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diff --git a/39800-0.txt b/39800-0.txt index 8369f29..035976c 100644 --- a/39800-0.txt +++ b/39800-0.txt @@ -1,28 +1,4 @@ - THE ADVENTURES OF DICK TREVANION - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: The Adventures of Dick Trevanion - A Story of Eighteen Hundred and Four -Author: Herbert Strang -Release Date: June 01, 2013 [EBook #39800] -Language: English -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF DICK -TREVANION *** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 39800 *** Produced by Al Haines. @@ -12186,378 +12162,4 @@ interest."—_Army and Navy Gazette_. *PRICE SIX SHILLINGS EACH* - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF DICK TREVANION -*** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39800 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: The Adventures of Dick Trevanion - A Story of Eighteen Hundred and Four -Author: Herbert Strang -Release Date: June 01, 2013 [EBook #39800] -Language: English -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF DICK -TREVANION *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - -[Illustration: "THERE LOOMED OUT OF THE MIST A THREE-MASTED VESSEL." -(_See page_ 175.)] - - - - - THE ADVENTURES - OF - DICK TREVANION - - _A STORY OF EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND FOUR_ - - - BY - HERBERT STRANG - - - - _ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I._ - - - - LONDON - HENRY FROWDE - HODDER & STOUGHTON - 1911 - - - - - BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO., LD., PRINTERS, - LONDON AND TONBRIDGE. - - - - - CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER THE FIRST - THE VILLAGE AND THE TOWERS - -CHAPTER THE SECOND - JOHN TREVANION RETURNS HOME - -CHAPTER THE THIRD - THE BLOW FALLS - -CHAPTER THE FOURTH - THE CAVE OF SEALS - -CHAPTER THE FIFTH - ST. CUBY'S WELL - -CHAPTER THE SIXTH - PENWARDEN DOES HIS DUTY - -CHAPTER THE SEVENTH - THE BREACH WIDENS - -CHAPTER THE EIGHTH - A LIGHT ON THE MOOR - -CHAPTER THE NINTH - DOUBLEDICK'S MIDNIGHT GUESTS - -CHAPTER THE TENTH - THE FIRE BELL AT THE TOWERS - -CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH - SIR BEVIL INTERVENES - -CHAPTER THE TWELFTH - PENWARDEN DISAPPEARS - -CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH - CROSS-CURRENTS - -CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH - DOUBLEDICK ON DUTY - -CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH - ACROSS THE PIT - -CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH - A PACKET FOR RUSCO - -CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH - PETHERICK MAKES A DISCOVERY - -CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH - A HIGH DIVE - -CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH - A BARGAIN WITH THE REVENUE - -CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH - THE LAST DEAL - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST - THE ATTACK ON THE TOWERS - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND - JOHN TREVANION IN THE TOILS - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD - THE PRICE OF TREACHERY - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH - PEACE AND GOODWILL - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - -"THERE LOOMED OUT OF THE MIST A THREE-MASTED VESSEL" . . . . . . -_Frontispiece, see page_ 175 - - -"'HALT, IN THE KING'S NAME!' CRIED MR. MILDMAY" - - -"'STAND!' CRIED DICK, DASHING FORWARD. 'LEAVE HIM, OR WE'LL FIRE'" - - -"AS THE SEAL PLUNGED INTO THE SEA, SAM BROUGHT HIS HAMMER DOWN" - - -"THERE WAS NO ONE TO HEAR THE SHORT DIALOGUE THAT ENSUED AT THE HEAD OF -THE WELL" - - -"DICK RUSHED LIKE A WHIRLWIND ON THE MAN" - - -"PETHERICK'S HEAD APPEARED THROUGH THE HATCH" - - -"DELAROUSSE RUSHED HEADLONG TOWARDS THE APPROACHING GROUP" - - - - - CHAPTER THE FIRST - - The Village and the Towers - - -The village of Polkerran lies snugly in a hollow between cliffs facing -the Atlantic, at the head of a little bay that forms a natural harbour. -The grey stone cottages rise from the sea-level in tiers, as in an -amphitheatre, huddled together, with the narrowest and most tortuous of -lanes between them. Through the midst a stream flows from the high -ground behind, in summer a mere brook, in winter a swollen torrent that -colours the sea far out with the soil it carries down. The bay is -shaped like a horseshoe; at low tide its mouth is closed by a reef -except at the northern end, where there is always a narrow fairway -between the reef and the sharp point of land known as the Beal. -Northward of this is another little inlet called Trevanion Bay, whence -the coast winds north-east, a line of rugged, precipitous, and -overhanging cliffs, unbroken until you come to St. Cuby's Cove, where -they reach a height of three hundred feet, and bulge out over the sea -like a penthouse roof. - -One August evening, in the year 1804, a wide tubby boat lay in twelve -feet of water, just outside the line of breakers beneath the cliffs, -about a mile and a half from the village. The sun had been down some -two hours, but there was enough of twilight to show to any one out at -sea--the boat being invisible from the land--that it contained two lads, -one a tall, slight, but muscular youth of seventeen or thereabouts, the -other a thicker, sturdier boy, who looked older, but was, in fact, a -year or more younger than his companion. - -"Well, Maister Dick," said the younger boy, "I reckon we'd better go -home-along; it do seem as if the water be too clear to-night." - -"They're not on the feed, Sam, that's certain," replied Dick Trevanion. -"But I don't like going empty-handed. I'm thinking of supper." - -"It do be queer, sure enough. 'Tis a hot night, and they mostly comes -in close when 'tis hot, and the biggest comes the closest. I 'spect -what us do want is a bit of a tumble, to stir up the bottom and muddy -the water." - -Dick Trevanion had come out at sunset with his companion Sam Pollex to -fish for salmon bass, which at this time of year were usually plentiful -along the coast. For two hours they had had no luck. Every now and -then a ripple and spirt on the smooth surface showed that fish were -sporting beneath; but though they changed the bait, trying squid, -pilchard, spider-crab in turn; varied the length of line and the weight -of the lead; trailed the bait where they last saw the surface -disturbed--though they tried every device known to them to lure the -fish, they had not as yet been rewarded with a single bite. It was -exasperating. Dick knew that the larder at home was bare, and had set -his heart on carrying back two or three fish for supper and next -morning's breakfast. - -"It will be high-water in half-an-hour," he said. "We'll wait till then, -and no longer." - -Baiting his hook with cuttle-fish, he got Sam to row slowly up the shore -towards a spot where the sea broke gently over a yard or two of -half-submerged rocks. The air was very still; there was no sound save -the light rustle of the waves washing the foot of the cliff. As the sky -darkened and the last faint radiance vanished from the west, the stars -appeared and the shade beneath the cliff became deeper. Sam rowed up -and down for some minutes, Dick hauling in his line once or twice to see -that the hook was not fouled with sea-weed; but still there was no sign -of fish. - -All at once, when he was on the point of giving up, he felt a slight tug -at the line, which began immediately to slip through his fingers. - -"At last!" he whispered, jumping to his feet so hastily as to set the -boat rocking. - -He held the line loosely until a dozen yards had run out, then tightened -his grasp with a jerk. Meanwhile Sam had thrown the anchor overboard. - -"He's a whopper," said Dick, letting his line run again. "See; there he -goes!" - -He pointed to a slight phosphorescent glow on the water about twenty -yards away. The line was running out fast. It was only a hundred yards -long, and he must check the rush of the fish, or he would lose line and -all. Grasping the twine with both hands, he exerted a steady strain, at -one moment being almost jerked out of the boat by the violent struggles -of the fish. He set his feet against the gunwale and pulled again. -With a suddenness that threw him backwards the tension relaxed. - -"He's gone, Sam! He's torn away the hook," he cried. - -"Scrounch un for a rebel!" said Sam indignantly. "Why couldn't he bide -quiet!" - -Dick wound up his line rapidly, feeling no resistance until he had -recovered about thirty yards of it. Then once more it began to slip -away. - -"He's not gone yet, Sam, after all. I'll have him, sure as I'm alive." - -Steadily he worked the fish in. For a few moments he would draw in the -line without resistance; then there was a jerk; it swerved to right, to -left; and he could merely hold his own in the desperate struggle. But -gradually, fight as the fish might, it was drawn nearer and nearer to -the boat. At the broken water it spent its last energies; phosphorescent -flashes showed where it was dashing to and fro in the vain effort to -regain its liberty. Then, its strength exhausted, it suffered itself to -be dragged slowly towards the boat. - -Sam was eagerly on the watch, bending over the gunwale to seize the fish -as soon as it came alongside. Suddenly he flung out his hands, only to -draw them back with a cry. He had pricked them against the fish's sharp -dorsal fin. Once more he stooped, and as Dick hauled hard on the line, -Sam got his arms beneath the fish, and with a mighty heave cast it into -the bottom, where it struggled for a moment and then lay still. - -"A beauty, sure enough," said Sam. - -"Worth waiting for," remarked Dick. "'Tis getting late, and Mother will -have given me up, so we'll go now. He's big enough to give us two meals -at least." - -They bent down to disengage the hook and wind up the line. So intent -had they been on the capture of the bass that neither had noticed, until -that moment, a smack about three-quarters of a mile out at sea, sailing -rapidly across the bay towards St. Cuby's Cove. The moon was rising, -faintly illuminating the vessel, but casting a deep shadow on the water -immediately beneath the cliff, so that the boys were invisible from the -smack. Familiar as they were with all the small craft belonging to -Polkerran, they knew at the first glance, in spite of the dim light, -that the smack was a stranger. - -"She's not Cornish," said Dick, taking a long look at her. - -"Nor even English," added Sam. "Maybe a Frenchman from Rusco, though -'tis early for the running to begin." - -"They won't run a cargo at the Cove, surely. The path up the cliff is -too steep, and Joe Penwarden's cottage too near. I think she's a -stranger that doesn't know the coast." - -They watched the smack until she rounded the headland between them and -the Cove, and then began to row in the opposite direction. They had -just reached the end of the promontory bounding Trevanion Bay on the -north, and had swung round landward, when, their faces now being toward -the open sea, they saw something that caused them to pause in -mid-stroke. Perhaps a mile in the offing like a phantom barque in the -quivering radiance of the moonlight, lay a large three-masted vessel -with sails aback. Through the still air came the sound of creaking -tackle, and the boys, resting on their oars, saw a boat lowered, and -then another, which pulled off in the same direction as the smack. - -"This be some jiggery, Maister Dick," said Sam. "Do 'ee think, now, it -be Boney come spying for a place to land?" - -Those were the days when the imminence of a French invasion kept the -people of the southern counties in a constant state of alarm. - -"Boney wouldn't come to this coast," replied Dick. "He wouldn't risk -his flat boats round the Lizard. No; he'll make some lonely quiet spot -on the south coast; Boney won't trouble us." - -"Well, daze me if I can make head or tail o't," said Sam. - -"Pull in a bit, so that we can see without being seen." - -From the shadowed headland they watched in silence. The boats had -scarcely gone a third of a mile across the bay when a shrill whistle -cleft the air. They at once put about, returned to the larger vessel, -and were hoisted in, whereupon the ship made sail, and in the course of -ten or fifteen minutes disappeared into the darkness. - -"There be queer things a-doing, I b'lieve," said Sam, while the vessel -was still in sight. - -"Maybe," rejoined Dick, "but we don't know. Don't speak a word of it -till I give you leave, Sam. 'Tis a matter for Mr. Mildmay if any one." - -"Zackly. I can keep a still tongue with any man; and now seems to I -we'd best go home-along." - -He dipped the oars, and pulled, not towards the Beal, beyond which lay -the village, but towards the head of Trevanion Bay. It was now -high-water. Below the cliff only a narrow stretch of white sand was -visible. Within ten yards of this beach Sam shipped oars, and the boat -was carried along until its nose stuck in the sand. Both the boys then -sprang out, and dragged their craft up to the base of the cliff beyond -high-water mark. - -"'Tis lucky tide be high," said Sam, wiping his brow with the back of -his hand, "for 'tis a hot night, and old boat be desp'rate heavy." - -"True, she's both heavy and old," said Dick, as he secured her to a post -driven deep into the sand. "She's a good deal older than you or I, Sam." - -"Ay, true, and Feyther have give her more knocks than he've give me. -You can see his marks on her, but you can't see 'em on me--hee! hee!" - -Dick laughed. Many a time had the planks been repaired by old Reuben -Pollex, the signs of whose rough and ready handiwork were easily -discoverable. - -Carrying his tackle, Dick ordered Sam to bring the bass, and led the way -along a steep path that zigzagged up the face of the cliff, being soon -hidden from the sea by knobs and corners of rock. It was a toilsome -climb; the cliff was two hundred feet high, but the windings made the -path three times as long. When they reached the top, Sam found it -necessary once more to wipe his brow; then followed his young master -across a stretch of coarse bent towards a large building, mistily lit by -the moonbeams, about a hundred yards distant. - -The Towers, at one time a manor house of no little importance, was now -in the stage of decrepitude. It had been for centuries in the possession -of the Trevanions, who, in the time of King Charles I., had been a -family of great wealth and influence, owning estates, it was said, in -three counties. But the squire of that time had sold part of his -property to provide money for the King, whose cause he espoused with -unselfish loyalty, and from that time the family fortunes had gradually -declined, partly through the recklessness of certain of the owners, -partly through sheer ill-luck. For many years wealth had been drawn -from tin and copper mines beneath the surface, parts of whose apparatus, -in the shape of ruined sheds, scaffoldings, pipes, conduits, broken -chains, strewed the ground in desolate abandonment. In the early -manhood of the present squire, Dick's father, the lodes had shown signs -of exhaustion, and Mr. Trevanion, wishing to keep the mines going as -much for the sake of the miners as for his own interest, had spent large -sums on opening up new workings, which proved unprofitable. He had -mortgaged acre after acre in this fierce struggle with misfortune, -having more than his share of the doggedness of his race; but all his -efforts were fruitless; the mines were closed and the men dismissed; and -the Squire himself at last had no property unencumbered except the land -on which the Towers stood, and the barren cliff between the house and -the end of the promontory, almost worthless save for the little grazing -it afforded. - -To this he had clung with grim tenacity. He was often hard put to it to -pay the interest on his mortgages as it became due; his little -household, consisting now only of himself, his wife and son, and the two -Pollexes, often had barely enough to eat; many a time he was tempted to -raise money on the little remnant of his property; but for long years, -as often as the temptation came, he had resisted it. Though he would not -admit the fact, even to himself, superstition had a good deal to do with -his determination. He scoffed at the country folks' belief in omens and -witches, and professed to think nothing of an old motto which had -attached to his family for near a hundred and fifty years. In the reign -of Charles II., when the Trevanions owned estates not only in Cornwall, -but the adjoining counties, the spendthrift whose extravagance had been -a partial cause of their ruin had, at some crisis in his affairs, -consulted a wise woman who lived alone in a little cottage on the moor. -He brought nothing from his interview with her but the couplet: - - Trevanion, whate'er thy fortune be, - Hold fast the rock by the western sea. - -Like his forefathers, Roger Trevanion derided the witch's counsel, but, -like them, too, he had "held fast" until, a year before the opening of -our story, he had been forced to relax his grip. Now every rood of the -land, to the uttermost extremity of the Beal, was in the hands of -mortgagees, and the dread of foreclosure weighed on the Squire like a -nightmare. - -The Towers had been allowed to fall into decay. Only one wing was now -inhabited; the remainder was ruinous, and for the most part roofless. -In the south wing lived the Squire, now past fifty years of age, his -wife, a few years younger, and Dick, their only son. Their sole -attendants were Reuben Pollex, a widower, who had grown up from boyhood -with the Squire, and steadily refused to leave him, and his boy Sam. -These two did all the household work, grew vegetables, bred poultry and -pigs, the sale of which, together with the small sums obtained by -letting to neighbouring farmers the grazing rights of the cliff, was all -that kept the family from abject poverty. Dick himself was, to a large -extent, the family provider. With Sam's help he snared rabbits, shot -wild fowl, and fished along the coast. His bronzed skin and hard flesh -bespoke an active life in the open air, and as he went about in his -jersey, rough breeches, and long boots, he would scarcely have been -distinguishable from the fisher lads of the village but for a certain -springiness of gait and a look of refinement and thoughtfulness. - - -Dick and his companion hastened towards the south wing, where an -unusually bright light in one of the lower rooms proclaimed that the -Squire had company. While Sam took the fish, which turned out to be a -fine fourteen-pounder, into the kitchen, Dick changed his boots, washed -his hands, and entered the living-room. His father sat at the head of -the table, his mother at the foot; between them was a man of about the -Squire's age, dressed in a blue coat with brass