We went up to the cottage two or three times, to find Mother Bonnet
keeping up the fire and the table laid for a second supper; and then we
went back to the beach.
Everything was perfectly still. The mine people had long before gone to
bed, but we watched on, feeling sure that something was going to happen;
and so it was that about half-past twelve we heard oars, and soon after
made out a boat which was being pulled by four men, while as soon as we
were seen a voice cried from the boat:
"Ahoy! Who's there?"
"Father!" cried Bigley excitedly.
"Hush! Who's there?" said old Jonas as we felt quite stunned with
surprise.
"Only Bob Chowne and Sep Duncan, father."
"No one else?"
"No one."
"Pull, my lads!" cried old Jonas; and as the boat grated on the beach he
leaped ashore.
"I shall not be a quarter of an hour," he said. "Keep her afloat.
Here, Bigley."
He caught his son's arm and they went up to the cottage together at a
trot, and in less than a quarter of an hour they were back again, and
old Jonas clapped me on the shoulder.
"Look here, Duncan," he said, "I always liked you, my boy, because you
and Bigley were such mates."
"Are you going to take Big away, sir?" I said.
"No, boy, but I'm going to ask you to be a true mate to him still. He's
going to stay with Mother Bonnet."
"I will, sir," I said.
"That you will, my lad," he cried, shaking hands. "Now, Bigley, no
snivelling--be a man! Good-bye! I'll write."
He shook hands with his son, seized a bag they had brought down between
them, and the next minute he was on board the boat and they disappeared
into the darkness.
"How came he back again, Big?" I whispered as we listened to the beat
of the oars which came from out of the gloom.
"Doubled back along with the French boat _La Belle Hirondelle_. They
saw her about ten miles away."
"Was it the _Hirondelle_ we saw last night!" I said.
"Yes," said Bigley shortly. "Be quiet."
"I think your father might have said good-bye to me, Bigley Uggleston,"
said Bob Chowne shortly. "I've done nothing to offend him. But it
don't matter. Never mind."
There seemed to be nothing to wait for, but we hung about the beach till
daylight, and then went in and had some breakfast, which Mother Bonnet,
who was red-eyed with weeping, had ready for us, and then we went down
to the beach again.
By this time the mine people were out once more, and they came and had a
look, but there was nothing to see, and no one told the sturdy fellows
or their families that Jonas Uggleston had been back. As for me, I only
meant to tell my father when he returned.
So the mining people went to work, and we lads stood gazing out to sea,
till suddenly Bob Chowne shouted:
"I can see the cutter."
He was quite right, for it proved to be the cutter, but there was no
prize coming slowly behind; and when at last she came close in, the boat
was lowered, and we saw my father step in and come ashore with the
lieutenant, we were ready to meet them.
I wanted to speak to my father about what had happened in the night, but
I had no opportunity, and it seemed that he had only been brought ashore
so that he could go up to the mine, give some orders, and then return,
when he was to show the lieutenant where the cave lay to which the
smugglers had taken their cargo of contraband goods.
The lieutenant walked up to the mine works with my father, and as he
evidently wished me to stop, I remained by the cutter's boat with my
companions, and, boy-like, we began to joke the sailors for not catching
the lugger.
They took it very good-temperedly, and laughed and said no one had been
much hurt.
"He was too sharp for us," the coxswain said grinning; "and--my! How he
did do the skipper over getting away. He's a cunning old fox, and no
mistake."
"How did you lose the lugger?" I said.
"Oh, it was too dark to do any more, and she went right in among the
rocks about Stinchcombe, where we were obliged to lie to and wait for
daylight. He's a fine sailor, I will say that of him."
"What, your lieutenant?" I said.
"Oh, he's right enough. I meant smuggler Uggleston. He's got away, and
it don't matter; we're bound to have a lot o' prize-money out of the
cargo we're going to seize."
"Are you going to seize it this morning?" I asked.
"Yes, my lad; and here comes the skipper back along o' the old cappen."
They were close upon us already, and we boys looked eagerly at the
lieutenant, longing to go with them, but not being invited of course.
It was too much for Bob Chowne though, who spoke out.
"I say, officer," he cried, "we three saw the cargo landed night before
last."
