Chapter 34

there lights?"

He pointed as he spoke to a couple of dim stars high up on the cliff and placed diagonally.

"Signal," said the boatswain decidedly.

"For us?" said Tom Tully.

"No," said the gunner; "for some smuggling craft. Beg pardon, your honour," he continued as the lieutenant came forward, "but what do you make o' them there lights?"

The lieutenant had a long look, and then, with a display of energy that was unusual with him, he exclaimed, "It is a signal for boats; there's a landing going on."

His words seemed to electrify everyone on board, and the men watched the lights on shore with intense eagerness, seeing prize-money in them, as they did in every boat sent from the cutter; while, to test the lights ashore as to whether they really formed a signal, or were only an accidental arrangement of a shepherd's lanterns, the lieutenant had the two riding lamps suddenly lowered and covered.

Then there were a few moments of intense excitement, every eye being directed to the dim diagonally-placed stars on the cliff, both of which suddenly disappeared.

"Right," said the lieutenant. "Up with our lights again. That's either Mr Leigh signalling to be fetched off or else there's going to be a cargo 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 was in a state of intense excitement, and ready to execute a kind of war-dance on the deck, till the lieutenant, who had been to fetch his sword 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 a cargo 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 be watchful where we are. I'm tired of being tricked."

The men were unwillingly giving up their weapons when, as Billy Waters put it, the wind veered round again.

"Serve out the arms, my man! Now then, be smart! Tumble into the boats!"

For fear their commander should change his mind again the men did literally tumble into the boats, and, giving the boatswain charge of the vessel and putting the gunner in charge of the smaller boat, the lieutenant descended into the other, gave orders that not a word should be spoken, and they pushed off into the black night.

"When we land," whispered the lieutenant, "two men are to stop in the boats and keep off a dozen or so yards from the shore. No getting them stove-in, or--"

He did not finish his sentence, and in its mutilated form it was passed to the other boat, which was close behind.

For the first part of the distance they rowed pretty swiftly, but when they were about halfway the lieutenant slackened speed, and, after nearly running into them, the second followed the example, and they went softly on.

It seemed to grow darker and darker, and but for the fact that they could hear the wash of the water upon the shore, and see the lights of the cutter, it would have been impossible to tell which way to go. They steered, however, straight for the land, every ear being attent, and the men so anxious to make the present expedition a success that their oars dipped without a sound.

All at once, as it seemed to them, they could hear something above the soft wash of the water that made every man's heart beat, and roused the lieutenant to an intense state of excitement. For, plainly enough, there came from out of the pitchy darkness right ahead the tramp of feet hurrying to and fro across the sands, and there could be only one interpretation of such a sound, namely, the fact that a party of men were unloading a boat.

The lieutenant ordered his men to wait so that the second boat might come up alongside, and then they advanced together in perfect silence, with the keenest-eyed men in the bows, ready to signal by touch if they saw anything ahead.

The sound was still going on upon the beach, and the people were evidently very busy, when, at the same moment, the crews of the two boats caught sight of a large lugger run ashore, and not twenty yards away.

The lieutenant's orders to the gunner were short and sharp.

"Board her on the larboard side; I'll take this! Off; give way, my lads! Close in; out cutlasses and up and have her!"

Softly as his whisper was uttered it was heard upon the lugger by the watchful smugglers. A shrill whistle rang out; there was a rush of feet to get back aboard, and men sprang to their arms.

But the _Kestrels_ were too close in this time. The boats were run one on either side; the crews pulled out their cutlasses and sprang up, racing as to who should be first on board; and after a short sharp struggle 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 for the 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 rest of the gang and the cargo. Look here, my men," he said, turning to the prisoners, "fifty pounds and a free pardon to the man who will act as guide and show us the way to the place where the lugger's cargo has been placed."

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 will tell where the cargo is carried shall be amply protected."

Still no reply.

"Come, come, come!" cried the lieutenant; "who is going to earn this money? There, time is valuable; I'll give two hundred pounds if we capture the rest of the cargo."

"If you'll give me two hundred pounds I'll tell you where it is," said a voice out of the darkness; and a groan and a hiss arose from the prisoners.

"Bravo! my lad," cried the lieutenant. "I give you my word of honour you shall have the two hundred pounds. Now, then; where is it? Which way shall we go? Quick! where is it?"

"Where you and your lot won't never find it," said the man; and there was 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 chirruping whistle rang out upon the dark night-air, a whistle which the lieutenant knew well enough to be a warning to the men ashore that there was danger.

"Never mind," he said; "we shall find the bags this time, and with plenty of honey too, my lads. Let's see, who was here last and went up among 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 Tully ranged up alongside, and together they hurried over the sand and shingle.

There was no doubt about their being upon the right track, for they stumbled first against a keg, directly after upon a package, then upon another and another, just as the smugglers had thrown them down to race back and defend the lugger; and with these for their guides they made right for the rocks, where, after a little hesitation, Tom Tully led the party through a narrow opening.

"I should know the place, sir," he said, "for I got a hawful polt o' the side of the head somewheres about here; and--ah! this here's right, for there's another little keg o' spirits."

He had kicked against the little vessel, and, to endorse his opinion, he had come upon a small package, which, with the keg, was placed upon a block of rock ready for their return.

But in spite of his recollection of the blows he had received in the struggle amongst the rocks Tom Tully's guidance was not very good. It was horribly dark, and, but for the scuffling noise they kept hearing in front and beyond the chaos of rocks amongst which they were, the lieutenant would have ordered his men back, and tried some other way, or else, in spite of the risks, have waited while some of his men went back for lights.

There was, however, always the noise in front, and partly by climbing and dragging one another up over the rocks they managed to get nearer and nearer without once hitting upon the narrow and comparatively easy but maze-like track that was the regular way, and which was so familiar to the smuggling party that they ran along it and surmounted the various barriers 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 place since we was here last, and its so plaguy dark, too, I don't seem to hit it at all."

"Give way, there, and let another man come to the front," said the lieutenant.

Tom Tully did give way, and another and another tried, but made worse of it, for the big fellow did blunder on somehow, no matter what obstacles presented themselves; and at last, quite in despair, just as the sounds in 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 shout of joy.

"Here's the place, your honour, here's the place!" he shouted, and the lieutenant 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, and he was dashed to the ground.