buttons, with "seaman" -written on every inch of him. The table was covered with a spotless but -much-darned cloth; the only viands were a loaf of bread and half a -cheese. A large brown jug contained ale brewed in the family brew-house -by old Pollex. - -"Why, Dick, how late you are!" said his mother. "We are just going to -begin supper." - -"Better put it off for a few minutes, Mother. I've brought home a fine -bass. How d'ye do, Mr. Mildmay?" - -"Ah, Dick, glad to see you, my boy! Good fishing to-night, eh?" - -"One catch after two hours, sir," replied Dick. "The weather's too fine, -I suppose." - -"Shall we wait, Mr. Mildmay?" asked his hostess. - -"As you please, ma'am." - -Mr. Mildmay, a naval lieutenant, now in command of a revenue cutter, -knew very well by the expression of the lady's face that the -postponement of the meal was welcome to her. He was an old friend of -the Squire's--a messmate indeed, for Mr. Trevanion had served for a few -years in the Navy; and his acquaintance with the penury of the household -had neither diminished his friendship nor damped the cordiality of the -Squire's welcome. In these days there were few visitors to the Towers, -and those who came knew what they had to expect in the way of -entertainment. Such as might have looked merely for the satisfaction of -the inner man had long since ceased to call. Mr. Mildmay could have -supped contentedly on bread and cheese. The meagreness of the fare -would have troubled Mrs. Trevanion the most, and the look upon her face -told Dick how welcome was his addition to it. - -Dick went into the kitchen to see how Sam was getting on, and soon -returned with a portion of the fish broiled and garnished with herbs. - -"As fine a bit of fish as I've tasted," said Mr. Mildmay, "and well -cooked, upon my word." - -"I am glad you like it," said Mrs. Trevanion, giving Dick privately an -approving smile. - -"You'll soon be hard at work, I suppose, sir," said Dick to the -lieutenant. - -"Yes, no doubt I shall have a merry winter. But I wish the Commissioners -would make better arrangements on land. What can I do, with miles of -coast to keep an eye on? One riding-officer and a few old excisemen -here and there! I can't be everywhere." - -"Why don't they, sir?" asked Dick. - -"Because every man of muscle is snapped up by the press-gang or the -recruiters. Upon my word, I wish Boney would come, if he is coming. -When he has had his walloping there'll be a little time to attend to our -proper concerns. As it is, with this eternal war going on, the -free-traders play ducks and drakes with law and ordinances." - -The Squire said nothing. His attitude to smuggling was one of -neutrality. His training in the Navy made him in general adverse to the -contraband trade; but there was a time, not very long since, when the -owners of the Towers were actively engaged in it, or at least accessory -to it, and the landowners along the coast regarded it with sympathy, -open or secret. Indeed, it is probable that the cask of brandy in Mr. -Trevanion's own cellar had never paid duty to the Crown, and old Reuben -Pollex, who loved his "dish of tay," would certainly not have been able -to enjoy it in that time of high prices unless he had known a little -back room in Polkerran where it was easy to slip in and out secretly, -and without the knowledge of the exciseman. - -"The smugglers are getting bolder and bolder, confound 'em," Mr. Mildmay -went on. "With the land force so weak, what's the result? If I'm -called to a spot, ten to one by a trick, I must leave the rest of the -coast unguarded. As you know, the only man permanently in this -neighbourhood is old Penwarden, who is zealous enough, but not so active -as a younger man would be." - -"No, poor man," said Mrs. Trevanion. "He has often said to me that he -fears the Government will replace him. He will cling to his duty as -long as he can for the sake of his old sister. You know he supports -her, in Truro, Mr. Mildmay." - -"I know it, and I'm not the man to put him out of a job, though one of -these days a Commissioner of Customs will make his appearance, and then -I'll get a wigging." - -All this while Dick had been considering whether he ought to tell the -lieutenant about the strange vessels he had seen. He knew that -smuggling was the only matter on which there was a certain constraint -between his father and Mr. Mildmay. It was tacitly understood between -them that the Squire would not round on the smugglers. On the other -hand, the revenue officer knew that anything he told the Squire would be -perfectly safe with him. He therefore discussed the subject quite -openly with his old messmate, though, like a wise general, he never -spoke about any plans that he had in view. - -Dick made up his mind to say nothing. The lieutenant's cutter was lying -in the little harbour, and if he mentioned what he had seen, Mr. Mildmay -would certainly hurry away and sail in chase of the stranger. What the -Squire would not do, his son could not. But he had scarcely come to -this decision when matters took an unexpected turn. - -"By the way, Squire," said the lieutenant, "I've just heard from -Plymouth that the _Aimable Vertu_--precious fine name for a rascally -privateer--is showing herself very active in the Channel. She made two -captures last week, and was sighted two days ago off Falmouth, where a -barque only just managed to escape her. She's said to be a vessel of -extraordinary speed. The Government would give a good deal to catch her -and hang her captain, that daredevil Frenchman, Delarousse; but it's -with privateers as it is with smugglers: we can't be everywhere at once, -and while we're fighting the French on the high seas, I suppose our home -waters must be left to the enemy." - -This led to an exchange of reminiscences of privateer-hunting during the -American war, when both were young in the service. Meanwhile Dick felt -uncomfortable. What if the larger vessel he had lately seen was this -very privateer, the _Aimable Vertu_? In that case it was no question of -smuggling, but of piracy. He felt that he ought at least to mention the -matter, yet hesitated to speak without consulting his father. By-and-by -there came an opportunity of speaking to him privately. While Mr. -Mildmay was conversing with Mrs. Trevanion, Dick slipped to the Squire's -side and told him in a sentence or two what he had seen. - -"Mildmay," cried the Squire, "hark to this. Dick tells me that an hour -or more ago he saw a strange three-master in the bay. She lowered a -couple of boats, but recalled 'em, and sailed away westward. D'ye think -she's the privateer?" - -"Dash my bones, Dick," cried the lieutenant, starting up, "why on earth -didn't you speak before? Oh! I see--I see; I won't reproach you; but -I'll be as mad as a hatter if 'tis the rascal and she gets away. Good -night to you all; you'll excuse me, Mrs. Trevanion. Oh, you young dog!" - -He shook his fist at Dick, and hurried from the room. - - - - - CHAPTER THE SECOND - - John Trevanion Returns Home - - -About half-an-hour before Mr. Mildmay left the Squire's supper-table so -hurriedly, a man laboured up the last few feet of the winding path -leading from the beach of St. Cuby's Cove to the cliff-top, which he -gained at a point rather more than half-a-mile from the spot where Dick -and Sam had previously ascended. He was a tall man, his build and -figure indicating a capacity for lithe and rapid movement, so that the -heaviness of his gait was probably due solely to the size and weight of -the leathern trunk he carried. Like Sam Pollex, he paused for a moment -on reaching the top to recover his breath and mop his brow; then, -shouldering his trunk, he struck into a narrow footpath that led over -the cliff. It branched into two after a few yards, the right-hand -branch going direct to the Towers, the left-hand running away from the -sea to join a rough, ill-made road which led past the gate of the Towers -to the village. - -On reaching the fork the pedestrian did not hesitate, as a stranger -might have done, but took the left-hand path. After proceeding a few -steps along it, however, he made a sudden half-turn, and stopped, -looking across the open ground towards the Towers, where one room on the -ground floor made a patch of light against the dark background of sky -and sea. The man stood but a moment, then resumed his march along the -path in the same direction as before. A smile wreathed his lips, and he -muttered to himself. He went on at a smart pace over the level ground, -turned to the right when he came to the road, passed the Towers' gates, -which he observed were broken, and walked for another quarter of a mile -before he again halted. Then he set his burden down by the roadside, -sat upon it, and wiped his heated face, where the smile had been -replaced by a frown. - -"I daresay I'm a fool," he muttered in a growling undertone. "Why did I -chafe and gall myself with carrying this plaguey trunk? However, maybe -'tis best." - -While he was still resting, he heard footsteps upon his right hand, and -looked round quickly. The moon was up, and he saw a young fisherman -rolling along a path that ran into the road a few paces distant. - -"Ahoy, there!" cried the traveller in a deep and mellow voice. - -The fisherman, who had not as yet perceived him, came to a sudden stop -as the silence of the night was broken thus unexpectedly and so near at -hand; then, catching sight of the figure on the trunk, he slipped off -the path on to the grass and began to run. - -"Ahoy, there! What ails you?" cried the man. "D'you want to earn a -groat?" - -Reassured, apparently, at the mention of so material a thing as a groat, -the fisherman turned and came slowly towards the speaker. - -"Did you think I was a ghost?" the stranger went on with a laugh. "I -want you to carry this trunk to the village, and I'll give you a groat -for your pains." - -"I'll do it, maister," replied the fisher, shouldering the trunk. "But -ye give me a fright, that ye did." - -"Why, you never saw a ghost with a brown face, and a black hat, and a -blue coat, not to speak of brown breeches and long boots, did you?" - -"I won't say I did, but the neighbours do say there be ghosteses -up-along by St. Cuby's Well. Maybe yer a furriner, maister?" - -"No, no; I'm good Cornish like yourself," replied the man, who knew that -to Cornishmen all who lived beyond the borders of the duchy were -accounted foreigners. - -"Well, I can see plain ye be a high person, and jown me if I know why ye -carry yer own bag and traipse afoot, instead o' coming a-horseback, or -in a po'chay." - -The traveller shot a glance at the lad. He saw a rugged profile, a brow -on which thought had carved no furrows, a half-open mouth: the -physiognomy of a simple countryman. Then, after a scarcely perceptible -pause, he said: - -"Well, I hate close folks who make a secret of everything, so I'll tell -you. I got a lift in a travelling wagon from Newquay, but the wretch -that drove it was bound for Truro, and point-blank refused to bring me -farther than the cross-roads a couple of miles back. So now you know, -my man, and I daresay you could tell a stranger what I've told you." - -"Sure and sartin. You be come from Newquay in a wagon, and when ye got -to cross-roads driver said he'd be jowned if he'd carr' 'ee a step -furder." - -"You have it pat; and now step out; 'tis getting latish." - -They proceeded along the silent road at a good pace toward the village, -the traveller dropping a remark now and then from which the fisherman -understood that he was not a complete stranger to the district. Just as -they reached a spot where the road dipped somewhat steeply, there were -sounds of rapid footsteps behind them, and in a few moments two men came -up, one Mr. Mildmay, the revenue officer, the other an old -weather-beaten fellow in seaman's clothes. He wore a black shade over -his right eye, and the unnaturally short distance between his nose and -the tip of his chin showed that he had lost his teeth. This was Joe -Penwarden, the veteran exciseman who had been mentioned at Squire -Trevanion's supper-table. On leaving the Towers, Mr. Mildmay had gone -first to the right, and fetched Penwarden from his little cottage on the -cliff, and then retraced his steps through the Squire's grounds. Had he -been a few minutes earlier, he could hardly have failed to see the -pedestrian trudging with his trunk on his shoulder along the path that -ran a score of yards from Penwarden's cottage. - -"Halt, in the King's name!" cried Mr. Mildmay, as he overtook the two -men who had preceded him along the road. - -[Illustration: "'HALT, IN THE KING'S NAME!' CRIED MR. MILDMAY"] - -"I'll halt if 'ee bid me in the King's name," said the fisher, -recognising the revenue officer, whom he, like the population of -Polkerran generally, held in detestation mingled with unwilling respect, -"but I bean't doin' nowt agen the law, I tell 'ee, carr'in' a genel'um's -traps for a groat." - -"A gentleman, is it?" said Mr. Mildmay, turning to the traveller. "I -must ask you to tell me your business." - -"And you shall have an answer. I come from Newquay, and am going to -seek a night's lodging at the Five Pilchards, if you have no objection, -captain." - -Mr. Mildmay looked suspiciously at the speaker, whose accent was that of -an educated man. He was not the type of person to meet afoot with his -trunk on the high road. Old Penwarden's single eye also was fixed on -the stranger's swarthy, bearded face. - -"No more objection, my dear sir, than you will have to my taking a look -at the inside of that trunk of yours. In the King's name!" - -"With all the pleasure in life. Amos, or whatever your name is, set -down the trunk for the inspection of this exceedingly zealous officer of -His Majesty's." - -The trunk was opened, and Penwarden turned over its contents, Mr. -Mildmay looking on. He found articles of apparel, a sword, some bundles -of papers, a bag of money, a large leather-bound book, a brace of -pistols, and sundry insignificant articles, none of which was chargeable -with duty. - -"Thank you, sir," said Mr. Mildmay, when the inspection was concluded. -"I am sorry to have detained you, but in these times----" - -"Quite so, captain," interrupted the other. "In these times one cannot -be too particular. I bid you good-night, and better luck at your next -examination." - -Mr. Mildmay hurried on with Penwarden, and was soon lost to sight. - -"Who's that popinjay?" said the traveller, when the lieutenant was out -of hearing. - -"That be Maister Mildmay, the preventive officer, and a dratted -furriner," replied the fisher. "He've been in these parts two years -now, and a meddlesome feller he be too. Hee! hee! He got nowt for his -pains this time, maister, and if there's one thing I do like to see, -'tis the preventives fooled. Hee! hee!" - -"Old Penwarden looks the same as ever, except for the shade over his -eye." - -"Do 'ee know him, maister?" - -"I used to, years ago." - -"Iss, old Joe be a decent good soul of his trade, and we was vexed, -trewly, when 'a got his eye put out in a fight by Lunnan Cove. But -there, he shouldn' meddle with honest free-traders. Lawk-a-massy! I be -speakin' free." - -"Oh, you're quite safe with me. I'm a bit of a free-trader myself, in -my way." - -They went on, and in a few minutes came to an inn at the lower end of -the village near the beach. This was the Five Pilchards. The village -boasted another inn, a hundred yards away, called the Three Jolly -Mariners; but it belied its name, being frequented mainly by farm -labourers. - -The traveller paid and dismissed the fisher, and rapped at the closed -door. It was opened by the innkeeper himself, a podgy, red-nosed, -blear-eyed fellow, with an underhung lip, and a chin like a dewlap. A -small candle-lamp hung above in the doorway, showing a dim yellow ray -upon the smiling face of the visitor. The innkeeper started back. - -"I startled you, eh?" said the visitor. "Yes, it is I myself--John -Trevanion come home again. I am getting on in years, Doubledick, and I -felt I should like to die among my friends." - -"Ha, ha! Ho, ho!" laughed the innkeeper. "'Tis Maister John, for sure, -come home with his little jokes. Come along in, maister, come in; daze -me if I bean't as pleased as pigs to see 'ee." - -"Take me to a room, Doubledick, and get some clean sheets, will you? -And send me up something passable to eat and drink; I'll sup alone." - -"Iss, sure. I'll give 'ee the best I've got in the house. What do 'ee -say, now, to collops and fried taties, or a nice bit o' bass, or a dish -o' pickled pilchurs, and some real old--you know what, Maister John? -Hee, hee!" - -"Whatever you like, Doubledick, only be quick about it." - -The innkeeper led his visitor along a passage past the open door of the -bar-parlour. John Trevanion glanced in as he went by. A number of -rough fishermen in various garments sat drinking on settles along the -wall. The most noticeable among them was a man of vast breadth, brawny -and muscular, his strong features tanned copper-colour by years of -sea-faring, his thick hair and beard the hue of ebony. The sleeves of -his scarlet jersey were turned up, revealing brown and hairy forearms -that would have befitted a Hercules. - -"Tonkin is still flourishing, I see," said Trevanion in an undertone to -the innkeeper as he passed. - -"Iss, Zacky Tonkin be as great a man as ever he wer, and a tarrible -plague o' life to the preventives. Mr. Curgenven--ye mind of him, -Maister John?