of kicks against the side of the shed where hewas confined; but there was a specially tempting brown side to thatchicken, which looked tender and seductive, and Hilary argued that heshould not be able to stand long upon his dignity if he starved himself, so he seated himself tailor-fashion beside the tray, and began to carve. 

"You'll take some, Sir Henry?" he said sulkily. 

"With pleasure, " was the reply; and Sir Henry allowed himself to behelped, Hilary's carving being of a very primitive kind, but he managedto hack off a leg and a wing, and passed them to Sir Henry, who, inreturn, cut some bread, and poured out a glass of wine. 

The chicken came fully up to its looks, and those who discussed it werevery busy for some little time. 

"There is only one glass, " said Sir Henry. "Will you drink first, Hilary?"

"No, Sir Henry. After you. "

"But I stand in the place of your host, " said Sir Henry smiling. "However, I will set you the example after the good old custom, so as toshow you that the wine is not drugged. "

"His majesty King Charles of England!" said Sir Henry, drinking a heartydraught before wiping his lips on a French cambric handkerchief. Thenhe refilled the glass and passed it to Hilary. 

"His majesty King George the Second of England, " said Hilary taking theglass, "and down with the Pretender!"

He said this defiantly, as he gazed full in Sir Henry's eyes; but thelatter only smiled. 

"You foolish boy, " he said lightly; "how little you know what you aresaying. "

"I know that I am speaking like a loyal officer of the king, Sir Henry, and that if I did my duty I should arrest you at once on a charge ofhigh treason. "

"And get my head chopped off, eh, Hilary? Rather comical that would be, my boy, for a prisoner to arrest his visitor, and keep him in prisonwith him; but how would you manage to give him up to the law?"

Hilary bit his lip. Certainly it did seem laughable for him, aprisoner, to talk in such a way as that, and he felt vexed, and lookeduneasily at his visitor; but he brightened up directly as he felt thathe had shown his loyalty to the king he served. 

"So you believe in the Dutchman, Hilary?"

"I don't understand you, Sir Henry, " said the young man. 

"I say you believe in the Dutchman--the man you call George the Second--the Pretender. "

"I do not believe in the Pretender, " exclaimed Hilary quickly. 

"Don't quibble, my boy, " said Sir Henry smiling. "You call my sovereignthe Pretender, and that is what I call the man you serve. Good heavens, boy! how could you devote your frank young life to such a service?"

Hilary had finished all he wanted of the chicken, and he sat and gazedin the baronet's face. 

"Well, " said the latter, "what are you thinking?"

"I was thinking, Sir Henry, how much better it would be if we were bothto speak out frankly. Now, what do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" said Sir Henry thoughtfully. 

He stopped and remained thinking. 

"I'll tell you what you mean, Sir Henry, if you like, " said Hilary. "You have come here now, secure in your power, if you like to call itso, and you are going to try and win me over by soft words to join theother cause. "

"Indeed!" exclaimed Sir Henry, changing his ground. "I did not sayanything to make you think such a thing as that. "

Hilary saw that he had made a mistake, and he, too, withdrew hisargumentative position. 

"Perhaps I am wrong then, " he said. 

"Presumably, Hilary. Why, my good boy, of what value would you be tous? I said what I did only out of compassion. "

This nettled Hilary, who, boylike, had no little idea of his importancein the world. 

"Oh, no, my dear boy, I only felt a little sorry; and as to being in mypower, really I have no power whatever here. I am, as I told you, onlya visitor. "

"On the Pretender's business, " said Hilary sharply. 

"I did not say so, " replied Sir Henry quietly. "But come, suppose wetwo enemies, in a political sense, leave off fencing and come, down tothe matter of fact. Hilary, my boy, I am very grateful to you for yourreticence the other day. You saved my life. "

"I am very glad I served you, Sir Henry; but I hope I shall never beplaced in such a situation again. If I am, sir, I shall be obliged togive you up. "

"From a stern sense of duty, " said Sir Henry laughing. "Well, now Iwant to serve you in turn, Hilary. What can I do for you?"

"Have me immediately set at liberty, Sir Henry. "

"Ah! there you ask an impossibility, my boy. You know what you aresupposed to have discovered?"

"Yes. "

"And if you are set at liberty you will of course bring the _Kestrel_abreast of a certain part of the shore and land your men?"

"Of course. "

"Then is it likely, my dear boy, that these people here will give youthe opportunity? No; I am ready to help you in remembrance of old days;and if you will give your word of honour as a gentleman not to go morethan five hundred yards in any direction from this old place I dare sayI can get for you that length of tether. "

"I'm to promise not to escape?"

"Most decidedly; and if you do I dare say I can manage for your life topass far more agreeably than in your close quarters on board the cutter, with a peremptory, bullying officer. "

"Lieutenant Lipscombe is my officer, and a gentleman, Sir Henry. "

"Lieutenant Lipscombe is your officer, and he is no gentleman, HilaryLeigh, " said Sir Henry warmly. "But we will not discuss that. As I wassaying, I daresay I can manage to make your life pass pretty pleasantlyhere. Adela will be your companion, and you can be boy and girltogether again, and spend your time collecting and fishing and boatingon the little river. It will be pleasant for both of you. All you willhave to do will be to hear, see, and say nothing. Better still--don'thear, don't see, and say whatever you like. I will take care that asnug room is provided for you, and you will have your meals with us. Now what do you say?"

"What is to become of my duty to my ship?"

"A prisoner of war has no duties. "

"But I am not a prisoner of war, Sir Henry. "

"Indeed, my boy, that you are, most decidedly. You and yours make waron the gentlemen who fetch brandy and lace from the French coast. "

"And followers of the Pretender, " said Hilary sharply. 

"I accept your correction, my boy--and followers of his most graciousmajesty King Charles Edward. "

"Stuff!" cried Hilary. 

"Every man according to his lights, my boy. But as I was saying, yourpeople make war against these people, and they generally act on thedefensive. Sometimes they retaliate. This time they have taken aprisoner--you. "

"Yes, hang them!" cried Hilary. 

"No, no, " laughed Sir Henry, "don't do that. No yardarm work, my boy. You see we do not offer to hang you; on the contrary, I offer you acomfortable happy life for a few months on parole. "

"A few months!" cried Hilary. 

"Perhaps a year or two. Now what do you say?"

"No!" cried Hilary quickly. 

"Think, my boy. You will be kept a very close prisoner, and it will bemost unpleasant. We want to use you well. "

"And you nearly smother me; you drag me here in a wretched donkey-cart;and you nearly starve me to death. "

"On chicken and wine, " said Sir Henry smiling. "Come, Hilary, yourparole. "

"No, Sir Henry, " cried the young man, "I'll give no parole. I mean toget away from here, and I warn you that as soon as I do I'll bringbrimstone and burn out this miserable wasps' nest; so get out of theway. "

"Then I must leave you to think it over, Hilary. There, " he continued, rising, "think about it. I'll come and see you this evening. "

"Stop, Sir Henry, " cried the young man, leaping up in turn; "this is anoutrage on an officer in the navy. In the king's name I order you toset me at liberty. "

"And in the king's name I refuse, Master Hilary. "

"Then I shall take it, " cried Hilary, making for the door, which hereached and flung open, but only to find himself confronted by threerough, sailor-looking fellows. 

"You see, " said Sir Henry smiling. "Allstone, take away that tray. Good-bye for the present, Hilary. I will see you to-night. "

He went out of the door, which was slammed to and locked, and Sir HenryNorland said to himself:

"I like the lad, and it goes against me to make him break faith; but itmust be done. My cause is a greater one than his. Once on our side, hecould be of immense service. He will have to be won over somehow, poorfellow. Let's see what a day or two's caging will do. "

Meanwhile Hilary was angrily walking up and down his prison, wroth withSir Henry, with himself, and with fate, for placing him in such aposition, to ameliorate which he climbed up to the window-sill and gazedout at the sunny meads. 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN. 

ANOTHER CRUISE ASHORE. 

Lieutenant Lipscombe made up his mind half a dozen times over that hewould run into port and send in a despatch detailing Hilary Leigh'sdesertion; and each time that he so made up his mind, and had thecutter's head laid in the required direction, his eye became so painfulthat the cook had to supply hot water from the galley, and the worthyofficer went below to bathe the injured optic. 

Each time as the inflammation was relieved the lieutenant unmade hismind, and decided to wait a little longer, going on deck again tosuperintend the repairs Joe Smith, the carpenter, familiarly known as"Chips, " was proceeding with in the damaged deck. 

There was a great deal to do and the carpenter was doing that great dealwell, but at his own pace, for "Chips" was not a rapid man. If he had ahole to make with gimlet or augur he did not dash at it and perhaps borethe hole a quarter or half an inch out of place, but took hismeasurements slowly and methodically, and no matter who or what waswaiting he went steadily on. 

There was enough in the composition of "Chips" to make anyone believethat he had descended from a family in the far-off antiquity who werebears; for he was heavy and bearlike in all his actions, especially ingoing up or coming down a ladder, and his caution was proverbial amongstthe crew. 

So deliberately were the proceedings now going on that LieutenantLipscombe grew hot every time he went on deck, and the hotter thecommander became the cooler grew "Chips. "

The lieutenant stormed and bade him make haste. 

"You are disgracefully slow, sir, " he exclaimed. 

"Chips" immediately found that his saw or chisel wanted sharpening, andleft off to touch up the teeth of the one with a file, and the edge ofthe other on a stone well lubricated with oil. 

The lieutenant grew more angry, and the carpenter looked at him in thecalmest possible way, till in despair, seeing that he was doing no good, but only hindering progress, Lieutenant Lipscombe went aft to his cabinand bathed his eye. 

"Lookye here, " said Billy Waters the day after Hilary's disappearance, "I hope, my lads, I'm as straightforrard a chap as a man can be, and asfree from mut'nous idees; but what I want to know is this: why don't wego ashore and have another sarch for our young orsifer?"

"That's just what I says, " exclaimed Tom Tully. 

"No, you don't, Thomas, " cried the gunner sharply. "You did nothing butgrumble and growl all the blessed time we was ashore, and say as ouryoung orsifer had cut on some games or another. I put it to you, lads;now didn't he?"

"That's a true word, " said one of the men, and several others agreed. 

"Yes, " growled Tom Tully; "but that was when I weer hot and wanted tostow some wittles below, and my feet was as sore as if they'd beenholystoned or scraped with a rusty nail. I'm ready enough now. "

"Then I think we ought to go. I don't like the idee o' forsakin' ofhim. "

"Pass the word there for the gunner, " cried the corporal of marines. "Captain wants him in his cabin. "

Billy Waters pulled himself together, straightened his pigtail, andhauling up his slack, as he called it--to wit, giving the waistband ofhis trousers a rub up with one arm in front and a hitch up with one armbehind, he went off aft, and came back at the end of a quarter of anhour to announce that a fresh search was to be made for Mr Leigh, andthat they were to go ashore as soon as it was dusk. 

"What's the good o' going then?" said the boatswain. "Why not go now?"

"That's just what I was a-thinking, " said Billy Waters; "but I s'posethe skipper knows best. "

Preparations were made and arms served round. The boat was to go undercommand of the gunner, and each man was supplied with a ration ofbiscuits, to be supplemented by a tot of grog before starting, which wasto be just at dark, and the men, being all eager to find their youngofficer, who was a great favourite, lounged about waiting the order, amost welcome one on account of the grog; but just as the grog was beingmixed in its proper proportions the gunner was sent for to the cabin, where the lieutenant was still bathing his eye. 

"Has that grog been served out, Waters?"

"No, your honour; it's just a-going to be done. "

"Go and stop it. "

"Stop it, your honour? The men's grog?"

"Go and stop it, I say, " cried the lieutenant irascibly. "I shall notsend the expedition to-night. "

Billy Waters went back and gave the order in the hearing of theassembled crew, from whom a loud murmur arose--truth to tell more onaccount of the extra tot of grog than the disappointment about searchingfor Hilary; but the latter feeling dominated a few minutes later, andthe men lay about grumbling in no very pleasant way. 

"I say it's a shame, that's what I says it is, " growled Tom Tully, "andit ought to be reported. For half a button I'd desart, and go and lookfor him myself--that's about what I'd do. "

Just then Chips, who had knocked off work for the night, struck inslowly, laughing heartily the while: "Why don't you say as you won't go, my lads? He's sure to send you then. "

"That's a good 'un, " said Tom Tully. 

"Ah! to be sure, " said the boatswain. "I'm a officer, and can't do it;but if I was you, seeing as we ought to fetch young Mr Leigh backaboard, I should just give three rattling good cheers. "

"What good would that do?" said Billy Waters dubiously. 

"Why, then the skipper would send for one of us to know what's thematter. `Ship's crew mutinous, sir; says they wouldn't have gone ashoreif they'd been ordered. '"

"Well?" said Billy Waters, "I don't see that that would have been nogood neither. "

"Why, don't you see? Soon as you says that he claps on his sword, takeshis pistols, and orders you all into the boat; and says he, `If you dareto come back without Mr Leigh I'll string one of you up to theyardarm. '"

"That's it, " chorussed several of the men. 

"Yes, " said Billy Waters; "but suppose we do come back without him, andhe do string us up--how then?"

"Ah! but he won't, " said the boatswain. "Men's too scarce. "

"Well, I wouldn't have gone ashore in the boat, " said one man. 

"Nor I", "Nor I, " chorussed half-a-dozen; and then they stopped, for thelieutenant had approached unseen, caught the words, and in a fit of furyhe shouted to the boatswain:

"Here, my sword--from the cabin!" he cried. "No; stop. Pipe away theboat's crew. You, Waters, head that expedition!" And then, as if movedto repeat the boatswain's words, he continued, "And don't you men dareto come back without Mr Leigh. "

The men had got their own way; but though they waited patiently for therest of the lieutenant's order respecting the extra tot of grog, thatorder did not come, and they had to set off without it. 

They were in capital spirits, and bent well to their oars, sending theboat surging through the water, and chattering and laughing like so manyboys as soon as they were out of hearing. No wonder, for there issomething exceedingly monotonous in being cooped up day after day onboard ship, especially if it be a very small one; and there is no wonderat Jack's being fond of a run ashore. 

The evening was coming on very dark, and a thick bank of clouds wasrising in the west, gradually blotting out the stars one by one, almostbefore they had had time to get well alight. 

"Pull steady, my lads, " said the gunner. "Save a little bit of breathfor landing. "

"All right, matey, " said one of the men; and they rowed steadily, eachstroke of an oar seeming to splash up so much pale liquid fire, whilethe boat's stem sent it flashing and sparkling away in an ever-divergingtrain. 

"Now then, lads, steady, " said Billy Waters, who seemed to have suddenlyawakened to the fact that he ought to be more dignified, as became theofficer in command. "We don't want to go for to let everybody ashoreknow we're coming. "

There was silence then, only broken by the splash of the water from theoars, and a dismal creaking noise of wood upon wood. 

"Shove a bit o' grease agen that there thole-pin o' yours, Tom Tully. Your oar'll rouse all the smugglers along the coast. "

"Ar'n't no grease, " growled Tom. 

"Then why didn't you get a bit out of a lantern afore you come aboard?"

"'Cause nobody didn't tell me, " growled Tom, who ceased rowing andsplashed the space between the thole-pins with a few drops of water, when the noise ceased. 

"Steady, my lads, steady!" said Billy Waters, giving a pull at therudder, so as to run the boat more west towards where the cliff rosehigh and black against the darkening sky. 

"Yer see--" began Tom Tully, and then he stopped. 

"Not werry far, " said the man pulling behind him. 

"Well, what do you see, old Tommy?" said Billy Waters. "Give it woice. "

"Yer see, " began Tom Tully, "I'm a chap as allus gets bullied as soon ashe opens his mouth. "

"Soon as what chap opens his mouth?" said the gunner. 

"Why, ar'n't I a-telling of you?--me, " growled Tom Tully. 

"Well, what's the matter now?" said the gunner. 

"Well, I was a-wondering what we was going for ashore. "

"Now, just hark at this here chap!" said the gunner indignantly. 

"That's what I says, " growled Tom Tully; "directly I opens my mouth Igets a bullying. I allus gets told I'm a-grumbling. "

"Well, come now, " said the gunner, "speak out will you? What's thematter?"

"Oh, I don't want to speak out unless you like, " said Tom. 

"Yes, come, out with it, and don't let's have no mutinous, onderhandedways, " cried the gunner importantly. 

"Well, what I want to know is, what we're a-going for ashore?"

"Now just hark at him, " cried the gunner, "grumbling again. Why, ar'n'twe going to look after our young orsifer?"

"Then why didn't we come in the daytime, and not wait until it wasgetting so pitch dark as you can't see your hand afore your eyes?"

Billy Waters scratched his head. 

"Well, it is getting dark, old Tommy, sartinly, " he said apologetically. 

"Dark as Davy Jones's locker, " growled Tom. "I wants to find MusterLeigh as much as anybody, but you can't look if you can't see. "

"That's a true word anyhow, " said one of the men. 

"It's my belief as our skipper's pretty nigh mad, " continued Tom, givinga vicious jerk at his oar, "or else he wouldn't be sending us ashore atthis time o' night. "

"Well, it is late, Tommy, " said the gunner; "but we must make the beston it. "

"Yah! There ar'n't no best on it. All we can do is to get ashore, sitdown on the sand, and shout out, `Muster Leigh, ahoy!'"

"There, it ar'n't no use to growl again, Tom Tully, " said Billy Waters, reassuming his dignified position of commanding officer. "Give way, mylads. "

The men took long, steady strokes, and soon after the boat glided rightin over the calm phosphorescent waves, four men leaped out as her bowstouched the sand, and as the next wave lifted her, they ran her rightup; the others leaped out and lent a hand, and the next minute the boatwas high and dry. 

"Now then, my lads, " cried the gunner, "what I propose is that we tryand find our landmarks, and as soon as we have hit the place whereMaster Leigh left us we'll all hail as loud as we can, and then wait foran answer. "

Tom Tully growled out something in reply, it was impossible to say what, and leaving one man to act as boatkeeper, they all set off togetheralong the shore. 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN. 

ATTACK AND DEFEAT. 

Tom Tully had marked down a towering portion of the cliff as being overthe spot where they had lost sight of their young officer, and, as ithappened, that really was pretty close to the place, so, trudging on insilence after giving a glance in the direction where the cutter lay, nowseen only as a couple of lights about a mile from the shore, they soonreached the rocks, where the gunner called a halt. 

"Now, my lads, " he said, "get all of a row, face inwards, and make readyto hail. We'll give him one good `_Kestrel_ ahoy!' and that'll wake himup, wherever he is. Hallo! stop that chap! There, he's dodged behindthat big stone. "

The men wanted no further inducement than the sight of some one tryingto avoid them. 

In an instant the quiet stolid row of men were dashing here and thereamong the rocks in chase of a dark figure, which, from a thoroughknowledge of the ground, kept eluding them, darting between the rocks, scrambling over others; and had he had to deal with a couple of pursuershe would have escaped at once, but he had too many on his track, andfortune was rather against him, so that several times over he ran rightupon one or other of the party and was nearly taken. 

The activity of the young man, for such he seemed to be, was somethingmarvellous; and again and again he made a tremendous leap, scrambledover the rocks, and escaped. The last time, however, he dropped down ina narrow place that formed quite a _cul-de-sac_, and right in front ofTom Tully. 

"What! have I got you?" cried the great stolid fellow; and he made adash forward, straddling out his legs as if on board ship, when, to hisintense astonishment, his quarry bent down, dashed at him, duckedbetween his knees, struggling through, and throwing the great sailorheadlong flat upon his face. 

The shout Tom Tully gave brought up Billy Waters; and as the strangerrecovered his feet to escape in a fresh direction, he ran right into thegunner's arms, to be held with a grip like iron. 

The man had his arms free, however, and putting his fingers into hismouth he gave vent to a piercing whistle, close to the gunner's ear. 

"Oh, that's it, is it?" said Billy Waters. "Well, my lad, I sha'n't letyou go any the more for that. Here, lend a hand my lads, and lash hiswristies and elbows together. We've got him, and we'll keep him till weget back Muster Leigh. Now then, Tom Tully, you hold him while I lashhis wristies. That's your style. I say, he won't get away once I--Lookat that!"

Tom Tully had, as he thought, taken a good hold of the prisoner, whenthe man gave himself a sudden wrench, dived under the gunner's arm, andwas gone. 

"Well, of all--" began Tom Tully. 

"Why didn't you hold him?" cried the gunner. 

"I thought he was a man and not a slippery eel, " cried Tom Tully. "He'sfor all the world like one o' them big congers Muster Leigh caught offHastings. "

"Yes, " cried the gunner, "but he did hold 'em when he caught 'em. Lookout, my lads! he come your way. "

The men were well on the alert this time, and one of them, in spite ofthe darkness, saw which way the prisoner had taken, that being noneother than the narrow passage between the rocks which Hilary had found. 

He saw him go down here, and then caught sight of him as he climbed overthe rock. 

"This way, " shouted the sailor as he scrambled over after the escapingman, got into the chasm on the other side, and then following him, justin time to hear a dull, heavy thud, and his mate staggered back againsthim half stunned by a heavy blow. 

Just then there was a sharp whiz; and he felt the wind of a blow aimedat him from the rocks above his head, to which he replied by lugging outhis hanger and dealing a vigorous blow at his unseen enemy, but withouteffect. 

"Here, this way, " he shouted. "Waters! Tom Tully! Here they are. "

A sturdy "Ahoy!" came in response, just as the first man began toscramble to his feet and stood rubbing his head. 

"Where away?" cried Billy Waters. 

"Here ho!" replied both the men in the narrow pass; and beading the restof the party, the gunner, after another hail or two, scrambled over andjoined the two first men, every one of the party now having hisunsheathed cutlass in his hand. 

"Well, " cried the gunner excitedly, "where are they?"

"Close here, " said the man who had received the blow. "One of 'em hitme with a handspike. "

"And some one cut at me from up above on the rocks, " cried the other. 

The gunner held up his hand to command silence, and then listenedattentively. 

"Why there ar'n't no one, " he cried in tones of disgust. "You JoeHarris, you run up again a rock; and as for you, Jemmy Leeson, you'vebeen asleep. "

The two men indignantly declared that they had spoken the truth; butwith an impatient "Pish!" the gunner went forward along the narrow way. 

"Here, come along, " he said; and as the words left his lips those behindheard a heavy blow, and Billy Waters came hastily back. 

"That ain't fancy, " said one of the men, "unless Billy hit his headagain the rocks. "

"It warn't my head, " whispered the gunner drawing in his breath, andtrying to suppress the pain. "It caught me right on the left shoulder. I shall be all right directly, my lads, and we'll give it 'em. I'll betthat's how they sarved poor Master Leigh; and we've dropped right intothe proper spot. Just wait till I get my breath a bit. "

"Think it's the smugglers?" said Tom Tully. 

"Sartain, " was the reply. "I wish we had a lantern or two. But nevermind. If we can't see to hit them, they can't see to hit us; so it'sbroad as it's long. "

"We shall want the pistols, shan't we?" said one of the men. 

"Pistols? no, " cried the gunner. "Stick to your whingers, lads. It'sno use to fire a piece without you can take good aim, and you can't dothat in the dark--it's only waste of powder. Now, then, are you ready?"

"Ay, ay, " was whispered back in the midst of the ominous silence thatprevailed. 

"Then look here, " cried the gunner, "I shall go in at 'em roosh; and ifthey downs me, don't you mind, lads, but keep on; go over me at once andboard the place. "

"Lookye here, " growled Tom Tully, "I'm 'bout as hard as iron; they won'thurt me. Let me go fust, capten. "

As he spoke the great fellow spat in his hand before taking a tightergrip of his weapon, and making a step forward. 

"Just you keep aft, will yer, Tom Tully, and obey orders?" said thegunner, seizing the great fellow by the tail and dragging him back. "I'm skipper here, and I'm going to lead. Now, lads, are you allready?"

"Ay, ay, " was the reply. 

"Then I ar'n't, " said the gunner. "That crack pretty nigh split myshoulder. Now I am. Close up, and hit hard. We're all right, my lads;they're smugglers, and they hit us fust. "

The gunner made a dash forward, and, as they had expected, a concealedenemy struck a tremendous blow at him; but Billy Waters was a sailor, and accustomed to rapid action. By quickness of movement and ready withe avoided the blow, which, robbed of a good deal of its force, struckTom Tully full in the chest, stopping him for a moment, but only servingto infuriate him, as, recovering himself, he dashed on after the gunner. 

A sharp fight ensued, for now, as the sailors forced their way on, theyfound plenty of antagonists. Most of them seemed to be armed with stoutclubs like capstan-bars, with which they struck blow after blow of themost formidable character from where they kept guard at various turns ofthe narrow passage, while the sailors could not reach them with theirshort cutlasses. 

It was sharp work, and with all their native stubbornness the littleparty fought their way on, attacking and carrying yard after yard of thepassage, forcing the smugglers to retreat from vantage ground to vantageground, and always higher and higher up the rocks. 

The attacking party were at a terrible disadvantage, for the place wasto them like a maze, while the smugglers kept taking them in the rear, and striking at them from the most unexpected positions, till thesailors were hot with a rage that grew fiercer with every blow. 

At the end of ten minutes two of the men were down, and the gunner andTom Tully panting and breathless with their exertions; but far fromfeeling beaten they were more eager than ever to come to close quarterswith their antagonists, for, in addition to the fighting spirit rousedwithin them, they were inflamed with the idea of the large stores ofsmuggled goods that they would capture: velvets and laces and silks inendless quantities, with kegs of brandy besides. That they had hitaccidentally upon the party who had seized Mr Leigh they had not adoubt, and so they fought bravely on till they reached a narrower passamongst the rocks than any they had yet gone through. So narrow was itthat they could only approach in single file, and, hemmed in as theywere with the rocks to right and left, the attack now resolved itselfinto a combat of two--to wit, Billy Waters and a great broad-shoulderedfellow who disputed his way. The men who backed up the big smugglerwere apparently close behind him; but it was now too dark to see, and, to make matters worse for the gunner, there was no room for him to swinghis cutlass; all he could do was to make clumsy stabs with the point, ortry to guard himself from the savage thrusts made at him with thecapstan bar or club by the smuggler. 

This went on for some minutes without advantage on either side, till, growing tired, Billy Waters drew back for a moment. "Now, my lads, " hewhispered, "I'm going to roosh him. Keep close up, Tom Tully, and nailhim if I go down. "

Tom Tully growled out his assent to the order given to him, and the nextmoment the gunner made a dash forward into the darkness, strikingsharply downwards with his cutlass, so sharply that the sparks flew fromthe rock, where his weapon struck, while on recovering himself for asecond blow he found that it, too, struck the rock, and Billy Watersuttered a yell as he started back, overcome with superstitious horror onfinding himself at the end of the narrow rift, and quite alone. 

"What's the matter, matey?" growled Tom Tully; "are you hurt?"

"No. Go and try yourself, " said the gunner, who was for the momentquite unnerved. 

Tom Tully squeezed by, and, making a dash forward, he too struck at therock, and made the sparks fly, after which he poked about with the pointof his cutlass, which clinked and jingled against the stones. 

"Why, they ar'n't here!" he cried. "Look out!"

Every one did look out, but in vain. They were in a very narrow passagebetween two perpendicular pieces of rock, and they had driven thesmugglers back step by step into what they expected to find to be acavern crammed with treasure; but now that the end was reached theycould feel nothing in the dark but the flat face of the rock, and thisseemed to slope somewhat over their heads, and that was all. 

Billy Waters' surprise had now evaporated along with his alarm, andpushing to the front once more he set himself to work to find how theenemy had eluded them. 

They could not have gone through the rock, he argued, and there was nopossible way that he could feel by which they had climbed up. Neitherwas ascent possible by scaling the rock to right or left, unless theyhad had a ladder, and of that there did not seem to have been any sign. 

For a few moments the gunner stood as if nonplussed. Then an ideaoccurred to him. 

Taking a pistol from his belt he quickly drew out the bullet and aportion of the powder before flashing off the other over some which helaid loose upon the rock. 

This lit up the place for the moment, but revealed nothing more thanthey knew before, and that was that they were walled in on either sideby rock, and that a huge mass rose up in front. 

"It's a rum 'un, " growled Tom Tully; and then again, "It's a rum 'un. Isay, Billy Waters, old mate, what's gone o' them chaps?"

The gunner felt ready to believe once more that there was something "nocanny" about the affair, but he shook off the feeling, and begansearching about once more for some sign or other of his enemies; but hesought in vain, and at last he turned to his companions to ask them whatthey had better do. 

Such a proceeding would, however, be derogatory to his dignity, hethought, so he proceeded to give his opinion on the best course. 

"Look here, my lads, " he said in a whisper; "it seems to me that weought to have come on this trip by daylight. "

"That ere's what I said, " growled Tom Tully. 

"All right, Tommy, only don't be so precious proud of it, " said theleader. "I says we ought to have come on this trip by daylight. "

"As I says afore, that's what I did say, " growled Tom Tully again; butthis time his superior officer refused to hear him, and continued:

"As we didn't come by daylight, my lads, we ought to have had lanterns. "

"Ay, ay, " said one of the men. 

"So I think, " said the gunner; "we'd best go back and get the lanterns, so as to have a good search, or else come back and do the job bydaylight. "

"Ay, ay, " was chorussed by three of the party. 

"Yes, it's all very well to say `Ay, ay, ' and talk about lanterns anddaylight, " growled Tom Tully; "but I don't like going off and leavingone's work half done. I want to have a go at that chap as fetched me acrack with a handspike, and I shan't feel happy till I have; so nowthen, my lads. "

"What's the good o' being obst'nit, Tommy?" said his leader. "No onewants to stop you from giving it to him as hit you, only just tell mewhere he is. "

"That ar'n't my job, Billy Waters, " cried the big fellow; "that's yourjob. You leads, and I does the fighting. Show him to me and I'll makehim that sore as he shall wish he'd stopped at home. "

"Come on, then, and let's get the lanterns, and come back then, " saidthe gunner. "It ar'n't no use to be knocking ourselves about here inthe dark. Come on. "

He tried to lead the way back as they had come, each man cutlass inhand, and well on the alert in case of attack; but nothing interposed tostop them as they scrambled and clambered over the rocks till they gotto the open shore once more, just as, in front of them and out in thepitchy blackness, there was a flash, a report, and then the wall ofdarkness closed up once more. 

"Oh! ah, we're a-coming, " said Billy Waters, who, now that theexcitement was over, began to feel very sore, while his companions gotalong very slowly, having a couple of sorely-beaten men to help. "Anybody make out the ship's lights?"

"I can see one on 'em, " growled Tully. 

"And where's our boat?" cried the gunner. "Jim Tanner, ahoy!"

"Ahoy!" came in a faint voice from a distance. 

"There he is, " said Billy Waters. "Come, my lads, look alive, or weshall have the skipper firing away more o' my powder. I wish him andJack Brown would let my guns alone. Now then, Jim Tanner, where away?"

"Ahoy!" came again in a faint voice, and stumbling on through thedarkness, they came at last upon the boatkeeper, tied neck and heels, and lying in the sand. 

"Who done this?" cried the gunner. 

"I dunno, " said the man; "only cast me loose, mates. "

This was soon done, the man explaining that a couple of figures suddenlyjumped upon him out of the darkness, and bound him before he could standon his defence. 

"Why, you was asleep, that's what you was, " cried the gunner angrily. "Nice job we've made of it. My! ar'n't it dark? Now, then, where'sthis here boat? Bring them two wounded men along. D'yer hear?"

"Oh, it ar'n't been such a very bad time, " growled Tom Tully; "we didhave a bit of a fight!"

"Fight? ay! and didn't finish it. Now, then, Tom Tully, where's thatboat? Can you see her?"

"Yes; here she is, " growled the big sailor; "and blest if some onear'n't took away the oars; and--yes that they have. No getting offto-night, lads; they've shoved a hole in her bottom. "

"What!" cried Billy Waters, groping his way to the boat; and then, in ahoarse, angry voice, "and no mistake. She's stove-in!"

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. 

A FEW IDEAS ON ESCAPE. 

Hilary Leigh felt very angry at being shut up in his prison, but thegood breakfast with which he had been supplied went some way towardsmollifying him, and as he sat upon the window-sill he felt that SirHenry would much like to win him over to his side. 

"And he is not going to do it, " he said half aloud. 

It was a lovely day, and as he sat there gazing out at the view, hethought he had never seen anything so beautiful before. It waswonderful, too, how a comfortable meal had improved his appreciation ofwhat he saw. 

But even then there were drawbacks. A rough and narrow stone seat, uponwhich you can only sit by holding on tightly to some rusty iron bars, does go against the full enjoyment of a scene, especially if you knowthat those rusty iron bars prevent you from going any farther. 

So before long Hilary grew weary of his irksome position, and, lettinghimself down, he had a walk along each side of the old chapel, stridingout as fast as he could, till he fancied he heard his old playmateoutside, when he pounded up to the window again, but only to bedisappointed. 

This went on hour after hour, but still Adela did not come, and as theafternoon wore on he began to think it extremely cruel andunsympathising. 

"She knows I'm shut up here like a bird in a cage, and yet she does notcome to say a single word to cheer me. "

The side where the window was seemed darkened now, for the sun had gotwell round to the west, and as he climbed up for another good look outthe landscape seemed to wear fresh charms, exciting an intense longingto get out and ramble over the sunshine-flooded hills, or to lie downbeneath the shaded trees. 

He was accustomed to a prison life, as it were, being shut up so muchwithin a little sloop; but that wooden prison was always on the move, and never seemed to oppress him as did the four dull walls of hispresent abode. 

"I shall wear out the knees of my breeches in no time, if I'm to be keptin here long, " he said, as he was in the act of making a run and a jumpfor another look out; but he stopped short just in the act, for hefancied he heard the rattle of a key, and directly after he knew he wasnot deceived, for there was a heavy step, then another, and then a keywas placed in the big door. 

"Well, this is being made a prisoner, and no mistake. Hallo, handsome!"he cried aloud, as the forbidding-looking man addressed by Sir Henry asAllstone entered the place with another looking little more amiable, andboth were bringing something in the shape of food. 

"What?" said the man surlily. 

"I said `Hallo, handsome!'" cried Hilary. "Have you come to let meout?"

The man uttered a low hoarse chuckle, which sounded like a laugh, buthis face did not move a muscle, and he looked as if he were scowlingheavily. 

"We'll carry you out some day, my young buck, " he said, "feet foremost. There's a little burying-ground just outside the place here. "

"Thank you, " replied Hilary. "Is that meant for a joke?"

"Joke? No, I never joke. Here I've brought you something to eat, andyou won't get any more till to-morrow. "

He set the rough tray he carried on the floor, and the man who was withhim did the same, after which they both stood and stared at theprisoner. 

"Send him away, " said Hilary suddenly, and he pointed to the fresh man. 

"What for?"

"I want to talk to you. "

Allstone gave his head a jerk and the man went outside. "Look here, "said Hilary, "how long are you going to keep me here?"

"Till the skipper is tired of you, I suppose, or till Sir Henry's gone. "

"And then you'll let me go?"

"Oh, yes, " said the man grimly. "We shall let you go then. "

There was another hoarse chuckle, which appeared very strange, for itdid not seem to come from the man, who scowled at him in the same heavy, morose way. 

"Oh! come! you're not going to frighten me into the belief that you cankill me, my man, " cried Hilary. "I'm too old for that. "

"Who's to know if we did?" said the fellow. 

"Why, you don't suppose that one of his majesty's officers can bedetained without proper search being made. You'll have the crew of myship over here directly, and they'll burn the place about your ears. "

"Thankye, " said the man. "Is that all you want to say?"

"No. Now look here; I'll give you five guineas if you'll let me go sometime to-night. You could break through that window, and it would seemas if I had done it myself. "

For answer the man turned upon his heel and stalked out of the placewithout a word. 