"You three boys?"
"Yes," said Bob, "we were all there."
"Jump in then, all of you," said the lieutenant.
We wanted no further asking, and the men pushed off and rowed straight
for the little bay, where in due time we arrived in face of the caves.
"And a good snug place too," said the lieutenant. "Good sandy bottom
for running the lugger ashore. Nice game must have been carried on
here. Come, Captain Duncan," he continued in a jocular tone, "you knew
of this place years ago."
"I give you my word of honour, sir," replied my father coldly, "that I
was quite unaware of even the existence of the caverns till a few days
ago; and even then I did not know that they were applied to this
purpose."
"Humph! And you so near!"
"You forget, sir, that my house is two miles and a half along the coast,
and I have only lately purchased the Gap."
My father was evidently very much annoyed, but as a brother officer he
felt himself bound in duty to put up with his visitor's impertinences,
and accordingly he said very little that was resentful.
The men rowed on steadily, and as my father grew more reserved in his
answers the officer turned to Bob Chowne.
"So you were there when the cargo was landed, were you?" he said.
"Yes," replied Bob coolly.
"Yes, _sir_," said the lieutenant sharply, "recollect that you are
addressing an officer."
"Doctors don't say _sir_ to everybody they meet," retorted Bob quickly.
"Doctors?"
"Well, my father's a doctor, and I'm going to be one, so it's all the
same. I can make pills."
The lieutenant frowned and looked terribly fierce; but his men had burst
into a hearty laugh at the idea of Bob making pills, so he turned it off
with a contemptuous "Pooh!"
"Well," he said, "how came you to be there when the cargo was landed?"
"Thought you knew," said Bob; "we were shut in by the tide. Our boat
had drifted away."
"You three boys?"
"Yes, and Captain Duncan," replied Bob.
"And what did the smuggler say to you?" said the lieutenant, turning
sharply on me.
"Say to us, _sir_?" I replied.
"Yes, answer quickly, and don't repeat my words."
"I didn't know smugglers spoke to people they could not see. Hasn't my
father told you that we were in hiding?"
The lieutenant was about to say something angry; but we were coming
alongside of the bay, and my father stood up, very unwillingly as I
could see by his manner, and guided the men so that they might avoid the
rocks.
"I suppose we could almost run the cutter in here, Captain Duncan, eh?"
"Oh, yes, I think so," said my father, "on a very calm day. There is
deep water all along, and a way could be found with ease."
"Such as the lugger people knew, of course. Steady, my lads, steady;
that's it, on that wave."
The men followed his instructions, and the boat was beached pretty close
to the entrance to one cavern, the water being high, and we all jumped
out.
"Get the lantern!" cried the lieutenant; "and light it now, coxswain."
This was done, and two men being left in charge, the officer gave the
order, swords were drawn, and he led the way in.
As he reached the mouth he placed two men as sentries at the entrance of
the other hole where the water rained down, and turned to my father.
"You need not enter unless you like, captain. We may have a brush, for
some of the scoundrels are perhaps still here. By the way, where's the
ledge where you people were hidden?"
"Up there," said Bob promptly, and I saw the officer scan the place.
"What, coming?" said the lieutenant.
"Yes," replied my father; "but I think these lads ought to stand aside
in case of danger."
"Yes," was the short response. "Here, boys, you stop here. You are not
armed," he added with a sneering laugh.
"I only wish we had your father's cutlasses here, Sep," whispered Bob,
"and we'd show them."
We stood back as the man went first with the lantern, closely followed
by the lieutenant with his drawn sword; and we waited as the last
disappeared in the opening, fully expecting to hear shots fired.
But all was perfectly still, and Bigley was creeping slowly nearer and
nearer to the opening when Bob Chowne made a rush.
"Here, you chaps get all the fun," he exclaimed. "I shall go in and
see."
The two sentries laughed, for they were big brown good-tempered looking
fellows, and in we all three went, to find ourselves in quite a long
rugged passage, running upward and opening into a big hollow at the end,
where the lantern was being used to peer in all directions, till it was
evident that nothing was there.
"We're in the wrong hole," said the officer. "Now, my lads, forward!"