--died two year back, and they sent a furrin feller, -Mildmay by name, to look arter us mortals--hee! hee! He be a good feller -at his job, a sight better than Curgenven, who loved an easy life, as -'ee could remember; but Zacky do know how to deal wi' un, he do so. Oh, -'tis a rare deceivin' game he plays wi' un. He's up-along and -down-along, and this Mildmay feller atraipsin' arter un, by sea and -land, 'tis all one to Zacky. Here's yer room, Maister John. Do 'ee set -yerself down and I'll bring 'ee up a supper fit for a lord in no time." - -He looked at his visitor doubtfully for a moment. - -"I'd axe 'ee one thing," he said. "Be I to let 'em know down below as -you be in house?" - -"To be sure, Doubledick, there's nothing to conceal. You might remember -to say that I've come from London--no, hang me, I am forgetting; from -Newquay directly, from London ultimately. You understand?" - -"Iss, I understand. No matter where 'ee come from, if 'twere from old -Nick hisself, they'll be glad to see 'ee, that they will." - -John Trevanion kept to his room until the morning. At nine o'clock he -left the inn and made his way through the village by back lanes, to -escape the notice of such fishermen as might remember him, and proceeded -at a quick pace along the road to the Towers. He was dressed this -morning in a black hat turned up at one side with a rosette, a -bottle-green frock coat, white kerseymere breeches, and long boots. "He -looks summat older and nearer graveyard, as must we all," remarked -Doubledick to a crony as he watched him depart, "but he's a fine figure -of a man still." - -Arriving at the Towers, John Trevanion lifted the latch of the door -leading to the inhabited portion, and entered with the freedom of one of -the family. The Squire was at breakfast with his wife and son. - -"Come in," he shouted, in answer to a tap on the door, and rose from his -chair as the well-dressed visitor entered, thinking, as might have been -gathered from his manner, that it was one of the few friends who had the -freedom of the house. But at a second glance his demeanour altered. - -"You have made a mistake, I think," he said stiffly, resting both hands -on the table. His fine face was flushed, and Dick, looking on in -wonderment, noticed that the riband that bound his queue of grey hair -was quivering. - -"Surely, Cousin Roger, you'll let bygones be bygones," said John -Trevanion suavely. "'Tis now--I don't know how many years ago." - -"When I last saw you, sir, I bade you never enter my door again. I do -not call back my words, and see no reason to do so. You will oblige me -by relieving me of your presence." - -The words came sternly from his trembling lips. Dick felt himself go hot -and cold. - -"Is there no word repentance in your dictionary, Roger Trevanion?" said -his cousin bitterly. "You're a good Christian, I suppose--go to church -and say the Commandments, 'love your neighbour,' and all that; but -you'll harden your heart against one of your own kin that had the -ill-luck to offend you----" - -"Stop!" thundered the Squire. "The offence to me I make nothing of; you -have shamed your name and put yourself beyond the pale of honest men. -'Ill-luck,' you call it! 'Twas no ill-luck--though we Trevanions have -enough of that, God knows!--but the act and nature of a scoundrel. I am -ashamed you bear my name. I disown you. Take yourself out of my sight." - -His wife laid a gentle hand on his arm. - -"A pretty welcome, on my soul, for a man who has lived down the faults -of his youth," said John Trevanion. "I tell you, Roger Trevanion, I -will not put up with such usage--I will not! I don't want your -forgiveness; a fig for your friendship! But I demand decent treatment -from you, and----" - -"By the Lord that made me," cried the Squire, "if you do not instantly -remove yourself from this house I will have you thrown out. Do you hear -me, sir?" - -John Trevanion's eyes glittered as he returned his cousin's wrathful -look. He half opened his mouth, closed it with a snap; then an -inscrutable smile stole upon his face. He shrugged, turned on his heel, -and went silently from the room. - -The Squire sank into his chair. The flush had vanished from his face, -leaving it ashy pale. His hands trembled with excess of indignation. - -"My dear, calm yourself," said his wife soothingly. "He is gone." - -He made no reply. Dick sat silent, every nerve tingling with -excitement. In a minute his father rose, leaving his coffee half -finished, and strode heavily from the room. - -"Mother, what does it mean?" asked Dick breathlessly. "Was that cousin -John?" - -"Yes, my dear. Do not name him to your father. I will go to him; I -fear he will be ill. Finish your breakfast, Dick, and go to the -Parsonage. You had better stay there all day; Mr. Carlyon will give you -some dinner." - -She followed her husband, leaving Dick to his breakfast and his -wondering thoughts. He faintly remembered his cousin John Trevanion, -who ten years before had lived in the now empty Dower House, between the -Towers and the village, as his father had done before him. John -Trevanion had then been a gay, careless, happy-go-lucky young man of -thirty, who lived on the Squire's bounty, riding his horse among the -county yeomanry, hunting with his neighbours, roistering it with the -most rakish young blades of the adjacent manors, joining in daredevil -escapades with the smugglers. His antics and riotings became a byword in -the country-side, and Dick remembered how, when a young boy, he had -witnessed several violent scenes between his father and John after some -particularly outrageous exploit. Old Pollex had told him that the -Squire had threatened many times that unless John reformed he would no -longer be allowed to occupy the Dower House, and had forgiven him over -and over again. At last a day came when John disappeared. Dick had -never learnt the true reason; the Squire never mentioned his cousin; -Pollex, when questioned, shook his head and pursed up his lips, and said -that John Trevanion was a villain; and Dick had formed the conclusion -from stray hints that the ne'er-do-well cousin had been driven out of -the country by some criminal act. For ten years he had not been heard -of, and he had wholly slipped from Dick's thoughts. - -Having finished his breakfast, Dick took his cap and set off for his -two-mile walk to the Parsonage, where he went daily to receive lessons -in classics and literature from Mr. Carlyon, the vicar. He had never -been to school, his father's resources being incapable of bearing the -expense. A few years before this time the Squire had been seriously -disturbed about his son's education. He was himself a sufficiently -competent tutor in mathematics, but what classics he ever had had wholly -left him, and he was miserable in the thought that the boy was growing -up without the elements of the education of a gentleman. At this point -the vicar stepped in with a proposal. He was a liberal-minded, genial -man, a fellow of his college, a student of his county's antiquities, and -in his 'varsity days had been a notable athlete. Now, though well on in -years, he would often, on a Sunday afternoon after church, lend his -countenance to wrestling bouts and games of baseball among the village -youths. He rode to hounds, and judged at coursing matches, these and -similar avocations probably accounting for the fact that a history of -the parish, which he had commenced twenty years before, was still -unfinished. One day he suggested to the Squire that he should give Dick -lessons in Latin and Greek, to keep himself from rusting, as the worthy -man delicately put it, but really to make good the deficiency due to his -friend's straitened means. Mr. Trevanion gladly accepted the offer, and -Dick had now been for five years under the parson's capable tuition. - -When Dick returned home in the evening he was met by Sam Pollex in a -state of considerable excitement. - -"I say, Maister Dick," he said, "this be a fine mossel o' news. Yer -cousin John--a rare bad 'un he be--have come home-along." - -"I know," replied Dick. "I've seen him." - -"Have 'ee, for sure? I hain't seed un, but I heerd tell on un in -village. Ike Pendry were goin' along road last night when up comes my -genel'um and axed un to carr' his bundle for a groat. He wer traipsin' -along from St. Cuby's Cove way, about an hour, it do seem, arter we come -up from fishin'." - -"Where had he come from?" - -"Newquay, 'a said; but 'tis my belief he come out o' the smack we seed, -and clomb the cliff, same as we." - -"That's nonsense. He wouldn't come in a smack, and if he did he -wouldn't land at the Cove. He has made no secret of his return, and -there's no reason why he shouldn't land at the jetty." - -"Ah, well, things be as they be; but I reckon he come in the smack, all -the same." - -"What is he doing in the village?" - -"He bean't there no longer. This arternoon he packed up his traps and -rid off on one of Doubledick's hosses to Trura. Feyther seed un go. 'A -called to un as he rid by. 'Hoy, Reuben!' says he, ''tis a cold -country, this!' That just 'mazed Feyther, 'cos it was a frizzlin' day. -'Spect he've been in furrin parts, wheer what's bilin' to we is nawthin' -but chill-off to they. So 'tis, to be sure." - -At this piece of news Dick felt much relieved. He hoped that Polkerran -had seen the last of John Trevanion. But it turned out that the return -of the native was only the first scene in a series of strange happenings -that were to be long remembered in the village, and were vitally to -affect the fortunes of the family at the Towers. - - - - - CHAPTER THE THIRD - - The Blow Falls - - -For some days after the event just related, life at Polkerran and the -neighbourhood flowed on its customary sluggish tide. The fishermen were -idle, waiting for pilchards to appear off the coast. The harvest had -been gathered in from the fields. There was little for the village folk -to do except to gossip. Men gathered in knots on the jetty and at the -inn-doors, chatting about the return of John Trevanion, the strange -vessels that had been seen, and the revenue cutter's failure to catch -them, the appearance of a ghost at St. Cuby's Well, the prospects of the -fishing season, the chances of making good "runs," and besting Mr. -Mildmay and the excisemen. At the Towers there was nothing to show that -anything had happened to disturb the placid surface of existence, except -that the Squire was more silent than usual, and went about with a pale -face and a preoccupied and troubled look. - -One afternoon, after the lapse of about a week, Dick, leaving the -Parsonage after his daily lessons, was surprised to see his father -approaching across the glebe. The Squire was on foot: his last horse -had been sold long ago. - -"Ha, Dick!" he said, as he met his son, "you have finished with Greeks -and Romans for the day, then. I have come for a word with the parson. -Shall be home to supper." - -Dick went on, and his father entered the house. - -"Ah, Trevanion, I am glad to see you," said Mr. Carlyon, cordially, his -keen eyes not failing to note a certain gravity in his old friend's -expression. - -"I want your advice, Carlyon," said Mr. Trevanion abruptly. - -"And you shall have the best I can give, as you know well. Come into -the garden and smoke a pipe with me. Good, honest tobacco, even if 'tis -contraband--and I can't swear to that--will do no harm to you or me." - -When they were seated side by side in wide wicker chairs beneath the -shade of an elm-tree, the Squire drew from his pocket a folded paper -which had been sealed at the edges. - -"Read that," he said, handing it to the vicar. - -Mr. Carlyon carefully rubbed his spectacles, set them on his nose with -deliberation, and slowly opened the paper. - -"H'm! God bless my soul! Poor old Trevanion!" he murmured, as he read, -unconscious that his words were audible. "This is bad news, Trevanion," -he said, aloud, looking over the rims of his spectacles with grave -concern. - -"It is. It is the very worst," said the Squire, gloomily. "It is the -end of things for me." - -"No, no; don't say that. Every cloud has a silver lining." - -"A musty proverb, Carlyon. You don't see the silver lining in a -thunderstorm, and it doesn't keep your skin dry. This spells ruin, ruin -irretrievable." - -The parson pressed his lips together, and read the document again. It -was a brief intimation from a Truro attorney of his client's intention -to foreclose on the mortgages he held upon certain parcels of land, if -the sums advanced on them were not repaid within a month from that date. - -"This is not your own man?" said the parson. - -"No. I never heard of him before." - -"What is the extent of the obligation?" - -"Two thousand pounds. I can't muster as many shillings. I am in arrear -with the interest. Within a month we shall be in the poor-house--a -noble end for Trevanion of the Towers!" - -"Tut, tut! You take too black a view of things. 'I have been young, and -now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed -begging bread.'" - -"But I have, and so have you, Carlyon. I see things as they are. 'Tis -no surprise to me; these many months I have felt the blow might fall at -any moment; but the condemned man hopes to the last for a reprieve, and -I have gone from day to day, like a weakling and simpleton, refusing to -face the facts. Not that I could have done anything; I am bankrupt; -there's no way out of it." - -"Who holds the mortgages?" - -"Sir Bevil Portharvan. I have nothing to say against him. He has been -very patient. A man of business would have foreclosed long ago, though -he would have got little by it, for the mines are worked out, the Towers -is a ruin, and the land will grow next to nothing but thistles and -burdock. 'Twas to be." - -"But he can't take the Towers from you. Do you not hold fast to that?" - -"I did till a year ago, but there's a small bond on that now--a paltry -hundred pounds; I could raise no more on it and the cliff. Sir Bevil -does not hold that, however; 'tis my own lawyer." - -The parson sawed the air with his hand, a trick of his when perplexed. - -"Well, old friend," he said, "I am sorry for you, from the bottom of my -heart. If I had the money, I would gladly lend it you, but 'passing -rich on forty pound a year,' you know----" - -"I know well. 'Tis not for that I come to you. Give me your advice. -What can I do? I must leave the Towers; what can I do for a livelihood? -Like the man in the Book, 'I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.' What a -miserable fool I was to throw up the sea when I came into the property! -And yet I don't know. Look at Mildmay; a year or two younger, 'tis -true, but still a lieutenant, and thought fit for nothing better than to -chase luggers and circumvent the trade. I've no interest with the -Admiralty; they've enough to do to provide for the seamen invalided from -the wars. What can an old fool past fifty do to earn his salt? Years -ago I had my dreams of paying off the burdens and reviving the Trevanion -fortunes; but they have long since vanished into thin air; the task -needed a better head than mine. And what little chance I might have had -was doomed by the misdeeds of that scoundrel cousin of mine----" - -"I heard that he reappeared the other day. I hoped it was not true." - -"'Twas true. He had the boldness, the effrontery, to come to me with -his 'let bygones be bygones,' and sneering at my Christianity. You know -the facts, Carlyon. You know how, but that I impoverished myself, he -would to this day be in the hulks or slaving in the plantations. I was -too tender, I was indeed. I ought to have let the law take its course, -and put my pride in my pocket. 'Twas a weakness, I own it; and now 'tis -time to take my payment." - -"No, my good friend, you did right to keep your name unstained. But I -wonder, indeed I do, that John Trevanion has dared to show his face here -again." - -"Oh, 'tis no wonder," said the Squire bitterly. "No one knew of his -crime but three, you and I and John Hammond; only Hammond had proof of -it, and he is dead. My worthless cousin learnt of his death, I warrant -you; the Devil has quick couriers for such as he; and he comes back, -relying on my weakness and your holiness. But I'll speak no more of -him; he is gone, and I hope I shall never see him again. There's my boy -Dick: what is to become of him? He is seventeen; he ought to be making -his way in the world. I can't put him to a profession; I keep him at -home drudging for us; and but for your kindness, Carlyon, he would be as -ignorant and raw as the meanest farm-hind. 'Tis not right; 'tis cruelty -to the lad; and he will live to curse the day he was born a Trevanion." - -"Come, come, this is not like you, Squire," said Mr. Carlyon warmly. -"The lad is doing very well. He lives an open, honest life, and a useful -one. What if his hands are horny? He makes good progress with his -books, too, and will be fit in a year or two to win a sizarship at -Oxford, and he will do well there, take orders, or maybe become -secretary to some great person. You need fear nothing for Dick. No; -'tis for yourself and your good wife we must think. And now let us put -our heads together. What say you to visiting Sir Bevil, and seeking -further grace? I will myself undertake the office." - -"Never!" cried the Squire firmly. "I will have no man supplicating and -beseeching on my behalf. No; let what must come, come; never will I -whine and grovel for mercy." - -"You are an obstinate old fool, Roger Trevanion," said the parson, -laying a friendly hand on the other's arm. "But I own I sympathise with -your feeling. Well, then, my counsel is--and you may scorn it--do -nothing." - -"Nothing!" - -"Simply wait. The foreclosure must come, I see that; but the other -mortgagee has not moved; you will still have a roof above you; you make -no profit of the mortgaged lands, and so will be not a whit worse off -than you are now, save in the one point of pride. That pride of yours -has been your snare, Trevanion." - -"Well I know it!" - -"I don't preach, except on Sundays, but I believe in my heart that this -trouble will turn out for your good. Hold fast your rock, old friend; -'twas sound advice, even though it came from a witch. No man can give -you better, and I am superstitious enough to believe that while you -follow it the Trevanions will not come to beggary." - -The two friends sat talking for some time longer. When the Squire rose -to go away, he said-- - -"I thank you, Carlyon. You have done me good. I see nothing but -darkness ahead, but I'll take your advice; I'll stick to the ship, and -keep my colours flying, and who knows?--perhaps I shall weather it out -after all." - -They shook hands and parted, and the parson returned to his study to -read over an ode of Horace in readiness for Dick's lesson next day. - -After his conversation with Mr. Carlyon the Squire recovered his wonted -serenity. So cheerful was he when he told his wife and son what was -going to happen, that they refrained from giving utterance in his -presence to their own feelings on the matter, for fear of bringing back -his gloom. He rode over one day in the carrier's cart to Truro to pay -the interest on the Towers mortgage with the proceeds of a fine litter -of pigs, and showed his lawyer the letter he had received from his -professional brother. - -"An excellent practitioner, sharp as a needle," said the lawyer. "He -came to me a while ago wanting to purchase the little bond I myself -hold; but I refused him point-blank, and went so far as to express my -surprise at Sir Bevil. He grinned at me, Mr. Trevanion--yes, grinned at -me in the most unseemly way. 