"Get out, you rude boor!" cried Hilary, as the door slammed and the keyturned. "Kill me and bury me! Bah! I should like to see them do it. "

A faint noise outside made him scale the window once more; but there wasno sign of Adela, so he returned. 

"Well, they're not going to starve me, " he said to himself, as he lookedat the plates before him, one containing a good-looking pork pasty, theothers a loaf and a big piece of butter, while a large brown jug washalf full of milk. 

There was a couple of knives, too, the larger and stronger of which hetook and thrust beneath the straw. 

"What a piggish way of treating a fellow!" he muttered. "No chair, notable; not so much as a stool. Well, I'm not very hungry yet, and asthis is to last till to-morrow I may as well wait. "

He stood thinking for a bit, and then the idea of escaping came morestrongly than ever, and he went and examined the door, which seemedstrong enough to resist a battering-ram. 

There was the window as the only other likely weak place, but onclimbing up and again testing the mortar with the point of his knife, the result was disheartening, for the cement of the good old timeshardened into something far more difficult to deal with than stone. Infact, he soon found that he would be more likely to escape by sawingthrough the bars or digging through the stone. 

"Well, I mean to get out if Lipscombe don't send and fetch me; and I'lllet them see that I'm not quite such a tame animal as to settle down tomy cage without some effort;" and as he spoke he looked up at theceiling as being a likely place to attack. 

He had the satisfaction of seeing that it was evidently weak, and thatwith the exercise of a little ingenuity there would be no difficulty incutting a way through. 

But there was one drawback--it was many feet above his head, andimpossible of access without scaffold or ladder. 

"And I'm not a fly, to hold on with my head downwards, " he said, halfaloud. 

He slowly lowered himself from the window-sill, and had another goodlook at the walls, tapping them here and there where they had beenplastered; but though they sounded hollow, they seemed for the most partto be exceedingly thick, and offered no temptation for an assault. 

He stood there musing, with the place of his confinement graduallygrowing more gloomy, and the glow in the sky reminding him of howglorious the sea would look upon such an evening. 

There were a few strands of straw lying about, and he proceeded to kickthem together in an idle fashion, his thoughts being far away at thetime, when a sudden thought came to him like a flash. 

The place was paved with slabs of stone, and it had been the chapel ofthe old mansion; perhaps there were vaults underneath, or maybe cellars. 

The more he thought, the more likely this seemed. The old builders inthat part of England believed in providing cool stores for wine andbeer. In many places the dairy was underground, and why might there notbe some place below here from which he could make his escape?

He stamped with his foot and listened. 

Hollow, without a doubt. 

He tried in another part, and another; and no matter where, the soundwas such as would arise from a place beneath whose floor there was somegreat vault. 

"That'll do, " he said to himself, with a half-laugh. "I'm satisfied; sonow I'll have something to eat. "

The evening was closing in as he seated himself upon the straw and beganhis meal, listening the while for some sign of the presence of Adelaunder his prison window, but he listened in vain. There was the eveningsong of the thrush, and he could hear poultry and the distant gruntingof his friend the pig. Now and then, too, there came through the windowthe soft cooing of the pigeons on the roof, but otherwise there was nota sound, and the place might have been deserted by human kind. 

"So much the better for me, " he said, "if I want to escape;" and havingat last finished his meal, he placed the remains on one side for use inthe morning, and tried to find a likely stone in the floor forloosening, but he had to give up because it was so dark, and climbed uponce more to the window to gaze out now at the stars, which moment bymoment grew brighter in the east. 

There was something very soft and beautiful in the calm of the summernight, but it oppressed him with its solitude. In one place he couldsee a faint ray of light, apparently from some cottage window; but thatsoon went out, and the scene that had been so bright in the morning wasnow shrouded in a gloom which almost hid the nearest trees. 

Now and then he could hear a splash in the moat made by fish orwater-vole, and once or twice he saw the star-bejewelled surface twinkleand move as if some creature were swimming across; but soon that was allcalm again, and the booming, buzzing noise of some great beetle sweepingby on reckless wing sounded quite loud. 

"It's as lively as keeping the middle watch, " said Hilary impatiently. "The best thing I can do is to go to sleep. "

Hilary Leigh was one not slow to act upon his convictions, and gettingdown he proceeded to make himself as snug a nest as he could in thestraw, lay down, pulled some of it over him, to the great bedusting ofhis uniform, and in five minutes he was fast asleep. 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. 

BILLY WATERS FINDS IT OUT. 

"Well, " said Billy Waters, "of all the cowardly, sneaking tricks anybodycould do, I don't know a worse one than staving in a man's boat. Yah! afellow who would do such a thing ought to be strung up at the yardarm, that he ought!"

"Every day, " growled Tom Tully. "Well, matey, how is we to get aboard?"

"What's the good of asking me?" cried Billy Waters, who was regularlyout of temper. "Leave that gun alone, will yer?" he roared as there wasanother flash and a report from the cutter. "It's enough to aggravate ahangel, that it is, " he continued. "No sooner have I left the cutter, and my guns that clean you might drink grog out of 'em, than the skipperand that Jack Brown gets fooling of 'em about and making 'em foul. Theyneither of 'em know no more about loading a gun than they do about beingarchbishops; but they will do it, and they'll be a-busting of 'em someday. Firing again, just as if we don't know the first was a recall!Here, who's got a loaded pistol?"

"Here you are, matey, " said Tom Tully. 

"Fire away, then, uppards, " said the gunner; "and let 'em know that wewant help. "

The flash from the pistol cut the darkness; there was a sharp report, and the gunner fired his own pistols to make three shots. 

"There, " he said, replacing them in his belt. "That'll make him sendanother boat, and if that there Jacky Brown's in it I shall give him abit of my mind. "

There was a long pause now, during which the weary men sat apart uponthe sands, or with their backs propped against the sides of the damagedboat, but at last there came a hail out of the darkness, to which TomTully answered with a stentorian "Boat a-hoy-oy!"

"Who told you to hail, Tom Tully?" cried the gunner. "I'm chief orsiferhere, so just you wait until you are told. "

Tom Tully growled, and the gunner walked down to where the waves beatupon the shingle just as the regular plash-plash of the oars told of thecoming of the boat from the cutter with the boatswain in command, thatworthy leaping ashore, followed by half a dozen men. 

"What's on?" he cried. "Have you found Muster Leigh?"

"No. "

"What did you signal for?"

"Boat. Ourn's stove-in, and we've got knocked about awful. "

"What! by the smugglers?"

"Ay, my lad. They beat us off. "

"Then, now there's reinforcements, let's go and carry all afore us. "

"It's all very fine for you, coming fresh and ready, to talk, " said thegunner; "but it ar'n't no use, my lad--we're reg'lar beat out. They gotaway somehow, and you want daylight to find 'em. "

"Then you may go up the side of the cutter first, my lad, that's allI've got to say, " said the boatswain. "You don't catch me facing theskipper to-night. "

It was a close pack to get all the men on board, but it was successfullyaccomplished, the stove-in boat taken in tow, and the side of the cutterreached at last, where, as the boatswain had vaguely hinted, there was astorm. Billy Waters was threatened with arrest, and he was abused foran hour for his clumsy management of the expedition. 

"A child would have managed it better, sir, " cried the lieutenant; "butnever was officer in his majesty's service worse served than I am. Notone subordinate have I on whom I can depend; I might just as well get adraught of boys from the guardship, and if it was not for the men andthe marines I don't know what I should do. Pipe down. "

The men were piped down, glad enough to get something to eat, and thento crawl to their hammocks, out of which they rolled in the morningseeming little the worse for their engagement, the injured men beingbruised pretty severely, though they would not own to their hurts, beingtoo eager, as they put it, to go and pay their debts. 

For quite early the cutter began to sail in pretty close to the shore, the carpenter busy the while in getting a fresh plank in the bottom ofthe stove-in boat, having it ready by the time the lieutenant musteredhis men and told them off into the boats, leaving the boatswain incommand of the cutter and leading the expedition himself. 

The men fancied once or twice that they could see people on the cliffswatching their movements, but they could not be sure, and as the boatsgrated on the shingle the rocks looked as desolate and deserted as ifthere had not been a soul there for years. 

The men were well-armed, and ready to make up for their misadventure ofthe previous night, and Billy Waters being sent to the front to act asguide he was not long in finding out the narrow entrance amongst therocks, but only to be at fault directly after, on account of placeslooking so different in broad daylight to what they did when distortedby the shadowy gloom. 

He had come to the head-scratching business, when a rub is expected tobrighten the intellect, and felt ready to appeal to his companions foraid and counsel when he suddenly recollected that they had clamberedover a rock here, and this he now did, shouting to his companions tocome on, just as the lieutenant was approaching to fulminate in wrathupon his subordinate's ignorance. 

"Here you are, " he cried, and one after the other the men tumbled downthe rock, following him through each well-remembered turn--spotsimpressed upon them by the blows they had received, until they werebrought to a standstill in a complete _cul-de-sac_, through a passage sonarrow that one man could have held it against a dozen if there had beenanything to hold. 

The lieutenant squeezed his way past the men till he stood beside hissubordinate. 

"Well, why have you brought us here?" he exclaimed. 

"This here's the place where we chased 'em to, your honour, " said thegunner, "and then they disappeared like. "

"But you said it was so dark that you could not see any one. "

"Yes, your honour, we couldn't hardly see 'em; but they disappeared allthe same. "

"Where? How?"

"Some'eres here, your honour. "

"Nonsense, man! The rock's thirty feet high here, and they could not goup that. "

"No, your honour. "

"Then where did they go?"

"That's what none of us can't tell, your honour. "

"Look here, Waters, " said the lieutenant in a rage; "do you mean to tellme that you have let me lead his majesty's force of marines and sailorsto the attack of a smugglers' stronghold, and then got nothing more toshow than a corner in the rocks?"

Billy Waters scratched his head again and looked up at the face of therock, then at the sides, and then down at his feet, before once moreraising his eyes to his commander. 

"Now, sir!" exclaimed the latter, "what have you to say?"

Billy Waters appealed to the rocks again in mute despair, but they wereas stony-faced as ever. 

"Do you hear me, sir?" cried the lieutenant. "The fact of it is thatyou all came ashore, got scandalously intoxicated, and then beganfighting among yourselves. "

"No, we didn't, " growled Tom Tully from somewhere in the rear. 

"Who was that? What mutinous scoundrel dared to speak like that?" criedthe lieutenant; but no one answered, though the question was twicerepeated. "Very good, then, " continued the lieutenant; "I shallinvestigate this directly I am back on board. Waters, consider yourselfunder arrest. "

"All right, your honour, " said the gunner; "but if I didn't get a crackon the shoulder just about here from some one, I'm a Dutchman. "

"Ay, ay, " was uttered in chorus; and the members of the previous night'sparty stared up at the rocks on all sides, in search of some evidence tolay before their doubting commander; but none being forthcoming, theyreluctantly followed him back to the open shore, where, as there wasnothing to be seen but rocks, sand, and stones, and the towering cliff, they proceeded back to the boats. 

"Fools! idiots! asses!" the lieutenant kept muttering till theyembarked, the gunner and Tom Tully being in one boat, the lieutenant inthe other, which was allowed to get well on ahead before the occupantsof the second boat ventured to speak, when Tom Tully became thespokesman, the gunner being too much put out by the rebuff he had metwith to do more than utter an occasional growl. 

"Lookye here, my lads, " said Tully; "arter this here, I'll be blessed. "

That was all he said; but it was given in so emphatic a tone, andevidently meant so much, that his messmates all nodded their heads insage acquiescence with his remark. Then they looked at each other andbent steadily to their oars, in expectation of what was to take place assoon as they got on board. 

By the time they were three-quarters of the way Billy Waters hadsomewhat recovered himself. 

"I've got it, " he exclaimed. 

"Got what?" said three or four men at once. 

"Why that 'ere. I see it all now. Them chaps lives atop o' the cliffwhen they ar'n't afloat, and they've got tackle rigged up ready, andwhat do they do but whip one another up the side o' the rock, just asyou might whip a lady out of a boat up the side of a three-decker. "

Tom Tully opened his mouth and stared at the gunner in open admiration. 

"Why, what a clever chap you are, Billy!" he growled. "I shouldn't ha'thought o' that if I'd lived to hundred-and-two. "

"I see it all now plain enough, mates, " continued the gunner. "I washitting at that chap one minute in the dark, and then he was gone. He'dbeen keeping me off while his mates was whipped up, and then, when histurn came, up he goes like a bag o' biscuit into a warehouse door atPortsmouth, and I'll lay a tot o' grog that's what's become of our youngorsifer. "

"Hark at him!" cried Tom Tully, giving his head a sidewise wag. "That'sit for sartain; and if I wouldn't rather sarve under Billy Waters forskipper than our luff, I ar'n't here. "

"You'd best tell him, then, as soon as we get on board, " said one of themen. 

"What! and be called a fool and a hidiot!" cried the gunner. "Not I, mylads. I says let him find it out for hisself now, for I sha'n't tellnothing till I'm asked. "

In this spirit the crew of the second boat reached the side of thecutter, went on board, the boats were hoisted up, and Billy Waters hadthe pleasure of finding himself placed under arrest, with the greatgrief upon his mind that his guns were left to the tender mercies of theboatswain, and a minor sorrow in the fact that his supply of grog wasstopped. 

CHAPTER NINETEEN. 

IN THE MIDDLE WATCH. 

How long Hilary had been asleep he did not know, but he was arousedsuddenly by something touching his face, and he lay there wide awake onthe instant, wondering what it meant. 

And now for the first time the hardship of his position came withrenewed force. He was accustomed to a rough life on board ship, wherein those days there were few of the luxuries of civilisation, but therehe had a tolerably comfortable bed. Here he had straw, and the absenceof a coverlet of any description made him terribly cold. 

The cold chill did not last many seconds after his awaking, for he felta strange sensation of heat come over him; his hands grew moist, and ina state of intense excitement he lay wondering what it was that hadtouched his face. 

He could not be sure, but certainly it felt like a cold, soft hand, andhe waited for a renewal of the touch, determined to grasp at it if itcame again. 

He was as brave as most lads of his age, but as he lay there, startledinto a sudden wakefulness, it was impossible to help thinking of Adela'swords spoken that morning and his own light remarks, and for a time hefelt in a strange state of perturbation. 

All was perfectly still, and it was so dark that he could not for sometime make out the shape of the window against the night sky; but insidehis prison there was a faint light, so faint that it did not make thewall visible, and towards this he strained his eyes, wondering whence itcame. 

"Why, what a coward I am!" he said to himself, as he made an effort tomaster his childish fears. "Ghosts, indeed! What nonsense! I'm worsethan a child--afraid of being in the dark. "

He lay listening with the straw rustling at his slightest movement, andthen, unable to bear the uncertainty longer, he started up on one elbow. 

As he did so there was a quick noise to his right, and he turned sharplyin that direction. 

"I might have known it, " he muttered--"rats. I daresay they swarm inthis old place. How did that fellow get in? I saw no holes. "

Unable to answer the question, he turned his attention to the faintlight that seemed to pervade the place, and, after a time, he made outthat it struck down through some crack or crevice in the ceiling. 

As he tried to make out where, it seemed to die away, leaving the placeas black as ever; but now, in place of the depressing silence, he couldhear that something was going on. There was a dull noise somewherebelow him, making his heart beat fast with excitement, for it was anendorsement of his ideas that there was a cellar or vault. Then, in thedistance, he fancied he could hear the rattle of chains, and theimpatient stamp of a horse, with once or twice, but very faintly heard, a quick order or ejaculation. 

"I wonder whether there are many rats here?" he thought, for he wantedto get up and clamber to the window, and look out to see if he couldwitness any of the proceedings of his captors. 

It was an unpleasant thought that about the rats, for, as a matter ofcourse, he began directly afterwards to recall all the old stories aboutpeople being attacked by rats, and half devoured by the fierce littleanimals; and it was some time before he could shake off the horribleidea that if he moved dozens of the little creatures might attack him. 

Making an effort over himself to master his cowardly feelings, he sprangup and stood listening; but there was not so much as a scuffle of thetiny feet, and groping his way to the wall beneath the window, heclimbed up and looked out, but could see nothing, only hear voices fromthe other side of the house. 

Directly after, though, he heard some one apparently coming to hisprison; for there were the steps upon the boarded floor, then othersupon a stone passage, and a light shone beneath his door. 

"They sha'n't find me up here, " he thought; and he lowered himself down;but, to his surprise, instead of whoever it was coming right to hisdoor, he seemed to go down some steps, with another following him. Thelight disappeared, and then the footsteps ceased, and he could hear therumbling mutter of voices below his feet. 

"I hope they are not getting up a gunpowder plot below, " said Hilary tohimself, for his dread had given place to curiosity. "I'll be bound tosay that there's a regular store of good things down there waiting to beturned into prize-money for my lads when I once get back on board. Hallo! here they come again. "

The ascending steps were heard plainly enough, and the light reappeared, shining feebly beneath the door; and, going softly across, Hilary lookedthrough the great keyhole, and could see the ill-looking man Allstonewith a candle in one hand and a little keg that might have containedgunpowder or spirit upon his shoulder. 

"Here, " he whispered to his companion, "lay hold while I lock up. "

It was all in a moment. The keg was being passed from one to the other, when, between them, they let it fall with a crash, knocking the candleout of Allstone's hands. 

Hilary saw the flash of the contents of the keg as the candle fell uponthe stones; then there was the noise of a dull explosion that rattledthe door; and as the prisoner started back from the door a stream ofblue fire began to run beneath it, and he heard one of the men yell out:

"There's that young officer in there, and he'll be burned to death!"

CHAPTER TWENTY. 

A FIERY TRIAL. 

It was a terrible position, and for a few moments Hilary felt helplessto move. 

That blue stream of fire came gurgling and fluttering beneath the door, spreading rapidly over the floor, filling the chapel with a ghastlyglare; and the prisoner saw that in a few moments it would reach thestraw. 

Even in those exciting moments he fully comprehended the affair. Heknew, as in a case he had once seen on shipboard, that this was spiritof extraordinary strength, and that the vapour would explode wherever itgathered, even while the surface of the stream was burning. 

He did not stand still, though, to think, but with all thematter-of-fact, business habitude of one accustomed to a life ofemergencies, he proceeded to drag the straw into the corner farthestaway from the increasing flame. 

The next minute he saw that this corner was the one nearest the window, and that if he had to take refuge there, and the flame extended to thestraw, there would be a tremendous blaze almost beneath him. 

Setting to work, he dragged it away into another corner, sweeping up theloose pieces as rapidly as he could, and even as he did so thefluttering blue-and-orange flames advanced steadily across the floor, cutting off his access to the window, and rapidly spreading now all overthe place, for the passage had a gradual descent to the door, and nearlythe whole of the spilt spirit came bubbling and streaming in. 

It was a beautiful, although an appalling sight, for the surface of thespirit was all dancing tongues of fire--red, blue, and orange, mingledwith tiny puffs of smoke and bright sparks as it consumed the fragmentsof straw that lay upon the stones. 

It had reached the opposite wall now, and ran as well right up to thewindow, the floor being now one blaze, except in the corner where Hilarystood on guard, as if to keep the flames back from the straw. 

But now he found that he had another enemy with which to contend, for apeculiarly stifling vapour was arising, producing a sensation ofgiddiness, against which he could not battle; and as Hilary drew backfrom the approach of the tiny sea of waves of fire, pressing back, as hedid so, the straw, he felt that unless he could reach the window hewould be overcome. 

There was no time for pause; help, if it were coming, could not reachhim yet. In another instant he knew that the straw would catch fire. Even now a little rill of spirit had run to it, along which the flameswere travelling, so, nerving himself for the effort, he made a dash tocross to the window. 

At his first step the burning spirit splashed up in blue flames; at hissecond, the fire rose above his ankles; then, placing his foot upon aplate that had been left upon the floor, he slipped and fell headlonginto the burning tongues that seemed to rise and lick him angrily. 

The sensation was sharp to his hands, but not too pungent, and, fortunately, he kept his face from contact with the floor, whilestruggling up he for the moment lost his nerve, and felt ready to rushfrantically about the place. 

Fortunately, however, he mastered himself, and dashed at the window, leaped at the sill, and climbed up to breathe the pure cool air that wasrushing in, just as the straw caught fire, blazed up furiously, and theplace rapidly filled with rolling clouds of smoke. 

He could not notice it, however, for the flames that fluttered about hisgarments where they were soaked with the spirit, and for some fewminutes he thought of nothing but extinguishing the purply blaze. 

They burned him but slightly, and in several places went out as thespirit became exhausted; but here and there the woollen material of hisgarments began to burn with a peculiar odour before he had extinguishedthe last spark. 

Meanwhile, although the straw blazed furiously, and the smoke filled theplace so that respiration would have been impossible, no help came. Thespirit fluttered and danced as it burned, and save here and there whereit lay in inequalities of the floor, it was nearly consumed, the dangernow being from the straw, which still blazed. 

Fortunately for Hilary, although he could feel the glow, his foresightin sweeping it to one corner saved him from being incommoded, and theheat caused a current of cool night-air to set in through the window andkeep back the blinding and stifling fumes. 

He listened, and could hear shouts in the distance; but no one came tohis help, and he could not avoid feeling that if he had been dependentupon aid from without he must have lost his life. Fortunately for him, just at a time when his fate seemed sealed, the flames from the burningstraw reached their height, and though they blackened the ceiling theydid no worse harm, but exhausted from the want of supply they sank lowerand lower. There was not a scrap of furniture in the place, or salientpiece of wood to catch fire, and so as the spirit burned out, and theblazing straw settled down into some blackened sparkling ash, Hilary'sspirits rose, and with the reaction as he clung there by the window camea feeling of indignation. 

"If I don't be even with some of them for this!" he muttered. "Theyhalf starve me, and then try to burn me to death. "

"Yes, that's right, " he cried. "Bravo, heroes! Come, now the danger'sover. "

For as he sat there he could hear hurrying feet, the rattle of a key inthe chapel door, and shouts to him to come out. 

The smoke was so dense that the fresh comers could not possibly see himwhere he sat in the window, and they cried to him again to come out. 

"I sha'n't come, " said Hilary to himself; "you'll only lock me upsomewhere else, and now I have found out as much as I have, perhaps Ishall be better off where I am. "

"There'll be a pretty noise about this when Sir Henry comes back, " crieda voice, which Hilary recognised as that of the ill-looking fellowAllstone. "You clumsy fool, dropping that keg!"

"It was as much you as me, " cried another. "I sha'n't take all theblame. "

"The lad's burned to death through your clumsiness, " continued Allstone. 

"And a whole keg of the strongest brandy wasted, " said anotherdolefully. 

"The place nearly burned down too, " said another. 

"Here, go in somebody, " cried Allstone. "Perhaps he isn't quite dead, and I suppose we must save him if we can. Do you hear? Go in some ofyou. "

"Who's going in?" said another voice. "There's smoke enough to chokeyou. Why don't you go in yourself?"

"Because I tell you to go, " cried Allstone savagely. "I'm master herewhen the skipper's away, and I'll be obeyed. Go in, two of you, andfetch the boy out. "

"He don't want no fetching out, " said one of the men, as the current ofair that set from the window drove the smoke aside and revealed thedimly-seen figure of Hilary seated in the embrasure holding on to theiron bars. "He don't want no help; there he sits. "

Allstone, who had been seized with a fit of coughing and choking fromthe effects of the blinding, pungent smoke, did not speak for a fewmoments, during which the smoke went on getting thinner and thinner, though, as the men had no lights, everything was still very obscure. 

"Oh, you're up there, are you?" cried Allstone at last. "Come down, sir; do you hear?" And he spoke as if he were addressing a disobedientdog; but Hilary remained perfectly silent, truth to say, almostspeechless from indignation. 

"What do you mean by pretending to be smothered and burned to death, hey?" cried the fellow again, roughly. "Why don't you answer? Getdown. "

"Out, bully!" cried Hilary angrily. "Why, you insolent dog, how dareyou speak to a king's officer like that? Why, you ugly, indecent-looking outrage upon humanity, you set fire to the placethrough your clumsiness, and then come and insult me for not beingburned to death. "

"Haw! haw! haw!" laughed one of the men. "Well crowed, young gamecock. "

"You cowardly lubbers, why didn't you come sooner to help me, instead ofleaving me to frizzle here? I might have burned to death a dozen timesfor aught you cared. "

"Haw! haw! haw!" laughed a couple of the men now, to Allstone's greatannoyance. 

"Hold your tongue, and come down, boy, " he cried. "You can't stopthere. "

"Be off and lock the door again, bully, " cried Hilary. "You great ugly, cowardly hound, if I had you on board the _Kestrel_, you should betriced up and have five dozen on your bare back. "

"Haw! haw! haw!" came in a regular chorus this time, for the danger wasover. 

"I'd like to look on while the crew of you were being talked to by theboatswain, " cried Hilary, angrily--"a set of cowardly loons. "

"That'll do!" cried Allstone, who was hoarse with passion. "Go in andfetch him out. "

No one stirred, and Allstone went in himself, but only to be seized witha furious fit of coughing which lasted a couple of minutes or so, and tohis companions' intense delight. 

The fit over, the fellow went in again and stood beneath the window. 

"Come down!" he cried; but as Hilary did not condescend to notice himAllstone seized the young man by one of his legs, with the result thathe clung with both hands to the iron bars, and raising up his knees fora moment, kicked out with as much cleverness as his friend the jackass, catching Allstone full in the chest and sending him staggering back fora few steps, where, unable to recover his balance, he went down heavilyin a sitting position. 

There was a roar of laughter from his companions, who stamped about, slapped their legs, and literally danced with delight; while, in spiteof his anger and indignation at this scoundrel of a smuggler daring totouch a king's officer, Hilary could not help feeling amused. 

But matters looked tragic directly after instead of comic, for, utteringa fierce oath, the man sprang up, pulled out his cutlass and made at theprisoner. 

Active as a leopard, Hilary sprang down to avoid him, when the pieces ofthe broken plate--the remains of that which had thrown the young officerdown into the burning spirit--this time befriended him, for Allstonestepped upon a large fragment, slipped, fell sprawling, and the cutlassflew from his hand with a loud jangling noise in the far corner upon thestone floor. 

Quick as lightning, and while the other men were roaring with laughter, Hilary dashed at the cutlass, picked it up, and, assuming now the partof aggressor, he turned upon Allstone, presenting the point of hisweapon, and drove the ruffian before him out of the place, turning thenext moment upon his companions, who offered not the slightestresistance, but retreated before him laughing with all their might. 

Hilary was about to seize the opportunity to chase them onward throughthe passage and try to escape, but Allstone was too quick for him. 

On being driven out the man had taken refuge behind the door, and as thelast man of his companions passed he dashed it to, striking Hilary fulland driving him backwards into the chapel, as it slammed against thepost with a heavy echo, and was locked and bolted. 

"Stop there, and starve and rot, " the ruffian cried through the keyholefuriously, as Hilary stood panting and shaking first one hand and thenthe other, against which the door, to the saving of his face, had comewith tremendous force. 

"We'll see about that, " said Hilary to himself, as he gave the cutlass aflourish; and then, as the steps died down the passage and he heard thefarther door close, with the steps of the men passing over the emptyboarded room, he laughed at the change that had come over the sceneduring the last quarter of an hour. 

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. 

TEMPTATION. 

There was something ludicrous in the struggle that had taken place, especially as Hilary had so thoroughly won the day; but at the same timethere was a very unpleasant side to his position. It was in the middleof the night and very dark, save in one corner of the stone-flooredplace where the remains of the heap of straw displayed a few sparks, andsent up a thin thread of smoke, which rose to the ceiling and therespread abroad, the rest having passed away, driven out by the draughtcaused by the open door. He had not a scrap of furniture; the straw wasall burned, and the floor of his prison was stone. 

Still there was one good thing upon his side--one which afforded Hilarythe most intense satisfaction, and this was the fact that he had securedthe cutlass. Not that he wanted it for fighting, though it might proveuseful in case of need for his defence; but it suggested itself to himas being a splendid implement for raising one of the stones in thefloor, with which help he might possibly get into the cellars or vaultsbelow, and so escape. 

"But I don't like going to sleep on the stones, " said Hilary to himself, and tucking the cutlass under his arm, he felt the flooring in differentplaces. 

To his surprise he found it perfectly dry, for the intensely strongspirit had burned itself completely out, leaving not so much as a humidspot; and after climbing up to look out at the dark night, Hilary sawthat the fire was as good as extinct, and ended by sitting down. 

The stones were very cold, but he felt weary, and at last so intense adesire to sleep came upon him that he lay down, and in spite of thehardness of his couch and the fact that he had no pillow but his arm, hedropped off into a heavy sleep, from which he did not awaken till thesun was shining in through the window upon the smoke-blackened walls. 

Hilary's first thought was concerning his cutlass, which was safe by hisside, and jumping up, he listened. Then he went to the door andlistened again, but all was perfectly still. 

What was he to do? he asked himself. He felt sure that Allstone wouldcome before long, and others with him, to obtain possession of theweapon, and he was equally determined not to give it up. He might fightfor it, but, now that he was cool, he felt a repugnance against sheddingblood; and, besides, he knew that he must be overcome by numbers, perhaps wounded, and that would make a very uncomfortable state ofthings ten times worse. 

The result was that he determined to hide the cutlass; but where?

He looked around the place, and, as far as he could see, there was not aplace where he could have hidden away a bodkin, let alone the weapon inhis hand. 

Certainly he might have heaped over it the black ashes of the straw andthe few unburned scraps; but such a proceeding would have been childishin the extreme. 

It was terribly tantalising, for there was absolutely no place where hecould conceal it; and at last, biting his lips with vexation, heexclaimed, after vainly looking out for a slab that he could raise:

"I must either fight for it or throw it out of the window; and I'dsooner do that than he should have it back. Hurrah! That will do!" hecried eagerly, as a thought struck him. 

Laying down the cutlass, he leaped up to the window, pressed his facesidewise against the bars, and looked down, to see that the grass andweeds grew long below him. 

He was down again directly and seated upon the floor, where, afterlistening for a few moments, he stripped down one of his blue worstedstoutly-knitted stockings, sought for a likely place, cut through athread, and, pulling steadily, it rapidly came undone. This furnishedhim with a line of worsted some yards long. 

Leaping up, he rapidly tied one end round the hilt of the cutlass, climbed to the window, and lowered the weapon down outside, till it layhidden amongst the grass close to the wall. Then he tied the slightthread close down in the rusted-away part of one of the bars, descendedagain, and raked up some ashes, with which he mounted and sprinkled themover the thread, making it invisible from inside; after which hedescended, feeling quite hopeful that the plan would not be discovered. 

This done, he seemed to have more time for a look round at the effectsof the fire; but beyond a little blackening of the ceiling and the heapof ashes, there was nothing much to see. The strong spirit had burneditself out without doing more than scorch the bottom of the door; but hehad a lively recollection of the strange scene as the little bluetongues of fire seemed to be fluttering and dancing all over the place. 

Just then he noticed the corner where he had placed the remains of hisprevious night's meal, and there were the empty plates--for not a scrapof the food was left; and this satisfactorily indorsed his ideasrespecting the touch that had so startled him into wakefulness. 

"Better be awakened by that than by the blaze of fire, " he said halfaloud. "Oh, won't I give Sir Henry a bit of my mind about the treatmentI meet with here, and--here he is. "

For just then he heard the tramp of feet over the boarded floor, theflinging open of the first door, then the steps in the passage, and healtered his opinion. 

"No!" he exclaimed; "it's old Allstone coming after his cutlass. "

He was quite right, for, well-armed, and followed by four men, Hilary'sjailer entered the place, glanced sharply round, and exclaimed:

"I've come for that cutlass. "

"Have you?" said Hilary coolly. 

"Hand it over. "

"I have not got it, " said Hilary coolly. 

"Don't tell me lies, " said the fellow roughly. "Here, lay hold. "

Five to one was too much for resistance, so Hilary submitted patientlyto the search that was made, to see if he had it concealed beneath hisclothes. 

"There's nothing here, " said one of the men; and Allstone tried himself, flinching sharply as the prisoner made believe to strike at him. 

Then he carefully looked all round the place, which was soon done, andthe fellow turned to him menacingly:

"Now then, " he cried, "just you speak out, or it will be the worse foryou. Where's that cutlass?"

Hilary looked at him mockingly. 

"I'll tell you the strict truth, " he thought; and he replied, "I droppedit out of the window. "

"It's a lie, " cried the ruffian savagely; "I don't believe you. "

"I knew you would not, " said Hilary laughing. "Where is it then?"

"I swallowed it. "

"What!" said the fellow staring. 

"Hilt and all if you like. Now, do you believe that?" The man staredat him. 

"Because you would not believe the truth, so there's what you askedfor--a lie. "

The fellow stared at him again, seized hold of him, and felt him allover in the roughest way. Then, satisfied that the weapon was notconcealed about the lad's person, he looked round the place once more, walked to the side of the room so as to get a view of the window-ledge, and then he turned to Hilary once more. 

"When did you drop it out?" he said sharply. 

"As soon as I awoke this morning, " replied Hilary. "Just before youcame. "

"Come along, my lads, " said the fellow, who then withdrew with hisfollowers. The door clanged to, was locked, and as Hilary listened heheard them all depart, securing the farther door behind them; and, satisfied that they were gone, he nimbly climbed up to the window, raised the cutlass by means of the worsted, and having taking it in hedescended once more, unfastened and rolled up the thread for furtheruse, and then thrust the weapon down under his vest and into the leftleg of his trousers, feeling pretty sure that they would not search himagain. 

A few minutes later he heard voices, and going beneath the window, andraising himself up till his ear was level with the ledge, he could hearall that was said, and he knew that the men were searching for thesword. 

"Don't seem to be about here, " said one of the men. 

"Look well, " Hilary heard Allstone say. 

"That's just what we are doing. Think he did throw it over?"

"Must have done so, " said Allstone; "there isn't a place anywhere bigenough to hide a knife. "

"Then some one's been by this morning and picked it up, " said one of themen, "for it don't seem to be anywhere here. "

"Turn over that long grass, " said Allstone, "and kick those weedsaside. "

Hilary heard the rustling sounds made by the men as they obeyed theirleader; but of course there was no result. 

"Somebody come by and picked it up, " said the man again; and, apparentlysatisfied, the party went away, Hilary raising his eyes, saw thesmugglers go round the corner of the house below the ivied gable, leaving him wondering whether they would come back. 

"They may, " he thought; "and if they do, they will see that I've gotthis thing tucked in here. "

Quickly taking out the worsted he secured it to the cutlass, andlowering it once more out of the window, tied the thread to the bar. 

"It's safest there, I'll be bound, " he muttered; and he had hardly madehis arrangements for concealment when he heard the steps coming, andbegan walking up and down as the door was opened, and, staring at himdoubtfully, Allstone came in with two men bearing some breakfast for theprisoner, while their leader went round Hilary again, searchingly notingevery fold of his garments before once more withdrawing. 

"He must have seen it if I had it on, " said Hilary, as he once morefound himself alone, when he eagerly attacked the provisions that hadbeen left. 

After satisfying his hunger, he was a good deal divided in his mind asto what to do about the weapon, which might prove to be so valuable animplement in his attempt to escape. If left outside and searched foragain, the smugglers must find it; but the chances were that they wouldnot go and look again, so he decided to leave it where it was. 

The morning wore on without a single incident to take his attention, andhe spent the time in examining the floor of his prison, giving a taphere and a tap there, and noting where it sounded most hollow. 

It was a long task, but he had plenty of time upon his hands, and he atlast decided that he would make his attack upon a small stone in thecorner by the wall which contained the window, that was not only thedarkest place, the light seeming to pass over it, but there was ahollower echo when he struck the stone, from which he hoped that theslab was thinner than the rest. 