He went sharply out into the daylight again, to where the two sentries
were on guard, and entered quickly, passing through the dripping water
closely followed by his men.
But there was not room for all, and he backed out directly.
"There's nothing here," he cried angrily.
"Try the other hole," said Bob, running to where we had found the narrow
opening behind an outlying buttress of rock.
Bob stepped in first this time, the lieutenant following, and then the
man with the lantern.
"Bravo, boy!" cried the lieutenant; "this is the place. Rather awkward,
but here we are. Come along, my lads."
The sailors scrambled in as quickly as they could, and we all followed
rather slowly down what was a jagged crack in the rock about two feet
wide and sloping, so that one had to walk with the body inclined to the
right.
This at the end of about twenty feet opened out into quite a large rough
place, which contained some old nets and tins, along with about a dozen
half rotten lobster-pots, but nothing more.
"There must be another place somewhere," cried the lieutenant after
convincing himself that there was no inner chamber. "Lead on, coxswain,
with the light."
The man went on, and we were left to the last, hearing one of them
whisper to his mate:
"This here's a rum game, Jemmy; don't look like much prize-money after
all."
By the time we boys were out the lieutenant had disappeared with the
coxswain in the first cavern, and his men followed, leaving my father
outside.
"Sep," he said, as I joined him, "where do you think the men went in?"
"That first place," I said decisively.
"Yes," said Bob Chowne; "that's the hole."
"So I felt certain," said my father; and Bigley stood aside looking on,
with his forehead full of wrinkles.
Another minute and the lieutenant was out with his men, the officer
furious with rage.
"Captain Duncan, are you in league with these smuggling dogs, or are you
not?"
"What do you mean, sir?" cried my father haughtily.
"Well, look here, sir," cried the officer moderating his tone. "You've
brought us here on a fool's errand. Where's this cargo that you saw
landed?"
"How can I tell, sir? You appealed to me as an officer to show you
where it was landed. It was here. The men were going in and out of
that cave for two or three hours."
"Then there must be an inner place," cried the lieutenant, stamping his
foot with rage. "Come and search again, my lads."
They disappeared for another ten minutes or so, and then came back with
the officer fuming with passion.
"Fooled!" he exclaimed aloud, "fooled! Here, back to the boat."
Everybody embarked again, and the boat was rowed back in silence to the
Gap, where we landed, and the lieutenant stepped out afterwards leaving
his men afloat.
"Now, then, Captain Duncan," he said, "before I go let me tell you that
I shall report your conduct at headquarters. I consider that I have
been fooled, sir, fooled."
"I had thought of doing the same by you, sir," retorted my father
coldly; "but I do not think it worth while to quarrel with an angry
disappointed man, nor yet to take further notice of your hasty words."
"What do you mean, sir? What do you mean?" blustered the lieutenant.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I see! Here's a game!" roared Bob Chowne,
dancing about in the exuberance of his delight.
"What do you mean, sir? How dare you!" roared the officer turning upon
Bob.
"Why, I know," cried Bob. "What a game! Don't you see how it was?"
"Will you say what you mean, you young idiot?" cried the lieutenant.
"Oh, I say, it wasn't me who was the idiot," cried Bob bluntly. "Why,
you let smuggler Uggleston dodge back in the night. He was here about
twelve or one, and he and his men must have been and fetched all the
stuff away again, while you and your sailors were miles away in the
dark."
"Sep," cried my father, as the lieutenant stood staring with wrath, "was
Jonas Uggleston back here in the night?"
"Yes, father," I replied.
"And you did not tell me?"
"I have had no opportunity, father; and I did not think anything of it.
He was here about one."
"That's it, then," cried my father. "Lieutenant, he has been too sharp
for you. I noted that the sand was a good deal trampled. He has been
back with his men and cleared out the place in your absence."
The lieutenant stood staring as if he could not comprehend it all for a
minute or two, and then flushing with rage he stamped about.
"The scoundrel! The hound! The thief!" he roared. "I'll have him yet,
though, and when I do catch him I'll hang him to the yard-arm, like the
dog he is."
"Dog yourself," cried a fierce voice that we did not recognise, it was
so changed; and Bigley struck the lieutenant full in the face with the
back of his hand. "My father is a better man than you."