'Twas not Sir Bevil's doing: that is one -comfort." - -"Who bought up the bonds, then?" - -"That I cannot tell you: I do not know. No doubt a stranger, who has -more money than judgment. I am sorry for this; I am indeed; and if -there were any chance of getting metal out of the earth I could have -transferred your mortgages with the greatest ease. As it is--but there, -I won't talk of it. As for my own little bond on the Towers, that may -remain till Doomsday so far as I am concerned. It would cut me to the -heart to see the old place in the hands of any one but a Trevanion." - -"You're a good fellow, Trevenick," said the Squire, "and I'm grateful to -you." - -"Not at all, not at all, my dear sir. I am perfectly satisfied with my -investment." - -And the Squire returned home more cheerful than ever, convinced that -lawyers were not all as dry as their parchments. - -The allotted month sped away. One afternoon, when Dick was at the -parson's, Sam Pollex ran at headlong speed up the road from the village, -dashed into the house, and forgetting his manners, burst into the -Squire's room without knocking or wiping his boots, as he had been -strictly enjoined always to do. - -"If 'ee please, sir," he panted, "there be a wagon full of females -pulled up at the door o' the Dower House yonder." - -"Indeed!" said the Squire. "Have you never seen females before, Sam?" - -"Iss I have, sometimes, in the village; but these be furriners, sir." - -"Well, maybe they'll buy your eggs, and that'll save you three-quarters -of your walk to the village." - -Sam went out, looking very much puzzled. What had brought foreign -females to his master's house, he wondered? Within half an hour he was -back again, this time a little less eager, though equally excited. He -rapped on the door, and being bidden to enter, said, less breathlessly -than before: - -"If 'ee please, sir, I seed a man on a hoss ride up to Dower House, and -he went inside, sir, and 'twas Maister John." - -"Who? John who?" The questions came like pistol-shots. - -"His other name be Trevanion, it do seem," said the boy. - -The Squire got up in great agitation. - -"Are you sure, boy?" he asked. - -"No, sir, I bean't sure, 'cos I never seed un afore; but I axed Tom -Penny, who was standing by, who 'twas, and he said, 'Why, ninny-watch, -doan't 'ee know yer own maister's born cousin? 'Tis the same fine -genel'um that give Ike Pendry a groat for carr'n his portmantel.'" - -Then something happened that scared Sam out of his wits and sent him -scampering to the kitchen for his father. - -"Feyther, Feyther," he cried, "come quick! Squire's took bad. 'A went -all gashly white and wambled about, sighin' and groanin' that terrible! -He's dyin', I b'lieve." - -Old Reuben was lame, but he caught up a jug of water and hobbled with it -as fast as he could to the Squire's room, sending Sam to fetch the -mistress. He found the Squire seated in his chair, with a stony look -upon his ashen face. - -"What ails thee, maister?" cried the terrified servant. - -"Nothing, nothing, Reuben," replied Mr. Trevanion. "Don't be afraid, and -don't alarm your mistress." - -Here Mrs. Trevanion came hastily in, Sam hanging behind as if afraid to -approach too near. - -"I am sorry they called you, my dear," said the Squire. "There is -nothing wrong. Leave us, Reuben." - -The old man hobbled away. Mrs. Trevanion stood by her husband's chair. - -"I was overcome for a moment, but it has passed," said the Squire. -"John Trevanion is the master of my lands." - -"It cannot be, Roger!" - -"It is, it is. Sam saw a party of servants drive to the Dower House, -and John himself ride up a while after." - -"But, Roger, I do not understand." - -"'Tis very simple. He has bought up the mortgages from Sir Bevil's -attorney--'twas hard to believe that the foreclosure was Sir Bevil's -doing--and has come to mock me and flout me at my own doors; ay, and to -drive me away, if he can!" - -"A penniless man, Roger! You told me he left here a beggar." - -"Yes, a beggar, and worse--a thousand times worse. But that was ten -years ago, and in ten years beggars may become rich, and scoundrels may -tread down many an honest man. But he shall not tread me down. He may -own my land, and fence me in, and do what he will; but the Towers is -mine, and by heaven I will hold it!" - -Discretion was one of Mrs. Trevanion's qualities. Being relieved to find -that Sam's alarming report of the Squire's illness was exaggerated, if -not wholly imaginary, she sought with her wonted tact to divert her -husband's thoughts into a calmer channel, and soon had him interested in -purely domestic matters. - -The re-opening of the Dower House was already the all-engrossing topic -of conversation among the old wives and young wives, fishers, farmers, -tradesmen, loafers and small fry of Polkerran and the neighbourhood. -The "wagon-full of females" of Sam's kindling eye turned out to be one -plump woman of forty and one slim maid of half that age, the cook and -housemaid whom John Trevanion had engaged, as afterwards appeared, in a -Devonshire village. On the same day two heavy wagons, each drawn by -four enormous horses, arrived from Truro with furniture, kitchen -utensils, and other things needed in setting up house, and on the next -appeared a couple of riding-horses in charge of a lively young groom. - -These important events were retailed and freely commented on in the -tap-room of the Five Pilchards. - -"We shall see brave doings up at the old house, neighbours," said -Doubledick, the innkeeper, to the group of fishermen idling there. -"Maister John is a fine feller, that he be. He were allers the chap for -a randy, and 'twill be a rare change for we to have some one as will -have feastings and merry-makings arter the miserable cold time we've had -wi' Squire." - -"'A must have a heap o' gold and silver in his purse to pay for all they -fine-lookin' things we seed goin' in," said one of the men. "Wheer 'd -he get it all from, can 'ee tell us that, neighbour Doubledick?" - -"I might if I put my mind to it," said Doubledick sententiously. "But -it don't matter a mossel wheer it do come from; there 'tis, and we shall -have the good o't. The lord-lieutenant 'll make un a magistrate, if I -know the ways o' providence, and I do know summat about 'em, neighbours -all; and if any of 'ee are brought up afore un for a innocent bit o' -free-tradin', he'll not be the man to stretch the law against 'ee, not -he." - -"'Tis a terrible affliction for Squire, to be sure," said another. -"There be no loving-kindness 'twixt 'em, if all's true as folks tell, -and a dog can't abide seein' another run off with his bone, that bein' -my simple way of speech." - -"Squire be goin' down, that's the truth o't," said Doubledick. "Well, -some goes up and some goes down, and all gets level in churchyard." - -Sam Pollex lost no time in making acquaintance with the new household. -On the day after their arrival he carried a basket of eggs to the -back-door of the Dower House, and blushed to the roots of his hair when -it was opened by a pretty Devonshire lass, who smiled sweetly on him, -asked him the price, and said she would speak to Cook. - -"She will take them," said the girl on her return, "and bids me say you -must come to-morrow and she'll let 'ee know if any is addled. What be -the name of 'ee, boy?" - -"Sam Pollex, ma'am," said Sam sheepishly. - -"And where do 'ee live?" - -"Up at Towers, yonder." - -"Well I never! Bean't that where Maister's cousin the Squire lives?" - -"Iss, him and me lives there, and the mistress, and Feyther, and Maister -Dick." - -"Only think of it, now! Squire selling eggs like a common dairyman!" - -"Squire don't sell 'em; 'tis me, and I take Mistress the money. -Sometimes it come to two or three shilling a week, but the hens don't -lay in winter, and then I sell sides o' pork and chitterlings." - -"Well, run away now, boy--Sam Pollex, did you say? What a funny name! -And mind you don't lose the money." - -Sam went away all aglow with admiration of the sweet looks of the -maid-servant, and told Mrs. Trevanion how kindly she had spoken to him. -He was seized with a terrible depression of spirits when he left his -mistress's presence. - -"Never go there again to sell eggs, or anything else, Sam," she said -firmly. "Your master will be very angry with you if he hears of it. -Here is the money. Take it to your father, and mind you never do such a -thing again." - -Sam, with a rueful face, told Dick what had happened. - -"I should think not, indeed," said Dick indignantly. "If I catch you -going inside the gates of the Dower House grounds again I'll break your -head, young Sam; you remember it." - -For several days the Squire scarcely left the house. Then he happened to -meet John Trevanion riding along the road. The supplanter swept off his -hat with a mocking salutation, but the Squire passed him without a sign -of recognition. - -A day or two later Sir Bevil Portharvan, owner of an estate some miles -distant, rode over to the Towers. - -"Ah, Trevanion," he said to the Squire, "how d'ye do? 'Tis only -yesterday I heard that your cousin was the purchaser of the bonds I -held. It must be a great comfort to you that the property has not gone -out of the family." - -"Let me tell you, once for all, Sir Bevil," cried the Squire, his cheeks -red with anger, "that the owner of the Dower House is a stranger to me. -I will not speak to him, nor look at him, and I don't care who knows -it." - -"Dear me, I am sorry," said the astonished visitor. "I had no idea of -it, or, believe me, Trevanion, I would never----" - -"Enough, Sir Bevil. I have no grudge against you. You have been very -long-suffering; I thank you for it; but I would have given you my -property rather than it should fall into the hands of its present owner. -I say no more." - -And Sir Bevil told his friends that old Trevanion was growing very -crusty, and it was a pity to see such paltry envy in a man of his years. - - - - - CHAPTER THE FOURTH - - The Cave of Seals - - -Some few days afterwards, Mr. Mildmay, visiting the Towers once more, -chanced to mention that as he passed St. Cuby's Cove in his cutter he -had seen a couple of seals disporting themselves in the shallow water -under the cliff. The conversation passed at once to other matters, but -next morning Dick told Sam what the lieutenant had said, and suggested -that they should go seal-hunting. Sam was nothing loth, and promised to -accompany his young master as soon as he had fed the poultry and cleaned -out the sties. - -Seals were not often seen on the coast; indeed, Dick had only once -before heard of their appearance, so that the proposed expedition had -all the charm of novelty. While waiting for Sam, he went to the -kitchen, where Reuben Pollex was washing the dishes, and asked him if he -could tell him how to tackle a seal. - -"That's more than I can do, Maister Dick," said the old man. "I never -caught nawthin' but fish and rabbits, and maybe a stoat now and again; -never seed a seal in my life." - -"They're valuable, Reuben," said Dick. "The skins are worth a good -deal. They are made into coats and tippets and such things for ladies, -you know." - -"The mistress wants a new coat, so 'twould come handy, and I wish 'ee -luck. I've heerd tell that the critters sometimes hide in the cave -yonder, though as no man, 's far 's I know, ever did see 'em there, it -may be only guesswork." - -The cave mentioned was at the head of St. Cuby's Cove. Its entrance was -exposed only at low tide, and Dick had more than once visited it at such -times, exploring its recesses by the light of a torch or one of the -house lanterns. He had never made any interesting discovery there, and -had for some years ceased to visit it. - -"Didn't you tell me once that there is an entrance to the cave from the -land side, Reuben?" he asked. - -"Ay, folks used to say so when I was a boy, but I don't know as there be -any truth in it. Once upon a time, long afore my day, there was a mine -thereabouts, and maybe one of the adits ran down to the cave; but 'tis -sixty year or more since the mine give out--in yer grandfer's time--and -not a soul have been down in the workings ever since, 's far 's I know." - -Here Sam appeared and announced that he was ready. The two lads, -provided with a gun, a cutlass, a lantern, and a few candle-ends, -proceeded to the spot on the beach of Trevanion Bay where their boat was -moored, launched her, and rowed round the promontory to St. Cuby's Cove. -The tide was running out, and as the interval during which the cave was -free from water was very short, Dick and his companion worked the boat -through the entrance with their hands as soon as there was room for them -to pass between the roof and the surface of the sea. - -The opening was at first a narrow tunnel in the cliff, but after some -yards it began to widen gradually, and at length enlarged itself into a -spacious vault, in which there was a continuous murmur, such as is heard -on putting a shell to one's ear. By the time the boys reached it the -tide had completely left the cave, and the boat stranded on a sandy -beach, littered with rocks of all shapes and sizes, which had apparently -fallen at various times from the roof. They lit their lantern, whose -yellow rays fell on jagged granite walls, glistening shells, and slimy -seaweed covering the rocks on the floor. Here and there were small -pools which the tide never left dry, and where the light of the lantern -revealed innumerable little marine creatures darting this way and that -with extraordinary rapidity. - -The boys made the boat fast by looping the painter round a jagged -boulder. They moved warily, for the seal was a beast unknown to either -of them, though Dick, in his total ignorance of these creatures of the -deep, hardly expected to find them in the cave now that the sea had -receded. Presently, however, they heard above the hollow murmur another -sound, like the feeble bleat of a very young lamb. They peered about, -moving the lantern to and fro, and at length discovered, lying on a -rocky ledge at the inmost end of the cave, two small cream-coloured -objects, scarcely more than a foot long, whose soft eyes blinked in the -light, and from whose mouths issued plaintive cries of alarm. - -"Bean't they proper little mites!" said Sam, putting out his hand to -touch them. - -"Don't do that!" cried Dick hastily; "the old ones may be about, and if -they're like other beasts, they'll attack us if they think we'll hurt -their young." - -"Shan't we take 'em, then?" asked Sam. - -"Of course not; they're too young." - -"And shan't we look for the old uns?" - -"No; the young ones would die if we killed the parents. We must come -again later on, when they're old enough to take care of themselves. But -our day shan't be wasted. We'll see if we can find the other entrance -to the cave." - -"What other entrance?" - -"Your father says 'tis thought that at one time there was a way in from -an adit above." - -"I can't believe it. The free-traders would have found it long afore -this if so 'twere." - -"I don't know. The adit wouldn't be an easy passage for them with their -bales and kegs. But don't let us waste time; the tide will be running -back soon." - -They followed the irregular circuit of the cave, thrusting the lantern -into every recess and hollow, holding it high and low, but discovering -nothing except the same rugged and apparently impenetrable wall. - -"There bean't no opening," said Sam at length. "'Twas fiddle-faddle to -say there be." - -"Perhaps it is high above us, out of reach," suggested Dick. - -"Where's the sense o' that?" replied Sam, disappointed of the -anticipated sport. "What mortal good would it be to any soul alive to -make an opening where 'ee'd break yer neck if you come to it?" - -Dick did not answer, craning his neck to scan the heights above him. -The light of the lantern failed to penetrate the overarching gloom. The -roof of the cave was invisible, and the walls appeared to rise -perpendicularly, with projections here and there that looked, in the -spectral glimmer, like the grotesque gargoyles on a church-tower. - -"I'd like to climb up there," said Dick at length. - -"Lawk-a-massy, you'd break yer neck for sure. 'Tis a 'mazing hard job to -climb the cliff arter gulls' eggs, but this be death and burial." - -"We could do it with a ladder." - -"Our ladder bean't long enough by half; the only ladders long enough be -they in church-tower, and they be too heavy to lug here, and sexton -wouldn't let us take 'em. Scrounch it all, Maister Dick, I do think 'ee -be muddled in yer head to think o' sech daring doings. See now, tide's -comin' in, and we don't want to be drownded." - -"That's the most sensible thing you've said for a while, Sam. We'll go -now, but I won't give it up. We'll get a ladder, or make one, and come -back another day. I'm determined to find out if there really is an -opening." - -"Well, Feyther says most heads do have a magget in 'em, like turmits, -and this be yours; 'tis indeed." - -They loosed the boat, and paddled out as they had come, Dick resolving, -in spite of his follower's damping attitude, to return before long, and -make a thorough exploration of the place. - -Later in the day, as he walked home from the Parsonage, he was struck -with an idea of a contrivance for serving his purpose. He consulted old -Reuben about it when he got home, and Sam, on returning from an errand -in the village, found his father and Dick hard at work in an outhouse, -splicing short lengths of rope, and fixing them at regular intervals -between two thin but strong poles about six feet long. - -"What be doin', Feyther?" asked Sam. - -"Use yer eyes, sonny, and put a name to 't yerself," replied Reuben. - -"Well, if I was to speak my thought, I'd say 'ee was makin' a ladder -that 'ud let a man down as soon as he put a foot on it." - -"Then 'tis for you to make it stronger, my son, babe and sucklin' as 'ee -be. T'ud be a sin to let so much cleverness run to seed. Strip off yer -coat and lay into it, and keep yer tongue quiet, for if 'ee set all the -organs of yer body goin' at once, you'll die young." - -This implied rebuke had the effect of making Sam enter zealously into -the work, and before supper two light ladders were finished, each six -feet long, which, together with a short ladder of the ordinary kind that -Reuben used in his duties about the premises, provided Dick with a total -length of eighteen or twenty feet. His notion was to carry these -separate pieces down to the cave, and then lash them together to form -one continuous whole. - -He fixed on the following afternoon for his second visit to the cave. -The morning turned out very wet, the rain pouring down in quite unusual -volume; but the sky cleared after dinner, and the two boys set off, -timing themselves as before to reach the cave when the ebbing tide left -the entrance free. Again the baby seals were alone, and much as Dick -would have liked a tussle with their parents, his sporting bent was for -the time subordinate to his wish to find the supposed landward entrance -to the cave. - -The ladder perfectly answered its purpose, but it was disappointing to -find that it was by no means long enough. Even when Dick, the taller of -the two, stood on the topmost rung, Sam holding the ladder steady at the -bottom, he saw that the walls still stretched for several feet above -him. But the roof was now in sight, an irregular arch, consisting of -knobs, wedges, and inverted pyramids of rock, and Dick felt the -tantalising certainty