He drove the knife in all round and found that it passed in withoutdifficulty; and as he examined the place, he found to his great delightthat some time or other there had evidently been a staple let into theslab, probably to hold a great ring for raising the stone, andundoubtedly this was a way down to the vaults below. 

What he wanted now was a good supply of straw to lay over that part ofthe floor to conceal any efforts he might make for raising the stone, and meanwhile dusting some of the ashes and half-burned straw-chaff overthe spot, he awaited Allstone's next appearance with no little anxiety. 

Towards afternoon he heard steps, and evidently his jailer was coming;but to his surprise, instead of Allstone being accompanied by two orthree men, his companion was Sir Henry Norland, who had evidently justreturned from a journey. 

"Ah, my dear Hilary, " he exclaimed, "I have just been hearing of yournarrow escape. My dear boy, I cannot tell you how sorry I am. You arenot in the least hurt, I hope?"

"No, Sir Henry, not in body, " said the young man distantly; "but you seeall my prison furniture has been destroyed. Will you give orders that Iam to be supplied with a little more straw?"

"I gave orders that a mattress and blankets, with a table and chairs, should be brought here before I went out, " said Sir Henry, "with a fewother things. Good gracious! I had no idea the fire had been so bad. Did it burn everything?"

"My furniture was what I asked to be replaced--a little straw, " saidHilary bitterly. "I had nothing else. "

Sir Henry turned frowning to the man, and said a few words in a low butcommanding tone to him which made him scowl; but he went off growlingsomething to himself in a sulky manner. 

"My dear Hilary, " said Sir Henry, "I did not know you had been so badlytreated. I am so much engaged upon His Majesty's business that I amafraid I have neglected you sadly. "

"Indeed, Sir Henry? And now you have come to say that I am at libertyto go free and attend to His Majesty's business?" said Hilary with asarcastic ring in his words. 

"Will you?" said Sir Henry eagerly. 

"Yes, of course, " said Hilary. "I serve the king, and I am ready to doanything in the king's name. "

Sir Henry smiled pityingly. 

"We misunderstand each other, Hilary. But come, my boy, let us waste nowords. Listen. I come to you armed with powers to make you a great andhonoured man. Join us, Hilary. We know that you are a skilful officer, a clever sailor. You are the merest subordinate now; but throw yourselfheart and soul into the Stuart cause, help to restore the king to hisrights, and you shall rise with him. Young as you are, I have asplendid offer to make you. As you are, you serve under a miserableofficer, and in time you may rise to a captaincy. Join us, and, as Isay, young as you are His Majesty gives you through me the rank ofcaptain, and knighthood shall follow if you serve him well. "

"Have you nearly done, Sir Henry?" said Hilary coldly. 

"Done, my dear boy, I want to introduce you to a band of trulychivalrous noblemen and gentlemen who will receive you with open arms. I want you to be my friend and fellow patriot--to aid me with youradvice and energy. I want you to leave this wretched prison, and tosoar above the contemptible task of putting down a few miserablesmugglers. I want you to come out of this place with me at once, tobecome once more the companion of my little Adela, who sends her messageby me that she is waiting to take you by the hand. Come: leave thewretched usurper's chains, and be free if you would be a man. Adelasays--Hark! There she is. "

As he spoke there came in through the window, bearing with it thememories of bright and happy times, the tones of the girl's sweet youngvoice, and as Hilary listened he closed his eyes and thought of thebright sunny country, the joys of freedom, the high hopes of ambition, and a warm flush came into his cheeks, while Sir Henry smiled in thesatisfaction of his heart as he whispered to himself the oneword--"_Won_!"

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO. 

A SURPRISE FOR SIR HENRY. 

It was very tempting. The country looked so bright and beautiful fromhis prison window; the voice of his old companion brought up such a hostof pleasant recollections, and it would have been delightful to renewthe old intimacy. Then, upon the other hand, what would he give up? Adull monotonous life under a tyrannical superior, with but little chanceof promotion, to receive honour, advancement, and no doubt to enjoy nolittle adventure. 

It was very tempting, and enough to make one with a stronger mind thanHilary Leigh waver in his allegiance. 

As he stood there thinking the song went on, and Hilary felt that did hebut say yes, and swear fealty to one who believed himself to be therightful king of England, he would be at liberty to join Adela at once. There would be an end to his imprisonment, and no more wretched anxiety. 

He had done his duty so far, he argued, and he was doing his duty whenfortune went against him, and he was made a prisoner, so to a certainextent his changing sides might be considered excusable. He had hadlittle else but rough usage and discomfort since he went to sea, and theoffers now made to him by Sir Henry were full of promise, which he knewthe baronet was too true to hold out without perfect honesty. 

Taken altogether--that is in connection with his position, and theprobability that he might be kept here a prisoner for any length oftime, and that most likely he had already been reported by Mr Lipscombeas a deserter--there was such a bright prospect held out that Hilaryfelt for the time extremely weak and ready to give up. 

Meanwhile the song went on outside, for all these thoughts ran veryquickly through the young man's brain. Then Adela's voice died away, and Hilary opened his eyes to see Sir Henry standing there, with a smileupon his handsome face, and his hand extended. 

"Well, Captain Leigh, " he said, laughing, "I am to clasp hands with myyoung brother in the good cause?"

"You will shake hands with me, Sir Henry, " said Hilary, "for we are veryold friends, and I shall never forget my happy days at the old hall, "and he laid his hand in that of the baronet. 

"Forget them! No, my dear boy, " cried Sir Henry enthusiastically. "Butthere will be brighter days yet. Come along and join Adela; she will bedelighted to have you with her again. Come along! Why do you hangback? Why, Hil, my boy, you have not grown bashful?"

"You love the young Pre--I mean Charles Stuart, " said Hilary quietly, ashe still held his old friend's hand. 

"Love, my boy? Yes, Heaven bless him! And so will you when you meethim. He will take to you with your frank young sailor face, Hilary. "

"No, Sir Henry, " Hilary replied sadly. "I have heard that he isgenerally frank, and an honourable gentleman. "

"All that, Hilary, " cried Sir Henry enthusiastically. "He is royal inhis ways, and I am sure he will like you. "

"If he is what you say, Sir Henry, " replied the young man, "he wouldlook with coldness and contempt upon a scoundrel and a traitor. "

"To be sure he would, " said Sir Henry, who in his elation and beliefthat he had won Hilary over to the Pretender's cause was thrown off hisguard. 

"Then why do you talk of his liking me, if, after signing my adhesion tohim whom I look upon as my rightful king, I deserted him at the firsttouch of difficulty? No, Sir Henry, I could not accept your offerwithout looking upon myself afterwards as a traitor and a villain, and Iam sure that you would be one of the first men to think of me withcontempt. "

Sir Henry dropped the hand he held in astonishment, completely takenaback, and a heavy frown came upon his brow. 

"Are you mad, Hilary?" he exclaimed. "Do you know what you arerefusing?"

"Yes, Sir Henry, I know what I am refusing; but I hope I am not mad. "

"Honour, advancement, liberty, in place of what you are enduring now. "

"Yes, Sir Henry, I can see it all. "

"Adela's friendship--my friendship. Oh, my dear boy, you have notconsidered all this. "

"Yes, Sir Henry, I have considered it all, " said Hilary firmly; "andthough you are angry now, I am sure that the time will come when youwill respect me for being faithful to my king, just as you would havelearned to despise me if I had broken my word. "

Sir Henry did not reply, but turned short upon his heel and walked tothe door, rapped loudly till the key was turned, and then withoutglancing at Hilary again he left the place. 

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE. 

HILARY'S WAY OF ESCAPE. 

Hilary stood in the centre of the old chapel, gazing at the closed door, and listening to the rattle of the bolts. He was full of regrets, for, left early an orphan, he had been in the habit of looking up to SirHenry somewhat in the way that a boy would regard a father; and he wasgrieved to the heart to think that so old and dear a friend should lookupon him as an ingrate. 

But at the same time he felt lighter at heart, and there was theknowledge to support him that he had done his duty at a very tryingtime. 

"I should have felt that every right-thinking man had looked down uponme, " he said, half aloud, "and little Adela would have been ashamed whenshe knew all, to call me friend. "

He stood with his eyes still fixed upon the door thinking, and now histhoughts were mingled with bitter feelings, for he was still a prisonerat the mercy of a set of lawless men, Sir Henry being no doubt merely avisitor here, and possessed of but little authority. 

"And I know too much for them to let me go and bring a few of our ladsto rout out their nest, " he said, half aloud. "Never mind, they won'tdare to kill me, unless it is by accident, " he added grimly, and then heran to the window to see if Adela were in sight. 

Practice had made him nimble now, and leaping up, he caught the bars, drew himself into the embrasure, and peered between the bars. 

"Pst! Adela!" he cried eagerly, for he could just see her light dressbetween the trees. 

She looked up, and came running towards the window, looking bright andhappy, and there was an eager light in her eyes. 

"Why, Hil!" she cried. "I did not think you would be there now. Papasaid he thought you would soon be at liberty, and that perhaps you wouldstay with us a little while before you went away. "

"And should you like me to stay with you?" he said, gazing down. 

"Oh, yes; so much!" she said naively. "This old place is so dull andlonely, and I am so much alone with an old woman who waits upon us. Whydon't you come out?"

"Because I am a prisoner, " he said quietly. 

"But I thought--I hoped--papa said you were going to give your parolenot to escape, " said Adela; "or else that you were going to join ourcause and fight for the true king. "

He shook his head mournfully. 

"No, Addy. I cannot give my word of honour not to escape, " he said;"because I hope to get away at the first opportunity. "

"Then join our cause, " cried Adela. 

"No, " he said, shaking his head, "I cannot join your cause, Addy, because I am an officer appointed in the king's name to serve in one ofKing George's vessels. I should be a traitor if I forsook my colours. "

"But I want you to come, " cried Adela, with the wayward tyranny of achild. "It seems so stupid for you to be shut up there like a wildbeast in a cage. Oh, Hil, you must come on our side! Do!"

"Adela! Adela!" cried an imperious voice. 

"Yes, papa, I am coming, " she cried; and looking up quickly at theprisoner, she nodded and laughed, and the next moment she haddisappeared. 

Hilary sat watching as if in the hope that she would come back; but heknew in his heart that she would not, and so it proved at the end ofquite a couple of hours. 

"He has told her that she is to hold no communication with such afellow, " he said to himself. "Poor little Addy! what a sweet littlething she is growing, and what an impetuous, commanding way she has!"

He sat watching the place still, but without hope. Now and then thegirl's words came to him. 

"I seem like a wild beast in a cage, do I?" he said laughing. "Verygood, Miss Addy; then I must gnaw my way out. "

As he spoke his eyes fell upon the bit of worsted that was secured tothe cutlass, and he was about to draw it up when he heard footstepsapproaching from the interior, and he leaped lightly down and beganwalking about the place as the door was opened, and Allstone held itback for some of his men to enter with a couple of trusses of straw, acouple of blankets, a rough three-legged table, and a rougher stool, which were unceremoniously thrown or jerked down, and then, after asuspicious look at his prisoner, Allstone motioned to the men to go. 

"Is there anything else your lordship would like?" he said with a sneer. "The best feather-beds are damp, and the carpets have been put away bymistake. What wines would your lordship like for your dinner and wouldyou like silver cups or glass?"

"Now then, old Allstones, or Allbones, or Nobones, or whatever your nameis, " cried Hilary, putting his arms akimbo, and taking a step nearer tothe jailer, "you are a big and precious ugly man of about forty, and I'monly a boy; but look here, if I had you on board my ship I'd have youtriced up and flogged. "

"But you are not on board your ship, my young cockerel, " said the manmockingly. 

"No, " cried Hilary, "but I'm all here, and if you give me any of yoursauce when you come in, I'll show you why some fellows are made officersand some keep common seamen to the end of their days. "

"And how's that?" said the ruffian with a sneer. 

"Because they know how to deal with bullies and blackguards like you. Now then, this is my room, so walk out. "

He took another step forward and gazed so fiercely in the man's eyes, that, great as was the disparity in their ages and strength, Allstoneshrank back step by step until he reached the doorway, when, if notafraid of Hilary, he was certainly so much taken aback by the youngman's manner that he was thoroughly cowed for the moment, and shrankaway, slipping through the door and banging it after him, leaving theprisoner to his meditations. 

"Come, I've got a bed, " he said, laughing, "and a chair and a table, and--hurrah! the very thing. "

He then seized the table and turned it upside down to gaze beneath, andthen replacing it, ran to the window, pulled up the cutlass, and goingto the table once more, turned it over and inserted the point of theweapon between the side and the top, with the result that it stuck therefirmly, and upon the table being replaced upon its legs it was quiteconcealed. 

"There!" he cried, "that will be handy, and I daresay safe, for theywill never think of searching that after bringing it in. "

This done, he proceeded to roll up his worsted for future use, andplaced it in one pocket, the piece of cord with which he had drawn upthe milk being in another. 

"Why, I might have used that instead of the worsted, " he said, as heremembered it for the first time; but he recollected directly after thatit would have been too easily seen. 

Then he inspected the two trusses of straw, and made his bed closebeside the opening he hoped to make by raising the slab; and then, having carefully examined the spot, he listened to make sure that he wasnot heard, and taking out his pocket-knife, went down upon his knees andbegan to pick out the hard dirt and cement that filled the cracks aroundthe broad, flat stone. 

It was rough work, but he had the satisfaction of feeling that he wasmaking very fair progress, scraping up the pieces from the place around, and as fast as he secured a handful going to the window and throwing itout with a good jerk, looking out afterwards to see if it showed, andfinding it was concealed by the long grass. 

He was well upon the _qui vive_, having placed the straw close to theplace where he was at work, and holding himself in readiness at theslightest alarm to scatter a portion over the slab. 

But no one came, and he worked steadily on hour after hour till thecrack all round was quite clear, and he had no need to do more till hetried to raise the stone by using the cutlass as a lever. 

To guard against surprise he now scattered about some of the chaff andsmall scraps that had been shaken out of the two bundles of straw, andafter listening attentively, he could not resist the temptation oftaking out the heavy sword and trying whether he could lift the slab. 

The point went in easily, and he was just about to press upon the handlewhen he snatched the weapon out and hastily thrust it back in itshiding-place, for there was the sound of an opening door, and a minutelater Allstone walked in with a small loaf and a jug of water, placingthem upon the table with a sour and malicious look at the prisoner, whodid not even notice his presence, and then left the place. 

"Bread and water, eh!" thought Hilary. "Well, the greater need for meto get away, for ship living will be better than this. "

His hearty young appetite, however, was ready to induce him to look withfavour upon food of any kind, and he set to at once, munching the breadand refreshing himself with draughts of water. 

"If this is Sir Henry's doing, " he said, "it is mean; but I'll put itdown to the credit of our amiable friend Allstone. Perhaps I may beable some day to return the compliment. We shall see. "

At his time of life low spirits do not last long, and he was too full ofhis idea of escape to trouble himself now about the quality of his food. All being well, he hoped to get down into the cellar, where, amongother things it was evident that the smugglers kept their store ofspirits; he might, perhaps, find firearms as well. At all events hehoped that the exit might prove easier than from the place where he nowwas. 

He was obliged to leave off eating to try to raise the slab with thecutlass, so taking the weapon from its hiding-place, he tried the edgeof the stone, inserting the point of the sword with the greatest care, and then pressing down the handle he found, to his great delight, thathe could easily prise up the slab, raising it now a couple of inchesbefore he lowered it down. 

This was excellent, and the success of his project was far greater thanhe had anticipated; in fact, he had expected double the difficulty inloosening the stone. 

"They are not much accustomed to having prisoners, " he said, with ahalf-laugh, as he replaced the cutlass beneath the table. "Why, anyfellow could get out of here. "

Then, thinking that his remark in his self-communing was too conceited, he added:

"Down into the cellar or vaults; whether one could get out afterwards isanother thing. "

Returning to his stool, he worked away at the bread, steadily munching, finding the result quieting to his hungry pains, and also a kind ofamusement to pass away the time till he felt that he might set to workin safety, for he did not mean to commence till nearly dusk. 

As he expected, towards evening Allstone came again, not to bring morefood, but to glance sharply round at the place and carefully scrutinisehis prisoner as if looking for the missing sword. 

Hilary looked straight before him, whistling softly the while in themost nonchalant manner, completely ignoring his visitor's presence, tothe man's evident annoyance, his anger finding vent in a heavy bang ofthe door. 

Hilary did not move for quite half an hour; then, all being perfectlystill, and the evening shadows beginning to make his prison very dim, herose with beating heart, listened, and all being silent as if there wasnot a soul within hearing, took the cutlass from its hiding-place, andproceeded to put his project in action. 

Bending down, he once more swept aside the straw, and inserted the pointof the sword, to find that this time there was more difficulty in histask, for he had to try several times, and in fresh positions, findingthe cutlass bend almost to breaking-point, before success crowned hisefforts, and he raised the stone sufficiently far to get his fingersbeneath, and then the task was easy, for with a steady lift he raisedone side and leaned it right up against the wall. 

He had hardly accomplished this before he fancied he heard a slightnoise outside, beneath the window, and the perspiration began to standin a dew upon his face as he realised the fact that some one had justplaced a ladder against the wall and was ascending to look in. 

If the stone was seen upraised his chance of escape was at an end, andthere was not a moment to spare, nor the slightest chance of closing it. 

He glanced around, and, to his intense delight, noted that it wasgetting decidedly dark in the corner where he stood; but still detectionseemed to be certain; and he had only one chance, that was--to throwhimself down and pretend to be asleep. 

This he did at once, breathing heavily, and lying perfectly motionless, but with his eyes wide open, and his ears strained to catch theslightest sound. 

He was quite right; some one was ascending a short ladder placed by hiswindow; and as he watched attentively he saw the opening suddenlydarkened, and some man's face gazing straight in. 

It was too dark now for him to distinguish the features, and he hopedthat the obscurity would favour him by preventing the intruder fromseeing what had been done. 

It was a time of terrible suspense, probably only of a minute'sduration, but it seemed to Hilary like an hour; and there he lay, withhalf-closed eyes, gazing at the head so dimly-seen, wondering whether itwas Allstone, but unable to make out. 

Just then a thought flashed through his brain. 

Might it not be a friend?--perhaps a party from the _Kestrel_ arrived insearch of him; and, full of hope, he gazed intently at the head. Buthis hopes sank as rapidly as they had risen, for he was compelled to ownthat, if it had been a friend, he would have spoken or whistled, or insome way have endeavoured to catch his attention. 

At last, wearied with straining his attention, Hilary felt that he mustspeak, when it seemed to him that the window grew a little lighter, andas he gazed there was a faint scratching noise, telling that the ladderhad been removed. 

He could bear it no longer, but, softly rising, he made for the window, climbed up, and gently raising his head above the sill, peered out, tobe just able to distinguish a dark figure carrying a short ladder, whichbrushed against the branches of a tree, and then a low, husky cough, which he at once recognised, told him who his visitor had been. 

"A contemptible spy!" muttered Hilary, as he dropped back into thechapel. "Now then, has he seen or has he not?"

If he had it was useless to lower down the slab, so Hilary let it stay, and waited minute after minute to see if he would come. But allremained perfectly still, and, to all appearance, the people who madethe old place their rendezvous were now away. 

Hilary was divided in his mind as to what he should do. To beprecipitate might ruin his chance of getting away, while if he left ittoo long the smugglers might return, and his opportunity would again begone. He decided, then, on a medium course--to wait, as far as he couldjudge, for half an hour, and then make his attempt. 

Meantime he began to think of what course he should pursue when he wasfree, and it seemed that all he could do would be to strike inland atonce, for that would be the safest plan. If he tried to reach the coastthe chances were that he would encounter one of the gang, or at allevents some cottager who would most probably be in their pay. 

"The half-hour must be up now, " he exclaimed; and, after listening atthe door, he thrust the cutlass in his belt, and made for the holeformed by the raised flag. 

"I wonder how far it is down?" he muttered. "Seven feet at the outside;and if I lower myself gently I shall be able to touch the floor, orperhaps I shall come down on some barrel or package. "

As he spoke he lowered himself gently down, with a hand on either sideof the aperture, and then, swinging his legs about, one of them kickedthe side, showing that the cellar or vault was a little smaller indimensions than the place above. 

He lowered himself a little more, and a little more, his sea life havingmade the muscles of his arms as tough almost as iron, and at last, having a good hold of the stones on either side, he let himself steadilygo down till his head was beneath the floor and he hung down at the fulllength of his hands. 

"Deeper down than I thought for, " he muttered, as he swung himself toand fro. "Shall I drop, or sha'n't I? It can't be above a foot; butsomehow one don't like to let go of a certainty, to drop no one can tellwhere--perhaps on to bottles, or no one knows what. "

He still swung in hesitation, for it seemed cowardly to go back, now hewas so far down; but somehow the desire to be upon the safe sideobtained the mastery, and he determined to go back. 

Easier settled upon than done. His muscles were tough enough, butsomehow his position was awkward, and his hold upon the stones so slightthat, though he drew himself up twice, he did not get well above theopening till he managed to force one toe into the niche between a coupleof the stones of the wall, when, by a sharp effort, he drew himself sofar out of the hole that he was able to seat himself upon the edge, withhis legs dangling down. 

"What a lot of trouble I am taking!" he said, laughing lightly, thoughat the same time he felt discomposed. "I might just as well havedropped, but as I am up here again I may as well take soundings. "

His plan of taking soundings was to fish out his ball of worsted, and, after a moment's thought, to tie it to the handle of the brownwater-jug, and this he lowered softly down the hole. 

"It's deeper down than I thought for, " he said to himself, as he let thejug right down to the extent of the worsted thread, and then knelt downand reached as far as he could, but still without result. 

"Stop a moment, " he said, pulling out his piece of line, "it's lucky Ididn't leave go. Why, that worsted's at least a dozen feet long. "

As he spoke he tied the end of the worsted to his piece of cord, and letthe jug down lower still, to the extent of the cord as well, quite fiveyards more. 

"Phew!" he whistled, as, with the cord round his finger, he reached downas far as he could; "I should have had a drop! and--hang it, there goesthe jug!"

For at that moment the string suddenly became light, the worsted havingparted; and as he knelt there, peering down into the darkness, theperspiration started once more from his forehead, and a curioussensation, as of a comb with teeth of ice passing through his hair, affected him while he listened moment after moment, moment after moment, till there came up a dull whispering splash from below, at a distancethat was perfectly horrifying after the risk that Hilary had run. 

So overcome was he by his discovery that he shrank away from the openingin the floor completely unnerved, and unable for a time to move. Hewas, in fact, like one who had received a stunning blow, and only aftersome minutes had elapsed was he able to mutter a few words ofthankfulness for his escape, as he now thoroughly realised that he haduncovered an old well of tremendous depth. 

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR. 

A STRANGE FISH IN THE NET. 

Hilary's first act on recovering himself was to creep back cautiously tothe side, and lower down the stone over the open well, shivering stillas he realised more fully the narrowness of his escape. 

"Old Allstone will be wanting to know what I have done with his jug, " hesaid, as he seated himself upon the stool, and began to think what heshould do. 

He was somewhat unnerved by his adventure, but recovering himself fast, and he had the whole night before him for making another attempt. Allthe same, though, the time wore on without his moving; for therecollection of that horrible whispering plash and the echoes that hadsmitten his ear were hard to get rid of, try how he would; but at last, feeling that he was wasting time, he began upon hands and knees creepingabout the place, and tapping the floor. 

There were plenty of hollow, echoing sounds in reply as he hammered awaywith the hilt of the cutlass, and, telling himself that there could notbe wells beneath every stone, he made up his mind at last to try onewhich seemed to present the greatest facilities for his effort--that is, as far as he could tell by feeling the crack between it and the next. 

It proved a long and a tough job before he could move it. Twice over hewas about to give it up, for when at last he managed to make it move alittle it kept slipping back into its place, and seeming to wedge itselffarther in. 

The perspiration ran down his cheeks, and his arms ached; but he wastoiling for liberty, and on the _nil desperandum_ principle he workedaway. 

For, as he thought matters over, he was compelled to own that, howevermuch Lieutenant Lipscombe might feel disposed to search for him, he hadbeen spirited away so suddenly that it was not likely that success wouldattend the search. 

Under these circumstances there was nothing for it but that he shoulddepend upon himself, and this he did to such a brave extent that at lasthe placed the point of the cutlass in so satisfactory a position that onheaving up the stone upon which he was at work it did not slip back, butwas so much dislodged that a little farther effort enabled him to pullit aside; and then he sat down panting beside the black square openingin the floor. 

It was so dark that most of his work had to be done by the sense oftouch, and consequently the toil was twice as hard, for he could not seewhere it was best to apply force. All the same, though, perseverancewas rewarded, and he had raised the stone. 

Hilary did not feel in any great hurry to try his fortune this time; forafter his experience when he raised the last stone, he did not know whatmight be here. Try to laugh it off as he would, there was a curious, creeping sensation of dread came over him. He knew that this was achapel, and what more likely than that the vault beneath might be theabiding place of the dead--of those who had occupied this old place inthe past; and, mingled with this, Adela's words would come back aboutthe place being haunted. 

"Bah!" he exclaimed at last. "What a fool you are, Hil!"

As he spoke he gave himself a tremendous blow in the chest with hisdoubled fist, hurting himself a great deal more than he intended, andthis roused him once more to action. 

He was not going to lower himself down this time without trying forbottom; and pulling out his cord, he tied it to the hilt of the cutlass, lowered it into the hole, and began to fish, as he expressed it. 

Clang! Jingle!

Steel upon stone, as far as he could judge, just over six feet belowwhere he was leaning over. 

He tried again, here, there, and everywhere within his reach, and theresult was always the same, and there could be no mistake this time; hemight drop down in safety. 

He could not help hesitation, for the hole was black and forbidding. But it was for liberty, and after pausing for a few moments while heleaned down and felt about as far as he could reach, he prepared todescend. 

His examination had taught him that the vault below was arched, for, close by him, he could feel the thickness of the floor, while at theother side of the square opening he could not reach down to the edge ofthe arch, try how he would. In fact, his plan of sounding the floor hadanswered admirably, and he had raised a stone just in the right place. 

Hesitating no longer he thrust the cutlass into his waistband andproceeded to lower himself down. His acts were very cautiously carriedout, for his former experience had taught him care, and holding ontightly by the edge he gradually slid down, till at the full extent ofhis arms he felt firm footing. 

Still he did not leave hold, but passing himself along first one edgeand then another of his hole till he had gone along all four sides, andalways with the same result, he let go, and stood in safety upon a stonefloor. 

Drawing his cutlass, he felt overhead the opening where the stone hadbeen removed, and wondered what he was to do to find it again in theintense darkness; but he was obliged to own that he could do nothing. 

A thrust to right touched nothing; a thrust to left had no betterresult; and then he stood and wiped his brow. 

"I wonder what I shall find, " he said to himself. "Cases and tubs, orold coffins. "

He thrust out the sword once more straight in front of him, and thistime it touched wood, and made him shiver. 

For a few moments he did not care to move and investigate farther; butrousing himself once more, he tried again with his hand, to find that hetouched hoops and staves, and that it was a goodly-sized tub. 

He tried again, cautiously, feeling carefully with one foot before heattempted to move another, for the thought struck him that not very farfrom him the opening down into that terrible well must be yawning in thefloor, and under these circumstances he moved most carefully. 

He found that he need not have been so cautious, for after a little moreof this obscure investigation he learned that he was in a verycircumscribed area, surrounded on all sides by a most heterogeneouscollection of tubs, full and empty, rough cases, bales, ropes, blocks, and iron tackle, such as might be used in a fishing-boat; and the nextthing his hands encountered was a pile of fishing-nets. 

It was as he had expected: the vault or cellar below the chapel was fullof the stores belonging to the smugglers, and his task now was to findhis way out. 

It was of no avail to wish for flint and steel, to try, if only by thelight of a few sparks, to dispel this terrible darkness, which seemed tosurround and close him in, prisoning his faculties, as it were, andpreventing him, now he had got so far, from making his escape. 

There was always the dread of coming upon that terrible well acting likea bar to further progress. Then there was the utter helplessness of hisposition. Which way was he to go?

"At all events, " he said to himself at last, "I can't go down the wellif I'm climbing over tubs;" and he felt his way to the place where hehad first touched a cask, and climbing up, he found that he couldprogress a little way, always getting higher, with many an awkward slip;and then he had to stop, for his head touched the roof. 

A trial to right and left had no better result, and there was nothingfor it but to return and begin elsewhere. 

This he did, crawling over nets and boxes and packages, whose kind andshape he could not make out, but he always seemed to be stopped, trywhere he would, and at last, panting and hot with his exertions, he laydown on some fishing-nets close by to rest himself and endeavour tothink out what was best to do. 

Suddenly, and without the slightest warning, there was a heavy gratingcreak; a door was thrown open; and what to his eyes seemed to be adazzling light shone into the place, revealing a narrow passage not tenfeet from where he lay, but which he had passed over in the darknessagain and again. 

"Better light two or three more candles, " said a gruff voice. 

"All right, " was the reply; and from just on the other side of a pile ofmerchandise that reached to the ceiling Hilary could hear some oneblowing at the tindery fluff made by lighting the top of a fresh candle. 

What was he to do? He could not see the men who had come down, for hewas separated from them by the piled-up contents of the cellar; but anyattempt to regain the chapel must result in discovery, so he laymotionless, hardly daring to breathe, till he heard more footstepscoming--heavy, shuffling footsteps, as if those who came were loaded;and, waiting till they came nearer and one of the first comers saidsomething aloud, Hilary raised himself slightly, and, almost with therapidity of thought, covered himself with some of the soft, loosefishing-nets, feet and legs first, then shoulders and head, finallythrowing a few more folds over his head, and then lying down. 

"Wouldn't be a bad plan to give them a good dose of brimstone, " said oneof the men. 

"Give who a good dose?" said another. 

"Why, the rats. Didn't you hear 'em?"

"Oh, ay, yes; I did hear a bit of scuffling. Let 'em bide; they don'tdo much mischief. "

"Not much mischief!" said the other as Hilary felt his hopes rise as heheard the noise attributed to rats. "Why, there's a couple o' hundredfathom o' mack'rel net lying t'other side there gnawed full of holes. "

"What o' that?" said the other. "Why, one such night as this, lad, isworth two months o' mack'rel fishing. "

"Well, yes, so it be. Ah! that's better. We shall see now what we'reabout. I say, it was rather a near one with the cutter to-night. Ithought she'd ha' been down upon us. "

"Down upon us? ay! I wish her skipper was boxed up safe along withyoung cockchafer yonder. "

"Hang his insolence!" thought Hilary. "Young cockchafer, indeed! He'llfind me more of a wasp. "

"Think anyone sent word to the cutter?"

"Nay, not they. Who would? She's hanging about after her boy. "

"Boy, eh? That's I, " said Hilary again to himself. "Well, maybe Ishall show 'em I can fight like a man!"

"Here, I say, " said another voice: "why don't you two begin to stow awaythese kegs?"

"Never you mind. You bring 'em down from the carts: we know what we'redoing. "

There was a sound of departing footsteps, and Hilary listened intently. 

"Ah!" said one of the men, "if I was the skipper I'd send the young Tomchicken about his business; but the skipper says he knows too much. "

"How long's he going to keep him then?"

"Altogether, I s'pose, unless he likes to join us. "

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the other, who was evidently moving somethingheavy. 

"Well, he might do worse, my lad. Anyhow, they ar'n't going to let himgo and bring that cutter down upon us. "

"No, that wouldn't do. Lend a hand here. This bag's heavy. What's init?"

"I don't know. Feels like lead. P'r'aps it is. "

"Think the cutter will hang about long?"

"How should I know? I say, though, how staggered them chaps was whenthey got up to the rock and found no one to fight!"

"I wasn't there. "

"Oh, no--more you wasn't. Come along, come along, lads. Here we arewaiting for stowage, and you talk about us keeping you waiting. "

"You mind your own job, " growled the voice that Hilary had heard findingfault before. 

There was more scuffling of feet, and then the two men went on talking. 

"The cutter's sailors had come, of course, after the boy, and theystumbled on the way through the rocks, just same as the boy did; and wewaited for 'em with a few sticks, and then give 'em as much as were goodfor 'em, and then retreated, big Joey keeping the way till we had allgot up the rock, and then up he come in the dark, and you'd have laughedfit to crack your sides to hear them down below whacking at the stoneswith their cutlashes till they was obliged to believe we was gone, andthen they went back with their tails between their legs like a pack ofdogs. "

The other man laughed as Hilary drank in all this, and learned how thecrew had been after him, and realised most thoroughly how it was that hehad been brought there, and also the ingenious plan by which thesmugglers and the political party with whom they seemed to be mixed upcontrived to throw their enemies off the scent. There was an interval, during which the two men seemed to be very busy stowing away kegs andpackages, and then they went on again. 

"Skipper of the cutter come next day--that one-eyed chap we took in sowith the lugger--and his chaps brought him up to the rocks, and then, mywig! how he did give it 'em for bringing them a fool's errand, as hecalled it! It was a fine game, I can tell you. "

"Must have been, " said the other, as Hilary drank in this informationtoo, and made mental vows about how he would pay the scoundrels out forall this when once he got free. 

Then there was a cessation of the feet coming down the stairs, broken byone step that Hilary seemed to recognise. 

"How are you getting on?"

Hilary was right; it was Allstone. 

"Waiting for more, " was the reply. 

"They'll bring up another cart directly, " said Allstone in his sulkytone of voice. 

"Sooner the better. I'm 'bout tired out. Fine lot o' rats here, " saidthe man. 

"Ah, yes! There's a few, " said Allstone. 

"Heard 'em scuffling about like fun over the other side, " said the man. 

Hilary felt the cold perspiration ooze out of him as he lay there, dimlyseeing through the meshes of the net that he was in a low arched vaultof considerable extent, the curved roof being of time-blackened stone, and that here and there were rough pillars from which the arches sprang. 

He hardly dared to move, but, softly turning his head, he saw to hishorror that the square opening whence he had taken the stone was full inview, the light that left him in darkness striking straight up throughthe hole. 

If they looked up there, he felt that they must see that the stone hadbeen moved, and he shivered as he felt that his efforts to escape hadbeen in vain. 

"They're a plaguey long time coming, " said the man who had been talkingso much. "Here, just come round here, my lad, and I'll show you what Imean about the nets. "

"It's all over, " said Hilary as he took a firm grip of the hilt of hiscutlass, meaning as soon as he was discovered to strike out right andleft, and try to escape during the surprise his appearance would cause. 

As he lay there, ready to spring up at the smallest indication of hisdiscovery, he saw the shadows move as the men came round by the heap ofpackages, and enter the narrow passage where he was. The first, bearinga candle stuck between some nails in a piece of wood, was a fair, fresh-coloured young fellow, and he was closely followed by a burlymiddle-aged man bearing another candle, Allstone coming last. 

"There, " said the younger man, "there's about as nice a mess for a seto' nets to be in as anyone ever saw;" and he laid hold of the pile thatHilary had drawn over his face. 

It was only a matter of moments now, and as he lay there Hilary's nervestingled, and he could hardly contain himself for eagerness to make hisspring. 

"Look at that, and that, and that, " said the man, picking up folds ofthe soft brown netting, and seeming about to strip all off Hilary, butby a touch of fate helping his concealment the next moment, by throwingfold after fold over him, till the next thing seemed to be that he wouldbe smothered. 

"Tell you what, " he said. "They nets are just being spoiled. There'splenty of time before the next cart unloads. Lend a hand here, andlet's have 'em all out in the pure air. I hate seeing good trade leftdown here to spoil in a damp--"

He laid hold of the nets, and as he gave a drag Hilary felt the meshesgliding over his face, and prepared himself to spring up and make a dashfor his liberty. 

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE. 

'TWIXT CUP AND LIP. 

Another instant and Hilary must have been discovered; but just then thetrampling of feet was heard, a shout or two, and Allstone said gruffly:

"Let the nets alone, and come and get the stuff down. "

The man dropped the nets, and taking up his candle, which he had placedupon a chest, followed Allstone back along the narrow passage betweenthe piled-up tubs and packages, and once more Hilary was left incomparative darkness, to lie there dripping with perspiration, andhesitating as to what he should do next, for if he stayed where he was, it was probable that the men would come back to remove the nets. If, onthe other hand, he attempted to move, the chances were that he would beheard. In short he dare not move, for the slightest rustle would besure to take their attention. 

And so he lay there in an extremely uncomfortable position, watching theshadows cast upon the dingy ceiling, as the distorted heads andshoulders of the men were seen moving to and fro. Sometimes he coulddistinguish what they carried, whether it was bale or tub, and uponwhich shoulder it was carried, till by degrees, as he found that he wasnot discovered, his thoughts began to turn upon what a grand haul thecrew of the _Kestrel_ could make in the way of prize-money if he onlyhad the good fortune to escape, and could find his way back to theshore. 

There must have been at least six carts unloaded by slow degrees, andtheir contents brought down into that vault before Allstone, who was atthe head of the steps leading down, suddenly shouted:

"That's all. Look alive up. "

"Ay, ay, we're coming, " was the reply, and Hilary heard the men drag acase of some kind a little way along the floor with a loud scratchingnoise. 

"I don't like leaving those nets, " said the one who had been round. "Wedon't want 'em now, but the time may come when we shall be glad to godrifting again. What are you doing?"

"Only got a handful of this 'bacco, my boy. I don't see any fun inbuying it where there's hundredweights down here. "

"Bring me a handful too. "

Hilary could resist the temptation no longer, and rising softly, hepeered over the piled-up boxes and tubs to get a better view of theplace, and make out where the door of exit lay. This he ascertained ata glance, and likewise obtained a pretty good idea of the shape andextent of the vault before the men took up their candles to go. 

Now was the critical moment. Would they raise their eyes and see wherethere was a stone missing in the ceiling? A few moments would decideit, and so excited was Hilary now that he could not refrain fromwatching the men, though the act was excessively dangerous, and if theyhad turned their heads in his direction they must have seen him. 

But they did not turn their heads as it happened, but went by within ayard of where the young officer was concealed. Then he saw them mountsome broad rugged old steps beneath a little archway, whose stones werecovered with chisel-marks; there was a Rembrandtish effect as theyturned round the winding stair, and then there was the clang of a heavydoor, and darkness reigned once more in the vault, for Hilary was alone. 

For a few minutes he dared not stir for fear that some one or other ofthe men might return; but as the time wore on, and he could only hearthe sounds of talking in a distant muffled way, he descended from hisawkward position, reached the stone floor, and feeling his way alongreached the opening through which the men had come, and then stumblingtwo or three times, and barely saving himself from falling, he found hisway to where they had been at work, for his hand came in contact withone of the rough candlesticks thick with grease. 

Sure thus far, he was not long in finding the doorway, where he stoodlistening to dull sounds from above, and then crept back a little way soas to be able to retreat in case the men were coming back, and touchinga keg with his foot he sat down upon it to think. 

If the door at the top of the stairs was locked he would be no betteroff than in the chapel, for it was not likely that there would be awindow to this place, so that if he meant to escape he felt that itwould be better not to leave it to daylight; though, on the other hand, if he did leave it to daybreak, and the door was unfastened, he wouldhave an admirable opportunity of getting away, for by that time the menwould have done their night's work, and would probably be fast asleep. 

"It is of no use for me to play the coward, " said Hilary to himself atlast. "If I am to get away it must be by a bold dash. "

He burst out into a hearty fit of silent laughter here. 

"My word, what a game it would be!" he said. "They say the place ishaunted. Suppose I cover myself with fishing-nets and march straightout. "

"Wouldn't do!" he said, decidedly. "They would not be such noodles asto be frightened, and they would pop at me with their pistols. "

Meanwhile there was a good deal of talking going on up above, and atlast, unable to restrain his curiosity longer, Hilary returned to thefoot of the steps, felt the wall on either side, and began softly toascend, counting the steps as he went, and calculating that there wouldbe about twelve. 

He was quite right, and as he wound round and neared the top he foundthat there were rays of light coming beneath the door and through thekeyhole, while the sound of voices came much plainer. 

Going down on hands and knees, he was able to peer under the door, whichshut right upon the top step; and after a few seconds he had pretty wellascertained his position. 

He was looking under a door right at the end of a long stone-pavedpassage, and there was another door just upon his right, which evidentlyled into his prison; while straight before him, through an opening hecould see into a large stone-paved kitchen where the talking was goingon, the back of one man being visible as he seemed to be seated upon astool, and changed his position from time to time. 

The next thing to ascertain was whether the door was unfastened; and hewas about to rise and try, when the familiar sound of steps upon aboarded floor fell upon his ear, a door that he had not hitherto seenwas opened, and Allstone, Sir Henry, and the sharp-looking captain ofthe lugger passed before him, and, entering the lit-up kitchen, werelost to sight. 

There was a louder burst of talking just now, and as it seemed afavourable opportunity Hilary rose to his feet, passed his hand up theside of the door, and touched the great solid hinges. Trying the otherside he was more successful, for his hand came in contact with a hugelatch which rattled softly at his touch, and set his heart beatingheavily. 

He paused for a few moments before he tried again, when, proceeding morecarefully, he found that the latch rose easily enough; and then as hedrew the door towards him it yielded slowly from its great weight; butthere was the fact--the way was open for escape, and the place beforehim was clear. 

There was nothing to do then but wait, and he was in the act of closingthe door and lowering the latch when he heard Sir Henry's voicespeaking, and directly after steps in the passage. 

"Allstone has the keys, " said a voice Hilary recognised as that of SirHenry; "will you go and see him now?"

"Look here, Sir Henry, " was whispered, "you must get him on our side. The boy would be invaluable. With such an ally on board the cutter weneed never fear a surprise. "

"You are thinking of your smuggling ventures, " said Sir Henrycontemptuously. 

"I was thinking as much of your despatches. Why, you could have runthem across in safety then. Come, Sir Henry, we won't quarrel aboutthat. He'll be useful to both. Shall I go and see him? I'll wagerI'll soon bully or bribe him into agreement. "

"You don't know your man, " said Sir Henry. 

"Or boy, " laughed the skipper. 

"Give me time and I'll win him, " said Sir Henry. 

"That's what I can't give you, " was the reply. "It isn't safe havingprisoners here. Suppose the boy escapes. How long should we be beforehe brings a couple of dozen fellows from the cutter, if they've got somany; and then where shall we be?"

"Do you think he could hear what we say?" asked Sir Henry in so low avoice that Hilary had hard work to catch the words. 

"Bah! not he. That door's six inches thick, " said the skipper. "No, Sir Henry, there is no time to lose, and we must win him over, unlessyou'd rather--"

Hilary could not catch the end of what was said, but he suspected whatwas meant, as he heard Sir Henry utter a sharp exclamation full ofanger. 

"Leave it till to-morrow, and I think I can bring him to our wishes. "

"That is what you said last time, Sir Henry, " replied the skipperinsolently. "Here, Allstone, give me the key and I'll soon bring thespringald to reason. "

There was a clink of metal, a step forward, and Hilary's heart sankwithin him, for the discovery of his evasion was a matter of course. 

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX. 

THE WAY TO ESCAPE. 

In a moment Hilary mentally saw Sir Henry and the skipper enter hisprison, fancied the shout of alarm, and seemed to see himself, cutlassin hand, making a dash for his liberty; but the struggle was not then tobe, for, with an angry voice, Sir Henry interposed. 

"Martin!" he exclaimed, "let us understand one another once and for all. Your duty, sir, is to obey me, and I'll be obeyed. As to that boy, Itell you I'll win him to our side, but it will be at my own good time. Sir, I order you to come away from that door. "

"What!" exclaimed the skipper furiously; "do you know I have a dozen menready to take my side if I raise my voice?"

"I neither know nor care, " cried Sir Henry hoarsely; "but I do know thatyou have sworn allegiance to King Charles Edward, sir, and that you aremy inferior officer in the cause. Disobey me, sir, at your peril. "

Hilary grasped his cutlass, and the fighting blood of the Englishman wasmaking his veins tingle. 

"If it comes to a tussle, " he thought, "there'll be one on Sir Henry'sside they don't count upon;" and as he thought this he softly raised thelatch, ready to swing open the door and dash out. 

But Martin, the skipper, evidently did not care to quarrel with SirHenry, and his next words were quite apologetic. 

"Why, Sir Henry, " he said with a rough laugh, "I believe we two weregetting out of temper, and that won't do, you know. "

"I am not out of temper, " said Sir Henry; "but I'll be obeyed, sir. "

"And so you shall be, Sir Henry. It's all right, and I'll say no moreabout it, only that it's dangerous leaving a young fellow like that shutup. These boys are as active as monkeys, and we might return at anytime and find the young rascal gone. But you'll do your best to bringhim round?"

"I will, " replied Sir Henry, "for more reasons than one. Look here, Martin, if I spoke too angrily to you just now I beg your pardon, butyou touch upon a tender point when you talk of rough measures towardsthat boy. I told you that he was my child's companion years ago--infact, I used to look upon him quite as a son. There, " he added hastily, "you may trust me to do my best. Good-night. "

"Good-night, Sir Henry, good-night, " said the skipper effusively. "I'lltrust you. Good-night. "

Sir Henry's steps were heard to die away, and so silent was everythingthat Hilary concluded that the skipper must have also gone; but just ashe had made up his mind that this was the case some one uttered an oath. 

"Give me the keys, Allstone, " Hilary heard the next moment; and oncemore he concluded that all was over, for there was the jingle of theiron, and it seemed that now he was left to himself Martin was about tovisit the young prisoner, and try to frighten him into following out hiswishes. 

Hilary was in despair, but he made up his mind what to do, and that wasto fling open the door and walk swiftly across the place where the menwere lying about, as soon as he heard the skipper and Allstone go intothe old chapel. 

To his dismay, however, the man came straight to the door where Hilarywas standing, raised the latch, opened it, and as the young officer drewback the heavy door struck him in the chest, but before he could recoverfrom his surprise there was a sharp bang, with the accompanying rattleof the great latch, and as a dull echo came from below, the key wasturned, and the lock shot into the stone cheek. 

"Curse him and his fine airs!" Hilary heard the skipper say, hoarsely. "I shall have the young villain bringing the cutter's crew down upon us. I wish his neck was broken. "

"Put him in the top room, then, " said Allstone; "he'll break his necktrying to get away. "

"Not he, " said the skipper; "those middies can climb like cats. He'ssafe enough now, I suppose. "

"Oh, yes, " said Allstone, "I went and had a look at the window-barsto-night. "

"Safe enough, yes, " muttered Hilary, as he heard the departing steps;"they've locked me up safe enough. Was anything ever so vexatious?"

As he heard the clang of a door he placed his eye to the open keyhole, and through it he could see into the great kitchen, which now seemed tobe lit only by the glow from a great wood fire, for the shadows dancedon the wall, and when now and then the fire fell together and the flamesdanced up more brightly he could make out quite definitely a pair of theshadows, which were evidently those of a couple of half-recumbent men. 

Just on one side too he could plainly see part of a man's leg. Noshadow this, but a limb of some one who had thrown himself upon thefloor; and Hilary rightly judged that the crew of the lugger weresnatching an hour or two's repose previous to being called up by theirleader. 

The laughing and talking were silenced, and he could hear nothing butthe occasional crackle of burning wood. 

He raised the latch softly, pressing against the door the while; but itwas fast locked, and by running his fingers down the side he could feelwhere the great square bolt of the lock ran into the stone wall. Escapethat way was cut off, and ready to stamp with mortification Hilary stoodupon the step at the top of the flight asking himself what he had bestdo. 

There was no chance of getting away that night, so he felt that he mustgive it up, and the sinking despondency that came over him was for themoment terrible; but reaction soon sets in when one is on the buoyantside of twenty, and he recalled the fact that, though he might beobliged to return to his prison, he had found a way of exit; and if hewent back, lowered the stone and dusted it over, he might come downanother time, night or morning, and find the door open; in fact, hemight keep on trying till he did. 

It was very disheartening, but there seemed to be nothing else to bedone, and he stood there thinking of how nearly he had escaped, but atthe same he was obliged to own how happily he had avoided detection. 

Then the remembrance of the well came back, and the cold perspirationbroke out on his hands and brow at the bare recollection. 

"Bah! what's the good of thinking about that?" he said to himself; andhe was about to descend when he fancied he heard a faint rustling noiseon the other side of the door, and then whispers. 

The sounds ceased directly, and he bent down so that his eye was to thekeyhole, when, to his surprise, he found that something was between himand the light. 

Just then the whispers began again, and placing his ear this time to thegreat hole, he plainly heard two men speaking:

"I think you can do it without a light, " said one. 

"Ay, easy enough. You stop, and if you hear Allstone coming, give justone pipe, and I'll be up directly. "

"All right. Get the hollands this time. Gently with that key. "

Hilary would have run down, but he was afraid of detection, for justthen there was the harsh grating noise of a key being thrust into thebig lock, the bolt creaked back, the latch was raised, and the doorsoftly pushed open as he pressed himself back against the wall, andremained there in the darkness, almost afraid to breathe. 

It was intensely dark now, even when the door was opened, and as Hilarystood there behind the door he heard some one descend, while anotherstood at the top, breathing hard, and evidently listening to therustling of the man down below. 

Several minutes passed, and then the man at the top of the stairsmuttered impatiently, and went down two or three of the degrees. 

"Pst! Dick!" he whispered. 

"Ay, ay. "

"Be quick, man!"

"I can't find 'em, " was the whispered reply. "They've packed the casesatop of 'em. "

"Jolterhead!" muttered the other impatiently. "Why, they're just at theback. "

"Come down, " was whispered from below, and to Hilary's great delight heheard the man on the watch go softly below. 

Now was Hilary's opportunity, and gliding softly from behind the door, he stepped out into the stone passage, and saw before him a faint lightshining under the bottom of the door which the men had evidently closedwhen they left the kitchen. 

He might have locked the two fellows in the vault, but that would havecaused needless noise, and perhaps hindered his escape, so withoutfurther hesitation he stepped lightly along the passage, and softlypressed against the farther door. 

It yielded easily, and he found himself looking into a great low-ceiledkitchen, whose ancient black rafters shone in the glow from a hugefireplace, upon whose hearth the remains of a large fire flickered andsent forth a few dying sparks. 

Around it, and stretched in a variety of postures upon the floor, weresome eight or ten men fast asleep; and what took Hilary's attention morethan all was another door at the far corner, which it was now his aim toreach. 

But to do this he would have to step over two of the men, and there wasthe possibility that, though they all seemed to be asleep, one or moremight be awake and watchful. 

It needed no little firmness to make the attempt; but if he were toescape, he knew it must be done. 

"If they wake they will only take me back, " thought Hilary, "so I may aswell try. "

He hesitated no longer, but stepping on tiptoe he passed on between twoof the sleeping men, and was in the act of stepping over another, when agruff voice from a corner exclaimed:--

"Why don't you lie down. You'll be glad of a nap by and by. "

Hilary felt as if his heart had leaped to his mouth, and he thought hewas discovered; but the words were spoken in a sleepy tone, and from thesound that followed it was evident that the man had turned over. 

Hilary waited a few minutes, and once more resumed his progress towardsthe door, making every movement with the greatest caution; and he wasalready half way to his goal when he heard the grating of the lock atthe top of the dark cellar stairs, and a low whispering told him thatthe men were about to return. 

There was not a moment to lose, and stepping lightly on, he reached thedoor, raised the great wooden latch by which it was secured, and passedin, while just as he closed it he saw through the opening the two menwho had been below enter the place. 

The fire was throwing out but little light now, but he could see thatthey carried what looked like a little spirit keg, which they set downby the fire. The closing door shut out the rest. 

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN. 

MANHOOD VERSUS SELFISHNESS--AND MANHOOD WINS. 

Hilary breathed more freely as he silently let fall the latch, and thenwaited for a few minutes to recover his equanimity before making afarther trial. He had succeeded so far, and he felt that if he werepatient and cautious he might regain his freedom; but he thought itbetter to let the men begin upon the spirits that two of the party hadevidently been down to obtain. 

But as far as he could make out they did not seem to be in any hurry toawaken their companions, and at last after waiting for some minutes forthe burst of conversation that he hoped would make his movements passunheard, he began to feel his way cautiously about, expecting a door ofexit to meet his hand, or else to find that he was in some largepassage. To his great disappointment he found that he could touch thewall on either side after making a step; and a very little investigationshowed him farther that he was only in a stone-paved place that hadprobably been a dairy, for on one side there was an iron grating of verymassive bars let into the stone, and there were stone benches along oneside. 

In fact, if the key of the door had been turned, he would have onlyexchanged one prison for another. 

His heart sank within him as he realised his position, and found thatthere was only one door, upon which he raised his hand ready to returninto the great kitchen; but a low creaking noise, suggestive of some onetreading on a board, arrested him, and he stood there listening. 

After a few minutes he grew more confident, and opening the doorslightly he once more gazed upon the Rembrandtish scene, all light andshadow, with the men stretched about asleep, and two more seated upon abench busily trickling spirit from the little keg into a small horn, from which they drank in turn with a sigh of satisfaction. 

The others slept on, one now and then making an uneasy movement; but itwas evident that there were to be no more partners in the comingdrinking bout, and Hilary began to calculate how long it would be beforethey would have drunk enough to make them sleepy and ready to join theircompanions upon the floor. 

He had no means of judging, but he concluded that it must now be nearlythree o'clock, and in an hour's time it would be getting light. Andyet, near as he was to safety, it seemed that he was to be disappointed, and to wait there till somebody or other came to the place and gave thealarm. 

By keeping the door just ajar he was able to watch the two men; but acouple of hours had passed before he saw them stretch themselves uponthe floor, after carefully hiding away the little keg, and at lastHilary felt that he might venture to cross the great kitchen again andendeavour to find another outlet. 

The day had broken some time before, and the cold grey light that shonein through the iron grating showed him that he was correct in hissurmises, and that the place had been a dairy; but the window was toostrong for him to break through, and there was nothing for it but tocross the party of sleeping men. 

He was some little time before he could make up his mind to the effort, and when he did, and began to slowly open the door, he let it glide toonce more, for one of the men suddenly uttered a loud yawn, jumped upand stretched himself, before giving a companion a kick in the side. 

It took several kicks to induce the man to get up; but when he did itwas in a morose, angry disposition, and he revenged himself by goinground and kicking every other man till the whole party was awake, andHilary saw his chances fade away, while, to add to his misery, the nextact of the party was to go to a great cupboard, from which a ham and acouple of loaves were produced, upon which they made a vigorousonslaught, each man opening his jack-knife and hewing off a lump ofbread and cutting a great slice of ham. 

They ate so heartily that a feeling of hunger was excited in theprisoner's breast; but this soon passed off, and he sat there wonderinghow long it would be before one or other of the party would come intothe old dairy, though, upon looking round, there seemed to be nothing tobring them there. 

Hour after hour glided by. The meal had long been ended, and the menwere gone outside, but never all at once; always one stayed, sometimestwo. Then Martin kept bustling in and giving orders. Once too SirHarry came in and entered into a discussion with the skipper, apparently, from the few words that Hilary could catch, concerning theadvisability of making some excursion; but there seemed to be somehindrance in the way, and Hilary's heart beat high with hope as he heardthe word "cutter" spoken twice. 

It was not much to hear; but it was good news for Hilary, who concludedthat the vessel must still be lying off the coast, and in the smugglers'way. 

At last, however, the conversation ended, and Hilary saw Sir Henry leavethe place just as Allstone came in. 

This made the young man's heart beat again, for either the fellow hadcome to announce his evasion, or else he was about to take food into theold chapel, when, of course, he would find his prisoner gone. 

But no: he spoke quite calmly to the skipper, and after a shortconsultation they went out. 

Just then the noise of wheels and the trampling of horses could be heardoutside, facts which pointed to the leaving of one or more of the party. 

Two of the men were still hanging about, but at last they also went, andAllstone came in and seated himself thoughtfully upon a bench. 

By-and-by, though, he cut himself some food, hesitated, and proceeded tocut some more, which he placed in a coarse delf plate. 

"My breakfast!" said Hilary to himself, and he wondered how soon the manwould go to the chapel to present it to his prisoner. 

This would be the signal for Hilary's escape, and, anxiously waitingtill the man had finished his own repast, the young officer made up hismind to run to the window, climb out, and then trust to his heels forhis liberty. 

The time seemed as if it would never come, but at last the surly-lookingfellow, having apparently satisfied his own hunger, rose up slowly, and, taking the plate, went slowly out of the door, rattling his keys thewhile. 

He had hardly disappeared before Hilary glided out of his hiding-place, darted to the table and seized the remains of the bread, hesitated as towhether he should take the ham bone, but leaving it, climbed on to thewindow-sill, forced the frame open, and dropped outside amongst thenettles that grew beneath. 

"Free!" he exclaimed. "Now which way?"

He had not much choice in the first place, for he remembered that therewould be the moat to cross, and the probabilities were that there wouldonly be one path. After that he saw his way clearly, and that wastowards the sun, for he knew that if he made straight for that point hewould be going by midday direct for the sea. 

That was his goal. Once he could reach the cliffs and get down on theshore, he meant to seize the first boat he met with, get afloat, andtrust to fortune for the rest. 

For the first few moments Hilary kept close to the house, but, considering that a bold effort was the only one likely to succeed, hewalked out straight to the moat, hesitated a moment as to whether heshould leap in and swim or wade across, and ended by walking sharplyalong its brink till it turned off at right angles, and he now saw asandstone bridge facing the entry of a large, old-fashioned hall, thathad evidently gone to ruin, and which, from the outside aspect, seemedto be uninhabited, for a more thorough aspect of desolation it wasimpossible to imagine. 

There was not a soul in view as he walked sharply away till he reachedthe crumbling bridge, which he crossed, and then, finding that the roadled along by the far side of the moat, he did not pause to think, but, trusting to the high hedge by which it was bordered and the wildernessof trees that had sprung up between the road and the moat to concealhim, he went right on, his way being a little east of south. 

"I wonder whether old Allstone has given the alarm?" he said half aloud, as he placed the cutlass in his belt. "They'll have to run fast tocatch me now. Hallo! what's that?"

_That_ was a piercing scream, followed by loud cries of "Help! Papa--help!"

Hilary had made his escape, and he had nothing to do now but makestraight for the sea; but that cry stopped him on the instant. Itevidently came from the moat behind him, and sounded to him as if someone had fallen in; he thought as he ran, for without a moment'shesitation he forced his way through the old hedge, dashed in amongstthe clumps of hawthorn and hornbeam scrub, making straight for the moat, where he saw a sight which caused him to increase his pace and make arunning dash right to the water, where the next moment he was swimmingtowards where Adela Norland was struggling feebly for her life. 

Hilary saw how it was in a moment. The poor girl had apparently beentempted into trying to get at some of the yellow lilies and silverywater crowfoot which were growing abundantly in the centre of the widemoat, and to effect this she had entered a clumsy old boat that wasevidently utilised for clearing out the weeds and growth from thestagnant water. That it was a boat was sufficient for her, and she hadpushed out into the middle, not heeding that the craft was so rotten andfragile that just as she was out in one of the deepest parts it began tofill rapidly, and sank beneath her weight, leaving her struggling in thewater. 

Hilary had some distance to swim, for here, in the front of the house, the moat was double the width of the part by his prison window, and tohis horror he saw the beating hands subside beneath the water while hewas many yards away. But he was a good swimmer, and redoubling hisexertions he forced his way onward, as he saw Sir Henry, Allstone, andthree more men come running out to the moat; but only one of them, SirHenry himself, attempted to save the drowning girl's life. 

Long before Sir Henry could reach Adela, Hilary was at the spot where hehad seen her go down, and, rising for a moment and making a dive, hewent down, rose, dived again, and once again before he caught hold ofthe poor girl's dress, and then swam with her for the shore. 

The moat was deep right up to the grassy edge; and Hilary was in the actof placing Adela in the hands held down to catch her when a fresh cryfor help assailed his ears, and, turning, it was to see that Sir Henrywas a dozen yards away, swimming apparently, but making no progress. 

Hilary suspected the cause as he turned and swam to his old friend'shelp. For Sir Henry was heavily dressed, and, in addition, booted andspurred. The consequence had been that his heavy boots, with theirappendages, were entangled in the long tough stems of the lilies, andhis position was perilous in the extreme. 

For a moment Hilary wondered how he could help his old friend, and as hewondered the thought came. 

Swimming with one hand, he drew the cutlass from his belt, and tellingSir Henry to be cool, he swam up to him, thrust the cutlass down beneaththe water, and after two or three attempts succeeded in dividing thetough stalks, ending by helping the nearly exhausted swimmer towards theshore. 

The men on the shore, and that little figure kneeling by them withclasped hands, seemed to be growing dim and indistinct, close as theywere, and as if they were receding. His arms felt like lead, and hecould hardly make his strokes, while somehow Sir Henry now embarrassedhim by being so close that he could not take hold, as it were, of thewater. But still he strove on, with the foam bubbling at his lips, thenover his lips, then to his dim eyes; and then he felt something strikeagainst his hand, and he clutched at a pole held out by Allstone, whenSir Henry and he were dragged out, to lie panting for the next minute ortwo upon the bank. 

"You're not dead, are you, Sir Henry?" said Allstone gruffly; and Hilarycould not help, even then, feeling annoyed as he raised himself upon oneelbow, but only to give place to other thoughts as he saw Adela kneelingthere in speechless agony, holding her father's head in her lap. 

Poor girl! She was white as ashes, and her beautiful hair hung long anddishevelled about her shoulders; but just then she seemed to have nothought of self, her whole feeling being concentrated upon the pale, motionless face before her, from which the life seemed to have passedaway. 

But after a time Sir Henry shuddered and opened his eyes, smilingaffectionately in his child's face, and, as he realised their position, he said something to her in a low voice. 

They had all been so long occupied in watching for the recovery of SirHenry that Hilary had had time to regain breath and some of hisstrength, and now the knowledge of his own position came back to him. He had escaped from the net, and voluntarily returned to it to saveAdela. Her he had saved, and also her father. Now it was time to savehimself, and, jumping up, he gave a hasty glance round. 

"No, you don't!" said a hoarse voice. "You're my prisoner. " AndAllstone seized him by his wet jacket. 

Hilary was weak yet with his struggle in the water, but the dread ofbeing once more a prisoner gave him strength, and, striking up the arm, he made for the bridge to cross once more for liberty; but a couple ofmen coming from the other direction, having just heard the alarm, cutoff his retreat, and, exhausted as he was, he did not hesitate for aninstant, but plunged once more into the moat. 

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT. 

A RACE FOR LIBERTY. 

It was a question of time. 

Could Hilary get across the moat before the men who ran off to stop himreached the bridge, crossed, then ran along the other side?

Appearances were against Hilary, and he saw that they were. In fact, soblack was the lookout, that he half thought of finding a shallow placeand standing there amongst the waterlilies, laughing at his pursuers. 

"Only it would look so stupid, " he muttered; "and I should be obliged tocome out at last. "

He was striking out pretty well, and, but for the fact that his lateexertions had told upon him, he felt that he would have got across withease. 

"It's too bad, though, " he thought; "and Sir Henry isn't half the fellowI thought him if he allows me to be taken. Hullo! Hurrah! Down theygo!" he exclaimed, as, straining his eyes towards the bridge, he saw oneman trip and fall out of sight behind the low wall and another go overhim. 

This reanimated him; and, taking long, slow strokes, he was soon prettyclose to the farther side, with the determination in him strong to getaway. 

Fortunately he had retained the cutlass; and as he reached the bank andscrambled out, dripping like some huge Newfoundland dog, Allstone camepanting up and seized him by the collar. 

"Not this time, my lad, " he growled, showing his teeth. "You thoughtyou had done it, didn't you?"

"Let go!" panted Hilary, as the water streamed down and made a pool. 

"Yes, when I've got you in a safer place, " was the reply. 

"Here, come along, you two. No; one of you fetch a rope. "

This was to his followers, one of whom was limping, and the otherbleeding from a cut in the face caused by his fall. 

"Will you let go?" cried Hilary hoarsely, but fast regaining his breath. 

"There, it's no use for you to struggle, my boy, " said Allstone. "Murder! Here! Help!"

Hilary had glanced round and taken in his position. Sir Henry wasstanding holding Adela, who had hidden her face in his breast so as notto see the struggle, while her father made no attempt to interfere. Thetwo men were close up; and as Allstone held him firmly he felt that hewas about to be dragged back to his prison like some drowned rat, and hevowed that he would not give up if he died for it. 

For Hilary's blood was now up, and, wrenching himself round, he got holdof the hilt of the cutlass, where it stuck in his belt, dragged it out, and in doing so struck his captor beneath the chin with the pommel. 

So sharp was the blow that Allstone quitted his hold, uttering hoarsecries, and staggered back two or three yards, while Hilary drove himfarther by making at him as if about to deliver point. 

The two injured men, in answer to their leader's call, now made anattempt to seize Hilary; but their effort was a faint-hearted one, foron the young officer making a dash at them they gave way, and, wavinghis hand to Sir Henry, he dashed across the road and along a windinglane. 

"A set of cowards!" he muttered. "The cutlass would hardly cut butter, and it would want a hammer to drive in its point. Yes; you may shout. You don't suppose I am coming back?"

He looked over his shoulder, and saw that Allstone and four men were nowafter him, and that, if he meant to get away, he must use his lastremaining strength, for, clumsily as they ran, he was so tired with hisrecent exertions that they were diminishing the distance fast. 

"I wonder how many pounds of water I've got to carry?" muttered Hilary, as he ran on, with the moisture still streaming from him, and making amost unpleasant noise in his boots. "There's one good thing, though, "he said: "it keeps on growing less. "

It was a lonely, winding lane, with the trees meeting overhead, and thesunshine raining down, as it were, in silvery streams upon the dappledearth. On either side were ancient hazel clumps, with here and there amajestic moss-covered oak or beech. It was, in fact, such a place as alover of nature would have been loath to quit; and even in his time ofneed Hilary was not insensible to the beauties of the spot, but he couldnot help feeling that the rutty roadway was atrocious. 

"Well, it's as bad for them as it is for me, " he said to himself as heran at a steady trot--now in full view, now hidden from his pursuers bythe windings of the lane. 

"I wonder whether this is the lane they brought me along with thatjackass, " he thought; and then, as his clothes grew lighter and stuckless closely to his limbs, he began to wonder how long they would taketo dry. 

"Well, that don't matter, " he thought; "I shan't be allowed to sit downand rest just yet. "

He glanced back; and saw that his pursuers were out of sight, and he wasjust about to take advantage of the fact and spring over into the woodwhen they came in view again and uttered a shout. 

"Anyone would think I was a hare and they were trying to run me down, "he said. "Get out, you yelping curs!"

Hare-like, indeed; for he was looking back and thinking of his pursuersso intently that he did not cast his eyes ahead beyond his steps tillanother shout roused him, and he saw that his pursuers were calling to aparty of men coming with a cart from the other direction, and who hadstarted forward to join in the pursuit. 

His idea a minute before had been to wait his opportunity, leap into thewood, and hide while the men went by. Now he saw that his only coursewas to dash in amongst the forest trees in full sight of his pursuers, and trust to his speed or the density of the way, for his retreat wascut off, and he had no other chance. 

There was no time for hesitation, so, catching at a pendent bough, heswung himself up the sandy bank, but slipped and fell back, losing partof the ground he had won by his greater speed; but his next effort wasmore successful, and pressing in amongst the low undergrowth he forcedhis way along. 

Hilary's desires went far faster than his legs, for it was very hardwork here. The low birch scrub and hazel, interspersed with saplingash, mingled and were interlaced with the shade-loving woodland bramble, whose spiny strands wove the branches together, clung to his clothes andchecked him continually. Well might they be called briars, for it wasas if a hundred hands were snatching at him. But, keeping his handswell before his face, he struggled on, with the wood growing denser eachmoment and his pursuers close behind. 

"Ah, if I only had half a dozen of our lads here, " he panted, "how Iwould turn upon these cowardly rascals! Twelve against one, and huntinghim down. Never mind, " he cried, making a vicious cut with his weaponat a bramble that met him breast high, "I'd rather be the hunted stagthan one of a pack of miserable hounds. "

At another time the wild untrodden wood must have filled him withdelight, so full was it of beauty. The earth was carpeted withbrilliant moss, which ran over the old stumps and climbed the boles ofthe great forest-trees; woodland flowers were crushed beneath his feet, and the sunlight danced amongst the leaves. Every here and there afrightened rabbit rushed away, while the long forest arcades echoed withthe cries of the startled birds. 

But Hilary was too hot and excited to notice any of the beauties around. His drenching was forgotten, and he was beginning to pant with heat, while the shouts of his pursuers made his eyes flash with rage. 

He was gaining somewhat, and increasing the distance between them, butnot greatly; for so far the men, part of whom were those returning fromthe cliffs, were still pretty close, and he could hear the crashing ofthe boughs and twigs as they came on; but he had managed to get out oftheir sight, and coming now upon a more open part where the trees werebigger, he ran with all his might, dashed into another denser patch, andthen feeling that to keep on running was only to grow more and moreexhausted, and to make his capture a matter of time, he began to thinkwhether he could not make his brains help his legs. 

There was no time to lose, for the smugglers had now entered the moreopen part, and were, as their shouts indicated, coming on fast. What hewas to do must be done quickly. 

Hilary crept on cautiously, making as little noise as possible, dividingthe branches tenderly so as to leave no broken twigs, and finding thatthe ground which he had now reached rapidly descended into a deep ravineor gully--one of the many that drain that part of the country--in a fewminutes he was down between the fern-hung sandstone rocks. 

There was a tiny stream at the bottom, now reduced to a mere thread thatjoined together a few pools, but the well-washed banks high above hishead showed that in rainy times it must be a rushing torrent. 

Here was his road, then; for he argued that this stream, even if it didnot lead right to the sea, would be sure to run into one that did; andbesides, as he needed not rapid travelling, but the cautious creepingthat should keep him concealed from his enemies, he could not have metwith a better way. 

Leaping down, then, from stone to stone till he reached the bottom, hedived under a number of overhanging brambles, and went slowly on. 

His pursuers' cries had for the moment ceased, and his spirits rose ashe began to feel that they had gone upon the wrong scent; when suddenly, as he was forcing his way cautiously along, he heard a loud halloo justbelow him, and not fifty yards away. 

To his horror, as he stopped short, there came an answering shout fromabove, and another from higher up the gully. 

"Send a couple down into the river bed!" shouted the voice below. "I'llstop him here. "

Hilary ground his teeth, for cunning as he thought himself, it wasevident that the same idea had occurred to his pursuers. 

What was he to do? If he climbed up the banks he was certain to beseen; if he kept on along the bed of the stream he would walk right intoan enemy's arms; and the same if he worked upward. 

He stopped, thinking, but no fresh idea struck him; and setting histeeth and drawing a long breath, he stepped on into a more open place. 

"I'll make a fight for it, " he said sharply, "for I don't mean to betaken back. "

Just then he caught sight of a hollow that had evidently been tunnelledout of the rocks by centuries of floods. There was a perfect curtain ofthin stranded holly, ivy, and bramble hanging before it, and creepingcautiously forward he parted the hanging strands, passed in, and theyfell back in place, almost shutting out the light of day. 