that the opening, if opening there was, could not -be far away. - -They went all round the cave, setting the ladder up at frequent -intervals, Dick exploring every foot of the jagged wall with the aid of -his lantern. There were plenty of recesses and depressions, ranging -from a finger's breadth to the length of his arm; but he did not find -one where he was unable to touch the back of it with his outstretched -hand. It was clear that the opening, if it existed, must be above his -head. - -"We shall have to make another length of ladder, and come back again," -he said to Sam. "I won't give it up." - -He was standing high on the ladder as he spoke, dangling the lantern by -a ring at the top. The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there -was a tremendous crash, which shook the place, and so much startled him -that, in an instinctive movement to cling on to something, he let the -lantern fall. It lighted fairly on the top of Sam's head, bounced off, -and dropped with a thud to the sandy floor, where the candle was -instantly extinguished. - -"Are you hurt, Sam?" cried Dick, anxiously. - -"Rabbit it all!" roared Sam, in high indignation. "Do 'ee think my head -be wood then? Bean't I got feelings like any other common man? My -skull have got a furrow in it a yard long, and I may rub it till I'm -dead, I'll never straighten it out again." - -"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it, Sam. Light the candle again, will -you, so that we can see what has happened." - -Sam growled and grunted as he struck a light from his tinder-box. The -rekindled candle revealed a strange catastrophe. A huge mass of the -wall and roof of the cavern had collapsed, owing perhaps to the heavy -rains in the morning, and the dbris was lying in a heap against the -opening of the tunnel leading to the exterior. - -"If this bean't a pretty kettle of fish, never call me Sam again," said -the boy in consternation. "'Tis closed up; we be shet in." - -Dick climbed down the ladder, and crossed the floor of the cave to see -the extent of the mischief. It was as Sam had said. Their exit was -barred by a mass of rock and loose soil that must weigh several tons. - -"Quick, Sam!" cried Dick, "we must work hard to clear it away. The tide -will be on the turn, and we don't want to be imprisoned here all night." - -They began to work with all haste, but soon found that the task would be -a long one. The smaller pieces of rock were easily cast aside; but -there were many large masses which, besides being heavy and cumbersome -themselves, were very difficult to move by reason of the earth in which -they were imbedded. The boys had made but little progress when the sea -began to creep in. - -"We'll be drownded alive!" said Sam, now in a state of terror. - -"Work, then. Shove your hardest, Sam; we'll do it yet." - -They tugged and hauled and pushed with fierce energy, and by employing -their united strength upon the largest masses, they succeeded in -clearing a path wide enough to allow room for the boat. By this time -the water was almost up to their knees, and they heard the boat graze -the rocks as it floated on the incoming tide. Loosing the painter, they -pushed the craft through the tunnel, only to find, when they approached -the seaward opening, that but a small segment of the sky was visible, -the gap being too shallow to afford a passage. - -"We are trapped, Sam; there's no denying it," said Dick quietly. "But -don't be alarmed. I don't suppose the water reaches the roof of the -cave even at high tide, so that we can float in the boat quite safely. -It only means a few hours' imprisonment." - -"If I've got to be jailed, I'd rather be in village lock-up; 'tis dry at -any rate. Can't we swim out, Maister Dick?" - -"Of course we can, but I doubt whether we had better do it. There's a -dozen yards or more under water first, and then a good half-mile outside -before we can land. We should get pretty well knocked about on the -rocks if there's any swell on the sea. We had much better stay here." - -Sam gloomily assented to this course. They got into the boat, and sat -there for some time watching it rise gradually as the tide grew higher. - -"Hang me for a jackass!" cried Dick suddenly. - -"What have 'ee been and done?" asked Sam with concern. - -"Why, we haven't got gun, cutlass, or any other weapon." - -"'A b'lieve not," said Sam, "but we couldn't keep out the tide with un -if we had forty guns and fifty cutlasses." - -"The seals! They'll come back with the tide, and be in a terrible rage -with us, thinking we're after their babies." - -"Be-jowned if I thought of it! 'Twas a true word; you do be a great -jackass, sure enough." - -"Mind what you say, Sam, or I'll throw you out." - -"'Twas your word, not mine. I wouldn't go so far as that. Ninnyhammer -is the worst I'd call 'ee. But I told 'ee how 'twould be, with yer head -itchin' with this magget of openin's and ladders and all that." - -"Be ready to use the boat-hook, or the anchor, if the seals attack us. -I'll use one of the oars." - -"I don't believe we'll have to fight at all," cried Sam. "Look 'ee! -There be they two young seals swimmin' out to find the old uns. They -bean't so young as you thought if they can swim like that, and we med as -well have took 'em yesterday as not." - -"Well, 'tis too late now. They're gone." - -"To get their supper, I reckon. I be mortal hungry, Maister Dick, arter -all that work. Have 'ee got a morsel of bread in yer pocket?" - -"Not a bit." - -"Not a apple or codling?" - -"Not one." - -"I could eat a turmit or a raw tater. But don't name 'em to me, or I -shall feel very bad for thinkin' of 'em. Best thing is to go to sleep -when yer hungry, 'cos you don't feel it then." - -"Well, sleep. I'll wake you if anything happens." - -The boy curled himself up in the bottom of the boat, and soon filled the -cavern with his snores. - - - - - CHAPTER THE FIFTH - - St. Cuby's Well - - -To see another eat when oneself is hungry, or sleep when oneself is -wakeful, is surely very trying to the temper, except to those -happily-constituted individuals who are incapable of envy. Dick -Trevanion was as generous-hearted a boy as you could wish; but as the -time went by, unmarked by anything but the slow rise of the boat and the -quick dwindling of the candle in the lantern, he looked at Sam's open -mouth with impatience, listened to his untuneful solo with dislike, and -felt a deplorable desire to kick him. He had no watch, and bethought -himself that it might be as well, when he got home, to test the duration -of a candle, so that if he were ever in such a predicament again he -might at least have a clock of King Alfred's sort. Every now and then -he snuffed the coarse wick, and when the tallow had sunk almost to the -socket, he substituted another candle-end that he happened to have in -his pocket. Beyond this he had nothing to employ him. - -But by-and-by, as the roof of the vault came nearer to him with the -gradual lifting of the boat, an idea struck him. Why not use the boat -as a raised platform for the ladder, and so contrive to examine an -additional ten or twelve feet of the walls? The ladder!--it was -floating on the surface of the water, heaving simultaneously with the -boat as the tide gently rippled in. - -"Wake up, Sam!" he called. - -Sam snored on. - -"Wake up!" cried Dick again, leaning over and pinching the sleeper's -nose. - -Sam struck out with his fist, as any honest English boy would have done, -without opening his eyes. But at a third call he roused himself, sat up, -and rubbing those heavy organs vigorously, sighed like a furnace, and -then said sleepily: - -"Why, where be I?" - -"In dreamland, I should think," replied Dick, laughing. "Wake up! I -want you to hold the ladder against the wall while I climb again." - -"In twelve feet o' water! Not me; I bean't growed enough for that. -'Tis work for a giant." - -"Not on the ground, of course; in the boat, I mean." - -Sam looked dubious. - -"Won't it wamble? And if you tumble you'll sink us." - -"Well, we can try. Take hold of the end of the ladder floating by you, -and I'll paddle close to the wall." - -On lifting the ladder, they found that its top came within a few feet of -the roof. But when Dick began to climb, he descended in a hurry, for -the ladder being of necessity set up at an angle, every upward step -drove the boat from the wall towards the middle of the cave. - -"Be-jowned if we can do it!" cried Sam. "That there openin' will be the -death o' me." - -Dick was at a loss. There was no way of keeping the boat in a fixed -position. Even if he dropped the anchor and it held in the sandy -bottom, the boat would still have a range of movement that altogether -prohibited the success of his plan. He looked gloomily at Sam; it was -vexatious to be baulked when achievement was so near. Sam, with his -hands on the sides of the ladder, was gazing up its length, his eyes -gradually converging as they travelled higher, until they seemed almost -to be looking at each other. All at once they reverted to their natural -position, and he cried: - -"I've got a noble thought, I do b'lieve." - -"What's that?" - -"Why, 'tis as easy as anything. See that place, Maister Dick, up aloft -there, where the wall goes in summat?" - -"Well, what then?" - -"I'll show 'ee. You'd never ha' thought of it, 'cos you was lookin' -down instead o' lookin' up." - -He drew down the ladder until its whole length lay along one side of the -boat. - -"Look 'ee here," he said. "We'll take the anchor, and fix it upright in -middle of the ladder, lash it to the top rung, do 'ee see?" He suited -the action to the word. "There! Now 'tis a hook, or a clutch, or -whatever name you like to gie un. We'll lift un again till it hooks on -that ledge; then it will hang free, and you can climb as easy as -climbing trees." - -"A capital notion, Sam," cried Dick. - -"I said it was, purticler for a poor mazy stunpoll of a feller like me." - -"You're a genius if it works out. The thing is to try it." - -Raising the ladder to its former position, they moved it along the face -of the wall until one fluke of the anchor held firmly to the ledge of -rock, as they proved by exerting a considerable downward strain. - -"This is splendid," said Dick. "Now to go up." - -"Ah, don't 'ee take the lantern with 'ee this time. I don't want no more -cracks on the nob, and if it fell again, 't 'ud get soused in the water, -and then we'd be in darkness." - -"You're right. I'll take the candle out and stick it in my hat as the -miners do. I must have a light, of course." - -"I reckon you must, if you be goin' to find that openin'," said Sam, -sceptical to the last. - -Dick stuck the lighted candle into the band of his hat, stepped out of -the boat, and began to climb, Sam watching his progress and offering -bits of cautionary counsel. In a few seconds, when Dick's head -projected above the anchor, he saw that the ledge of rock, extending for -some distance on both sides, was the floor of a roughly rectangular -fissure, which penetrated the earth much as the tunnel below penetrated -the cliff. It ran upwards. The smoky light from the candle did not -reach far, but Dick, peering over the ledge, was unable to see any solid -background to the fissure. - -"I've found the opening!" he said. - -"What do 'ee say?" called Sam. "Yer voice sounds all a mumble and a -rumble." - -Clinging firmly to the ledge with both hands, Dick lowered his head and -repeated the words. - -"Now yer satisfied, then," said Sam. "Better come down afore the candle -goes out." - -"No. I'm going on." - -"But chok' it all, you won't leave me all alone! I'm not afeard, not I; -but if there be three or four seals a-comin' home by-and-by, I can't -fight 'em all." - -"You must come up too when I've looked a little farther." - -"But you can't climb on to the ledge without summat to hold to. Maister -Dick, think of yer feyther and mother, and what I'm to say if 'ee falls -and breaks yer neck, and I take 'ee home a gashly corp." - -"Don't talk rubbish. I shan't fall if you don't worry me. I'm not -going to sit for hours longer in the boat till the tide goes down, so -hold your tongue till I am safe aloft." - -Leaning well forward, he carefully lifted his foot to the next rung, -then to the next, watching the anchor to see that it was not displaced -by his movements. Then he got one knee on the rocky shelf, stretched -his arms in front of him, and with a sudden movement heaved his body on -to the ledge and fell flat, his feet projecting into space. He crawled -along on hands and knees until his boots disappeared from Sam's view, -and stood up within the dark entrance of the fissure. - -"I'm up, Sam," he called, his voice reverberating hollowly in the vault. - -"Then I be comin' too," cried the boy. - -"Not yet. You must wait a little until I see where the opening leads -to. I'll come back for you presently." - -He turned his face to the opening and went in. Dim as the light was, he -recognised almost at once that he was at the end of a mine adit. Within -a few paces the fissure narrowed to a dwarf tunnel, through which a tiny -stream trickled, disappearing, not over the ledge into the cave, but -into a fissure in the wall of rock. There was space for only two -persons to pass abreast, and as Dick proceeded, he had to bend his head -to avoid striking the roof. He was about to explore further, when he -remembered that the candle in his hat could not last more than a few -minutes, and to advance in the dark would be foolhardy. He had no more -candles, and supposed that Sam had none, so that it seemed as if he must -postpone further exploration. But returning to the ledge, he saw a -light in the cave. - -"You've got some more candle-ends, then?" he cried. - -"One, that I've just fished up out of my pocket along with a bit of -string, some bait, a bit o' pudden that I'd forgot--can't eat it now, -hungry as I be, 'cos 'tis all tallowed--and a green penny." - -"I want the candle, Sam; mine's going out. Can you pitch it up?" - -"I can, but it 'ud only fall back into the water and go to the bottom." - -"Wait. I've a bit of string in my pocket. I'll let it down; tie the -candle on." - -"I must do it, I suppose. Iss, you shall have it, and I'll be left in -the dark, but I'm not afeard--not very." - -In a minute Dick had the fresh candle in his hat-band, and once more -entered the tunnel. - -It was very damp, and Dick guessed from the trickling stream at his feet -that the adit had been designed, when the mine was in operation, to -drain the upper workings. How long ago this was he had no idea. It -must have been long before old Reuben's time, or the man would have had -more definite knowledge than he actually possessed, and the existence of -the opening would have been known as a fact instead of being a mere -fragment of village tradition. - -Dick went on. In some parts the tunnel was almost impassable with earth -and rocks that had fallen in. Step as cautiously as he might, every now -and then the rattle of loose earth displaced by his movements caused a -cold shiver to run down his back. What if there should be a fall behind -him which would cut off his retreat to the cave? The tunnel ought to -lead to an opening to the air above, but the way might be blocked, and -the possibility of being entombed was daunting. But having come so far -Dick was unwilling to give in. The peril might be purely imaginary. -Plucking up his courage, he hastened his steps, and after a few minutes -came to an enlargement of the tunnel. To his left a second gallery ran -downward at a sharp angle with that in which he was; no doubt this also -led to some point of the shore. Still advancing, he saw, with some -surprise, that the passage was strutted in places, and much freer from -obstructions than the portion he had already traversed. About a hundred -yards beyond the transverse gallery, however, his progress was suddenly -checked: the whole width of the tunnel was filled with a mass of rocks, -stones, and loose earth. A few seconds' examination sufficed to show -the impossibility of proceeding farther in this direction; accordingly -he retraced his steps and, a few yards away, came to another passage, to -find, however, after twenty or thirty paces, that he was again brought -to a stop. - -This time the obstruction was of a different nature. It was a rough door -made of stout wooden beams, closed with a heavy bar resting in sockets. -He lifted the bar and pulled the creaking door, which came towards him -for an inch or two, and then stuck. To open it fully he had to remove -from the floor a number of planks and beams, which appeared to be the -parts of a broken windlass. Having got the door open and passed -through, he found himself in a square chamber that smelt very damp and -close, though, on looking upwards, he could see no roof. He concluded -that he was at the bottom of a deep shaft. But it had not the look of a -mine shaft, which, so far as Dick's experience went, was always -timbered. The walls here were cased with stone, moss-grown and damp. - -Near the doorway he caught sight of a staple of rusty iron let into the -wall; a little above this, a second of the same kind; and at the same -interval above the second, a third. Looking up the wall, he perceived -that similar staples projected from the stonework as far up as the -flickering light of his candle revealed. Their shape, and the intervals -between them, indicated that they were steps by which the wall could be -climbed. And then it flashed upon him suddenly that he was in an -ancient well, known as St. Cuby's Well, though who St. Cuby was nobody -knew except, perhaps, Mr. Carlyon, deeply learned in the antiquities of -his county. The upper end of the well-shaft opened on the cliff, about -a quarter-mile from the cottage of old Joe Penwarden, the exciseman. It -was covered by the ivy-grown ruins of a small oratory, whither in times -long past the faithful had come to have their children baptised in the -water of the holy well, to drink of it for the cure of their diseases, -and to offer up vows and repeat prayers before the sacred cross. - -Strange as it may seem, Dick's first impulse, when the identity of his -whereabouts flashed upon him, was to dash through the doorway and -scamper with all imaginable speed back to the cave. He was not more -superstitious than other boys of his age; but in those days, before old -beliefs and fancies had undergone the cold douche of science, people -were credulous of omens and spells, blessings and curses, beneficent -influences and the evil eye. From St. Cuby's Well the aroma of sanctity -had long since departed; according to village tradition, a murder of -peculiar horror had once been committed there; and now it was shunned as -a plague spot. No pilgrims came to kneel beneath the sacred roof; no -children ever played hide and seek among its picturesque ruins; -everybody, from the Squire