The hollow did not even approach the dimensions of a cave, but was themerest hollowing out of the soft sand rock; still, it was sufficient toconceal him from his pursuers, and, cutlass in hand, he crouched down, holding open one little place in the green curtain and listening for thenext hint of the coming of his pursuers. A dead silence ensued, duringwhich he could feel the heavy throb, throb of his heart and the hardlabouring of his breath, for his exertions had been tremendous. Butstill no sound reached his ears; not a shout was heard, and he began togrow hopeful. 

Five minutes must have passed, and he had recovered his breath. Fromout of the tiny opening he had left he saw a robin flit down and perchupon a twig. Then came a blackbird to investigate the state of thecommissariat department in the gully, turning busily over the leaves;and so calmly did the bird work that Hilary felt still more hopeful, forhe knew that no one could be near. 

Vain hope! All at once the bird uttered its sharp alarm note and flewlike a streak of black velvet up into the dense growth above, but stillthere was not a sound to be heard. 

Hilary's heart began to beat again, for the excitement was intense. Then there came a faint rustle, and another. Then silence again, and hefelt that the men must have given up the chase. 

Just then there was another faint rustle, and through the screen ofleaves Hilary saw the head and then the shoulders of a strongly-builtman appear, whose eyes were diligently searching every inch of groundtill he came nearer, and then, as his gaze lighted on the screen ofleaves Hilary saw a look of intelligence come upon his stolid features, and stepping forward, he was about to drag the leafage aside, when therecame a loud shout from below--

"Ahoy! this way. Here he is!"

The man made a rush down the ravine, and the young officer's heart feltas if released from some tremendous pressure, for he had nerved himselffor a tremendous struggle, and the danger had passed. 

A minute later there was a sudden outburst of voices and a roar oflaughter, after which Hilary fancied he could hear Allstone shouting andangrily abusing the men. Then once more came silence, and he lay thereand waited. 

He half expected to see the men come back, but an hour passed and therewas not a sound save that of the birds in the distance; and at last, after fighting down the intense desire to be up and doing till he couldmaster himself no longer, Hilary parted the leaves and stepped out intothe gully to continue his course downwards. 

He stopped in a stooping position to listen, for he fancied he had hearda rustle. 

"Rabbit, " he muttered, directly after; and as he did so a tremendousweight fell upon his back, throwing him forward upon his face, where, ashe struggled round and tried to get up, it was to find that the greatsturdy fellow he had before seen was sitting upon his chest. 

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE. 

BACK IN BONDS. 

"That's the way I do with the rabbuds, shipmet, " said the man laughing. 

"You dog! you scoundrel!" panted Hilary, continuing his ineffectualstruggle. 

"Better be still, boy, " said the man coolly. "You'll only hurtyourself. "

As he spoke he wrested the cutlass from the young man's hand, afterwhich he coolly took out a tobacco-bag and helped himself to a quid. 

Hilary felt his helplessness, and after another furious effort, duringwhich he partly raised his captor from his position of 'vantage, he laystill and looked in the man's face. 

"Look here!" he said; "what'll you take to let me go?"

The man looked at him in an amused fashion, and then laughed. 

"Do you hear?" cried Hilary. "Come, get off me; you hurt my chest. "

"Yes. I hear, " said the man coolly. 

"Then why don't you answer? Quick, before the others come! What willyou take to let me go?"

"What'll you take, youngster, to join us?"

"What do you take me for?" cried Hilary. "How dare you ask me such aquestion?"

"Just by the same law that you ask me, " said the man coolly. "Do youthink everybody is to be bought and sold?"

"But look here, " cried Hilary. "I have been shut up there, and I wantto get away; I must get away. "

"To bring the crew of the cutter to rout us up yonder, eh!" said theman, laughing. "Now, come, I suppose you would call yourself a younggentleman; so speak the truth. If I let you go, will you lead thecutter off on a false scent, or will you show the captain the way to ourplace?"

Hilary remained silent. 

"Why don't you speak, youngster? Which would you do?"

"My duty, " said Hilary sturdily. 

"And that is, of course, to point us out, " said the man, smiling. "Wellyoungster, I don't like you a bit the worse for speaking out like a man. I've got my duty to do as well, and here goes. "

He blew a shrill chirruping whistle twice over, and it was answered froma distance; while before many minutes had elapsed there was the sound ofbreaking twigs, voices talking hurriedly, and directly after, lookingblack and angry, Allstone came up with half-a-dozen men. 

Allstone's countenance changed into a look of malignant pleasure as soonas he saw Hilary lying amidst the bushes. 

"You've got him, then?" he cried. 

"Oh, yes, " said Hilary's captor coolly. "It only wanted time. "

"I thought we should get him again!" shouted Allstone, grinning in thecaptive's face. "Here's that cutlass, too. He's a liar, this fellow. He said he had thrown it out of the window. "

"So I did, idiot!" cried Hilary indignantly. "But I tied a string to itto pull it back when I wanted it. "

The men burst out into a hearty laugh at the idea, as much as at someonecalling Allstone, who had bullied them a good deal, an idiot. 

The man glanced at him savagely, and Hilary read in his eye so muchpromise of a hard time that he determined to make one more effort forhis liberty, and this he did. 

"Who's got a bit o' cord?" said Allstone. "Oh, here, I have. Now then, up with him, and hold his hands behind his back. "

Hilary's captor rose, and a couple of men caught him by the arms, jerkedhim up and held him, dragging back his arms, which Allstone came forwardto bind; but seeing the young man helpless before him, he could notresist the temptation offered to him. 

"I'm an idiot, am I?" he shouted. "How do you like that for an idiot'stouch?"

He struck Hilary a brutal back-handed blow across the face as he spoke, and then went backwards into the gully with a crash. For, his handsbeing secured, the young officer felt no compunction, under thecircumstances, in making use of his foot, and with it he gave the bullyso tremendous a kick in the chest that he went down breathless; and, wrenching his arms free, Hilary made a dash for liberty, but his formercaptor seized him as he passed. 

"No, my lad, it won't do, " he exclaimed. "It was too much trouble tocatch you, so we'll keep you now. "

Allstone struggled up, but Hilary's captor interfered as he was about tostrike at him with his doubled fist. 

"No, no, Master Allstone, " he said sharply, "I'm sure the skipper andSir Henry wouldn't let you do that. "

"You stand aside, " roared Allstone. "Who told you to interfere?"

"No one, " said the man coolly; "but I shall interfere, and if you touchthat lad again it'll be through me. "

"Do you hear this, lads?" cried Allstone. "He's breaking his oaths. Come on my side and we'll deal with him too. "

"This young fellow was about right when he called you an idiot, JemmyAllstone, " said the man quietly. 

"He's going to help him get away, " cried Allstone, who was mad withpassion. 

"Yes, that's it, boys, " said the man laughing, "that's why I caught himand kept him till you came up, and that's why I'm going to tie his arms. Here, give me the rope. "

He snatched the cord from Allstone's hands, and turned to Hilary. 

"Hold up your arms, my lad, and I won't hurt you. Come, it's of no useto try and run; we're too many for you. Never fight your ship when youknow you are beaten; it's only waste of strength. Come, hold up. "

Hilary felt that he had done all that was possible, and, won by hiscaptor's frank, manly way, he held up his wrists, to have them sotightly and ingeniously tied that he was a prisoner indeed. 

As they went back by a short cut through the wood, and one which broughtthem into a narrow lane, Allstone once found an opportunity tomaliciously kick his prisoner, as if by accident; but Hilary's friendsaw the act, and took care that he did not again approach too near; and, after what seemed a weary walk, the little party crossed the moat of thehandsome old place. Hilary was led into the great kitchen, and thenup-stairs, past flight after flight, to a room at the top with astrongly-bound door. Into this place he was thrust, and Allstone wasabout to leave him as he was; but the friendly smuggler stepped forward, and began to unfasten the bonds. 

"Never mind that, " cried Allstone; "let him stay bound. "

The man paid no heed whatever, but undid the cord, set Hilary free, andthen retired, the door being banged to, locked loudly, and secured by aheavy bar thrust clanging across. 

The young officer stood staring at the door for a few minutes, and thenstamped his foot upon the floor. 

"Was ever fellow so unlucky!" he exclaimed. "Lipscombe might have foundme out by this time; and when I do get out, I'm caught and brought back. But never mind; if they think I'm beaten they are wrong, for I'll getout, if only to show Sir Henry what a mean-spirited fellow he is. "

He looked round his room, which was a bare old attic, with dormerwindows and casements, from which, on flinging one open, he saw that hewas far too high from the ground for a descent without a rope; but asecond glance showed him that it would be possible to climb upon theroof, and when there he might perhaps manage to get somewhere else. 

Just then he heard a window opened on the floor below, and, lookingdown, he saw Adela, evidently gazing towards the moat. 

For a few moments he felt too indignant to speak, for he thought SirHenry was behaving very ill to him; but a little reflection told himthat his old companion was not to blame, and what she might even then befeeling very grateful to him for what he had done. 

"Well, I'll give her a chance to show it, " he thought; and, leaning outa little more he said lightly, "Well, Addy, are you any the worse foryour dip?"

"Oh, Hil!" she exclaimed looking up, "are you there?"

"Yes, and locked up safely. I say, your people are behaving very badlyto me. "

"Oh, Hil, " cried the girl with the tears in her eyes, "I am so sorry. I've been begging papa not to have you caught, and he says he could nothelp it. "

"Then he ought to help it, " replied Hilary warmly. 

"But he says he's bound to keep faith with his friends; and that if youwould only give your word not to escape and betray our hiding-place youmight come and live with us; and oh, Hil dear, it would be like oldtimes, and we could have such walks together. Do be a good boy, andpromise what papa wishes! I should like you to come and be with usagain, for I have no companion now. "

Hilary looked down at the bright little face, and as the thoughts of howpleasantly the time would pass in her company came upon him, as comparedwith the miseries he had to endure, he felt sorely tempted to give hisparole; he might do that, he argued. 

"Do come, Hil, " she said again, as if she were reading his hesitation. "Papa will be so pleased. "

"And try his best to make me turn traitor, " thought Hilary. 

"No, " he exclaimed, "I cannot do it, Addy; and I'm sure you would notwish me to break faith with those to whom I owe duty. I should like tocome, but--ah, Sir Henry, you there?"

He started, for a hand was laid upon his shoulder, and turning, therestood Sir Henry, holding out his hand. 

"I have come to thank you, my brave, true lad, for what you have done, "he exclaimed warmly. "You saved my darling's life and then mine. "

"And for which you had me hunted down, " said Hilary bitterly. 

"It was no act of mine, my boy, " said Sir Henry sadly. "Why will youignore the fact that I am not master of your position? Hilary, my dearboy, once more, will you join us?"

"No, Sir Henry; and even if I did you would only despise me. "

"No, no. Nothing of the kind. "

"Then I should despise myself, " cried Hilary. "Once more, Sir Henry, Iam a king's officer, and refuse your proposals. "

"Then give me your parole not to escape. "

"I give you my word of honour that I will escape as soon as I possiblycan, " said Hilary smiling. "So take my advice, and take Adela away. Save yourself, too, for if I find you here I shall be obliged to arrestyou. "

"Why, you foolish fellow, " said Sir Henry smiling, "you are a prisoner, and you have found out that you cannot get away. "

"Not so, Sir Henry. I found that I could not get away this first time;but you don't know me if you think I am going to sit down quietly herewithout an effort to escape. "

"But it is impossible here, my good lad, " said Sir Henry. 

"So your people thought when you locked me up in that old chapel. Itell you, Sir Henry, I mean to get back to my ship. "

"Then, for the safety of my child, and for my own safety, Hilary, youforce me to show myself the stern officer of his majesty our rightfulking, and I must see that you are kept fast. However, I will try totemper justice with some show of kindness, and I have had dry clothesbrought up for your use till the others are right. "

"Oh, they are pretty well right now, " said Hilary carelessly. 

"Then is it to be war, Hilary?" said Sir Henry with a sad smile. 

"Yes, Sir Henry, war. "

"We shall keep you very close and very fast, my boy. "

"No, Sir Henry, you will not, " cried Hilary cheerily, "for before manyhours are over I mean to be free. "

"It is a game of chess, then, " said Sir Henry laughing. 

"Yes, Sir Henry, and you have moved out your pawns and played yourqueen;" and he pointed below. 

"I have, " said Sir Henry smiling. "Now what do you mean to do?"

"Well, Sir Henry, seeing how I am shut up, suppose we say that I amcastled. "

"Very good, " laughed Sir Henry going to the door and passing out. 

"Very good or very bad, " muttered Hilary, "I mean to be out before manydays are passed; and when once I am free the smugglers may look out forsqualls. "

CHAPTER THIRTY. 

HILARY TRIES AGAIN. 

Soon after Sir Henry had gone, Hilary went to the window, but drew backdirectly. 

"No, " he said to himself, "if I go there I shall be tempted into givingmy parole or joining the Pretender's party. Sir Henry seems to think hecan win me over; so let us see. "

He began to walk up and down his prison. Then it struck him that hisclothes had pretty well grown dry again, and he went over in his mindthe incidents of the day and the past night, thoughts which wereinterrupted by the coming of Allstone, who bore some bread and meat, anda mug of beer, while a man behind him dragged in a table and chair, andafterwards carried in a straw mattress and a pillow, Allstone lookinggrimly on. 

The man went out, but Allstone still waited, and at last the man cameback with a bundle of sheets and blankets, which he threw upon the bed. 

"There, " said Allstone, "that will do;" and seeing the man out, hedarted a surly look at Hilary, and then followed and banged the door. 

"Thank you, " said Hilary, laughing. "Perhaps a ladder would have been alittle more convenient; but what donkeys people are--give a sailorsheets and blankets, and shut him up in a garret, and think he won'tescape! Ha! ha! ha!"

The sight of the food changed the current of Hilary's thoughts, andsitting down he made a very hearty meal, felt that his clothes had grownthoroughly dry, and then did what was not surprising under thecircumstances, began to nod, and then went off fast asleep. 

Before an hour had passed he awoke; but he was so drowsy that he threwhimself upon the mattress, and falling asleep directly he did not awakentill early the next morning. 

No escape that day, and as he had to make up his mind to this, he waiteduntil Allstone came with a rough breakfast, when he made a peremptorydemand for some means of washing and making himself more presentable. 

"My orders be to bring you something to sleep on and your meals, that'sall, " growled the fellow. "I had no orders about washing tackle. "

"Get out, you surly ill-conditioned ruffian, " cried Hilary; and thefellow grinned. 

"Here's something for you, " he said, contemptuously jerking a letter onto the floor, which Hilary picked up. 

"Look here, Master Allstone, " he cried, shaking a finger at him; "one ofthese days I shall come here with a dozen or two of our brave boys, andif I don't have you flogged till you beg my pardon for all this, my nameis not Hilary Leigh. "

"Bah!" ejaculated the man; and he went away making as much noise as hecould with the lock and bar so as to annoy his prisoner, but withoutsuccess, for that individual was reading the letter he had received. 

It was as follows:--

 "My dear Hilary, --Fate has placed us on opposite sides, and though she has now thrown us together, I am compelled to hold aloof until you can say to me, `Here is my parole of honour not to betray you or to escape!' or `I see that I am on the side of a usurper, and abjure his service. From henceforth I am heart and soul with you. ' When you can send me either of those messages, Hilary, Adela and I are ready to receive you with open arms. Till then we must be estranged; but all the same, my dear boy, accept my gratitude and love for your bravery in saving our lives. --Affectionately yours, Henry Norland. "

"Then we shall have to remain estranged, " said Hilary as he stood by theopen window refolding the letter and thinking of his position. 

"Hil! Hil!" came from below. 

"Ahoy!" he answered. "Well, little lady?" and he leaned out. 

"Isn't it a beautiful morning, Hil, " said Adela, looking up. "Lovely. "

"Why don't you come down and have a run with me in the woods?"

"For one reason, because I am locked up, " said Hilary. "For another, because I have not made my hands and face acquainted with soap and watersince I was aboard the cutter; my hair is full of bits of straw and deadleaves, and my clothes are soaked and shrunken, and muddied and torn. Altogether, I am not fit to be seen. "

"Well, but Hil, dear, why don't you wash yourself?"

"Because your esteemed friends here do not allow me soap, water, andtowel. I say, Addy, if I lower down a piece of string, will you send mea jug of water?"

"Same as I did the milk? Oh, of course!" said the girl laughing. 

"All right, " said Hilary; "get it, please. "

He took out his knife, and without hesitation nicked and tore off thehem of one of his sheets, knotted two lengths together, lowered themdown, and in turn drew up wash-hand jug, soap, brush and comb, andafterwards a basin, by having it tied up in a towel, and attaching thestring to the knots. 

Adela seemed to enjoy it all as fun, but she turned serious directlyafter as she told her old companion how grateful she felt to him for hisbravery on the previous day, remarks which made Hilary feeluncomfortable and go away from the window with the excuse that he wantedto attend to his toilet. 

For the next quarter of an hour Hilary was revelling in a good wash, with all the enjoyment of one who has been shut off from the use of soapand towel, with the result that after he had finished off with a brush, he felt more himself, and ready to stare his position more comfortablyin the face. 

He went to the window in spite of his resolutions not to be tempted, andlooked down; but Adela had gone, so he had a good look round at thecountry. 

Here he was facing due south, and before him, stretched in the brightsunshine, wave after wave as it were of hilly land, pretty well clothedwith forest-trees. In the far distance there was a range of hills witha church and a windmill, both of which he recognised as having seen fromthe other side when upon the deck of the cutter, and this gave him agood idea of where he was, and how to shape his course when he made hisescape. 

That word set him thinking, and without more ado he proceeded to cut upthe sheets, knot together some of the strips, and then to lay them up, sailor fashion, into a serviceable linen rope, for the sheets werecoarse and strong. 

This he did with his ears attent to the coming of footsteps, and a placeready in the bed to throw his work and cover it over should Allstone orSir Henry be at hand. But he need not have troubled, for he completedabout forty feet of good strong line from the pair of sheets, and coiledit up after securing the ends ready for use. 

His escape now was simplicity itself he thought, and his toil ended andthe shreds carefully swept up and blown from the window, he seatedhimself upon the sill, and enjoyed the warmth of the afternoon sunshine, planning out how he would slip down after securing one end of his cordto the window-frame. 

Sir Henry would, he felt sure, provide for the safety of Adela andhimself as soon as he found that the prisoner had escaped, for he feltthat he could not bring peril upon them. There was no cause for fear, though, and he sat thinking of how grand it would be if he could escapethe moment it was dark and get down to the shore and find the _Kestrel_. 

That seemed hopeless, though, and too much to expect; for it was notlikely that the cutter would be still cruising about and waiting forhim. If she was, though, he knew how he could bring a boat's crewwell-armed ashore, and that was by making a signal with a light in aparticular way. 

The sun was getting lower, and everything round the old place was still, nothing but a couple of fowls that were pecking about in what had oncebeen a large garden between the old house and the moat, being visible. 

It had once been a goodly residence, no doubt, but all now was ruin anddesolation, except that the warm sunshine made even the neglect andweeds look picturesque. There were massive gables to right and left, and the old tiles were orange and grey with a thick coating of lichen. Just between his window and that of Adela there were the moulderingremains of a carved shield, with surmounting helmet and crest, and adecayed motto below, while to right and left the ivy had covered thefront with its dark-green glossy leaves, among which the cable-likerunners could be seen. 

Anywhere, almost, along the front of the venerable place he could haveclimbed down by the help of the ivy; in his neighbourhood, however, ithad been cleared away. 

He wondered sometimes how it was that he had heard no more of Adela, andthat everything about the place should be so still, and concluded thatSir Henry had forbidden her to hold counsel with him, and in this beliefhe sat on waiting until the sun went down in a flood of orange glory. 

Just then he heard Allstone's heavy step upon the stairs, and comingaway from the window Hilary threw himself upon his bed over the hiddenrope. 

But he need not have feared that it would be seen, for Allstone simplyplaced some food upon the table and went away directly after, lockingthe door. 

The repast though rough and plain was substantial, and very welcome. Hilary felt somewhat agitated at the attempt he was about to make; buthe knew that he needed fortifying with food, and he ate heartily, placing the remains of his meal in his pockets as a reserve forby-and-by. 

As the sun went down the moon began to make its presence known; but itwas early in its first quarter, and in the course of a couple of hoursit too had set, leaving the sky to the stars, which twinkled brightly, doing little, though, to dispel the darkness. 

In fact, by about nine, as he guessed it to be, the night was assuitable as possible for such an enterprise as his, and after listeningto some distant sounds of talking in the back of the house, Hilaryproceeded with beating heart to take out and unroll his light coil ofrope. 

By means of a little management he took one of the leaded panes from thebottom of the casement so as to allow the rope to be securely tied roundthe stout oak centrepiece of the window, and then, after watchingattentively for a few minutes, he lowered down the other end until thefull extent was reached, and as nearly as he could judge it touched theground. 

Even if it did not, there was nothing to fear, for at the utmost hewould have had but a few feet to drop, and after a few moments'hesitancy he passed one leg out of the window, took a good grip of therope, climbed right out, twisted his legs round in turn, and directlyafter, while swinging gently, he let himself down foot by foot. 

It was nothing to him. His sailor life made a descent by a rope one ofthe merest trifles. 

Down lower and lower, past Adela's window, and then coming into sight ofa broad casement where a light was burning. 

The upper floors of the old building projected beyond the lower, so thathe had not been aware of this lighted room, and as he hung there turningslowly round and round he could plainly see Sir Henry in acomfortably-furnished place, seated at a table writing, while Adela wasgazing up into his face as she sat upon a low stool at his feet. 

For a few moments Hilary hung there motionless, feeling that if SirHenry raised his eyes, as he was sure to do at the slightest sound, hecould not help seeing him gently spinning round and round. 

Recovering himself though, directly, he let himself slide, and reachedthe ground, but made so much noise that he heard Sir Henry speak, and hehad hardly time to dart aside, drawing with him the white rope, andcrouch down close to the house, before the window was opened, and heknew that some one was looking out. 

"No, papa, " said a well-known voice, "I can see nothing. "

"Look again, " said Sir Henry. "Stop; I'll come. "

There was the noise of a moving chair, and then Hilary felt that SirHenry was looking out of the window, and wondered whether he was seen. 

He hardly dared to breathe, and it seemed like an hour before he heard asigh, and Sir Henry said, softly--

"What a lovely night, my child!"

Then there was the sound of the casement being closed, steps faintlyheard across the room, and, gliding from his place of concealment, Hilary made for the bridge, crossed it, and then darted amongst thebushes beside the narrow lane, for there was a buzz of voices behindhim, and from the other side of the house he could see the light of alantern, and then came the tramp of a horse and the sound of wheels. 

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE. 

SIGNALLING THE KESTREL. 

Hilary knew that if he wished to escape he must achieve it with hisbrain perhaps as much as his heels. He could pretty well tell which wayto go, but his knowledge of the country was very small, and great carewas necessary. It was evident that there was a party leaving the oldhouse, and most probably they were going to be present at some landingof goods upon the shore, whence the cart would bring the lading of somelugger back. If he went on now, it would be with this party alwaysready to overtake him at any moment, for he did not know the road. If, on the other hand, he kept hidden until the cart had gone by, theirlantern would be a guide to him, and he could follow silently till hereached the cliffs. After that he must be guided by circumstances. 

It was a wise idea, and lying _perdu_ for a few minutes, he found that acart passed him slowly, attended by six men, one of whom bore thelantern. They were all chatting and laughing, and so intent upon theirbusiness in hand that Hilary was able to follow them at a moderatedistance, the lantern acting as his guide. 

He soon found that fortune had favoured him, for without their guidancethe chances were that he would have wandered off into one of the ruggedlanes through the woods, if he had not lost the track entirely, for itwas hardly worthy of the name of road. 

He was going cautiously along, keeping the lantern well in sight, when, all at once, a faint glow appeared just in front; and he only stoppedshort just in time to avoid blundering over one of the party who hadhung back to refill and light his pipe with a piece of touchwood, whichhe was now blowing up into a brisk glow before applying it to the bowl. 

Hilary stopped as if struck by lightning, and held his breath, so closewas he to the man, who, fortunately, was too much occupied with the taskhe had in hand to notice the young officer's proximity; and, aftergetting his pipe well alight, he started off after his companions. 

This adventure made Hilary, if possible, more cautious, and for the nexttwo hours he kept at a greater distance, wondering the while how muchfarther it was, when all at once he noticed that the lantern had becomestationary. Directly after another light approached, and then a broadglare shone out, evidently from an open door. Then there was a gooddeal of talking and the rattle of a cart; then of another; and Hilary, finding that he could progress no farther by the track, struck offamongst the bushes and ferns on his left, finding now that the treeswere left behind; and as the next minute he found even the bushes hadgiven place to heather and turf, he concluded that he must be nearingthe sea. 

It had grown so dark that he had to proceed with caution or he wouldhave tripped over some patch of furze or fern. 

But he escaped pretty well; and seeing that the lanterns were once morein motion, he determined to proceed, as well as he could, parallel withthe party, watch their proceedings, and learn all he could for futureservice if he succeeded in getting away. 

Once he thought that he had better devote himself to his escape; but hecould do no more until daybreak, and if he could see how the smugglerslanded their cargoes such knowledge would be invaluable. 

Going cautiously on, then, he must have proceeded for a couple ofhundred yards when he found that the bearers of the lanterns hadstopped, and there was a low buzz of talking, and someone seemed to begiving orders. 

Then the noise ceased, and he fancied he could hear footsteps goingaway, while the lanterns burned close together, apparently on theground. 

He was too far-off still, he thought, and in his eager curiosity he bentdown and took a few steps forward, felt one foot give way, threw himselfback, and lay upon the turf, wet with a cold, chilling perspiration, andclutching the short turf with his fingers driven in as far as he could. 

As he lay there trembling he heard a familiar sound from far below, andas his vision cleared and he grew calmer he could just make out a faintline of light where the waves were breaking amongst the stones, for hehad been within an inch of a terrible death. The little patch of turfupon which he had trod grew right on the verge of the cliff, and but forhis spasmodic effort to throw himself back as the earth gave way, hemust have pitched headlong on to the rocks a couple of hundred feetbelow. 

"What an escape!" he muttered; and then, after a calm feeling ofthankfulness had pervaded him for a time, he lay there enjoying the softsalt breeze that blew gently upon his cheeks, and listening with delightto the murmurous plash of the waves. 

As he gazed out to sea, where all was exceedingly dark, his heart gave agreat leap, for not a couple of miles away, as he judged, a vessel waslying, and there was something in the position of the lights that madehim feel certain it was the _Kestrel_. 

He would not believe it at first, but told himself it was his fancy--thesuggestion of that which he fondly wished; but as he shaded his eyes andwatched he became more and more certain that it was his ship, and in hiselation it was all he could do not to utter a joyous shout by way of ahail. 

He checked himself, however, in the mad idea, and lay thinking. Therewas the old _Kestrel_, and the idea of getting back to his stuffyquarters and the ill-temper of Lieutenant Lipscombe seemed delightful;but he knew that the greatest caution was needed, or he would fail inhis attempt. 

Then, again, he thought it impossible that it could be the _Kestrel_, for the smugglers would never have the hardihood to run a cargo justunder the very nose of a king's ship; but directly afterwards he wasobliged to own that it was by these very acts of daring that they wereable to carry on with such success; and the more he gazed out at thoselights, the more certain he felt that they belonged to his vessel. 

"Yes, " he thought, "it's the old lass sure enough, and the lads will beas glad as can be to see me back. I know they will. Oh, if I couldonly signal to them and bring a boat's crew ashore. "

He lay thinking, and then, with beating heart, began to crawl cautiouslyalong close to the edge of the cliff till he was abreast of thelanterns, which, as he had half suspected, lay in a depression, with ahigh bank of rush and bushes between them and the sea. There was no onewith them, and all was very silent. 

Where were the smugglers, then?

That was soon solved; for on crawling a little farther he found hishands go down suddenly where the cliff made a rapid slope, and as he layupon his chest he could hear the hum of voices, the trampling of feetupon the shingle, and though he could hardly distinguish moving figures, his imagination supplied the rest; and, as plainly as if he could see itall, there, he knew, was a large lugger ashore and a party of menlanding her cargo, carrying it up the beach and among the rocks, whereit was being drawn up by a rough pulley, and yonder, all the while, laythe king's ship in utter ignorance of what was going on. 

There it all was, the soft murmur of the sea--he could almost fancy heheard it lap the lugger's sides; and certainly as he gazed more intentlydown, there was a dark break in the line of foam. That, then, must bethe lugger. 

If it had only been a little lighter he could have seen all--the busyparty like so many ants running to and fro with their loads, whileothers were drawing them up the rocks ready for the loading of thecarts. Yes, there was the creak of a pulley from a heavier load thanusual; and this was the way it was done on these dark fine nights. Perhaps in another hour the whole cargo would be drawn up on the cliff, the carts would be loaded at their leisure, and as the tide rose thelugger would push off once more, and all, as he had before said, justunder the nose of his majesty's cutter. 

"No wonder, " thought Hilary, "that we are so often unsuccessful; butwe'll checkmate them now! What can I do?"

He lay thus thinking and listening, and then an idea came to him. Themen were all busy down below, and they had left their lanterns in thathollow. 

As the thought occurred to him he began to crawl back cautiously butquickly till he was close up to where the lanterns were hidden. 

"If there is anyone there, " he argued, "I can dash off into the darknessand escape. "

But he felt sure that there was no one. Still he tested the question bysaying suddenly in a gruff voice:

"Now, my lads, you're wanted below. "

It was a bold stroke, but it satisfied him that all was right, and thatall hands were away. 

Now, then, was his time. He could not help the _Kestrel's_ men, theymust do the work; but if they came ashore they would know why it was, and the possibilities were that they would surprise the lugger--perhapsbe in time to capture half her cargo. 

Hilary did not hesitate now, but creeping down into the hollow, heextinguished the candle in one lantern and took off his jacket andwrapped it round the other, completely hiding its light. Then, takingthe first in his hand, he crept up once more to the higher part of thecliff. 

Here he ould see the lights of the _Kestrel_ plain enough, but even whenstooping down he could not help seeing the black patch upon the shore. 

That would not do, so he crept back a few yards, finding the cliff risein a sharp slope, going to the top of which he found that he could seethe light in what was apparently a cottage. 

Descending again, he cautiously chose a spot where he could easily seethe cutter's lights but not the shore below the cliff, and then hepaused and listened. 

The dull murmur was fainter now, but he could make out the men at work, and for a few moments he hesitated. Suppose he should be surprised andtaken back!

"Never mind, " he thought, "I am only doing my duty. They dare not killme, and, in the king's name, here goes. "

He uncovered the lantern and placed it upon the turf, where it burnedsteadily and well; then opening the door, he took the candle from theextinct lantern, lit it, replaced it, and closed it in, put on hisjacket, and then, taking a couple of steps to the left, he stood thereholding the second lantern breast high, making a signal that he knewwould be understood on board if the diagonal lights were seen by anyoneof the watch. 

Hilary's heart beat fast. He was concealed by the cliff from the busyparty below, and by the rise behind him from those inland, but at anymoment some one might come up to where the lanterns had been placed, miss them, and see what he was about. 

It was risky work, but he did not shrink, although he knew that he waslessening his chances of escape. Still, if he could only bring the_Kestrel's_ boats down upon the scoundrels it would be so grand a _coup_that his hesitation was always mastered, and he stood firm, gazing outto sea. 

How long the minutes seemed, and what a forlorn hope it was! Thechances were that the watch might not notice the lights; and even ifthey were seen, it might not be by anyone of sufficient intelligence toreport them to the lieutenant, or to the boatswain or gunner. 

Every now and then he fancied he heard steps. Then his imaginationcreated the idea that some one was crawling along the ground to push himover the cliff; but he set his teeth and stood his post, keenly alive, though, to every real sound and such sights as he could see, and readyat any moment to dash down the lanterns and run inland for liberty, ifnot for life. How dark the lanterns seemed to make it, and how hot theone grew in his hands! Would those on board ever see it, and was he tostand there in vain?

"Ah! if I had only been on board, " he muttered, as the time wore on, till what seemed to him a couple of hours had passed, but what wasreally only about a fourth of that time; "I would have seen it. Somebody ought to have seen it. "

Still the lights from the cutter burned out brightly, like a couple ofstars, and at last, in a hopeless mood, he began to think that thesignal he was displaying was too feeble to be seen so far. 

"I may as well give it up, " he muttered despairingly; "the rascals willbe up directly now, and I shall be caught, and the _Kestrels_ couldnever get ashore in time. --Yes--no--yes--no--yes, " he panted. 

For, as he stared out at the cutter's lights, all at once theydisappeared. 

He gazed till his eyes seemed starting, but there was no doubt about it;they had been put out or covered; and turning sharply round, he hid thelantern he carried, and turned over the other with his foot prior tostooping and blowing it out. 

The signal had been seen. 

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. 

HILARY GETS IN A QUEER FIX. 

With his heart throbbing with joy Hilary now proceeded to reverse hisperformance, for, taking off his jacket once more, he enveloped theburning lantern, picked up the other that was emitting an abominableodour, and hastily carried them back to the hollow where he found them. 

It was so dark that he was doubtful whether he had found the rightplace, but he kicked against another lantern, and that convinced him. 

Placing the burning one on the ground, he relit the other, his handstrembling so that he hardly knew what he did, and impeded himself to noslight degree. He succeeded, however, and had just set the secondlantern down as nearly as he could remember, when he fancied he heard asound as of some one snoring, and glancing in the direction, he saw tohis horror that a man was lying there asleep. 

For a few moments he felt paralysed, and stood there holding his jacketin his hand unable to move, as he asked himself whether that man hadbeen there when he spoke and took the lights. 

As he stood there wondering, he heard a voice call "Jem!" in a low tone;and this roused Hilary, who dropped down and crept away, glancing toseaward as he did so, where the cutter's lights--if it was she--oncemore brightly burned. 

He did not dare to go far, but lay flat upon the turf, listening assomeone came up; and then there was a dull noise as of a man kickinganother. 

"Get up, Jem! Do you hear! Why, what a fellow you are to sleep!"

"Hullo! Oh, all right, " said another voice; and now Hilary could seetwo men standing, their figures plainly shown against the lantern'slight. "Oh, yes; it's all very well to say `Hullo!' and `All right!'"grumbled the first voice; "I never see such a fellow to sleep. "

"Have you done?" said the sleepy one yawning. 

"Done? No; nor half done; she's got a heavy cargo. If we get done inthree hours we shall have worked well. Put out them candles, and comeand haul. "

The lights were extinguished; and Hilary, wondering at his escape, felthis heart bound with joy, for by that time the crews of a couple ofboats must have been mustered on the _Kestrel's_ deck, and in anotherfive minutes they would be pulling, with muffled oars, towards theshore. 

"Ah! if I were only in command of one!" cried Hilary to himself; "but asI am not, can I do anything more to help our fellows besides bringingthem ashore?"

It was a question that puzzled him to answer, and he lay there on theturf wondering what it would be best to do, ending by making up his mindto creep down as cautiously as he could in the direction taken by thetwo men. 

"The worst that could happen to me, " he thought, "would be that I shouldbe taken; and if I am made prisoner once more, it will only be in thecause of duty--so here goes. "

The darkness favoured him as far as concealment was concerned, but ithad its disadvantages. A little way to his left was the edge of thecliff, and Hilary knew that if he were not careful he would reach theshore in a way not only unpleasant to himself, but which would totallyspoil him for farther service; so he exercised as much caution forself-preservation as he did to keep himself hidden from his enemies. 

There was a well-beaten track, and, following this, he found the descentwas very rapid into a little valley-like depression, from the bottom ofwhich came the faint creak of a pulley now and then, with mingled soundsof busy men going to and fro with loads, which they seemed to be, as hejudged, carrying up to carts somewhere at the head of the ravine. 

He could see very little, the darkness was so great; but his keen senseof hearing supplied the want of sight; and as he lay beside a clump ofwhat seemed to be furze, he very soon arrived at a tolerably good ideaof what was going on. 

Still he was not satisfied. He wanted to realise more thoroughly thewhole procedure of the smugglers, so that if the present attempt shouldprove a failure he might be in a position to circumvent them anothertime. 

It was a great risk to go any nearer, and it might result in capture, perhaps in being knocked down; but he determined to go on, especially asit grew darker every minute, the stars being completely blotted out by acurtain of cloud that came sweeping over the sky. 

He hesitated for a few moments, and then crept on, listening intentlythe while. 

The smugglers were still some distance off, down towards the edge of thelower cliff; and he crept nearer and nearer, till to his horror he foundthat the clearness of the part about him was only due to the cessationof the carrying for a few minutes, and now a party seemed to be comingup from the cliff edge, apparently loaded, while, when he turned toretreat, he found by the sound of voices that another party was comingdown. 

His manifest proceeding then was to get out of the track, but, to hishorror, he found that he was down in a rift between two high walls ofrock, and his first attempt to climb up resulted in a slip back, scratching his hands, and tearing his clothes. 

Before he could make a second attempt he was seized by a pair of strongarms and forced down upon his knees; and dimly in the gloom he couldmake out that he was pretty well surrounded by rough-looking men. 

"Caught you, have I?" said a deep voice. 

Hilary remained silent. It was of no avail to struggle, and he reservedhis strength for a better opportunity to escape. 

He thought of shouting aloud to the boats, which he hoped were now wellon their way; but he restrained himself, as he felt that the success oftheir approach depended upon their secrecy, so he merely hung down hishead, without offering the slightest resistance. 

He had his reward. 

"Get up, you lazy, skulking lubber!" cried his captor, "or I'llrope's-end you. " This, by the way, was rather cool language, especiallyafter forcing the captive down upon his knees. 

"Here are we to work like plantation niggers at the oars, rowing nightand day, and you 'long-shore idlers leave us to do all the work. "

"Why, he takes me for one of their party, " thought Hilary; and, darkthough it was, he felt astonished at the man's stupidity, for it did notoccur to him then that he was hatless, that his hair was rough, his faceand hands anything but clean, and his old uniform shrunken by hisimmersion, and so caked with mud and dirt, and withal so torn andragged, that even by broad daylight anyone would have strongly doubtedthat he was a king's officer, while in the gloom of that ravine he couldeasily be taken for a rough-looking carrier belonging to their gang. 

"Come on, " said the man hauling him along, "I've got a nice little jobfor you. I don't care for your sulky looks. Go it, my lads. Got thelot?" he continued, as a line of loaded men filed past them, they havingto stand back against the rock to let the burdened party pass. 

"All? no; nor yet half, " was the reply. "There, get on. "

"All right. Take it easy, " was the reply; and, trying hard to make outthe surroundings, Hilary made no resistance, but let himself be hurriedalong down the declivity they were in, till he found himself on aplatform of trampled earth, where, as far as he could make out againstthe skyline, a rough kind of shears was rigged up, and, by means of ablock, a couple of men were hauling up packages, and another was landingthem upon the platform, and unfastening and sending down the emptyhooks. 

"Here, one of you carry now, " said Hilary's captor, "and let this jokerhaul. I found him trying to miche, and nipped him as he was skulkingoff. Lay hold, you lazy lubber, and haul. "

One of the men left the rope, and assuming a sulky, injured manner, Hilary took his place at the rope, and, upon the signal being given, hauled away with his new companion, who gave a grunt indicative ofsatisfaction, as he found how well Hilary kept time with him, bringinghis strength to bear in unison with the other's, so that they workedlike one man. 

"Ah, that's better!" he said. "I've been doing all the work. "

They had brought a keg above the cliff edge, and this being detached, Hilary's captor mounted it upon his shoulders, and the man who had beenhauling in Hilary's place took up a package and they began to move off. 

"Let me know if he don't work, " said the rough-voiced man. 

"I'll soon be back. Mind he don't slip off. "

"All right, " said Hilary's companion. 

"Haul, " said a voice, and they pulled up another keg, while the trampingof men could be plainly heard below, telling Hilary of what was goingon. 

"Why, " he thought, as he worked steadily on, "this is where they hauledme up, the rascals; and now--"

He could not help laughing to himself at the strange trick Fate hadplayed him in setting him, a naval officer, helping a party of smugglersto land their cargo; but all the same, he gloried in the amount ofinformation he was picking up for some future time. 

"I don't seem to know you, " said the man beside him at last, after theyhad hauled up several packages and kegs. "Did old Allstone send you tohelp?"

This was a poser, and Hilary paused for a moment or two before sayingfrankly:

"No; he didn't want me to come. "

"Ah! he's a nice 'un, " growled the other. "I wish I'd my way; I'd makehim work a little harder. He's always skulking up at the old manor. "

Hilary uttered a low grunt, and in the intervals of hauling he strainedhis eyes to grasp all he could of his surroundings; but there was verylittle to see. He could make out that he was at the edge of a lowerpart of the cliff; that the rock-strewn beach was, as far as he couldmake out by the hauling, some forty feet below; that the platform wherehe stood was the sea termination of a gully, where probably in wetweather a stream ran down and over the edge in a kind of fall, while oneither side the cliff towered up to a great height. 

There was not much to learn, but it was enough to teach him what hewanted to know, and it quite explained the success of the smugglers inevading capture. 

Hilary had strained his eyes again and again seaward; but, save that thecutter's lights were burning brightly in the darkness, there was no signof coming help, though, for the matter of that, a fleet of small boatsmight have landed and been unseen from where he stood. 

The man's suspicions seemed to have been lulled, and Hilary kept onhauling. The men came and went from where they were to the carts thathe judged to be waiting, and those below, like dim shadows just seen nowand then, toiled on over the rocks, but still no sign of the cutter'sboats, and in despair now of my such capture as might have been made, Hilary was thinking that when a suitable opportunity occurred he wouldseize hold of the hook with one hand, retain the hauling rope in theother, and let himself rapidly down, when there was a shrill chirrupingwhistle from below, the scrambling of feet, and a voice from the beachsaid sharply:

"Quick there! Luggers ahoy! Look out!"

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE. 

TOM TULLY ACTS AS GUIDE. 

Lieutenant Lipscombe's eye had grown rapidly better, and his temperrapidly worse. He had grumbled at Chips for being so long over his taskof repairing the deck and hatchway, and Chips had responded by leavingoff to sharpen his tools, after which he had diligently set traps tocatch his superior officer, who never went near the carpenter withoutrunning risks of laming himself by treading upon nails half buried inthe deck, or being knocked down by pieces of wood delicately poised uponone end so that the slightest touch would send them over with a crash. 

Chips never trod upon the upright nails, cut himself against the tools, or touched the pieces of wood or planks to make them fall. He movedabout slowly, like a bear, and somehow seemed to be charmed; but it wasdifferent with the lieutenant: he never went near to grumble withoutputting his foot straight upon the first upright clout-nail, or leaninghis arm or hand upon some ticklishly-balanced piece of plank. Theconsequences were that he was several times a good deal hurt, and thenChips seemed exceedingly sorry, and said he was. 

But the lieutenant forgot his little accidents next day, and wentstraight to the carpenter, bullied him again, and after bearing it forawhile Chips's adze would become so blunt that he was obliged to go offto the grindstone, where he would stop for a couple of hours, a gooddeal of which time was spent in oiling the spindle before he began. 

At last, though he was obliged to finish his task, and after waiting forthe deck to be done as the time when he would go straight into harbourand report Hilary's desertion, as he persisted in calling it, LieutenantLipscombe concluded that he would not go, but give the young officer achance to come back. 

Meanwhile he had cruised about, chased and boarded vessels without therebeing the slightest necessity, put in at one or two places where heheard rumours that the Young Pretender was expected to land off thecoast somewhere close at hand, heard the report contradicted at the nextplace he touched at, and then went cruising up and down once more. 

One day he chased and boarded a lugger that bore despatches from Franceto certain emissaries in England; but the lieutenant did not find thedespatches, only some dried fish, which he captured and had conveyed onboard the cutter. 

His men grumbled, and said that Master Leigh ought to be found, andthere was some talk of petitioning the lieutenant to form anotherexpedition in search of the missing man; but the lieutenant had nointention of going ashore in the dark to get his men knocked about byinvisible foes without the prospect of a grand haul of prize-money atthe end; so he turned a deaf ear to all suggestions for such aproceeding, and kept on cruising up and down. 

"I tell you what it is, " said Tom Tully on the evening of Hilary'sescape, as the men were all grouped together in the forecastle enjoyinga smoke and a yarn or two, "it strikes me as we're doing a wonderful loto' good upon this here station. What do you say, Jack Brown?"

"Wonderful!" said the boatswain, falling into the speaker's sarcasticvein. 

"Ah!" said Chips, "we shall never get all our prize-money spent, boys. "

"No, " said the corporal of marines, "never. I say, speaking as aorsifer, oughtn't we to have another one in place of Master Leigh?"

"No, " said Tom Tully. "We couldn't get another like he. "

"That's a true word, Tommy, " said Billy Waters, who did not often agreewith the big sailor. "We couldn't get another now he's lost. "

"But that's all werry well, " said Chips; "but it won't do. If I lost myadze or caulking-hammer overboard, I must have another, mustn't I?" Noone answered, and he continued:

"If you lost the rammer of the big gun, Billy Waters, or the corporalhere hadn't got his bayonet, he'd want a new one; so why shouldn't wehave a new orsifer?"

"Don't know, " said Billy Waters gruffly; and as the carpenter looked ateach in turn, the men all shook their heads, and then they all smoked insilence. 

"I wishes as we could find him again, " said Tom Tully; "and as he'dchuck the skipper overboard, or send him afloat in the dinghy, andcommand the cutter hisself, and I don't kear who tells the luff as Isaid it. "

"No one ain't going to tell on you, Tommy, " said Billy Watersreprovingly; for the big sailor had looked defiantly round, and ended bystaring him defiantly in the face. "We all wishes as the young chapcould be found, and that he was back aboard; and I think as it ought tobe all reported and another expedition sent. "

There was a growl of approval at this as there had been before whensimilar ideas were promulgated; but the lieutenant sat in his cabin, andnothing was done. 

The lights were burning brightly, and as it was a dead calm the anchorhad been let go, so that the cutter should not be swept along the coastby the racing tide. The night had come on very dark since the moon hadset, and the watch scanned the surface of the sea in an idle mood, thattask being soon done, for there was very little sea visible to scan, and, coming to the conclusion that it was a night when they would beable to watch just as well with their ears, they made themselvescomfortable and gazed longingly at the shore. 

There was nothing to tempt them there but that it _was_ shore, and theywould have preferred being there to loitering on shipboard, though therewas not so much as a cottage light to be seen from where they lay. 

A large lugger propelled by a dozen sweeps passed them in the darkness, but so silently that they did not hear so much as the splash of an oar, and a drowsy feeling seemed to pervade the whole crew. 

"I'll be bound to say if we was to set up a song with a good rattlingchorus he'd kick up a row, " said Billy Waters, getting up from where hewas seated upon the deck, going to the side, and leaning over. "For mypart I'd--Hullo! Lookye here, Jack Brown; what do you make of themthere lights?"

He pointed as he spoke to a couple of dim stars high up on the cliff andplaced diagonally. 

"Signal, " said the boatswain decidedly. 

"For us?" said Tom Tully. 

"No, " said the gunner; "for some smuggling craft. Beg pardon, yourhonour, " he continued as the lieutenant came forward, "but what do youmake o' them there lights?"

The lieutenant had a long look, and then, with a display of energy thatwas unusual with him, he exclaimed, "It is a signal for boats; there's alanding going on. "

His words seemed to electrify everyone on board, and the men watched thelights on shore with intense eagerness, seeing prize-money in them, asthey did in every boat sent from the cutter; while, to test the lightsashore as to whether they really formed a signal, or were only anaccidental arrangement of a shepherd's lanterns, the lieutenant had thetwo riding lamps suddenly lowered and covered. 

Then there were a few moments of intense excitement, every eye beingdirected to the dim diagonally-placed stars on the cliff, both of whichsuddenly disappeared. 

"Right, " said the lieutenant. "Up with our lights again. That's eitherMr Leigh signalling to be fetched off or else there's going to be acargo run. Man the two boats! Gunner, serve out arms! No pipe, boatswain. Quietly, every man, and muffle the oars!"

The men needed no pipe to call them to their places, for every man wasin a state of intense excitement, and ready to execute a kind ofwar-dance on the deck, till the lieutenant, who had been to fetch hissword and pistols, returned on deck in a dubious state of mind. 

"I don't know, " he said. "Perhaps it is only a dodge to get us away. Somebody is tricking us; and while we are going one way they'll run acargo in another direction. "

The men dared not murmur, but they grumbled in silence. 

"Give up your arms again, my men, " said the lieutenant, "and we'll bewatchful where we are. I'm tired of being tricked. "

The men were unwillingly giving up their weapons when, as Billy Watersput it, the wind veered round again. 

"Serve out the arms, my man! Now then, be smart! Tumble into theboats!"

For fear their commander should change his mind again the men didliterally tumble into the boats, and, giving the boatswain charge of thevessel and putting the gunner in charge of the smaller boat, thelieutenant descended into the other, gave orders that not a word shouldbe spoken, and they pushed off into the black night. 

"When we land, " whispered the lieutenant, "two men are to stop in theboats and keep off a dozen or so yards from the shore. No getting themstove-in, or--"

He did not finish his sentence, and in its mutilated form it was passedto the other boat, which was close behind. 

For the first part of the distance they rowed pretty swiftly, but whenthey were about halfway the lieutenant slackened speed, and, afternearly running into them, the second followed the example, and they wentsoftly on. 

It seemed to grow darker and darker, and but for the fact that theycould hear the wash of the water upon the shore, and see the lights ofthe cutter, it would have been impossible to tell which way to go. Theysteered, however, straight for the land, every ear being attent, and themen so anxious to make the present expedition a success that their oarsdipped without a sound. 

All at once, as it seemed to them, they could hear something above thesoft wash of the water that made every man's heart beat, and roused thelieutenant to an intense state of excitement. For, plainly enough, there came from out of the pitchy darkness right ahead the tramp of feethurrying to and fro across the sands, and there could be only oneinterpretation of such a sound, namely, the fact that a party of menwere unloading a boat. 

The lieutenant ordered his men to wait so that the second boat mightcome up alongside, and then they advanced together in perfect silence, with the keenest-eyed men in the bows, ready to signal by touch if theysaw anything ahead. 

The sound was still going on upon the beach, and the people wereevidently very busy, when, at the same moment, the crews of the twoboats caught sight of a large lugger run ashore, and not twenty yardsaway. 

The lieutenant's orders to the gunner were short and sharp. 

"Board her on the larboard side; I'll take this! Off; give way, mylads! Close in; out cutlasses and up and have her!"

Softly as his whisper was uttered it was heard upon the lugger by thewatchful smugglers. A shrill whistle rang out; there was a rush of feetto get back aboard, and men sprang to their arms. 

But the _Kestrels_ were too close in this time. The boats were run oneon either side; the crews pulled out their cutlasses and sprang up, racing as to who should be first on board; and after a short sharpstruggle the smugglers were beaten down, and the lugger was taken. 

"Now, Waters, make sure of the prisoners, and don't trust them below!"cried the lieutenant. "Come, my lads. Crew of the first boat head forthe shore. "

"Would you like lanterns, sir?" said the gunner. 

"What! to show the rascals where to shoot!" said the lieutenant. "No, sir. We could take the lugger in the dark, and now we'll have the restof the gang and the cargo. Look here, my men, " he said, turning to theprisoners, "fifty pounds and a free pardon to the man who will act asguide and show us the way to the place where the lugger's cargo has beenplaced. "

There was no answer. 

"Do you hear there, my men? Don't be afraid to speak. Fifty pounds, liberty, and my protection to the man who will act as guide. "

Still no answer. 

"A hundred pounds, then, " said the lieutenant, eagerly. 

"Come, be quick; there is no time to lose. "

There was not the slightest notice taken of the offer. 

"Look here, " cried the lieutenant, "I promise you that the man who willtell where the cargo is carried shall be amply protected. "

Still no reply. 

"Come, come, come!" cried the lieutenant; "who is going to earn thismoney? There, time is valuable; I'll give two hundred pounds if wecapture the rest of the cargo. "

"If you'll give me two hundred pounds I'll tell you where it is, " said avoice out of the darkness; and a groan and a hiss arose from theprisoners. 

"Bravo! my lad, " cried the lieutenant. "I give you my word of honouryou shall have the two hundred pounds. Now, then; where is it? Whichway shall we go? Quick! where is it?"

"Where you and your lot won't never find it, " said the man; and therewas a tremendous roar of laughter. 

"Come, my lads, " said the lieutenant angrily, "follow me. "

As the men followed him down into the boat another shrill chirrupingwhistle rang out upon the dark night-air, a whistle which the lieutenantknew well enough to be a warning to the men ashore that there wasdanger. 

"Never mind, " he said; "we shall find the bags this time, and withplenty of honey too, my lads. Let's see, who was here last and went upamong the rocks?"

"Me, your honour, " said Tom Tully. "I can show you the way. "

"Come to my side, then, " said the lieutenant, leaping ashore. Tom Tullyranged up alongside, and together they hurried over the sand andshingle. 

There was no doubt about their being upon the right track, for theystumbled first against a keg, directly after upon a package, then uponanother and another, just as the smugglers had thrown them down to raceback and defend the lugger; and with these for their guides they maderight for the rocks, where, after a little hesitation, Tom Tully led theparty through a narrow opening. 

"I should know the place, sir, " he said, "for I got a hawful polt o' theside of the head somewheres about here; and--ah! this here's right, forthere's another little keg o' spirits. "

He had kicked against the little vessel, and, to endorse his opinion, hehad come upon a small package, which, with the keg, was placed upon ablock of rock ready for their return. 

But in spite of his recollection of the blows he had received in thestruggle amongst the rocks Tom Tully's guidance was not very good. Itwas horribly dark, and, but for the scuffling noise they kept hearing infront and beyond the chaos of rocks amongst which they were, thelieutenant would have ordered his men back, and tried some other way, orelse, in spite of the risks, have waited while some of his men went backfor lights. 

There was, however, always the noise in front, and partly by climbingand dragging one another up over the rocks they managed to get nearerand nearer without once hitting upon the narrow and comparatively easybut maze-like track that was the regular way, and which was so familiarto the smuggling party that they ran along it and surmounted the variousbarriers with the greatest ease. 

"Come, come, Tully, are you asleep?" cried the lieutenant impatiently;"push on. "

"That's just what I am a doing of, your honour, " said the great fellow;"but they seem to have been a moving the rocks, and altering the placesince we was here last, and its so plaguy dark, too, I don't seem to hitit at all. "

"Give way, there, and let another man come to the front, " said thelieutenant. 

Tom Tully did give way, and another and another tried, but made worse ofit, for the big fellow did blunder on somehow, no matter what obstaclespresented themselves; and at last, quite in despair, just as the soundsin front were dying right away, almost the last man being up the cliff, the great sailor clambered over a huge block of rock and uttered a shoutof joy. 

"Here's the place, your honour, here's the place!" he shouted, and thelieutenant and the men scrambled to his side. 

"Well, " cried the lieutenant, "what have you found? Where are we?"

"We're here, your honour, " cried Tom Tully eagerly. "We're all right. Oh lor', look out! what's that 'ere?"

For just at that moment there was the whizz made by a running out rope, a rushing sound, a heavy body came plump on Tom Tully's shoulders, andhe was dashed to the ground. 

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR. 

ON BOARD ONCE MORE. 

There was an attempt at flight on the part of the _Kestrels_, but therewas no room to fly, though the general impression was that the smugglerswere about to hurl down pieces of rock upon them from above, but theirdread was chased away by a well-known voice exclaiming:

"All right, my lads: I'm not killed. "

"But you've 'most killed me, " growled Tom Tully. 

"Never mind, Tom. You shall have some grog when we get back aboard. Who's in command?"

"I am, sir, " exclaimed the lieutenant from somewhere at the back; "and Ibeg to know what is the meaning of this indecorous proceeding. "

"Well, sir, " said Hilary, "I was in a hurry to rejoin the ship'scompany, and I was coming down a rope when some one above cast it off. "

"Three cheers for Muster Leigh!" cried a voice. 

"Silence!" roared the lieutenant. "Now, Mr Leigh, if you are notjoined to the band of rascals show us the way to them. "

"There's no way here, sir, unless we bring a long spar and rig up sometackle. The rock's forty feet high, and as straight as a wall. Willyou let me speak to you, sir?"

The lieutenant grunted, and Hilary limped to his side. 

"Now, Mr Leigh, " he said, "I will hear what you have to say; but havethe goodness to consider yourself under arrest. "

"All right, sir, " replied Hilary; "I'm used to that sort of thing now. "

"Where have you been, sir?"

"Made prisoner by the smugglers, sir. And now, if you will take myadvice, sir, you will draw off the men and secure the lugger. Bydaylight I can, if we find a way up the cliffs, conduct you to the placethey make their rendezvous. "

"I repeat, Mr Leigh, that you must consider yourself under arrest, "said the lieutenant stiffly. "Your plans may be very good, but I havealready made my own. "

Hilary said nothing, for he knew his officer of old; and that, while hewould profess to ignore everything that had been said, he would followout the advice to the letter. 

And so it proved; for, drawing off the men, they were led down to theboats, the lugger was pushed off, and those of her crew left on boardmade to handle the sweeps till she was secured alongside of the cutter, where the smugglers to the number of eight were made prisoners below. 

The men were in high glee, for it proved next morning that there wasstill enough of the cargo on board to give them a fair share ofprize-money, and there was the hope of securing more of the cargo at theold hall of which Hilary spoke. 

"I am quite convinced of the existence of that place, Mr Leigh, " saidthe lieutenant pompously, "and I have been questioning the prisonersabout it. If you give your promise not to attempt an escape, I willallow you to accompany the expedition under the command of the gunner, as I shall be obliged to stay on board. "

To his intense astonishment, Hilary, who longed to head the party andtry to capture the rest of the smuggling crew, drew himself up. 

"Thank you, sir, no, " he replied; "as I am a prisoner, I will wait untilI have been before a court-martial. Shall I go below, sir?"

The lieutenant was speechless for a few moments. 

"What, sir? go below, sir? and at a time like this when the ship isshorthanded, and we have eight prisoners to guard? This is worse andworse, Mr Leigh. What am I to think of such conduct?"

"What you please, sir, " said Hilary quietly. 

"Then, sir, in addition to deserting, which you try to hide byprofessing to have been made a prisoner, you now mutiny against myorders!"

"Look here, Lieutenant Lipscombe, " cried Hilary, who was now in apassion; "if you want me to take command of the expedition, and to leadthe men to the smugglers' place, say so like a man. If you do not wantme to go, send me below as a prisoner. I'm not going to act under ourgunner. "

"Mr Leigh, " said the lieutenant, "I shall report the whole of yourinsubordinations in a properly written-out despatch. At present I amcompelled to make use of your assistance, so take the gunner and sixmen. "

"Six will not be enough, sir. "

"Then take seven, " said the lieutenant, impatiently. 

"Seven will not be enough, sir, " replied Hilary. "I must have at leasta dozen. "

"Bless my soul, Mr Leigh! hadn't you better take command of the cutter, and supersede me altogether?"

"No, sir; I don't think that would be better, " said Hilary. 

"I have eight prisoners on board, and they must be well guarded. "

"Yes, sir, of course. "

"Then I am obliged to have four or five men in the lugger. "

"Yes, sir; so under the circumstances I think it will be best to placethe eight prisoners in the lugger's boat, and send them ashore. "

"What! to join the others?"

"No, sir; I should take care to land them after the expedition partywere well on the way. "

"Bless me, Mr Leigh! this is beyond bearing. How dare you dictate tome in this way?" cried the lieutenant. 

"And, " continued Hilary, "I would disable them for a few hours by meansof the irons. There are five or six sets on board. "

"Ah! yes, yes; but what do you mean?"

"I'd let the gunner rivet them on, sir, joining the men two and two. They could not get them off without a blacksmith; and it would disablethem for some hours. "

"Well, yes, I had some such an idea as that, " replied the lieutenant. "Under the circumstances, Mr Leigh, I will humour you in this. "

"Thank you, sir, " said Hilary quietly, for he was so much in earnest asto the duty required at this special moment, that he would not let hisannoyance keep him back. 

"Perhaps, too, you had better take command of the expedition, Mr Leigh. Duty to the king stands first, you know. "

"Certainly, sir. "

"And, by the way, Mr Leigh, I would certainly change my uniform; for, you will excuse my saying so, you look more like a scarecrow than anofficer. "

Hilary bowed, and soon after he was inspecting the men detailed for theduty in hand, one and all of whom saluted him with a grin ofsatisfaction. 

"Well, Tom Tully, " he said, "how is your shoulder?"

"Feels as if it was shov'd out, sir, " growled the big sailor; "but lor'bless your 'art, sir, I don't mind. "

"Tom wishes you'd fell on his head, sir, " said Billy Waters, laughing;"it's so thick, it wouldn't have hurt him a bit. "

"I'll try to manage better next time, " said the young officer; "but Ihad to look sharp to get away the best fashion I could. "

"Well, sir, the lads say as they're all werry glad to see you again, "continued the gunner; "and they hopes you're going to give them somefun. "

"I hope I am, " replied Hilary; "but I can't feel sure, for they areslippery fellows we are after, and we may get there to find them gone. "

Meanwhile, in accordance with Hilary's advice, which the lieutenant hadadopted as his own idea, the cutter was sailing east in search of anopening in the cliff, through which the party could reach the higherground; and, after going four or five miles, this was found, the partylanded, and the cutter then sailed on to get rid of the boatload ofprisoners she towed behind, some eight or ten miles farther away. 

Hilary felt himself again, as, after he had said a few words to his men, they started off inland, mounting a rugged pathway, and then journeyingdue north. 

It was rather puzzling, and the young officer did not anticipate findingthe old hall without some trouble; but he had an idea that it lay to theeast of the smugglers' landing-place, as well as some miles inland. 

Hilary's first idea was to get upon one of the ridges, from which hehoped to recognise the hills which he had looked upon from his prison. Failing this he meant to search until he did find it, when a happythought struck him. 

He remembered the dam he had seen, and the great plashing water-wheel. There was, of course, the little river, and if he could find that hecould track it up to the mill, from whence the old hall would bevisible. 

The place seemed singularly uncultivated, and it was some time beforethey came upon a cottage, where an old woman looked at them curiously. 

"River? Oh, yes, there's the little river runs down in the hollow, " shereplied, in answer to Hilary's questions. It was upon his tongue's endto ask the old woman about the hall; but a moment's reflection told himthe cottagers anywhere near the sea would be either favourable to thesmugglers, or would hold them in such dread that they would be certainto refuse all information. Even then he was not sure that the old womanwas not sending them upon a false scent. 

This did not, however, prove to be the case, for after a walk of about acouple of miles, through patches of woodland and along dells, where themen seemed as happy as a pack of schoolboys, a ridge was reached, fromwhich the little streamlet could be seen; and making their way down toit, Hilary found that they were on the wrong side, a fact whichnecessitated wading, though he went over dry-shod, Tom Tully insistingupon carrying him upon his back. 

Another couple of miles along the winding course brought them to themill, where a heavy-looking man stood watching the unwonted appearanceof a dozen well-armed sailors; but neither party spoke, and after a bitof a rest for the discussion of a few biscuits, Hilary prepared for hisadvance to the old hall. 

They were just about to start when the heavy-looking man lounged up. 

"Going by Rorley Place?" he said. 

"Rorley Place?" said Hilary; "where's that?"

"Yon old house, " was the reply. "Don't go in; she's harnted!"

"Oh! is she?" said Hilary. 

"Ay, that she be, " said the man. "She's been empty this hundred year;but you can see the lights shining in the windows of a night, and hearthe groans down by the gate and by the little bridge over Rorleystream. "

"Thank you, " said Hilary, "we'll take care. Now, my lads, forward. Now, Tom Tully, what's the matter?"

"I'm a man as 'll fight any man or any body any day, " said the bigsailor; "but if we're going again that there place I'm done. I can'tabide ghosts and them sort o' things. "

"Stuff!" said Hilary. "Forward. Why, what are you thinking about, man?That's where I was shut up night after night. "

"And did you see 'em, sir?"

"See what?" replied Hilary. 

"Them there as yon chap talked about, sir. "

"I saw a good many very substantial smugglers, and I saw a cellar fullof kegs and packages, and those are what we are going to get. "

Tom Tully seemed a bit reassured, and tightening his belt a little, hekept step with the others, as Hilary led the way right across country, so as to come out of the wood suddenly after a curve, just in front ofthe entrance to the narrow bridge over the moat. 

Hilary managed well, and his men following him in single file, he ledthem so that, apparently unseen by the occupants of the old hall, theywere at last gathered together in the clump of trees, waiting the orderto advance. 

The moat, as Hilary knew, was too deep to think of wading, and there wasthe old bridge quite clear, temptingly offering itself as a way to thefront of the old house; but this tempting appearance rather repelled theyoung officer. He was no coward, but he was good leader enough toshrink from subjecting his men to unnecessary risk. 

The smugglers would be, under the present circumstances, as desperate asrats in a corner; and as they would certainly expect an attack throughhis escape, and the events of the past night, it was not likely thatthey would have neglected to protect the one entrance to theirstronghold. 

"I say, wot are we awaiting for?" growled Tom Tully. 

"Hold your noise!" said Waters; "don't you see the orsifer as leads youthinks there's a trap?"

"Wheer? I don't see no trap. Wot sorter trap?" growled Tom Tully. 

"Will yer be quiet, Tommy!" whispered the gunner. "What a chap youare!"

"Yes, ar'n't I?" said the big sailor, taking his messmate's remark as acompliment; and settling himself tailor-fashion upon the ground, hewaited until the reconnaissance was over. 

For Hilary was scanning the front of the old house most carefully. There was the room in which he had been imprisoned, with the windowstill open, and the thin white cord swinging gently in the air. Therewas Adela's room, open-windowed too, and there also was the room wherehe had seen Sir Henry busy writing, with his child at his knee. 

Where were they now? he asked himself, and his heart felt a sudden throbas he thought of the possibility of their being still in the house andin danger. 

But he cast the thought away directly, feeling sure that Sir Henry, aproscribed political offender, would not, for his own and his child'ssake, run the slightest risk of being taken. 

"But suppose he trusts to me, and thinks that I care too much for themto betray their hiding-place?"

His brow turned damp at the thought, and for a moment, as he saw inimagination his old companion Adela looking reproachfully at him forhaving sent her father to the block, he felt that at all costs he musttake the men back. 

Then came reaction. 

"No, " he thought, "I gave Sir Henry fair warning that I must do my duty, and that if we encountered again I should have to arrest him in theking's name. He tried to tempt me to join his party, but I refused, andtold him I had my duty to do. He must, I am sure he must, have made hisescape, and I shall lead on my men. "

He hesitated a moment, and then thought that he was come there tocapture smugglers, not political offenders, and that after all he wouldfind a way out of his difficulty; but colouring the next moment, he feltthat he must do his duty at all hazards; and he turned to Waters. 

"I can see no trace of anything wrong, gunner, " he said, "but I feelthat those rascals have laid a trap for us. They'll open fire directlywe attempt to cross that bridge. "

"Then let me and Tom Tully and some one else try it first, " said thegunner in reply. 

"No, no, Waters; that would never do, " said Hilary. "If anyone goesfirst it must be I. Look all along the bottom windows. Can you see anygun barrels?"

"Not ne'er a one, sir, " replied the gunner; "and I ar'n't seen anythingbut two or three pigeons and an old lame hen since we've come. "

"Then they must be lying in wait, " said Hilary. "Never mind, it must bedone. Here, I shall rush over first with Tom Tully. Then, if all'sright, you bring the rest of the men. If I go down, why, you must seeif you can do anything to take the place; and if you cannot, you musttake the men back. "

"Hadn't we better all rush it together, sir?"

"No; certainly not. "

"Then hadn't I best go first, sir? I ar'n't so much consequence asyou. "

"No, Waters, I must go first. I can't send my men to risks I daren'tattempt myself. Now then, are you ready, Tully?"

"Ay, ay, sir. "

"Let me go first, sir, " pleaded the gunner. 

"Silence, sir, " cried Hilary. "Now, Tully--off. "

Cutlass in hand and closely followed by the elephantine seaman, Hilaryran from his place of concealment across the open space to the bridge, and then without a moment's hesitation he bounded across it, and on tothe rough, ill-tended patch of grass. 

To his intense surprise and delight he got over in safety, and thenpausing he held up his sword, and with a cheer Billy Waters raced acrosswith the rest of the men. 

"Now, quick, Waters, take half the lads and secure the back--no, takefour. Two of you keep the bridge. We must capture them all to a man. "

Not a shot was fired. There was no answering cheer. All was as silentas if there had never been a soul there for years, and after carefullyscanning the window Hilary went up to the front door and battered itloudly with his sword-hilt. 

This knocking he had to repeat twice over before he heard steps, andthen a couple of rusty bolts were pushed back, the door was draggedopen, and a very venerable old lady stood peering wonderingly in theirfaces as she screened her eyes with her hand. 

"Ye'd better not come in, " she said in a loud, harsh voice. "The placeis harnted, and it isn't safe. "

"Where's Allstone?" cried Hilary as he led his men into thedesolate-looking hall. 

"Hey?"

"I say where's Allstone, the scoundrel?" shouted Hilary. 

"I'm very sorry, but I can't hear a word you say, young man. I've beenstone-deaf ever sin' I came to take care o' this house five year ago. It's a terrifying damp place. "

"Where are the men?" shouted Hilary with his lips to her ear. 

"Men? No, no; I ar'n't feared o' your men, " said the old lady. "Theywon't hurt a poor old crittur like me. "

"There, spread out and search the place, " said Hilary. "She's as deafas a post. Whistle for help whoever finds the rascals. "

Detaining four men Hilary made his way to the kitchen, and then to thepassage by the vault-door and the chapel, to find all wide open; andupon a light being obtained Hilary was about to descend, but, fearing atrap, he left two of his men on guard and went down into the vault, tofind it empty. There was some old rubbish and the nets, but that wasall. Short as had been the time the smugglers had cleared the place. 

He went into the chapel and to Sir Henry and Adela's rooms, to find theold furniture there, but that was all; and at the end of a goodhalf-hour's search the party of sailors stood together in the hall, withthe deaf old woman staring at them and they staring at each other, waiting their officer's commands. 

"Ar'n't there not going to be no fight?" growled Tom Tully. 

Evidently not; and after another search Hilary would have felt ready todeclare that there had not been a soul there for months, and that he haddreamed about his escape, if the white cord had not still hung from thewindow. 

Further investigation proving to be vain, for they could get nothing outof the deaf old woman, and a short excursion in the neighbourhoodproducing nothing but shakes of the head, Hilary had to lead his menback to the shore, where they arrived at last, regularly tired out andtheir commander dispirited. All the same, though, he could not helpfeeling glad at heart as he signalled to the cutter for a boat, that SirHenry and his daughter were safe from seizure, for had he been bound totake them prisoners he felt as if he could have known no peace. 

But Hilary had no time to give to such thoughts as these, for a boat wascoming from the cutter, and in a very short time he knew that he wouldhave to face the lieutenant and give his account of the unsuccessfulnature of his quest; and as he thought of this he began to ask himselfwhether the injuries his commander had received at different times hadnot something to do with the eccentricity and awkwardness of hisbehaviour. 

Hilary was still thinking this when he climbed to the deck of the cutterand saluted his officer with the customary "Come on board. "

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE. 

A RISKY WATCH. 