downwards, avoided it, and at night not a man -would have ventured within a hundred yards of its unhallowed precincts. -Stories were rife of apparitions seen there; it was these ghosts of -which Ike Pendry had spoken to John Trevanion on the night when he had -overtaken the trudging pedestrian on the high road. - -Dick, of course, had no belief in ghosts, and regarded the stories with -as much intellectual contempt as his father gave to the witch's couplet. -But his imagination was subject to impressions which his reason scorned; -and in the gloom of the well-shaft, which the yellow rays of his candle -rendered more awful than complete darkness could have been, these vague -conceptions of murder, sacrilege, and midnight hauntings possessed his -mind so completely as at first to overwhelm his common-sense. But he -resolutely crushed down these figments of his imagination, told himself -that such evil traditions might probably be traced to no more real -origin than the failure of the spring of water, and decided to go back -for his companion and put an end to their captivity by climbing up the -iron steps to the surface of the cliff. - -"Oh, I am glad to see 'ee," cried Sam, as his young master's head -appeared at the brink of the ledge. "I bean't afeard, not I, but 'twas -'nation dark, and I felt a queer wamblin' in the inside o' me, 'cos I'm -tarrible hungry, I reckon." - -"Well, come along. I've found the way out. The opening leads to St. -Cuby's Well, and we can climb to the top in no time." - -"St. Cuby's Well! Dash my bones if I go within a mile o't. Dead men's -bones, and sperits o' darkness--no, never will I do it." - -"Stuff and nonsense!" cried Dick, as stoutly as if he had never felt the -least tremor on his own account. "I've seen no bones, and the spirits -haven't laid a hand on me. Those silly tales only frighten children." - -"And females. Ah, 'tis a pity the mistress won't let me take eggs and -things to the Dower House. What I could tell to that nice young female -wi' the hole in her rosy cheeks! How they'd go yaller and white when -she heerd my tale of blood, and ghosteses in night-gowns, and all the -other things o' darkness! Ah, 'twas to be, I s'pose: she'll hear it -from some one else, and I shan't get the credit of it." - -"No; she'll hear that you were too much of a baby to face 'em, and -she'll despise you, instead of thinking well of you as she does now." - -"Don't say it, Maister Dick," cried the boy. "Scrounch me if I lose my -fame in that miserable way. I'll come, if you'll stand by me, and hold -my hand if we hears a noise, and use your finest language to the sperits -if they meddle wi' us. I've heerd tell that the Lord's prayer said -back'ards will tarrify 'em out of their wits, but I reckon yer head's -full of ancient heathen words that go straightfor'ard, and won't put 'ee -to such a tarrible tax as turnin' religion topsy-turvy." - -This was said as Sam climbed with deliberate care up the ladder. He -gained the ledge more easily than Dick had done, having the help of -Dick's hand. - -"Can we get there afore candle's out?" he said anxiously, when they -stood side by side. - -"If we make haste," replied Dick, taking off his hat and looking at the -inch-and-a-half of candle left, and the mass of tallow that lay on the -brim like a small lake of lava. "We can fetch the boat at low-tide -to-morrow." - -They hurried on, and, Dick knowing the way, reached the shaft in much -quicker time than when he had come alone. Sam got behind him at the -doorway, peering under his armpits with wide eyes, and taking much -comfort when he saw nothing but mossy walls. - -"I'm downright shamed o' folks that believe in such gammut," he said, -valiantly following Dick into the chamber. - -"Well, now we'll climb up. It must be after sunset, or we should see a -glimmer of light at the top. I'll go first." - -"No, I'd better go first," said Sam hastily, looking round with -something of his former air of timorous expectation. "You see, if you -go first, the brim of yer hat will shet out all the light, and I'll miss -my footing and be nawthin' but scattered members. But if I go first, do -'ee see, and you come close behind me--but not close enough to set my -stockings afire--the light will be ekal betwixt us two. Do 'ee see my -manin', Maister Dick?" - -"Quite plain. I don't mind. We'll try one or two of the staples first, -to make sure they are firm in the stonework, and then you can mount, and -as your hind foot leaves one step, my fore hand will clutch it." - -The staples stood the test of pulling, first by Dick, then by Sam, who -also tried them, on the plea that he had more muscle. Then Sam began to -climb, followed closely by Dick. After an ascent of perhaps a hundred -feet, the former declared that he felt a whiff of fresh air, and -immediately afterwards the candle flame was blown out. Looking up past -Sam's fore-shortened body, Dick saw one star in the clear dark vault of -the sky, and in a few seconds they were both standing on the ground -beside the well-head, cooled by the breeze that blew through the ruined -walls of the chapel from the sea. The roof had gone long ago; grass -grew on the floor, and ivy twined itself in and out of the mullioned -windows. - -"There!" said Dick. "We are safe, you see. All that talk of ghosts is -pure balderdash." - -The darkness and the weird associations of the spot combined to make him -set his tone of voice to a murmur. At that moment there fell upon the -ears of the boys, as they stood side by side to recover breath after -their climb, a low sound from somewhere beyond the walls, but not far -away. It was like that of a person speaking in hollow, mournful -accents. Sam caught Dick by the arm; Dick heard his teeth chatter. - -"'Tis he!" whispered the trembling boy. "'Tis the ghost! Oh! let me -hide myself afore he see I." - -Dick did not reply. He was, it must be confessed, sufficiently -startled. The sound ceased; but in a moment or two it recommenced, now -being somewhat louder. Dick was in two minds, now thinking that he -would run, now wondering whether he had not better stay. The slow -droning still approached, and at last he caught articulate words: - -"A-deary me! A-deary me! The world's a-cold, a bitter place for----" - -The next words were indistinguishable. - -"Hark to him!" whispered Sam. "He be in mortal pain, and I do feel that -leery all down the small o' my back." - -Dick sniffed, and sniffed again. Then he said: - -"Ghosts don't smoke, Sam--at any rate, not tobacco. I'm going to see." - -"How do 'ee know?" whispered Sam, still holding him by the arm. "I -won't be so much afeard of him if he do be smoking bacca, but it may be -summat else. It do smell rayther strong for a livin' man." - -He followed Dick as he groped his way over fragments of masonry and -through close-woven masses of ivy and weeds, until they came into the -open. The night was very dark. The first thing they saw, at a distance -of about twelve yards, was a small red glow, which brightened and faded -at intervals. Drawing nearer to it cautiously, they perceived at the -moments of greatest brightness that it lit up for an instant a grizzled -chin, a sunken mouth, a quite ordinary nose, a ruddy face with a black -patch over one eye, and a black hat over all. - -"'Tis old Joe Penwarden," said Dick, in a tone that expressed surprise, -relief, and a shame-faced consciousness. - -"So 'tis, I do believe," cried Sam. "Be-jowned if 'a didn't ought to be -locked up for playing such gashly tricks on poor souls." - -"Avast there! Stand, in the King's name!" cried the old man, hearing -their voices. - -"So we will, so we will," said Sam. "Don't 'ee be afeard, maister; we -bean't ghosteses, but just common mortals like yerself." - -"Oh! 'tis you, Maister Dick," said Penwarden, as the boys came up to -him. "'Pon my life, I was skeered for about a second and a half, never -expectin' to see mortal men in this old haunt. What be 'ee doin' at -this time o' night, in such a place, too?" - -"What time is it, Joe?" asked Dick. - -"Time all young things like lambs and birds and boys were abed and -asleep. 'Tis past ten." - -"Lawk-a-massy, if I didn't think it by the terrible emptiness in my -inside," cried Sam, feelingly. "Come home-along, Maister Dick; I be -mortal afeard as Feyther will send me to bed wi'out any supper." - -"Wait a bit," replied Dick. "Where do you think we've been, Joe?" - -"Not night-fishing, for ye've got no tackle. Nor rabbitin', for ye've -got no snares. Ah, well! Ye med as well tell me first as last, for I -be no good at guessin'." - -"We've come up St. Cuby's Well." - -"Come up, you say; but you must go down afore ye come up. I wouldn't -like to say I don't believe 'ee." - -"That would be very unfriendly. The truth is, Joe, we were down in the -cave and got shut in by the tide, and to pass the time away we climbed -up over a ledge and found ourselves in an old adit, and went along it -till we came to the well-shaft. There are iron steps in the wall, and -up we came." - -"Well, if that bean't the queerest thing I've heerd for many a day. Who -would ever ha' thowt it!" - -"Didn't you know there were steps down the well side? - -"Never heerd tell o' sech a thing." - -"But haven't you seen it for yourself? I was thinking that, perhaps, -you being here now, you knew all about it, and the idea did cross me -that you might be the ghost people talk about, though to be sure you -don't look like one." - -"Bless 'ee, I've never set foot inside they walls. Sometimes of a night -I come ramblin' round to smoke a peaceful pipe and meditate on the days -o' my youth afore I turn in, but as for goin' inside--no, I've never -thowt o't." - -"Was 'ee afeard you med see the ghost, maister?" asked Sam, rejoicing to -think that he had a fellow in timorousness. - -"Well, no. A ghost is a sperit, they say, and I reckon I've got enough -muscle in my aged arm to fend off a thing as has got no body." - -"Still, you was talkin' to yerself as if ye was in great pain and -sorrer. 'A-deary me,' 'ee said; I heard 'ee twice; and then 'the -world's a-cold,'--and I s'pose 'ee felt the need o' takin' a comfortin' -pull at yer pipe, for I heerd no more." - -"It do show how young small chickerels like 'ee may be mistaken. -Whenever I talk like that I be feelin' warmish and contented; remember -that, young Sam, and don't traipse about spreadin' false reports about -me. Moreover, don't 'ee tell nothing of yer climbing up the well, for -'a don't want the village rampin' round, spoilin' my peacefulness. St. -Cuby's ghost hev his uses, and long may he walk." - -"Very well, Joe," said Dick, "we'll say nothing about it. There have -been no runs yet, I suppose?" - -"No; 'tis early days for that. 'Tis true as Mr. Mildmay was called off -Morvah way to-day. Maybe they'll try a run there to-night. But it won't -be long afore we have trouble here, I reckon, for the pilchurs are late -this year, and when they're late, smugglin' is early, 'cos the men get -tired o' doin' nothing." - -"Well, we had better be going. I usually tell Mother when I expect to -be late, fishing or what not, and she'll wonder what has become of me. -Are you coming our way, Joe?" - -"Not yet, sir. I've a bit more meditation to get through first." - -"What do you meditate about?" asked Dick. - -"About my days o' youth, when I was a nimble young feller and served the -King afloat. Ah! they were days, they were. Lord Admiral Nelson be a -fine little chap, but nothing to the admiral I served with." - -"Who was that?" - -"Lord Admiral Rodney. Never shall I forget the time he spoke to me: -yes, lord as he was, he did so. It do warm me of a cold night to think -of it. Not every simple mariner could say he'd been spoke to ashore by -sech a high person as a admiral." - -"What did the lord high admiral say to 'ee?" asked Sam, much impressed. - -"Well, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe, and the admiral was walking with two -handsome females, showing 'em Drake's Island; Drake was another mariner, -you must know, as lived about a thousand year ago, seemingly. Well, I -turned round to look at the great man, and that moment he changed his -course, put up his helm, ye may say, and ran across my bows. 'Get out o' -the way, you cross-eyed son of a sea-cook!' says he to me. Ah! never -shall I forget it, nor the tinkly laugh o' they fine females. 'Twas a -great honour to be spoke to special by Lord Admiral Rodney, a fine -feller of a man." - -"I don't wonder it keeps you warm," said Dick, laughing. "Good-night, -Joe." - -"Good-night to you, sir. And young Sam, mind 'ee o' what I said." - -"Make yourself easy, maister," returned Sam. "Oh, dear, what a thing it -'ud be to tell the maidy at the Dower House if on'y Squire warn't so -cruel!" - -"What are you mumblin' about?" - -"Nawthin', Maister Penwarden. I were on'y thinkin' to myself what a lot -o' folk 'ud be mazed if they knowed what sorrerful things ye do say when -yer happy." - - - - - CHAPTER THE SIXTH - - Penwarden does his Duty - - -Late as it was, neither Dick nor Sam was fated to get any sleep for -hours. They walked rapidly without speaking across the cliff towards -the Towers, being in fact so tired and hungry that the thoughts of both -were fixed on supper and bed. There was no path on this part of the -cliff, except a faint track which daylight would have revealed, where -the grass had been slightly worn by Joe Penwarden in his marchings to -and fro. Ordinary pedestrians always avoided the windings of the shore, -taking the high road farther inland. - -The boys had come within a hundred yards of Penwarden's cottage, when -Sam all at once took Dick by the sleeve, saying: - -"Look, Maister Dick, there be some one at old Joe's door." - -It was too dark to see clearly, but Dick could just distinguish, now -that it was pointed out to him, a dark form close against the -whitewashed cottage on the side facing the sea. - -"It's very odd at this time of night," he said. "We had better go and -tell the man, whoever he is, where he can find Joe." - -They hurried on, but had not gone more than half-way to the cottage when -the figure moved from the door, and walked quickly in the direction of -the Towers. There was a footpath at the back of the garden, over which -the villagers had an immemorial right of way, though it was really the -Squire's private property. - -Dick was on the point of calling out when Sam checked him. - -"That be Jake Tonkin," he said, quietly: "I know un by his bow legs. -What med he want wi' old Joe, now?" - -Jake was the son of Isaac Tonkin, the expertest fisher, the boldest -seaman, and the most cunning and resourceful smuggler in the village. -Isaac was a rough, quick-tempered fellow, violent when roused, but -honest according to his lights; and Dick had a certain admiration for -him, as every boy must have for a strong man who excels in bold and -daring deeds. Once or twice he had gone fishing in Tonkin's smack, and -had learnt a good deal from the man's blunt speech and craftsmanlike -actions. - -It was perfectly well known in the neighbourhood that Tonkin was the -ringleader of the smugglers, but owing to his wariness and craft, and to -the supineness of the revenue officer who had preceded Mr. Mildmay, -nothing had ever been openly proved against him, and he had never been -caught in the act. In the previous winter he had narrowly escaped a -conflict with Mr. Mildmay, then in his first year of duty at this part -of the coast; and it was common talk in the village that he resented the -intrusion, as he regarded it, of so zealous an officer, and had promised -to give the revenue men a very hot time if they interfered with him. It -was he whose presence John Trevanion had remarked as he passed the open -door of the tap-room in Doubledick's inn. - -Dick was as much surprised as Sam to find that Penwarden's visitor was -Tonkin's son. There was naturally no love lost between the exciseman -and the free-traders, who had, however, looked upon him with a sort of -contemptuous tolerance until Mr. Mildmay came. The old man had been -harmless enough in the days of Mr. Curgenven; not that he was remiss in -his duty, but that his efforts had been rendered nugatory by his -superior's apathy. The advent of Mr. Mildmay acted as a stimulus; -Penwarden was in truth fearful of being thought too old for his work, -and seemed to set himself deliberately to prove the contrary to the -officer. More than once in the previous winter he had prevented a run -by his timely warnings; and though the checks were only temporary, the -smugglers were annoyed with him for the difficulties he threw in their -way. It was therefore strange that young Tonkin should have gone to -visit, so late at night, a man from whom the smugglers in general held -severely aloof. Suddenly Dick remembered what Penwarden had said about -Mr. Mildmay having been summoned to Morvah, twenty-five miles or more -down the coast. It was a favourite device of the smugglers, by aid of -confederates, to decoy the officers to distant parts when they were -intending to make a run, and Dick could not help wondering whether they -were putting it in practice on the present occasion. But it did not -explain Jake Tonkin's visit, and Dick was now sufficiently interested to -think no more of his fatigue and hunger in his desire to ascertain what -was afoot. He knew that it was no business of his; the Squire had -carefully abstained from taking sides in the perennial quarrel between -the smugglers and the revenue men, and had indeed resigned his -magistracy, partly because of his reduced circumstances, but quite as -much in order to avoid any official action as a county justice. Dick -did not intend to break this neutrality; he was simply curious and -athirst for excitement. - -But he reflected that he could hardly satisfy his curiosity without -spying on Jake Tonkin, and this was out of the question. He would have -ruefully done nothing more had he not seen that the lad, instead of -keeping to the path that ran directly to the village, struck off to the -left along a track that led nowhere but to the Dower House. This raised -his curiosity to a still higher pitch. What had Tonkin to do with John -Trevanion? Knowing that his father and John were on bad terms, and -having seen many little indications that the latter was bent on annoying -his cousin, it was natural that he should wonder whether the interests -of the Squire were in any way affected by the apparent connection -between John and the smugglers. After a little hesitation, he sent Sam -into the Towers, to reassure his parents and then go to bed, and went on -himself after the waddling figure of Jake Tonkin, now almost out of -sight. - -Walking quickly, he was in time to see Jake enter an outhouse at the -rear of the mansion. The door closed behind him, and Dick, taking a -look round, and seeing no one, ran swiftly to the building and peeped -through the window. The room was lighted by a single candle, whose rays -fell on the forms of a dozen men seated on chairs, stools, pails, and -the table. All had their faces blackened, and he failed to discover -among them the large and massive form, almost impossible to disguise, of -Jake's father. - -"He be fast asleep," he heard Jake say, evidently in answer to a -question. "I knocked once, a little un; then twice, rayther louder; -then I tried the door: 'twas locked. I didn't hear un snore, but maybe -he sleeps quiet." - -"Hee! hee! 