Lieutenant Lipscombe was so dissatisfied with the result of Hilary'sexpedition that he landed himself the next day with a party of the_Kestrels_ and went over and searched the old hall. 

From thence he followed the lane down to the cliffs, where, as BillyWaters afterwards told Hilary, they found the place where the smugglershad been in the habit of landing their goods, and the cottage he haddescribed. But the people seemed stupid and ignorant, professing toknow nothing, and it was not until after a search that the rope wasfound with the tackle and block lying amongst some stunted bushes; andby means of this tackle the party descended, afterwards signalling tothe cutter and getting on board. 

The next thing was to take the prize into port and report to thesuperior officer what had been done, when orders were at once receivedto put out to sea and watch the coast. 

For the emissaries of the Pretender had, it seemed, been busy at work, and there were rumours of risings and landings of men from France. Inspite of the watchfulness of the various war-vessels on the coastmessengers seemed to come and go with impunity. So angry were theauthorities that, instead of the lieutenant receiving praise for what hehad done, he only obtained a severe snubbing. He was told that thecapture of a lugger with some contraband cargo was nothing to the takingof the political emissaries. These, it seemed, he had allowed to slipthrough his fingers, and he returned on board with his sailing orders, furious with the treatment he had received. 

"Look here, Mr Leigh, " he said sternly; "out of consideration for youryouth I refrained from reporting your late desertion. "

"I was taken prisoner, sir. "

"Well, there, call it taken prisoner if you like, " said the lieutenantimpatiently. "I say I did not report it; but I consider that you are toblame for our late ill success. "

"Thank you, sir, " said Hilary in an undertone. 

"It seems, " continued the lieutenant, "that there is a Sir Henry Norlandwho comes and goes with fishermen and smugglers, and I am as certain ascan be that we had him once on board that fishing lugger when you werestupid enough to let him go; I mean that ill-looking scoundrel with thegirl. There, there; it is of no use for you to try and defend yourself. You were in fault, and the only way for you to amend your failing is byplacing this man in my hands. "

"But really, sir--" began Hilary. 

"Go to your duty, sir!" exclaimed the lieutenant sternly; and, bitinghis lips as he felt how awkwardly he was situated, Hilary went forward, and soon after the cutter was skimming over the waves with a briskbreeze abeam. 

Time glided on, with the young officer fully determined to do his dutyif he should again have an opportunity of arresting the emissary of thewould-be king; but somehow it seemed as if the opportunity was never tocome. They cruised here and they cruised there, with the usualvicissitudes of storm and sunshine. Fishing-boats were rigorouslyoverhauled, great merchant ships bidden to heave-to while a boat wassent on board, but no capture was made. 

They put into port over and over again, always to hear the same news--that the young Pretender's emissaries were as busy as ever, and thatthey came and went with impunity, but how no one could say. 

The lieutenant always returned on board, after going ashore to see theport-admiral, in a furious temper, and his junior and the crew foundthis to their cost. 

Days and nights of cruising without avail. It seemed as if the_Kestrel_ was watched out of sight, and then, with the coast clear, thefollowers of the young Pretender's fortunes landed in England withimpunity. Hilary heard from time to time that Sir Henry had grown moredaring, and had had two or three narrow escapes from being taken ashore, but he had always been too clever for his pursuers, and had got away. 

Of Adela he had heard nothing, and he frequently hoped that she was safewith some of their friends, and not leading a fugitive life with herfather. 

It was on a gloomy night in November that the _Kestrel_ was well out inmid-channel on the lookout for a small vessel, of whose coming they hadbeen warned by a message received the day before from the admiral. 

A bright lookout was being kept, in spite of the feeling that it mightbe, after all, only a false scent, and that while they were seeking inone direction the enemy might make their way to the shore in another. 

There was nothing for it but to watch, in the hope that this time theymight be right, and all that afternoon and evening the cutter had beenas it were disguised. Her sails had been allowed to hang loosely, hercustomary smartness was hidden, and the carpenter had been over the bowswith a pot of white paint, and painted big letters and a couple offigures on each side, to give the _Kestrel_ the appearance of afishing-boat. This done, the jollyboat was allowed to swing by herpainter behind, and thus they waited for night. 

As the darkness came on, in place of hoisting the lights they were keptunder shelter of the bulwarks, and then, in spite of the preparations, Hilary saw and said that their work would be in vain, for the nightwould be too dark for them to see anything unless it came within acable's length. 

It was not likely; and the young officer, as he leaned over the side, after some hours' watching, talking in a low voice to the gunner, whowas with him, began to think how pleasant it would be to follow thelieutenant's example and go below and have a good sleep, when hesuddenly started. 

"What's that, Billy?" he whispered. 

"Don't hear nothing, sir, " said the gunner. "Yes, I do. It's a ship ofsome kind, and not very far-off. I can hear the water under her bows. "

"Far-off?--no. Look!" cried Hilary, in a hoarse whisper. "Down withthe helm! hard down!" he cried. "Hoist a light!"

But as he gave the orders he felt that they were in vain, for they hadso well chosen their place to intercept the French vessel they hoped tomeet, that it was coming, as it were, out of a bank of darkness notfifty yards away; and in another minute Hilary, as he saw the size andthe cloud of sail, knew that the _Kestrel_ would be either cut down tothe water's edge or sunk by the coming craft. 

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX. 

WITHOUT LIGHTS. 

In those moments of peril Hilary hardly knew how it all happened, butfortunately the men with him were men-of-war's men, and accustomed toprompt obedience. The helm was put down hard as the strange vessel cameswiftly on, seeming to the young officer like his fate, and in aninstant his instinct of self-preservation suggested to him that he hadbetter run forward, and, as the stranger struck the _Kestrel_, leap fromthe low bulwark and catch at one of the stays. His activity, he knew, would do the rest. 

Then discipline set in and reminded him that he was in charge of thedeck, and that his duty was to think of the safety of his men and thecutter--last of all, of himself. 

The stranger showed no lights, a suspicious fact which Hilary afterwardsrecalled, and she came on as the cutter rapidly answered her helm, seeming at first as if she would go right over the little sloop of war, but when the collision came, so well had the _Kestrel_ swerved aside, the stranger's bowsprit went between jib and staysail, and struck thecutter just behind the figurehead. 

There was a grinding crash, a loud yell from the oncoming vessel; the_Kestrel_ went over almost on her beam-ends, and then the strangerscraped on by her bows, carrying away bowsprit, jibboom, and the sails. 

"Chien de fool Jean Bool, fish, dog!" roared a voice from the side ofthe large schooner, for such Hilary could now see it was. "Vat for youno hoist light? I run you down. "

"Hoist your own lights, you French idiot!" shouted back Hilary betweenhis hands. "Ahoy, there! heave-to!"

There was a good deal of shouting and confusion on board the schooner, which went on several hundred yards before her way was stopped; butbefore this Hilary had ordered out the two boats; for there was no needto hail the men below, with "All hands on deck!"

The men came tumbling up in the lightest of costumes, one of theforemost being the lieutenant, with his nether garments in one hand, hiscocked hat in the other. 

"Quick!" he shouted. "Into the boats before she goes down!"

"No, no, sir!" cried Hilary excitedly. "Let's see the mischief first. Is she making water, carpenter?"

"Can't see as she is, " replied that worthy. "We've lost the bowspritand figurehead, and there's some planks started; but I think we shallfloat. "

"Of course; yes, " cried Lieutenant Lipscombe. "Back from those boats, men! I'll blow the brains out of the mutinous dog who dares to enterfirst. Discipline must be maintained. Here, Waters, let me leanagainst you. "

"Ay, ay, sir!" said the gunner; and the lieutenant proceeded to inserthis legs in the portion of his uniform intended to keep his lower manwarm. 

"Now, Mr Leigh, " he shouted, as he stamped upon the deck with his barefeet; "what have you to say to this?"

"Regular wreck forward, sir, " replied Hilary, who had been examining theextent of the mischief. 

"My fate for leaving you in charge, " cried the lieutenant. "Where wasthe lookout?"

"Two boats coming from the schooner, sir, " said Tom Tully. "They've gotlanterns, and they're full of men. "

"Then it's the vessel we were looking for, " cried Hilary. "Quick, sir, give orders, or they'll board and take us before we can stir. "

"Mr Leigh, " said the lieutenant, with dignity, "I command this ship. "

He walked slowly to the side, and peered at the coming boats, whileHilary stood fretting and fuming at his side. There was, however, something so ominous in the look of the boats, dimly-seen though theywere through the murky night, that the lieutenant did give orders, andcutlasses and boarding-pikes were seized, the men then clustering abouttheir officers. 

"She ar'n't making a drop o' water, " said the carpenter just then--anannouncement which seemed to put heart into the crew, who now watchedthe coming of the boats. 

"Hey! Hoop!" shouted a voice. "What sheeps is that? Are you sink?"

"May I answer, sir?" whispered Hilary. 

"Yes, Mr Leigh; and be quick. "

"Ahoy! What ship's that?" cried Hilary. 

There was no response, only a buzz of conversation reached their ears, and the boats came rapidly on, the occupants of the _Kestrel's_ deckseeing that they separated and changed position, so as to board on eachbow, for the cutter now lay with her sail flapping, like a log upon thewater. 

"She's an enemy, sir, " whispered Hilary; and he did not alter hisopinion as the boats neared. 

"All raight. We come take you off, sailor boy, " cried the same voicethat had hailed. "You shall be safe before you vill sink you sheep. "

The lieutenant seemed to have come to himself, and to be a little morematter-of-fact and sane in his actions, for he now ordered Waters toload the long gun, and the gunner eagerly slipped away. 

"There, that will do, " cried the lieutenant now. "We are not sinking. What ship's that?"

The boats stopped for a moment, and there was again a whispering onboard; but the next instant they came on. 

"Stop there, or I'll sink you!" cried the lieutenant. But the boats nowdashed on, and it was evidently a case of fighting and beating them off. 

Every man grasped his weapon, and a thrill of excitement ran throughHilary as he felt that he was really about to engage in what might be aserious fight. Fortunately for the crew of the _Kestrel_, both of theboats were not able to board at once, for that on the larboard bow wasdriven right into the wreck of the jibboom and sail, which, with theattendant cordage, proved to be sufficient to hamper their progress forthe time being, while the other boat dashed alongside with a Frenchcheer, and, sword in hand, the crew swarmed over on to the deck. 

It was bravely done; and, had they met with a less stout resistance, the_Kestrel_ would have been captured. But, as it was, they had Englishmento deal with, and Hilary and about ten of the crew met them bravely, Hilary going down, though, from the first blow--one from aboarding-pike. This, however, so enraged the _Kestrels_ that they beatback the attacking party, cutting down several and literally hurlingothers over into their boat, which hauled off, not liking its reception. 

Meanwhile, after a struggle, the crew of the other boat got itself clearof the tangle, and came on to the attack, to find themselves, after asharp struggle, repulsed by the lieutenant and his party, the leaderfighting bravely and well. 

It was evident that the commander of the schooner had realised thecharacter of the vessel with which he had been in collision, and hadhoped to make an easy capture of her, if she did not prove to be in asinking state. If she were, motives of humanity had prompted him totake off the crew, if they needed help. The task, however, had provedmore severe than he anticipated, and the two boats were now together, with their leaders evidently in consultation. 

The next minute an order was evidently given, and the boats turned, separated, and began to row back. 

The schooner could only be made out now by a light she had hoisted; butthis was quite sufficient for Billy Waters, who stood ready by his gunwaiting for orders. Possibly he might have hit and sunk one of theboats, but the lieutenant did not seem to wish for this, but begangiving his orders with unwonted energy, trying to make sail upon the_Kestrel_, which lay there upon the water, with one of her wings, as itwere, so crippled that he found it would take quite half an hour beforeshe could be cleared. 

"It's of no use, Mr Leigh, " he cried excitedly. "I wanted to board andtake this schooner, and we cannot get alongside. Take charge of thegun, sir, and try and bring down one of her spars. Let's cripple hertoo. I'll order out the boats to board her. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " said Hilary, delighted at the energy shown by his chief. "Now, Billy Waters, send a shot through her mainmast. I'd aim straightat her light. "

"Which on 'em, sir?" said the gunner drily. 

"Why, that one! There's only one, " cried Hilary sharply. 

"Look alive! and--ah--how provoking, the light's out!"

"Ay, sir, they've dowsed their light now the boats know where to go, andit would be only waste o' good powder and round shot to go plumping 'eminto that there bank o' blackness out yonder. "

"Well, Mr Leigh, why don't you fire?" shouted the lieutenant. 

"Beg pardon, sir, but there's nothing to fire at, " replied Hilary. 

"Fire at the schooner's light, sir, --fire at her light, " cried thelieutenant indignantly. "Bless my soul, Mr Leigh, " he said, bustlingup. "Here, let me lay the gun, and--eh?--what?--the light out?"

"Yes, sir. "

"Then why, in the name of common sense, Mr Leigh, didn't you firebefore it went out?"

"Didn't get no orders, " growled Billy Waters. 

"Silence, sir; how dare you speak!" cried the lieutenant. "But are yousure the light's out, Mr Leigh?"

"There isn't a sign of it, sir. "

"Then--then how are we to manage about the boats?"

There was a momentary silence, during which, as the men stood ready toman the two boats that had been lowered, the lieutenant and his juniortried to make out where the schooner lay, but on every side, as the_Kestrel_ lay softly rolling in the trough of the sea, a thick bank ofdarkness seemed to be closing them in, and pursuit of the schooner byboats would have been as mad a venture as could have been set upon bythe officer of a ship. 

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN. 

REPAIRING DAMAGES. 

During the excitement, the bustle of the attack, the lieutenant hadseemed more himself, and he had given his orders in a concise andbusinesslike way; but now that they were left to themselves all seemedchanged, and he reverted to his former childish temper, turning angrilyupon Hilary as the cause of all his misfortunes. 

"Never in the whole career of the English navy, " he cried, stamping hisbare foot upon the deck, "was officer plagued with a more helpless, blundering junior than I am. Bless my heart! it is very cold, and I'veno coat on. Mr Leigh, fetch my coat and waistcoat. "

"Yes, " he continued, as he put on the two garments, "as I said before, never was officer plagued with a more helpless, blundering, mischievousjunior. "

"Very sorry, sir. I do my best, " said Hilary bluntly. 

"Exactly, sir. You do your best, " said the lieutenant; "and your bestis to lay the _Kestrel_--His Majesty's ship _Kestrel_--right in thetrack of that French schooner, and but for my fortunate arrival upondeck we should have been sunk. "

Hilary recalled the fact that he had ordered the helm hard down, andsaved the vessel himself, but he did not say so. 

"I'll be bound to say, " continued the lieutenant, "that you were sailingslowly along without a light. "

"Yes, sir, we had no light hoisted, " said Hilary, who, in spite of hisannoyance, could not help feeling amused. 

"Exactly. Just what I expected, " continued the lieutenant. "Then pray, sir, why, upon a dark night like this, was there no light?"

"My superior officer gave me orders, sir, that we were to keep a sharplookout for French boats cruising the channel, and burn no light. "

"Hah! Yes, I think I did give some such orders, sir, but how was I toknow that it would turn out so dark, eh, sir? How was I to know itwould turn out so dark?"

"It was very dark, sir, certainly, " said Hilary. 

"Yes, atrociously dark. And I distinctly told you to keep a sharplookout. "

"Yes, sir, and we did. "

"It looks like it, Mr Leigh, " said the lieutenant, pointing forward. "Bowsprit gone, and all the forward bulwarks, leaving us helpless on thewater, and you say you kept a good lookout. Mr Leigh, sir, you will beturned out of the service. "

"I hope not, sir. I think I saved the ship. "

"Saved? saved? Good gracious me, Mr Leigh, " said the lieutenant, bursting out laughing; "what madness! Here, Waters--Tully--do you hearthis?"

"Ay, ay, your honour. "

"And what do you think of it?"

"As we'd all have gone to the bottom, sir, if it hadn't been for MrLeigh here, " said Waters, pulling his forelock. 

"Oh!" said the lieutenant sharply; "and pray what do you think, Tully;and you, bo'sun?"

"Think just the same as Billy Waters, your honour, " said the boatswain. 

"And that 'ere's just the same with me, " growled Tom Tully, kicking outa leg behind. "He's a won'ful smart orsifer Muster Leigh is, yourhonour; and that's so. "

"Silence, sir! How dare you speak like that?" cried the lieutenantfuriously. "Now, Mr Leigh, " he added sarcastically, "if you willcondescend to assist, there is a good deal to see to, for the forepartof His Majesty's ship _Kestrel_ is a complete wreck from your neglect. I am going below to finish dressing, but I shall be back directly. "

Hilary returned his officer's sarcastic bow, and then gave a stamp onthe deck. 

"Which I don't wonder at it, your honour, " said Tom Tully, in his lowdeep growl: "I ain't said not nowt to my messmates, but I'll answer forit as they'll all be willing. "

"Willing? willing for what?" cried Hilary. 

"Shove the skipper into the dinghy with two days' provision and water, sir, and let him make the shore, if you'll take command of the little_Kestrel_. "

"Why, you mutinous rascal, " cried Hilary. "How dare you make such aproposal to me? Hold your tongue, and go forward, Tom Tully. Duty onboard is to obey your superiors, and if they happen to be just a littlebit unreasonable, you must not complain. "

"All right, your honour, " said Tom Tully, giving his loose breeches ahitch; "but if the skipper was to talk to me like he do to you--"

"Well, sir, what?"

"I'd--I'd--I'd--"

Tom Tully had taken out his tobacco-box, and opened his jack-knife, withwhich he viciously cut off a bit of twist, exclaiming:

"That I would!"

He said no more, but it seemed probable that he meant cut off hiscommander's head; and he then rolled forward to help the carpenter, andthe whole strength of the crew, whom the first rays of a dull greymorning found still at work hauling in the tangle of spar and rope; andsoon after, a stay having been secured to the wreck of the cutwater, astaysail was hoisted, and the cutter pretty well answered her helm. 

Hilary felt less disposed to take the lieutenant's words to heart, forhe knew that if he were charged with neglect of duty the evidence of themen would be quite sufficient to clear him; so, after turning the matterover and over in his mind, he had cheerily set to work to try and getthe cutter in decent trim, and, as the morning broke, crippled as shewas in her fair proportions, she sailed well enough to have warrantedthe lieutenant in making an attack, should the schooner have come insight. 

But there was no such good fortune. Both the lieutenant and he sweptthe horizon and the cliff-bound coast with their glasses, and the_Kestrel_ was sailed along close inshore in the hope that the enemymight be seen sheltered in some cove, or the mouth of one of the littlerivers; but there was no result, and at last, very unwillingly, thecutter's head was laid for Portsmouth, and the lieutenant went below toprepare his despatch. 

"How long shall we be refitting, carpenter?" asked Hilary, after a longexamination of the damages they had received, and a thorough awakeningto the fact that if it had not been for that turn of the helm they musthave been struck amidships, and sent to the bottom. 

"All a month, sir, " said the carpenter. "There'll be a deal to do, andif we get out of the shipwright's hands and to sea in five weeks I'llsay we've done well. "

It was galling, for it meant four or five weeks of inaction, just at atime when Hilary was getting intensely interested in the politicalquestion of the day, and eagerly looking forward for a chance ofdistinguishing himself in some way. 

"Who knows, " he said to himself, "but that schooner may have borne theYoung Pretender and his officers to the English coast. If it did I justlost a chance of taking him. "

Ah! he thought, if he could have taken the young prince with his ownhand. It would have been glorious, and he could have shown Sir Henrythat he was on the way to honour and distinction without turning traitorto his king. 

And so he went on hour after hour building castles in the air, but withlittle chance of raising up one that would prove solid, till they passedby the eastern end of the Isle of Wight, went right up the harbour, andthe lieutenant had a boat manned and went ashore to make his report tothe admiral. 

To Hilary's great disgust he found that he was not to go ashore, but toremain in charge of the cutter during the repairs, for the lieutenantannounced his intention of himself remaining in the town. 

But Hilary had one satisfaction--that of finding that the lieutenant hadmade no report concerning his conduct on the night of the collision. Infact, the lieutenant had forgotten his mad words almost as soon as hehad spoken them, for they were only the outcomings of his pettymalicious spirit for the time being. 

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT. 

OFF HIS GUARD. 

The carpenter's four weeks extended to five, then to six, and seven hadglided away before the cutter was pretty well ready for sea. Urgentorders had been given that her repairs were to be hastened, and the crewwas kept in readiness to proceed to sea at once, but still the dockyardartificers clung to their job in the most affectionate manner. Therewas always a bit more caulking to do, a little more paint to put on, newropes to reeve; and when at last she seemed quite ready, an overlookerdeclared that she would not be fit to go to sea until there had been athorough examination of the keel. 

It was during these last few days that Hilary found a chance of goingashore, and gladly availed himself of his liberty, having a good runround Portsmouth, a look at the fortifications; and finally, the weatherbeing crisp, sunshiny, and the ground hard with frost, he determined tohave a sharp walk inland for a change. 

"I declare, " he cried, as he had a good run in the brisk wintry air, "itdoes one good after being prisoned in that bit of a cutter. "

He had been so much on board of late that he experienced a heartypleasure in being out and away from the town in the free country air. The frost was keen, and it seemed to make his blood tingle in his veins. He set off running again and again, just pausing to take breath, and itwas only when he was some miles away from the port and the evening wasclosing in that he began to think it was time to turn back. 

As he did so he saw that three sailors who had been for some time pastgoing the same way were still a short distance off, and as he passedthem it seemed to him that they had been indulging themselves, assailors will when ashore for a holiday. 

"What cheer, messmate!" said one of them in his bluff, frank way. "Isthis the way to London?"

"No, my lad; you're on the wrong road. You must go back three miles orso, and then turn off to the right. "

"I told you so, Joe, " the man exclaimed in an injured tone. "What's thegood o' trusting to a chap like you? Here, come along and let's getback. "

"I sha'n't go back, " said the one addressed; "shall you, Jemmy?"

"Not I, " said the other. "Can't us get to London this way, captain?"

"Yes, " said Hilary laughing; "if you go straight on, but you'll have togo all round the world first. "

"There!" cried the one addressed as Jemmy; "I told you so, matey. Comealong. "

"Don't be a fool, " said the first sailor. "Lay holt of his arm, Joe, and let's get him back; it'll be dark afore long. "

Hilary could not help feeling amused at the men; but as he trudged onback towards Portsmouth he saw that they were trying to make up for lostground, and were following him pretty quickly. 

Once they made such good use of their legs that they got before him;then Hilary walked a little faster and passed them, and so on during thenext two miles they passed and repassed each other, the sailors saying acheery word or two and laughing as they went by. But soon this was atan end; they seemed to grow tired, and during the next mile it had growndark, and the sailors walked on one side of the road, Hilary on theother. 

At last the sailors seemed to have made up their minds to get right awayfrom him, walking on rapidly, till all at once Hilary heard voicestalking loudly, and as he came nearer he could distinguish what wassaid. 

"Come on. Come, Jem, get up. "

"I want a glass, " growled another voice. 

"Never mind. Wait till we get on the London road, " cried the man whohad been addressed as Joe. 

"I want a glass, " growled the man again; and as Hilary came close up hesaw that one of the men was seated in the path just in front of aroadside cottage, and that his two companions were kicking and shakinghim to make him rise. 

"I say, your honour, " said one of the men, crossing to Hilary, "you'rean officer, ar'n't you?"

"Yes, my man. "

"Just come and order him to get up, quarterdeck fashion, sir, and I'd beobleeged to you. He won't mind us; but if you, an officer, comes andorders him up, he'll mind what you say. We want to get to the next townto-night. "

Hilary hesitated for a moment, feeling loath to trouble himself aboutthe stupid, drunken sailor, but his good nature prevailed and he crossedthe road. 

"Here, my lad, " he said sharply, "get up directly. "

"Going to turn in!" said the fellow sleepily. 

"No, no. Nonsense, " cried Hilary, giving him a touch with his foot. "Get up and walk on. "

"Sha'n't, " said the man. "Going to sleep, I tell you. "

"Lookye here, Jemmy, " said the sailor who had first spoken, "you'll getyour back scratched, you will, if you don't get up when you're told. This here's a officer. "

"Not he, " grumbled the man sleepily. "He ar'n't no officer, I know. Going to sleep, I tell you. "

"Get up, sir, " cried Hilary sharply. "I am an officer. "

"Bah! get out. Only officer of a merchant ship. You ar'n't no reg'larofficer. "

"If you don't get up directly, you dog, I'll have the marines sent afteryou, " cried Hilary. 

The man sat up and stared. 

"I say, " he said, "you ar'n't king's officer, are you?"

"Yes, sir, I am. "

"What ship?"

"The _Kestrel_. "

"Oh, that's it, is it?" he grumbled. "Beg your honour's pardon. I'llget up. Give's your hand. "

Half-laughing and at the same time proud of the power his rank gave him, Hilary held out his hands to the man, who took them tightly and was inthe act of drawing himself up, when the young officer felt himselfseized from behind and held, as it were, in a vice. Just at the samemoment the door of the cottage was opened, there was a bright lightshone out, and before he could realise his position he was forced intothe place, and awoke to the fact, as the door was banged to, that he hadfallen into a trap. 

"You scoundrels!" he cried furiously; "do you want to rob me?" And hesaw that he was in the presence of half a dozen more men. 

"Silence, sir!" cried an authoritative voice. "Stand back, my lads. Itwas very cleverly done. "

"Cleverly done!" cried Hilary. "What do you mean, sir? I desire youlet me go. Are you aware that I am a king's officer?"

"Yes, I heard you announce it, and you are the man we have been lookingafter for days, " said the one who seemed to be in authority; and by thelight of a bright wood fire Hilary could make out that he was a tall, dark man in a long boat-cloak, which he had thrown back from his breast. 

"Then I advise you to set me free directly, " said Hilary. 

"Yes, we shall do that when we have done, " said the leader, from whomall the others stood away in respect; and as the light burned up thespeaker took off his cocked hat, and Hilary saw that he was a singularlyhandsome man of about forty. 

"When you have done!" cried Hilary. "What do you mean?"

"Be silent and answer my questions, my good lad, " said the other. "Youare the young officer of the _Kestrel_, and your name is Hilary Leigh, Ibelieve?"

"Yes, that is my name, " cried Hilary sharply. "By what right do youhave me seized?"

"The right of might, " said the man. "Now look here, sir. Your vesselis now seaworthy, and to-morrow you will get your sailing orders. "

"How do you know?" cried Hilary. 

"Never mind how I know. I tell you the fact, my good lad. You will bedespatched to watch the port of Dunquerque, to stop the boat that issupposed to come to land from this coast on the king's business. "

"I suppose you mean the Pretender's business, " cried Hilary quickly. 

"I mean His Majesty Charles Edward, " said the man, "to whom I wish youto take these papers. " And he pulled a packet from his pocket. 

"I? Take papers? What do you suppose I am?"

"One who will obey my orders, " said the man haughtily, "and who willnever be able to play fast and loose with his employers; for if he werefalse, no matter where he hid himself, he would be punished. "

"And suppose I refuse to take your papers and become a traitor?" saidHilary. 

"I shall make you, " said the stranger. "I tell you that the voyage ofyour cutter suits our convenience, and that you will have to take thesepapers, for which service you will be amply rewarded. "

"Then I do refuse, " said Hilary firmly. 

"No; don't refuse yet, " said the stranger with a peculiar look in hiscountenance. "The despatches must be taken. Think of the proposal, mygood lad, and then reply. "

As he spoke Hilary saw him take a pistol from his breast-pocket, and, ifphysiognomy was any index of the mind, Hilary saw plainly enough that ifhe refused to obey this man's orders he would have no compunction inshooting him like a dog. 

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE. 

CAPTAIN CHARTERIS. 

Hilary felt the cold perspiration breaking out on his face, as hethought of the loneliness of the spot where he was, and of hishelplessness here in the hands of these desperate men, who were ready tobrave all for their cause. He saw now that he had been watched almostfrom the outset, and that he had been marked as one likely to carry outtheir designs. Perhaps, he thought, Sir Henry had had something to dowith the seizure; but he gave up the idea directly, giving his oldfriend credit for too much honourable feeling towards him to have himtrapped in so cowardly a manner. 

These thoughts came quickly as he stood watching the leader of the partyby whom he was surrounded--men who were ready at the slightest movementto spring upon him, and secure him, should he attempt to escape. 

"I suppose, " said Hilary's questioner, "you know what I am?" and helooked at the young officer sternly. 

"Personally, no, " replied Hilary, boldly; "but your behaviour shows methat you are traitors to the king. "

"No, sir, " cried the other fiercely; "we are faithful followers of theking, and enemies of the German hound. "

"How dare you speak like that of His Majesty!" cried Hilary quite asfiercely; and he took a couple of steps forward, but only to findhimself seized and dragged back. 

"Hold the young rascal tightly, " said the officer. 

"Yes, hold me tightly, " cried Hilary, "you cowards!"

"I am having you held tightly for your own sake, " said the officer, taking up and playing with a large pistol he had laid on the tablebefore him. "I should be sorry to have to shoot so distinguished afollower of Hanoverian George. "

Hilary bit his lip and remained silent. It was of no use to speak, ofless account to struggle, and he stood facing his captors withoutflinching. 

"Now, " continued the leader, "as you have got rid of your little burstof passion, perhaps you will be reasonable. Listen to me, young man. Your position as second officer on board that despatch cutter will bringyou frequently to both sides of the Channel, so that you will have ampleopportunities for carrying messages for us without risk, and, "--hepaused here, watching the young man intently--"greatly to your ownprofit. Do you hear?"

"Yes, " said Hilary shortly. 

"We shall not have merely one despatch for you to take, to be paid forwith so many guineas, my lad, but there will be a regular correspondencecarried on, and you will make from it a handsome sum, for we recompenseliberally; something different to your munificent pay as officer of the_Kestrel_. "

Hilary still remained silent, and his tempter pulled a bag of coin fromhis pocket and threw it heavily upon the table. 

"Of course the task is rather a risky one, and deserves to be paid forgenerously. That I am ready to do. In fact, you may name your ownprice, and anything in reason will be granted. At the same time I warnyou that we shall put up with no trifling, and I may as well say that itis impossible to escape us. We have emissaries everywhere, whose dutyit is to reward or punish as the case may require. Come, I see you aregrowing reasonable. "

"Oh, yes! I am quite reasonable, " said Hilary smiling. 

"That's well, " said the officer; "cast him loose, my lads, and standmore aside. Now, Mr Hilary Leigh, " he said, as his orders were obeyed, "I am glad to find so dashing and brave a young fellow as you findshimself ready to join the good cause. I ask you to swear no oaths offidelity. I shall merely give you this despatch and a handful of goldcoin, and you will bring the answer here at your earliest opportunity. "

"And suppose I refuse?" said Hilary. 

"Refuse? Oh, you will not refuse, " said the officer banteringly. "Itwould be a pity to rob Hanoverian George of so brave and promising ayoung officer. "

"What do you mean, " said Hilary. 

"Oh nothing--nothing, " said the other coolly. "We might, perhaps, thinkit necessary, as you know so much, to shoot you. "

"Shoot me!" cried Hilary. 

"Y-e-es; you see you know a good deal, my young friend, but we shouldbury you decently. You broke up the rendezvous at Rorley Place, andspoiled the smuggler's landing, did you not?"

"I did, " said Hilary boldly. 

"Yes. And you were kept a prisoner there, were you not?"

"I was. "

"And escaped and made signals with the smuggler's lanterns to bring downthe cutter's crew upon the party, did you not?"

"I did. It was my duty. "

"Yes, you thought it was, my good lad. Let me see, you nearly capturedSir Henry Norland, too, did you not?"

"I should have taken him if he had been there, " replied Hilary; "but Iwas glad he was not. "

"Why?"

"Because he was an old friend. "

"Let me see, " continued the officer; "Sir Henry asked you to join us, did he not?"

"Several times, " said Hilary quietly. 

"Ah, yes! I suppose he would. Came to see you when you were aprisoner, I suppose?"

"He did. "

"But he is not a good diplomat, Sir Henry Norland. By the way, what didhe offer you?"

"The captaincy of a man-of-war. "

"Young as you were?"

"Young as I am. "

"But that was in prospective. Hard gold coin is much more satisfactory, Mr Hilary Leigh, " said the officer, pouring out some bright goldenguineas upon the table. "Of course you thought that Charles Edwardmight not come to the throne, and that you would never get your--getyour--"

"Traitor's pay, " said Hilary sharply, finishing the sentence. 

"Don't call things by hard names, young man, " said the officer sternly. "And let me tell you that I know for a certainty that your position inHanoverian George's service is a very precarious one. Strange thingshave been told of you. "

"Very likely, " said Hilary coldly. 

"I believe your officer has reported upon your conduct. "

"I can't help that, " said Hilary coldly. "I have always served hismajesty faithfully and well. "

"Even to taking pay from the other side?" said the officer with amocking smile. 

"It is a lie, " cried Hilary angrily; "I never tampered with my duty tothe king. "

"Till now, " said the officer laughing. "There, there, there, my lad, I'm not going to quarrel with you, and we will not use high-soundingphrases about loyalty, and fealty, and duty, and the like. There, I amglad to welcome you to our side. There are a hundred guineas in thatbag. Take them, but spend them sensibly, or you will be suspected. IfI were you I would save them, and those that are to come. Here is yourdespatch, and you will see the address at Dunquerque. Be faithful andvigilant and careful. There, take them and go your way. No one will bea bit the wiser for what you have done, and when you return to portbring your answer here, and give it to anyone you see. One word more:do not trust your lieutenant. I don't think he means well by you. "

"I know that, " said Hilary scornfully. 

"Never mind, " said the officer; "some day, when we are in power, we willfind you a brave ship to command for your good services to CharlesEdward. But there, time presses; you must get back to your ship. Here!"

He held out the bag of gold coin and the despatch, and he smiledmeaningly as Hilary took them, one in each hand, and stood gazing fullin the officer's face. 

There was a dead silence in the room, and the dancing flames lit upstrangely the figures of the tall well-knit man and the slight boyishfigure, while, half in shadow, the sailors stood with all the intentnessof disciplined men, watching what was going on. 

"Look here, sir, " said Hilary, speaking firmly, "if I did this thing, even if you came into power--which you never will--you would not find mea captain's commission, but would treat me as such a traitor deserved. There are your dirty guineas, " he cried, dashing the bag upon the table, so that the coins flew jingling all over the room; "and there is yourtraitorous despatch, " he continued, tearing it in half, and flinging itin the officer's face. "I am an officer of his majesty. God save theking!" he shouted. "Now, shoot me if you dare. "

He gave one sharp glance round for a way of escape, but there was none. A dozen men stood there like statues, evidently too well disciplined tomove till the appointed time. Doors and windows were well guarded, andwith such odds Hilary knew that it would be but a wretched strugglewithout avail. Better, he thought, maintain his dignity. And he did, as he saw the officer pick up the pistol from the table and point it athis head. 

A momentary sensation of horror appalled Hilary, and he felt the bloodrush to his heart, but he did not flinch. 

"I am a king's officer, " he thought, "and I have done my duty in theking's name. Heaven give me strength, lad as I am, to die like a man!"

He looked then straight at the pistol barrel without flinching for a fewmoments. Then his eyes closed, and he who held the weapon saw the youngman's lips move softly, as if in prayer, and he dashed the pistol down. 

"There, my lads!" he cried aloud to the men, "if ever you see aFrenchman stand fire like that you may tell me if you will. HilaryLeigh, " he cried, laying his hands smartly on the young man's shoulders, "you make me proud to be an Englishman, and in a service that can showsuch stuff as you. Here, give me your hand. "

"No, " cried Hilary hoarsely. "Stand off, sir; cajolery will not do yourwork any more than threats. "

"Hang the work, my lad, " cried the other. "It was rather dirty work, but we want to know our men in times like these. Give me your hand, myboy, I am no traitor, I am Captain Charteris, of the _Ruby_, and I havehad to try your faith and loyalty to the king. Here, my men, you didyour work well. Pick up those guineas; there should be a hundred ofthem. You may keep back five guineas to drink his majesty's health. Bo'sun, you can bring the rest on to me. "

"Ay, ay, sir, " said a thickset dark man, saluting, man-o'-war fashion. 