'a will sleep quieter in the grave," said a voice, which Dick -had no difficulty in recognising as that of Doubledick, the innkeeper, -whose conversation was always partial to death and the churchyard and -similar cheerful subjects. - -"Mildmay would fly in a passion if he knew old Joe were asleep," said a -man whose voice Dick could not identify. - -"Ay, and so would riding-officer," added a third. He referred to the -official so denominated, whose duty it was to work on shore hand in hand -with Mr. Mildmay on the sea, and who was in effect in charge of the -coast for ten or fifteen miles, acting under the Custom House officer at -St. Ives. - -"Oh, 't'ud only be a little small passion," said Doubledick, "'cos the -summer bean't over, and not a man of 'em will look for us to begin afore -pilchur fishin' be past." - -"Body o' me, hain't we 'ticed Mildmay away to stop a run?" - -"Nay, sonny, 'twas tidings of a French privateer that baited him. 'Tis -a proper dark night, and if the wind holds, Zacky will be here a little -arter midnight. And the manin' o' that is twenty pound in our pockets, -a noble fust lesson to say 'magnify' arter." - -Dick sighed inwardly; what a boon twenty pounds would be to his father's -impoverished treasury! Like all the gentlemen of the county, the Squire -was willing to purchase smuggled goods; it seemed to Dick that there was -not a great distinction between the purchaser and the smuggler; and yet -he knew that his father would be horrified at the idea of enriching -himself in that way. From what he had overheard it was clear that a -run, the first of the season, was to be attempted that night, and since -this did not concern the Squire, he was about to return home, when he -heard the click of a lock, followed by footsteps from the house, and -slipped round the angle of the building just in time to escape the eyes -of John Trevanion. - -The owner of the Dower House joined the smugglers, and Dick heard his -loud and hearty greeting. - -"Well, my friends, is all clear? No scent for the hounds, eh?" - -"Not so much as would cover a penny-piece," cried Doubledick. "Hee! -hee! Old Joe's abed." - -"I'm glad of it. Mind you, you must not bring the tubs here if there's -any interruption. It would never do for the county to know that I'm a -freighter." - -"Trust we for that, yer honour; we know you must keep up yer high place, -and 'tis generous of 'ee to lend us yer cellars." - -"Well, Doubledick, here's the key. I shall be abed, of course; I know -nothing about your doings, and I can trust you to work quietly and not -wake the servants." - -"Iss, fay, yer honour," said a man: "ye can trust Billy Doubledick, to -be sure. He be a very clever feller: I say it to his face." - -"Good night, then. I wish you well." - -Dick heard his cousin return to the house and lock the door. So John -Trevanion was a freighter: one who bought contraband goods in a foreign -port, paid the expenses of shipment and carrying, and received the -profits. This was food for reflection. A word to Mr. Mildmay or Mr. -Polwhele, the riding-officer, would lead to John Trevanion's arrest. -The fate of smugglers caught in the act was five years' service in a -man-of-war, or a long term of imprisonment; aiders and abettors also -were subject to heavy penalties; and Dick would have liked to rid the -neighbourhood of the man who had caused his father such distress. But -he could not play the shabby part of informer, and for the first time in -his life he wished heartily that the smugglers might be caught, and -their connection with Trevanion discovered; hitherto his sympathies had -been entirely on their side. - -Since there was nothing to be gained by remaining longer at the -outhouse, he went quietly away and walked back towards the Towers. But -he was so much interested in his strange discovery that he felt it would -be impossible to sleep until he knew whether the run proved successful. -On reaching home, therefore, he went first to his mother's room to bid -her good-night, then to the dining-room to get some supper, and shortly -after eleven o'clock stole out again. He had never seen a smuggling -run, and the likelihood that this one would be entirely undisturbed -promised a peaceful view, without any risk of running into danger, of -which he knew that his parents would disapprove. - -He had not learnt where the run was to be, but guessed, if the tubs were -to be carried to the cellars of the Dower House, that the head of -Trevanion Bay would be the chosen spot. It was the most convenient -place near to the Dower House, except the little harbour itself, which -was not likely to be selected. He made his way, therefore, along the -narrow headland known as the Beal, which formed the southern boundary of -the bay. Near the end of the headland, overlooking the narrow passage -between it and the reef, by which vessels could enter the harbour at low -tide, was the favourite playground of his early boyhood. It was a -hollow in the cliff, screened from observation seaward by a huge boulder -somewhat insecurely poised. Only a few years had passed since Sam and -he used to play there at fighting the French. There they had their toy -citadel, from which they bombarded Boney's squadrons attempting an -invasion. From it, too, they could see on to the decks of vessels -passing in and out of the harbour at low tide, and hugging the cliff to -avoid the reef. They played also at smuggling, and it is noteworthy -that they were always the successful smugglers, and never the baulked -and discomfited preventive men. It was a lonely spot, and they had it -quite to themselves except for the gulls. - -When, as they grew older, they no longer took the same childish delight -in playing French and English, they turned the place into a storehouse -for fishing gear. In a remote corner of the nook, they scooped out the -earth to form a deep recess, lined this with wood, and kept there a -reserve supply of hooks, tackle, rope, a spare anchor and sculls, two -fowling-pieces, and other articles, by this means often saving -themselves a journey back to the Towers. Lonely as the spot was, they -often quaked with apprehension lest their secret should be discovered, -especially during the pilchard season. At that time the huer, whose duty -it was to keep watch, and indicate by flourishing a bush, for the -benefit of the fishers below, the direction in which the shoals of fish -were swimming, was accustomed to take his stand on the headland. But he -naturally chose the highest point, and had no reason to seek the lower -level of the cave, where he could neither see nor be seen so well. The -boys were always careful to avoid the neighbourhood of their storehouse -when the huer was about, and there being nothing to draw any one else to -the spot, the secret had remained undiscovered. - -It was towards this place that Dick proceeded on leaving the Towers. -But when he arrived there, he found at once that if the smugglers' cargo -was to be run in the bay it would be impossible to see anything of it. -The night was particularly dark; only such moonless nights were chosen -by the smugglers for their operations; and even the grey cliffs were -almost invisible from where he stood. He determined, therefore, to -return along the headland, and make his way down the face of the cliff -by the path whereby he had ascended with Sam on the night of their bass -fishing. There were recesses at the foot, in one of which he could -easily conceal himself and watch all that went on. And as there was no -time to lose, if he was to be in hiding before the smugglers arrived, he -walked rapidly, and climbed down the steep path at a pace that would -have been dangerous to any one who was not well acquainted with it. - -He was unaware that a figure was following him. There was no sound of -footsteps to attract his attention: he did not look back, and if he had -done so he could hardly have seen the form that steadily kept pace with -him at the distance of sixty or seventy yards. The second figure -descended the path with the same surefooted ease, paused at the foot -till Dick was out of sight, and then stole after him and ensconced -himself in a hollow of the cliff only about three yards from that in -which Dick had stationed himself. These hiding-places were some twenty -yards from the bottom of the path. - -Neither of the two silent watchers suspected that, on the cliff above -them, a third figure was approaching the path by which they had -descended, but from the opposite direction. Old Penwarden, so far from -being snugly asleep, as Jake Tonkin rashly concluded, had never been -more wide-awake in his life. The summoning of Mr. Mildmay to a -distance, the lateness of the pilchard season, and the darkness of the -night, combined to make him suspicious, and he had resolved to patrol -the cliff from St. Cuby's Well to the Beal, to satisfy himself that the -smugglers were not already at their tricks. Having smoked through his -pipe at the Well, he returned to his cottage, took the telescope, the -brace of pistols, the ammunition, the cutlass, and the blue light for -giving an alarm which were his regular equipment, and began to march -slowly and quietly up and down. - -About ten minutes after the lads had taken up their positions, they -heard a stone come rattling down the path twenty yards to the left. A -few seconds after, they were just able to discern a dark figure emerge -on to the beach. This was followed by another, and a third, and soon -the whole beach was alive with dusky shapes. The tide was ebbing, but a -stiff breeze sent long rollers dashing over the sand, their roar and -rustle smothering the low voices of the men as they talked fitfully -together. - -The watchers saw one of the men drive an iron post firmly into the sand -and attach to it the end of a rope. The other end was fastened to a -similar post in the earth at the top of the cliff. By this means a rail -was formed, to give assistance to the carriers as they climbed up with -their burdens. - -A little later there came from seaward a faint creak, scarcely -distinguishable among the other sounds. The watchers pricked up their -ears. Even at low tide there was enough water beneath the cliffs to -enable a vessel to run in very close, and the hidden spectators guessed -that a lugger was drawing in: at present they could not see it. The -shore men were all low down on the beach. In a few minutes the men -could be heard splashing in the water as they waded out to the vessel. -Then the lugger itself appeared, a dark shape on the surface. - -Soon the men could be seen returning in a long line, each one apparently -twice as big as before. Each bore two tubs, one in front, one behind, -slung over his shoulders by ropes which had been fitted before they left -the lugger. - -Several of the men had deposited their burdens on the beach, and were -going back for more, when there was a noise of scrambling on the path. -Work ceased instantly. A figure ran a few yards towards the sea, and -spoke to a large man who appeared to be directing the operations. His -words were just audible to the watchers. - -"Old Joe be comin' along cliff-top, Feyther." - -"But they told me you said 'a was asleep." - -"So 'a was, but 'a must ha' waked up. He be comin', sure enough." - -"You must be a cussed stunpoll, then, to come slitherin' down cliff like -that, makin' a rattle to wake the dead. Well, no matter. We can deal -wi' old Joe, if so be as he's alone." - -"Iss, he be alone. I pulled up the post and brought the rope -down-along." - -"You've some sense in yer skull, then. Now you, Pendred, and you, Simon -Mail, go up cliff and keep a watch. Stand yerselves in that narrow part -three-quarters of the way up, and if the old meddler comes, seize un, -and choke un, but don't do un a hurt unless he shows fight. We don't -want no crowner's quest." - -The two men selected to waylay the exciseman set off to climb the cliff, -and the work of running the cargo was resumed. - -Dick was in a quandary. He had no interest in doing preventive work, -and there were many reasons why he should refrain from interfering. But -old Penwarden was a friend of his, and a mettlesome old fellow, who -would certainly not allow himself to be seized without a struggle. -Moreover, being armed, as he doubtless was, he would have a temporary -advantage over the smugglers, who, expecting no opposition, would -probably have no weapons with them but their knives. But it might well -be that in the struggle the smugglers, driven to desperation, would make -short work of rushing upon him and flinging him over the cliff; or if -the struggle were prolonged, they could summon help from below, -overpower him, and truss him up. In either case the old man would be in -considerable danger, for the smugglers, when their passions were -aroused, would not be over-scrupulous. - -These considerations flashed through Dick's mind in a second. He could -not let Penwarden run into danger unwarned; yet how was the warning to -be given? There was but one way. A few yards to the right of the spot -where he stood it was possible to scale the cliff. The ascent was much -longer and more arduous than the regular path, and there was the risk -that he would not be in time. Unless he gained the cliff-top before -Penwarden had passed, he would be too late. There was not a moment to -spare. - -Dropping down on hands and knees behind a boulder that intercepted the -view seaward, he crawled as fast as he could towards a slight -indentation of the cliff beyond which he would be invisible to the -smugglers, and where the ascent began. He was followed within a few -moments by the second watcher. Just as he was beginning to climb he -heard a low whisper behind him. - -"I be comin' too, Maister Dick." - -"You here, Sam? What do you mean by this?" - -"Don't 'ee talk, now. I'll tell 'ee when we get to top." - -They scrambled up the face of the cliff as actively as goats, clutching -at stunted bushes and tufts of coarse grass, dodging awkward corners, -fearful lest the stones and loose earth they disturbed should strike -upon the boulders below and reveal their presence to the smugglers. -Both were active lads with good wind, and their progress was no doubt -more rapid, foot for foot, than that of the smugglers on the path a -hundred yards to the right, encumbered as they were with their heavy -sea-boots. But this advantage in speed was counterbalanced by the -greater length of their course, though this in its turn was compensated -by the fact that, unless Penwarden had already passed, they would be a -hundred yards nearer to him when they reached the top. - -In six minutes from the start, panting with their exertions, they heaved -themselves over the brink of the cliff and stood erect. Twenty yards to -their right, Penwarden was in the act of raising his telescope to spy -over the waters of the bay. With trembling limbs they ran towards him, -Dick giving him warning of their presence by a low clear whisper. The -old exciseman shut up his telescope with a snap, and turned. - -"'Tis you, Maister Dick!" he said. - -"Yes. Some one saw you. Two men are waiting for you on the path. I -can't tell you their names. You'll be knocked over if you try to go -down." - -"That's the way o't, is it? We'll see about that. Thank'ee for the -warning. You didn't tell me they be running a cargo, but I know it. -I'll dash their tricks." - -"But, Joe--" - -"Don't stop me," said Penwarden, shaking off Dick's detaining arm. -"'Tis my duty to stop this run, Mr. Mildmay being haled off on a -wild-goose chase, and do it I will. But get 'ee home-along, sir, you -are best out o' this, though if 'ee were a bit older, dash my bones if I -wouldn't call on 'ee to help in the King's name." - -Without more ado, he took from his pocket the blue light, struck a spark -from his tinder-box, and in a moment the cliff-top for many yards around -was illuminated by the brilliant sputtering flame. It was intended to -warn the lieutenant of the revenue cutter, if he were within sight, and -to draw from their cottages in the village the tidesmen, as they were -called, whose duty it was, on the alarm being given, to hasten to the -exciseman's assistance. These men were cobblers, tinkers, and other -small tradesmen, for the most part Methodists, who were ready to brave -the hostility of the smugglers for the sake of good pay and a bounty for -every hogshead seized. - -Dick was aghast. Things were turning out even worse than he expected. -The light would enrage the smugglers, and they would be in no mood to -handle the old man gently. Penwarden was already hurrying towards the -path. It seemed to Dick sheer madness for one man, and a man no longer -young, to attempt to deal with a score of rough and determined -smugglers. He was rushing headlong upon destruction. All care for what -might be the consequences to himself vanished from Dick's mind; he could -not leave the exciseman to his fate. But what could he do to help him, -without weapon of any kind? He suddenly bethought him of the -fowling-pieces laid up in the little nook on the Beal. - -"Come, Sam," he said, and started to run at full speed to fetch them. -They passed Penwarden like a flash; there might just be time to return -before he encountered the ambushed men. The blue light was now -extinguished, and sea and land were covered with the former darkness. - -Much fleeter of foot than Sam, Dick outstripped him in a few seconds, -and ran on alone to the little cave. He seized the fowling-pieces, and -discovered that there was no ammunition; nevertheless, he raced back -with them; they might serve to over-awe the smugglers, or in the last -resort be used as clubs. - -He had only just rejoined Sam when they heard a rough voice call out a -command to halt, and Penwarden's answer. - -"Stand aside, in the King's name." - -Clearly the dauntless old man had arrived at the spot where the -smugglers were in wait for him. The boys dashed forward, came to the -head of the path, and ran recklessly down, Dick hoping that they might -still be in time to prevent mischief. But before they reached the scene -of the scuffle, they heard the noise of some heavy body crashing down -the cliff, and then the roar of a pistol. Immediately afterwards they -caught sight of two figures hurrying down the path. - -"They've killed un dead!" muttered Sam. - -With his heart in his mouth, Dick ran down the path, slipping, -recovering himself, and running again. Sam was close behind. About -half-way down a body lay huddled on a projecting ledge, which had broken -its fall and prevented it from crashing to the base of the cliff. Dick -stooped over it, expecting to see Penwarden shot to the heart. To his -intense relief he heard a groan, and turning the man over, he was just -able to perceive that his face was blackened. Joe, then, had escaped, -and was one of the two who had gone down the path and were now out of -sight. - -The two boys hurried on. There was a great hubbub below them; having -been discovered, the smugglers no longer troubled to preserve silence; -and Dick, hearing their angry shouts and curses, feared that Penwarden's -quixotic action in attempting to tackle them single-handed would prove -his destruction. He took the rest of the path in reckless leaps, and, -when he reached the beach, saw that the old exciseman had posted himself -beside a row of tubs which he had seized in the King's name. - -In the confusion Dick's arrival was unobserved. The smugglers were -thronging up the beach with threatening cries. Penwarden's pistol -flashed, but next moment a heavy missile, hurled by one of the men, -struck him on the head, and he fell. - -"Throw un into the sea," shouted a rough voice. - -Half-a-dozen men rushed towards the prostrate man and began to drag him -towards the water. - -"Stand!" cried Dick, dashing forward. "Loose him, or we'll fire." - -[Illustration: "'STAND!' CRIED DICK, DASHING FORWARD. 