"Come, Mr Leigh, you and I will walk on, and you shall dine to-nightwith the admiral. I told him I should bring you to dinner, butLieutenant Lipscombe has given you so bad a character that the admiraldeclared you would take the bribe, and have to go to prison and waityour court-martial. Here, you need not doubt me. Come along. "

Hilary felt giddy. The reaction was almost more than he could bear. Hefelt hurt and insulted that such a trick should have been played uponhim, and he was ready to turn from the captain in an injured way. 

The latter saw it and smiled. 

"Yes, " he said, taking the young man's arm, "it was a dirty trick, butit was a necessity. We have several black sheep in the navy, my lad, and we want to weed them out; but after all, I do not regret what I havedone, since it has taught me what stuff we have got in it as well. Come, shake hands, my dear boy, you and I must be great friends fromnow. "

Hilary held out his hand as he drew it from the other's arm, and theystood there gripping each other for some seconds in a cordial grasp. 

"I don't think I could have stood fire like you did, Leigh, " said thecaptain, as they were entering Portsmouth, the latter proving to be aman of a genial temperament that rapidly won upon his companion. 

"I hope you could, far better, sir, " said Hilary frankly. 

"Why? How so, my lad?"

"I felt horribly frightened, sir. "

"You felt afraid of death?" said the captain sharply. 

"Yes, sir, terribly. It seemed so hard to die when I was so young, butI would not show it. "

"Why, my dear boy, " said the captain enthusiastically, as he clappedHilary on the shoulder, "you are a braver fellow even than I thought. It takes a very brave man to confess that he was afraid; but don't youmind this. There was never a man yet in the full burst of health andstrength who did not feel afraid to die. But come, we won't talk anymore of that, for here is the admiral's dock. "

CHAPTER FORTY. 

AT THE ADMIRAL'S. 

It was with no little trepidation that Hilary entered the room where theadmiral was waiting Captain Charteris' return, and as soon as he sawthat he came with a young companion, the handsome grey-haired oldgentleman came forward and shook hands with Hilary warmly. 

"I'm glad to see you, " he said. "If you have passed Captain Charteris'stest I know that we have another officer in the service of whom we maywell feel proud. At the same time, Mr Leigh, I think we ought to begyour pardon. "

Hilary hardly knew whether he was upon his head or his heels thatevening, and it was like a revelation to find how genial and pleasantthe reputed stern and uncompromising port-admiral could be. There wasan excellent dinner, political matters were strictly tabooed, and thetwo officers talked a good deal aside. No further allusion was made tothe _Kestrel_ till it was time to go on board, a fact of which Hilaryreminded the admiral. 

"To be sure, yes. Keep to your time, Mr Leigh. By the way, before yougo will you tell me in a frank gentlemanly spirit what you think ofLieutenant Lipscombe. "

"No, sir, I can't, " said Hilary bluntly. 

The admiral looked angry on receiving so flat a refusal, but he calmeddown directly. 

Then, recollecting himself, Hilary exclaimed, "I beg your pardon, sir; Ihope you will not ask me. I would rather not say. "

"Quite right, Mr Leigh; I ought not to have asked you, for you are notthe proper person to speak, but you will tell me this, I suppose, " headded with a smile. "You will not be sorry to hear that LieutenantLipscombe will be appointed to another vessel. "

"I am both sorry and glad, sir, " replied Hilary, "for he is a braveofficer, even if he is eccentric. "

"Eccentric!" said Captain Charteris. "I think he is half mad. "

"But you do not ask who will be your new commander!"

"No, sir, " said Hilary; "I shall try and do my best whoever he may be. "

"Good!" said the admiral; "but I'll tell you all the same--shall I?" hesaid laughing. 

"Yes, sir, I should be glad to know, " replied Hilary. 

The old admiral stood looking at him attentively for a few moments, andthen said quietly:

"You. "

Hilary half staggered back in his surprise. 

"Me? me, sir? Do you mean that I shall be appointed to the command ofthe _Kestrel_? I have not passed my examination for lieutenant yet. "

"No, but you will, Mr Leigh, and I have no doubt with credit. I havebeen having a chat with my friend the captain here. It is a novelty, Iown, but the _Kestrel_ is a very small vessel, and for the present youwill have with you a brother officer of riper years, who, pending hisown appointment to a ship, will, as it were, share your command, and incases of emergency give you his advice. Of course all this is to be ifI obtain the sanction of the Admiralty, but I think I may tell you thiswill come. "

Hilary was so overpowered by this announcement that he could onlystammer a few words, and Captain Charteris took his hand. 

"You see, Mr Leigh, " he said, "we want a dashing, spirited youngofficer of the greatest fidelity, a man who is brave without doubt;ready-witted, and apt to deal with the smuggling and fishing craftlikely to be the bearers of emissaries from the enemy's camp. We wantsuch an officer at once for the _Kestrel_, and in the emergency, as wefind those qualities in you, the admiral decides to set the question ofyears aside, while, as his spokesman and one to whom he often refers forcounsel--"

"And takes it, " said the admiral smiling. 

"I cannot help giving my vote in your favour. Mr Leigh, " he said, speaking very sternly now, "in the king's name I ask you from this timeforth to set aside boyish things and to be a man in every sense of theword, for you are entering upon a great responsibility; and LieutenantAnderson, who comes with you, will never interfere, according to hisinstructions, unless he sees that you are about to be guilty of a pieceof reckless folly, which in your case is, I am sure, as good as sayingthat he will never interfere. "

"The fact is, Mr Leigh, " said the admiral kindly, "Lieutenant Lipscombeunwittingly advanced your cause, and it was solely on account of whathas occurred coming to my ears that you were to-night put to so severe aproof. Now, good-night. You will receive your despatches to-morrowmorning, and lieutenant Anderson will come on board. Then make the bestof your way to Dunkerque, and I need hardly say that I shall be glad tosee you whenever you are in port on business or for pleasure. "

"And I as well, Leigh, " said Captain Charteris. "Some day let's hopethat I shall be an admiral, and when I am I shall wish for no betterluck than to have Captain Leigh in command of my flagship. But thatwill be some time ahead. Now, good-night. "

Hilary said good-night and made his way out into the fresh night-air, wondering if it was all true, and whether he was not suffering from someattack of nightmare; but the streets and the docks all looked very real, and when he reached the cutter and was saluted by the watch he began tothink that there was no doubt about it, and he began, as he lay awake, to consider whether he ought not at once to take possession of thelieutenant's cabin. 

CHAPTER FORTY ONE. 

IN COMMAND. 

The memory of that dinner and the words that he had heard filledHilary's dreams that night. He was always waking up with a start, nervous and excited, and then dropping off again to dream of beinglieutenant, captain, admiral, in rapid succession. Then his dreamschanged, and he was helping Sir Henry and saving Adela from some greatdanger. Then he was in great trouble, for it seemed that he had beenguilty of some gross blunder over his despatches, and he seemed to hearthe voices of Captain Charteris and the admiral accusing him of neglectand ingratitude after the promotion given him. 

It was therefore weary and unrefreshed that he arose the next morning, glad to have a walk up and down the deck, which had just been washed;and as he soon began to revive in the cold fresh air, he felt asensation of just pride in the smart little cutter now just freed fromthe workpeople and shining in her paint and polish. New sails had beenbent and a great deal of rigging had been newly run up. The crew, gladto have the cutter clean once more, had made all shipshape. Ropes werecoiled down, Billy Waters' guns shone in the morning sun, and all thatwas wanted now was the order to start. 

Hilary went below and had his breakfast, which he had hardly finishedwhen the corporal of marines came down with a despatch. 

"Boat from the shore, sir, " he said, saluting. 

Hilary took the packet, which was addressed to him, and as he opened itthe colour flushed into his face and then he became very pale. 

The despatch was very short. It ordered him to take the cutter outsideinstantly and wait for the important despatches he was to take across toDunkerque. Above all, he was to sail the moment Lieutenant Andersoncame on board with the papers and stop for nothing, for the papers weremost urgent. 

But with the letter was something else which made his heart throb withjoy--what was really his commission as lieutenant, and the despatch wasaddressed to him as Lieutenant Leigh. 

As soon as he could recover himself he rose from the table cool andfirm. 

"Is the boat waiting, corporal?"

"No, sir. It went back directly. "

Hilary could not help it; he put on his hat with just the slightest cockin the world, went on deck, and gave his orders in the shortest andsharpest way. 

The men stared at him, but they executed his orders, and in a very shorttime the cutter was out of the basin, a sail or two was hoisted, and, asif rejoicing in her liberty, the _Kestrel_ ran lightly out to a buoy, towhich, after what almost seemed like resistance, she was made fast, thesails being lowered, and the cutter rose and fell upon the waves, fretting and impatient to be off. 

The mainsail was cast loose, jib and staysail ready, and the gafftopsail would not take many minutes to run up in its place. Then, as iffearing that the blocks might run stiff and that there would be somedelay at starting, Hilary gave his orders and the mainsail was run up, aturn or two of the wheel laid the cutter's head to the wind, and thereshe lay with the canvas flapping and straining and seeming to quiver inher excitement to be off once more. 

"Poor old gal! she feels just as if she was just let out of prison, "said the boatswain affectionately. "How well she looks!"

"Ay, she do, " said Billy Waters. "Well, Tom Tully, my lad, how d'yerfeel?"

"Ready for suthin' to do, matey, " said the big sailor. "But when's oldLipscombe coming aboard?"

"I d'no, " said the gunner. "Wish he wasn't coming at all. Wonder wherewe're for. I've a good mind to ask Master Leigh. He'll tell me if hecan. "

"Ay, lad, do, " said the boatswain. 

Just then Hilary came out of the cabin with a red spot in each cheek, and began walking up and down the deck and watching for the coming boat. 

"Is all ready and shipshape, boatswain?" he said. 

"Ay, ay, sir. "

"Your guns well lashed, Waters?"

"Ay, ay, sir, and longing to have a bark. Beg pardon, sir, shall I getthe fishing-lines out?"

"No!" said Hilary shortly. 

"All right, sir. But beg pardon, sir. "

"What is it, Waters?"

"Is the lieutenant soon coming aboard? His traps ar'n't come yet. "

"No, " said Hilary firmly. "He's no longer in command. "

"Then I says three cheers, my lads, " cried Billy Waters excitedly. "Leastwise, if I may. "

"No. Stop. No demonstrations now, my lads. We are just off onimportant business, and I must ask you to be ready and smart as you havenever been before. "

"Which, if it's Muster Leigh as asks us, sir, " said Billy Waters, "Ithink I may say for the whole crew, from my mates here to the sojers, asthere ar'n't one who won't do his best. "

"It is not Master Leigh who asks you, " said Hilary flushing, as thewhole of his little crew now stood grouped about the forward part of thedeck. "This is no time for speeches, my lads, but I must tell you this, that I ask you as your commander, the newly-appointed officer of the_Kestrel_, Lieutenant Leigh. "

Billy Waters bent down and gave his leg a tremendous slap; then, turningshort round, he slapped the same hand into that of the boatswain, andthe whole crew began shaking hands one with the other; the next momentevery cap was flying in the air, and then came three hearty cheers. 

"Which, speaking for the whole crew, as I think I may, " said BillyWaters, glancing round to receive encouragement in a murmur ofacquiescence, "I says, sir, with my and our respex, success to the_Kestrel_ and her new commander, and--"

"Hooroar!" cried Tom Tully. 

"Boat from the shore, sir, " cried the man at the side. 

Hilary stepped quickly to the bulwark, to see that a boat well manned bya party of sailors was rapidly approaching, and, what took the youngcommander's attention, a naval officer seated in the stern sheets. 

"So that's my companion, is it?" said Hilary to himself, and he watchedthe officer very keenly as the boat came rapidly alongside, the officersprang on board, waved his hand, and the boat pushed off at once. 

"Your despatches, Lieutenant Leigh, " he said, quietly, as he saluted theyoung officer, who saluted in return. "You have your orders, sir. Youstop for nothing. "

"For nothing, " said Hilary, taking the packet from the newcomer's hands. "I presume sir, you are--"

"Lieutenant Anderson, at your service, " said the other rather stiffly. 

Then Hilary's voice rang out sharp and clear in the keen morning air. Up flew the staysail, and away and up ran the jib, bellying out as therope that held the head of the cutter to the great ring of the buoy wasslipped; the _Kestrel_ gave a leap, the great mainsail boom swung overto port, the cutter careened over, the water lapped her sides, and beganas it were to run astern in foam, and away went the swift little craft, as if rejoicing in her freedom, and making straight for the eastern endof the Isle of Wight. 

The newcomer walked up and down, watching the proceedings for a time, glancing occasionally at the receding shore, and Hilary rapidly gaveorder after order, feeling a strange joy and excitement as for the nextquarter of an hour he was busy, and kept pretty close to the sailor atthe wheel. 

All at once there was a puff of smoke from one of the forts, and thedeep roar of a gun. 

"Hullo!" cried Hilary. "What does that mean?"

"Practice, I should say, " replied the newcomer. "Nothing that concernsus. You have your orders, sir. "

"Yes, " said Hilary, "and I'll obey them;" and away sped the _Kestrel_, her young commander little thinking that he had been made the victim ofa clever plot, and that he was bearing despatches to the enemy such asmight set England in a blaze. 

CHAPTER FORTY TWO. 

A TROUBLESOME MENTOR. 

"Those sound to me like signals of recall, " said Hilary to hiscompanion, as gun after gun was fired, the last sending a shot skippingbefore the bows of the _Kestrel_. 

"Yes, they must be; but not for us, " said Lieutenant Anderson coolly. 

"Why, there's a signal flying too, " said Hilary, as he took his glass. 

"Yes, that's a signal of recall too, " said the other coolly. "I wonderwhat ship they are speaking to? The _Kestrel_ sails well. "

"Gloriously, " said Hilary, flushing with pleasure; "and I know how tosail her, too. Well, Mr Anderson, now we're getting towards clearwater, and there's time to speak, let's shake hands. I'm very glad tosee you, and I hope we shall be the best of friends. "

"I'm sure we shall, " said the newcomer, shaking hands warmly. "Ah! thatshot fell behind us. We're getting beyond them now. "

"Oh, yes; there's no fear of their hitting us, " said Hilary laughing, asthe _Kestrel_ careened over more and more as she caught the full forceof the wind. "If we go on at this rate it will almost puzzle acannonball to catch us. I know there is no vessel in Portsmouth harbourthat could with this wind. "

"Do you think not?" said the lieutenant. 

"I'm sure not, " said Hilary gaily; and they walked the deck chatting as, by degrees, they passed the Isle of Wight, making the open channel moreand more, while Lieutenant Anderson--the real--was closeted with Admiraland Captain Charteris, all puzzled at the sudden flight of the_Kestrel_, which had set sail without her despatches, and also withoutwhat the old admiral called ballast for the young commander, namely, Lieutenant Anderson, who had gone off with his despatches directly afterhis counterfeit, only to find the cutter gone. 

Signal guns and flags proving vain, there was nothing for it but to sendanother vessel in chase of the _Kestrel_, but it was hours before onecould be got off, and meanwhile the swift despatch boat was tearing ontowards her destination, with poor Hilary happy in the blind belief thathe was doing his best. 

There was something very delightful in feeling that he was chief officerof the _Kestrel_, that the duty of the swift little cutter was to becarried out without the wretched cavilling and fault-finding of the latecommander. Everything seemed to work so smoothly now; the men were allalacrity, and they saluted him constantly with a bright smile, whichshowed that they shared his pleasure. 

The breeze was brisk, the sun came out, and Lieutenant Anderson, theself-styled, proved to be a very pleasant, well informed man, who verysoon showed Hilary that he had not the slightest intention ofinterfering in any way with his management of the cutter. 

"No, " said Hilary to himself, "I suppose not. As they told me, he isonly to interfere in cases of emergency, or when I am doing any foolishthing; and that I don't mean to do if I can help it. "

Towards afternoon the wind fell light, and the great squaresail wasspread, but it made little appreciable difference, and as evening cameon, to Hilary's great disgust the wind dropped almost completely. 

"Did you ever know anything so unfortunate!" cried Hilary; "just when Iwanted to show the admiral what speed there was in the little _Kestrel_as a despatch boat. "

"Unfortunate!" cried his companion, who had been struggling to maintainhis composure, but who now broke out; "it is atrocious, sir. Thosedespatches are of the greatest importance, and here your cursed vessellies upon the water like a log!" Hilary stared. 

"It is very unfortunate, " he said; "but let's hope the wind will springup soon after sundown. "

"Hope, sir!" cried the other. "Don't talk of hope. Do something. "

Hilary flushed a little at the other's imperious way. He was not goingto prove so pleasant a companion as he had hoped for, and there was thatworst of all qualities for a man in command--unreason. 

"I am to take your advice, sir, in emergencies, " said Hilary, restraining his annoyance; "what would you suggest for me to do?"

"I suggest, Lieutenant Leigh!" exclaimed the other, stamping up and downthe little deck. "I am not in command of the cutter. It is your dutyto suggest and to act. "

"Yes, sir, and I will, " replied Hilary. 

"It is a question of vital importance--the delivery of thesedespatches--and every moment lost means more than you can imagine. Come, sir, your position is at stake. You command this cutter: dosomething to get her on. "

Hilary looked up at the flapping sails, which hung motionless; then outto windward in search of cats'-paws upon the water; then at his men, whowere lounging about the lee side of the cutter; and then back at hiscompanion. 

"Really, sir, " he said at last, "I am quite helpless. You are moreexperienced than I. What would you advise me to do?"

"And you are placed in command of this cutter!" said the otherironically. "Why, a child would know better. Have out the boats, sir, and let the men tow the cutter. "

"Tow, sir!" cried Hilary; "why, it would be exhausting the men fornothing. We could not make head against the current we have here. "

"It will save something, sir, " said the other; "and I order you to do itat once. " Hilary felt the hot blood flush into his face, and the orderwas so unreasonable and absurd that he felt ready to refuse, especiallyas he knew his own power, and that there was not a man on board whowould not be at his back. But he recalled his duty, and feeling thatthis was a case of emergency, where he ought to obey, he ordered out thetwo boats; lines were made fast, and soon after the men were bendingwell to their work, while the stout ash blades bent as they dipped inrhythmical motion, and sent the clear water plashing and sparkling backinto their wake. 

The men worked willingly enough, but Hilary saw to his annoyance thatthey glanced at and whispered to one another, and it seemed very hardthat he should be forced to inaugurate his first day in command bysetting his men to an unreasonable task, for it was mere waste ofenergy. 

But even now it was done the officer seemed no better satisfied, buttramped up and down the little deck, uttering the most angry expressionsof impatience, and at last abusing the cutter unmercifully. 

"Well, " thought Hilary, "he has dropped the mask, and no mistake. It isnot going to be such smooth sailing as I expected. Never mind; one musthave some bitters with the sweet, and after all he is only angry from asense of being unable to do his duty, while I was taking it as cool ascould be. "

For quite five hours the boats were kept out, the men being relieved atintervals; and at the end of those five hours the cutter had notadvanced a mile, when Hilary seized the speaking-trumpet, and hailedthem to come on board. 

"Stop!" cried the officer. "Why have you done that, sir, without mypermission?"

This was too much for Hilary, and he spoke out: "Because, sir, I am incommand here, and there is no occasion for the men to row any longer. "

"I insist, sir, upon their keeping on with the towing. "

"And I insist, sir, " replied Hilary, "on the men returning on board. "

"I shall report your conduct, " cried his officer. 

"Do so, sir, " replied Hilary, "if you think it your duty. In with you, my lads. Let go the halyards there, and down with that squaresail. Quick with those boats. There will be a squall upon us directly. "

He had proved himself on the alert, guided as he had been by the signsof the weather, and the great squaresail had hardly been lowered, theboats made snug, and a reef or two taken in the mainsail, before thewind came with a sharp gust, and the next minute the _Kestrel_ wassending the water surging behind her in a long track of foam. 

"Ah! that's better, " cried the officer, whose ill-humour seemed tovanish on the instant. "How painful it is, Mr Leigh, to be lying likea log, and all the time with important despatches to deliver!"

"It is, sir, " said Hilary quietly. 

"I declare there were times when I felt disposed to jump overboard andto swim on with the despatches. "

"Rather a long swim, " said Hilary drily; and he thought it rather oddthat the other should think of swimming on with the papers that he hadlocked up in the cabin despatch-box, and that again in a locker forsafety. 

"Well, yes, " said the other, "it would have been a long swim. But tellme, Mr Leigh, about what time do you think we shall make Dunkerque?"

"If this wind holds good, sir, by eight o'clock to-morrow morning. "

"Not till eight o'clock to-morrow morning!" cried the other furiously. "Good heavens! how we crawl! There, have the reefs shaken out of thatmainsail, and send the cutter along. "

Hilary looked aloft, and then at the way in which the cutter lay over, dipping her bowsprit from time to time in the waves. 

"I think she has as much canvas upon her as she can bear, sir. "

"Absurd! nonsense! You can get two or three knots more an hour out of acutter like this. "

"I could get another knot an hour out of her, sir, by running the riskof losing one of her spars; and that means risking the delivery of thedespatches. "

"Look here, Mr Leigh, " said the officer; "you seem to be doing all youcan to delay the delivery of these despatches. I order you, sir, toshake out the reefs of that mainsail. "

Hilary took up the speaking-trumpet to give the order, but as he held itto his lips he felt that he would be doing wrong. He knew the cutter'spowers intimately. He saw, too, that she was sailing her best, and heasked himself whether he would not be doing wrong by obeying what was, he felt, an insensate command. Surely there must be some limit to hisobedience, he thought; and more than ever he felt what a peculiarposition was that in which he had been placed, and he wondered whetherCaptain Charteris could be aware of the peculiar temperament of hiscompanion. 

Hilary lowered the speaking-trumpet, as the cutter rushed on through thedarkness. 

"Well, sir, " said his companion, "you heard my orders?"

"I did, sir, " replied Hilary. "Here, bosun. "

"Ay, ay, sir. "

"How much more canvas will the cutter bear?"

"Bear, sir?" said the experienced old salt; "begging your pardon, sir, Iwas going to ask you if you didn't think it time to take a little off ifyou don't want the mast to go. "

"Silence, sir!" said the officer. "Mr Leigh, these despatches must bedelivered at all hazards. I order you again, sir, to risk more canvas. "

Hilary stood for a moment undecided, and his thoughts flashed rapidlythrough his brain. 

This man was unreasonable. He did not understand the _Kestrel's_powers, for she was already dashing at headlong speed through the sea, and he wanted him to run an unwarrantable risk. At all hazards he wouldrefuse. He knew his duty, he felt that he was a better seaman than hismentor, and he turned to him quietly:

"My orders were, sir, to refer to you for advice in times of emergency;but I was not told to run risks that my commonsense forbids. The cutterwill bear no more canvas, sir, for the wind is increasing. In half anhour we shall have to take in another reef. "

"If you dare!" said the officer, laying his hand upon his sword. 

"I dare do my duty, sir, " replied Hilary, ignoring the gesture; and thecutter dashed on through the darkness of the night. 

CHAPTER FORTY THREE. 

DELIVERING DESPATCHES. 

The men had been witnesses of all that took place, and had heard theofficer's angry words, respecting which they talked in a low tone, BillyWaters more than once saying that he didn't like the lookout forrard--the "forrard" being the future, and not the sea beyond the cutter'sbows. 

As the night wore on the officer had become very friendly. "I waswrong, Mr Leigh. Put it down, please, to my anxiety. I beg yourpardon. "

"Granted, " said Hilary frankly. "I would not oppose you, sir, if I didnot feel that I was right. "

"I am glad I am in the company of so clever a young officer, " the otherreplied. "Now about rest. I am too anxious to lie down to sleep. Iwill take charge of the deck while you go and get a few hours' rest. "

"Thank you, no, " said Hilary quietly; "I, too, am anxious, and I shallnot be able to sleep till we are in port and the despatches aredelivered. "

"But there is no need for both of us to watch, my dear sir, " said theother blandly. 

"Then pray go below, sir, " said Hilary. "You may depend on me. "

The officer did not reply, but took a turn or two up and down, and asthe time glided on he tried again and again to persuade Hilary to gobelow, which, in his capacity of chief officer, holding his firstcommand on a dark night and upon an important mission, he absolutelyrefused to do. 

Towards morning on two occasions the officer brought him glasses ofspirits and water, which Hilary refused to take; and at last, fearing tomake him suspicious, the officer desisted and stood leaning with hisback against the side, wrapped in a cloak, for it was very cold. 

The light in front of the wheel shone faintly upon him as Hilary walkedslowly fore and aft, visiting the lookout man at the bows and the man atthe wheel; and at last, in the gloomy darkness of the winter's morning, Hilary saw the Dunkerque lights. 

"We're in sight of port, Mr Anderson, " he said as he walked aft. 

"Indeed!" said the other starting, and the wind gave his cloak a puff, showing for a moment what Hilary saw was the butt of a pistol. 

"What does he want with pistols?" said Hilary to himself; and after ashort conversation he again went forward, feeling curiously suspicious, though there seemed to be no pegs upon which his suspicions could hang. 

But he was not long kept in suspense and doubt. When they were about acouple of miles from the entrance to the port a boat manned by eightrowers came towards them, and Hilary noticed it directly. 

"What does that boat mean?" he said sharply. 

"Don't know. Can't say, " the officer replied. "Perhaps a man-o'-war'sboat coming to meet us for the despatches. "

Hilary was not satisfied, but he said nothing. He merely resumed hiswalk to and fro. 

"Now then, bosun, " he said, "have your men up ready. It will be downsails directly. "

"Not yet awhile, Mr Leigh, " said the officer. "The _Kestrel_ does notfly--she crawls. "

"Waters, " said Hilary as he passed out of his companion's sight, "makeno sign, but lay a bar or two and some pikes about handy for use ifwanted, and give the men a hint to be ready if there's anything wrong. Quietly, mind. "

Billy Waters nodded, and as Hilary walked back to where the officer wasstanding he became aware that the gunner had taken his hint, but it wasall done so quietly that it did not catch the officer's attention. 

"That boat means to board us, " said Hilary, as their proximity to theland sheltered them from the wind and their progress became slow. 

"Offer to pilot us, perhaps, " said the officer. "No; it is as I said. "

"Ahoy, there! Heave-to!" shouted the officer in command of the boat. 

"What boat's that?" cried Hilary. 

"The _Royal Mary's_. Have you despatches on board?"

"My orders were to deliver my despatches myself at a certain address, "thought Hilary; "this may be a trick. "

"On special business, " cried Hilary back. 

"Nonsense, Mr Leigh!" cried the assumed Lieutenant Anderson. "Heave-to, sir. I order you! Hi, my lads there, down with the sails. "

"No sails don't go down for no orders like that, " growled the boatswain;but by skilful management the boat was already alongside and the bowmanhad caught the bulwark with his hook. 

"Keep back!" cried Hilary sharply. 

"Are you mad?" cried the man by his side, now throwing off his cloak, and with it his disguise, for he caught Hilary by the collar andpresented a pistol at his head. "Quick, there, up with you!"

Hilary struck up the pistol, but the next instant he received a heavyblow on the forehead and staggered back as, to his horror, the crew ofthe boat, well-armed and headed by Sir Henry Norland, leaped aboard anddrove back the two or three of the crew who were near. 

"At last!" cried Sir Henry to the false lieutenant. "I thought youwould never come, Hartland. Have you the papers?"

"Yes, all right, " said the gentleman addressed, "and all's right. Here. "

He had thrust his hand into his breast when there was a shout and acheer as the stout crew of the _Kestrel_, headed by the gunner and armedwith pikes and capstan-bars, charged down upon them. 

There was a shot or two. Hilary was knocked down by his own men as hehad struggled up; the false lieutenant was driven headlong down thecompanion hatch, and in less than a minute Sir Henry Norland and his menwere, with two exceptions, who lay stunned upon the deck, driven overthe side, to get to their boat as best they could. Then as Hilary oncemore gained his feet the assailing boat was a quarter of a mile astern. 

"The treacherous scoundrel!" cried Hilary. "Oh, my lads, my lads, you've saved the cutter. But tell me, did that fellow get away?"

"What! him as I hit down the hatchway for hysting your honour?" said TomTully. "He's down below. "

Hilary and a couple of men ran to the hatchway, to find the falselieutenant lying below by the cabin door, with one arm broken, and hishead so injured that he lay insensible, with the end of a packet ofpapers standing out of his breast. 

Hilary seized them at once, and then, as a light broke in upon hisbreast, he ran to the locker, opened it and the despatch-box, and longedto open the papers he held. 

But they were close in to the port, and, resolving to deliver thedespatches, he left the false lieutenant well guarded, leaped into oneof the boats, and was rowed ashore to the consul, to whom he told histale. 

"It has been a trick, " said that gentleman; "there is no such street inthe town as that on the despatch, and no such officer known. "

"What should you do?" cried Hilary. Then, without waiting to beanswered, he cried, "I know, " and, hurrying back to his boat, he wassoon on board, and with the sails once more spread he was on his wayback to Portsmouth with the despatches, and three prisoners in the hold. 

Before he had gone many miles he became aware of a swift schoonersailing across his track; and though, of course, he could not recogniseher, he had a strong suspicion that it was the one that had nearly runthem down. 

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR. 

A GOOD FIGHT FOR IT. 

Before long he found that it evidently meant to intercept him, and hehad the deck cleared for action and the men at quarters. 

"They want the despatches they tricked me into carrying, " cried Hilary;"but they go overboard if I am beaten. "

To secure this he placed them in the despatch-box, in company with acouple of heavy shot, and placed all ready to heave overboard shouldmatters go wrong. 

He knew what was his duty in such a case, though; and that was to runfor Portsmouth with the papers, fighting only on the defensive; andthis, to the great disappointment of his men, he kept to. 

The schooner commenced the aggressive by sending a shot in front of thecutter's bows, as an order to heave-to, but the cutter kept on, and thenext shot went through her mainsail. 

"Now, Billy Waters, " said Hilary, "train the long gun aft, and fire asfast as you can; send every shot, mind, at her masts and yards; she istwice as big as we are, and full of men. "

"But we'd lick 'em, sir, " said the gunner. "Let's get alongside andboard her. "

"No, " said Hilary sternly; "we must make Portsmouth before night. "

Then the long gun began to speak, and Hilary kept up a steady runningfight, hour after hour, but in spite of his efforts to escape, theschooner hung closely at his heels, gradually creeping up, and doing somuch mischief that at last the young commander began to feel that beforelong it would be a case of repelling boarders, and he placed thedespatch-box ready to throw over the side. 

Closer and closer came on the schooner, and man after man went down; butstill Billy Waters, aided by the boatswain, kept firing with more orless success from the long gun, till at last the time came when theschooner's crew were firing with small arms as well, and Hilary knewthat in another minute they would be grappled and the enemy on board. 

He paused with the despatch-box in his hand, ready to sink it, whileBilly Waters was taking careful aim with the long gun. Then there wasthe puff of smoke, the bellowing roar, and apparently no result, whenall at once there was a loud crack, a splash, and the cutter's crewcheered like mad, for the schooner's mainmast went over the side withits press of sail, and the foremast, that had been wounded before, followed, leaving the swift vessel a helpless wreck upon the water. 

She would have been easy of capture now, but under the circumstancesHilary's duty was to risk no severe fight in boarding her, but tocontinue his course, and this he did, passing a gunboat going in searchof him, the despatches he had left behind having gone by another boat. 

Answering the hail, Hilary communicated with the commander, who inanother hour had captured the schooner, and the next morning she wasbrought into Portsmouth harbour with her crew. 

Meantime Hilary had reached Portsmouth and been rowed ashore, where hewent straight to the admiral's house. Captain Charteris was with theadmiral, and both looked very stern as he told his tale. 

"A bad beginning, Lieutenant Leigh, " said the admiral, "but it was aclever ruse on the enemy's part. But you are wounded. Sit down. "

"Only a scratch or two, sir, " said Hilary piteously, for he felt veryweak and quite overcome as he handed his papers. 

Just then he became aware of the presence of a plainly-dressedgentleman, to whom the admiral, with great deference, handed thecaptured despatches. He opened them--Hilary's first. 

"Yes, " he said, "a clear case; all blank. Now for the others. "

As he opened the packet he uttered a cry of joy. 

"This is news indeed. My young officer, you have done more than youthink for in capturing these. Captain Charteris, instantly--marines andsailors, you can take them all. "

"Yes, young man, " continued the stranger, "this is a proud day for you. It is a death-blow to the Pretender's cause. You have done greatthings. "

"In the King's name--hurrah!" cried Hilary feebly, as he waved his hat;then he reeled and fell heavily upon the floor. 

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE. 

MEETING OLD FRIENDS. 

Hilary Leigh's scratches were two severe wounds which kept him in bedfor a couple of months, during which he learned that the despatches hehad brought back after turning the tables on the Pretender's followershad, as the high official had said, given such information that by theirmeans a death-blow was given to the plots to place Charles Edward uponthe English throne; and when he was once more about, it was to join hislittle vessel, with his lieutenant's grade endorsed, and in a span newuniform, of which he was deservedly proud. 

The cutter had been pretty well knocked about in the fight, but she wasonce more in good trim, and her crew, who had received a capital shareof prize-money for their part in the capture of the schooner, receivedhim with three cheers. 

For years after, the _Kestrel_ swept the Channel pretty clear ofsmugglers and enemies, and continued so to do long after Hilary hadjoined Captain Charteris's ship, taking with him the principal membersof his crew, Billy Waters rapidly becoming gunner of the greatman-of-war, and Tom Tully remaining Tom Tully still, able seaman andowner of the biggest pigtail amongst five hundred men. 

Five years had elapsed before Hilary again saw Sir Henry Norland, andthis was one day in a French port, when the greeting was most cordial. 

"No, Hilary, my boy, " he said, as he led the lieutenant to a handsomehouse just outside the town. "I shall not come back to England to live. Our cause failed, and I have given up politics now. The Englishgovernment have left me alone, or forgotten me, and I won't come backand tell them who I am. "

"And you don't feel any enmity against me, Sir Henry, for behaving toyou as I did?"

"Enmity, my dear boy!" cried Sir Henry, laying his hands affectionatelyupon the young man's shoulders; "I was sorry that we were on oppositesides, but I was more proud of you than I can tell. Many's the time Isaid to myself, I would that you had been my son. "

Just then Hilary started, for a graceful woman entered the room, to gazeat him wonderingly for a moment, and then, with a mutual cry ofpleasure, they ran forward to catch each other's hands. 

Sir Henry uttered a sigh of satisfaction, one that was not heard by theyoung people, who were too much wrapped up in each other's words, forthis was a meeting neither had anticipated, and they had much to say. 

Who is it that needs to be told that Hilary saw Adela Norland as oftenas he could, and that being high in favour with the government, and soonafter made captain of a dashing ship, he should ask for, and obtainpermission, for Sir Henry Norland to return?

This permit giving him free pardon for the past Hilary himself took tothe French port, where he behaved very badly, for he told Adela Norlandthat he would not give it up unless she made him a certain promise, andthis, with many blushes, she did, just as Sir Henry came into the room. 

"Ah!" he said laughing, "I expected all this. Well, Hilary, I have noson, and you want to take away my daughter. "

"No, sir, " said Hilary; "I only want to find you a son, and to take you, free from all political care, once more home. "

And this he did, making his name a brighter one still in the annals ofhis country, for many were the gallant acts done by the brave sailorCaptain Hilary Leigh, for his country's good, and in the King's name.