'LEAVE HIM, OR -WE'LL FIRE.'"] - -A sudden silence fell upon the scene. The men who held Penwarden's arms -stood aside; the others edged away, taken aback by this unexpected -intervention; there had not been time for the tidesmen to arrive from -the village. Dick and Sam stood over the exciseman, pointing their -useless muskets at the crowd. For a moment there was absolute -stillness; then one of the men murmured: - -"'Tis young Maister Trevanion." - -"Yes," cried Dick, "and I warn you that if any of you lays a hand on the -old man again I will report you all to Sir Bevil. I know you, for all -your black faces. There's Doubledick, and Tonkin, and----" - -"Iss, 'tis I, and I don't care who knows it," interrupted Tonkin, -pushing forward. "What 'nation call ha' you got to meddle, cuss you!" - -"I don't meddle with your trade; it's nothing to me; but I won't see an -old fellow killed by a pack of ruffians." - -Tonkin cursed again, but some one drew him back and spoke to him in low -tones. The fact that the interruption had come from the Squire's son -was more daunting than the lads' muskets, which had no terror for armed -men accustomed to contend with equal numbers. But the name of -Trevanion, in spite of the fallen fortunes of the house, was still a -moral power in the country-side, and, further, if any harm befell the -Squire's heir, they could not escape a heavy retribution. - -After a few moments' colloquy, a man came forward. - -"Hark 'ee, sir," he said, and Dick recognised his voice as Doubledick's, -in spite of an attempt to disguise it. "We take it hard as you've -meddled wi' honest free-traders as never did 'ee no harm. As for old -Joe, 'twas only a bit of fun--hee! hee!--he bean't for drownin'. What I -says I says for all, and that is, we'll let 'ee take un away if you do -give us yer sacred word not to gie our names to Sir Bevil or Mr. -Mildmay,--them as you knows." - -"I don't want to play informer," replied Dick. "I agree to that." - -"Not a word to a soul?" - -"No. I've said so." - -"That's fair spoke," said the man, turning to the rest. - -A murmur of approval broke from them. Dick at once lifted Penwarden, -with Sam's help, from the pool of water in which he was lying. It was -difficult to keep him on his feet, for he was as yet only partially -conscious. Without either assistance or interference from the smugglers -they led him slowly to the foot of the path, and, one on each side of -him, began to carry, rather than walk, him up the cliff. One of the -smugglers dogged them throughout the toilsome ascent. When they came to -the place where the man had fallen, after a shrewd thrust from -Penwarden's cutlass, they found that he had disappeared, having no doubt -made his way homeward. - -"Thank 'ee for this, Maister Dick," murmured Penwarden when they paused -to rest at the cliff-top. "I'll have the law of those tidesmen for not -comin' when they was called." - -"No doubt they didn't see your light. And look here, Joe, I promised -not to split on the men, so I want you to promise too." - -"Daze me if I could split if I tried. I didn't see one of 'em plain, -nor hear their voices, and I got this crack on the head afore I could -tell one from t'other." - -"Do it hurt much, maister?" asked Sam. - -"More'n you'd care about, young Sam. But 'tis nawthin' at all to the -cracks and wounds we got when we served wi' Lord Admiral Rodney. Have I -telled 'ee what 'a said to me purticler one day on Plymouth Hoe?" - -"Yes, yes," said Dick, quickly. "The sooner you are in bed the better." - -They took him slowly to his cottage, where Dick put him to bed, gave him -some brandy, and bathed his wounded head. - -"You'll stop with him to-night, Sam," he said. "Don't leave him until -Gammer Oliver comes in the morning." - -"What'll 'ee say to Feyther, Maister Dick? I'm afeard he'll be in a -terrible rage wi' poor me." - -"I'll make that right. Now, lock the door when I've gone, and give Mr. -Penwarden anything he wants during the night. I'll come over in the -morning." - -It was nearly two o'clock before Dick got to bed, and day was breaking -before he slept. Meanwhile the smugglers finished their work -unmolested, and before morning eighty tubs of good French spirits lay in -the capacious cellars beneath the Dower House. - - - - - CHAPTER THE SEVENTH - - The Breach Widens - - -Next morning John Trevanion, fresh and ruddy, dressed in white breeches -and a blue coat with shining buttons, rode gaily down to the Five -Pilchards and summoned Doubledick to the door. - -"Well, you did the business, I see," he said jovially. "A small -beginning: I wish my cellars held more." - -"Iss, fay, a little small haul, to be sure; little and good. Hee! hee! -But, Maister Trevanion, I've summat plaguey awk'ard to tell 'ee." - -"What's that?" said Trevanion, with an uneasy look. - -"Why, drown me if old Joe didn' come upon us, and, worse than that, when -we'd cracked him on the head, who should come bouncing down-along but -Squire's boy and young Sam Pollex, vowin' and swearin' they'd shoot us -through the gizzard if we laid a finger on the old man." - -"The deuce they did! and you knocked them on the head, of course?" - -The look of uneasiness passed from Trevanion's face. - -"Well, no, not 'zackly. 'Twas Squire's son, you see." - -"What of that? You should have cracked their numskulls together and -sent 'em home howling. Afraid of two boys! What did you do, may I ask?" - -"Crackin' skulls is all very fine, but we didn' want a crowner's 'quest -on young Squire. No, no, we don't want hangman's necklace chokin' the -breath out of us. We let 'em take old Joe home-along, arter they'd give -their Bible word to be mum as gravestones." - -"Then you were a pack of fools. Don't you see the monkeys were spying -on you? 'Twas they brought Joe, without a doubt, though I'd like to -know how they got wind of the business." - -"Well, if I didn' think it! ... Here's Zacky Tonkin. Maister Trevanion -was sayin' as they two brats spied on us, Zacky." - -"Not they, 'a b'lieve," said Tonkin, who had come up. "Young Squire -said he'd no mind to meddle wi' the business, but was only a bit tender -over old Joe." - -"And you believe that!" said Trevanion, angrily flicking his -riding-whip. "Make no mistake, the Squire has turned on you. I happen -to know that Mildmay has been twice to the Towers of late; the Squire's -as poor as a church mouse, and informer's pay will be riches to him." - -"Squire turn informer!" cried Tonkin. "I can't believe it." - -"I can, though," said Doubledick. "When a man's as low down in the -world as Squire, he'll do a deal o' dirtiness to fill his purse, 'a -b'lieve." - -"Of course he will," said Trevanion. "You don't know the world, Tonkin. -Depend upon it, a good many golden guineas will find their way to the -Towers before a week's out." - -Tonkin was an honest fellow, save in so far as the King's revenue was -concerned, and had that simplicity of soul which is incredulous of -trickery in others. He was not proof against the cunning suggestions of -Trevanion. Naturally short-tempered and violent, he smote the flank of -Trevanion's horse a blow that set it prancing, and cried with a savage -oath:-- - -"Then I'll make 'em pay for 't, as sure as my name be Zack Tonkin. I -will so." - -"Hee! hee! That 'a will," said Doubledick, rubbing his hands. "They -golden guineas 'll be a bad egg, to be sure." - -Trevanion smiled. He had laid the train; he could trust his minions to -fire it. - -"Well, we'll speak no more of that," he said. "I'm riding to Truro: can -you tell what for?" - -"Not for more furnichy?" said Tonkin. - -"Goin' a-courtin', hee! hee!" smirked Doubledick. - -"No, no; I shan't trouble the parson yet awhile. I'm going to open the -mines again, my men." - -"Then I'm sorry for 'ee," said Tonkin bluntly. "Mines were worked out -long ago." - -"Maybe, maybe not. I'm going to try. I shall begin in quite a small -way. I shan't fling my money into the earth as my cousin did. But I -mean to try my luck, and within a week or two I shall have a few men at -work." - -"'Twill be good for the parish," said Doubledick. "The miners are -drouthy souls, and have a proper taste for good sperits. Ay, sure, -'twill do us all good." - -"You won't give up the trade, sir?" enquired Tonkin. - -"Not I. The Polkerran men will do more than ever before. A fig for -your Mildmays and Polwheles--Polwhele is still riding-officer, isn't he? -My wits against them any day. We'll double our trade with Roscoff this -winter." - -"If Delarousse bean't nabbed," said Tonkin. "His game of privateerin' -will souse him in hot water one o' these days." - -"Oh! we can do without Delarousse. There's a man in Roscoff, no friend -of his, who will deal with us better than he." - -"It do maze me, Maister Trevanion," said Doubledick, "that arter bein' -away all these years ye know so much about the trade." - -"I keep my eyes open, that's all," replied Trevanion, with a laugh. -"Well, I must be off. You can tell the neighbours about the mines. I'm -glad to do something for the old village." - -He rode away, giving smiling greetings to the people, men and women, -whom he passed on the road. - -"A fine feller!" said Doubledick, enthusiastically. "'Twill be heyday in -village, Zacky; stirring life, and not so much of a tomb as 'tis since -Squire became a pauper." - -"But I'm sorry he do want us to break with Delarousse. He be a good -trader, for a Frenchman. Howsomever, if there be a better, all the -better for we, to be sure." - -The men parted, to retail to their friends and neighbours the pleasing -news of the great things John Trevanion was about to do for the village. - -Roscoff, the place mentioned in the course of their conversation, was a -little port in Brittany which had become the chief seat of the -contraband trade with the south-west of England since a restrictive Act -of Parliament had put a stop to it in the Channel Islands. The French -Government had made it a free port to smugglers, and in a few years it -had grown from a tiny fishing village to a thriving town. There were -three classes of people engaged in the contraband trade. The freighters -consigned or received the goods, and paid the expenses of their -shipment. The boatmen conveyed them from port to port, always on -moonless nights, and usually when a strong wind was blowing. The -tub-carriers bore them to their destination. The boatmen received a -fixed sum for each trip, the tub-carriers for each cargo run, and -frequently in addition a portion of the goods, or a small share in the -proceeds. - -Until John Trevanion reappeared in Polkerran, Isaac Tonkin had been the -principal freighter of the village, and was the owner and master of the -lugger which plied between it and Roscoff. His dealings were chiefly -with a certain Jean Delarousse, a ship-owner of Roscoff, who was -notorious also as a daring seaman, and in his privateer vessel preyed on -English shipping in the Channel between Poole and the Lizard. -Delarousse had never come to Polkerran, but he was well known to Tonkin -and the crew of his lugger, the Isaac and Jacob. Tonkin having little -capital, the cargoes run at Polkerran were usually small, and were -disposed of solely among the innkeepers, farmers, and gentry of the -neighbourhood. Now that Trevanion had come home, the Polkerran folk -expected great developments in the trade, and looked forward to an -exciting and profitable winter. Apart from the monetary gain, the risks -of smuggling exercised a fascination upon those engaged in it, providing -the only excitement in their otherwise dull and monotonous lives. The -fraud on the revenue weighed very lightly on their consciences. In -their view they were entitled to the full value of the goods for which -they had honestly paid, and the Government officials were thieves and -tyrants. To best the Customs and Excise was both a business and a -sport. - -It was not long before the consequences of Dick's intervention on behalf -of Joe Penwarden made themselves felt. Hitherto the smugglers had -recognised the Trevanions of the Towers as rather for them than against -them, but now, actuated by John Trevanion's malicious suggestion, they -looked on them in a different light. For the first time a Trevanion had -ranged himself on the side of the representatives of the law, and -Tonkin, resenting what he regarded as defection, soon began to show that -in threatening vengeance he meant to be as good as his word. - -One morning Dick, going down with Sam to inspect the night lines he had -set in the waters of Trevanion Bay, discovered with surprise and -annoyance that they had been cut. A day or two afterwards they found -their boat, which they had drawn up as usual above high-water mark, -bumping among the rocks half a mile up the coast. They did not report -these occurrences, hoping that they were nothing but a mark of temporary -ill-feeling and would soon cease. But when for the third time their -lines were tampered with, Dick became seriously concerned. The fish they -caught were a very important part of the provisions for the household. -What was not required at once was salted and dried for consumption when -fishing was over for the season. Without these constant supplies they -would have to draw more largely on their pigs and poultry, which they -were accustomed to sell. Dick was unwilling to impart his troubles to -any one, and for several nights he and Sam kept watch, hoping that if -the culprits were caught in the act, the fear of exposure would put a -stop to their mischief. On three nights nothing happened: and yet, on -the first night when they left the lines unguarded, the same fate befell -them. - -"This is more than I can bear," cried Dick, in the morning. "I shall -tell Petherick." - -Petherick was the village constable, who filled also the offices of -sexton, bell-ringer, and beadle in the parish church. - -"Bless 'ee, you'll waste yer breath," said Sam. "Old Petherick be a -crony o' Tonkin, and wouldn' lift a finger against him, without it were -murder or arson: and then he'd have to get the sojers to help him. Why, -'tis said he've let 'em keep the tubs in church-tower sometimes when the -preventives have been smellin' too close." - -"Well, we must put a stop to it somehow. I'll tell Joe, and see what he -has to say." - -Later in the day he went into the village to buy some new fishing tackle -at a general-shop, where the folk could buy tea, sugar, cheese, needles, -thread, letter-paper, bootlaces--in short, every small article they -needed. On his return, he heard a hubbub proceeding from the village -green, where wrestling-bouts, games of quoits, dog-fights, and other -sports took place. In the midst was a duck-pond. Bending his steps -thither to see what was going on, he beheld Sam with his back against a -tree, sturdily defending himself with fists and feet against a crowd of -the village lads, among whom the hulking form of Jake Tonkin was -conspicuous. - -"Heave un in duck-pond," he heard Jake cry. - -"You'd better!" he shouted, rushing forward to assist his companion. - -The crowd fell back as he forced his way through it, bowling one fellow -over like a ninepin, and driving another out of his path with a shove -that nearly sent him into the pond. It is probable that his energy, and -the prestige attached to him as the Squire's son, would have put an end -to the affair; but it chanced that John Trevanion rode by at this -moment, and reining up his horse, contrived in some subtle manner to -indicate that his sympathy was with the larger party. Only this could -explain the sudden change in their attitude. They closed round Dick and -Sam with derisive yells. - -"Gie un both a duckin'," shouted one, and they made a sudden concerted -rush, trying to seize the two boys. - -Dick, never having been to school, had never had occasion or opportunity -to learn the noble art; but his muscles were in good condition, and the -obvious necessity was to make full use of them. Standing beside Sam -against the tree, he hit out against any head, trunk, or shoulder that -came within reach, Sam making good play as before with feet as well as -arms. One young fisher retired with a crimson nose, another with a bump -over one eye, a third shouting that his leg was broken. All the time -John Trevanion sat his horse, smiling, and flinging out now and then an -encouraging word, which might have been intended for either side, but -was appropriated by Tonkin's crew. - -Courage and the best will in the world cannot prevail over a triple -excess of numbers. The fisher-lads were still six when their wounded -comrades had retired to the rear. Led by Jake Tonkin they hurled -themselves upon the two defenders. For a few minutes there was a brisk -scrimmage; many good blows were given and exchanged; then Dick and Sam -fell, to be immediately pounced on by the victors, who caught them by -legs and arms and began to drag them down to the pond. - -They were within a yard of the brink when a loud voice thundered a -command to halt, and a riding-whip cracked and curled its thong round -the legs and backs of the aggressors. With howls of pain they released -their victims and fled across the green. Rising, bruised and muddy, -from the ground, the two boys saw Mr. Polwhele, the riding-officer, -close by on horseback, his face flushed and stern-set with anger. - -"You look on and do nothing!" he said indignantly to John Trevanion. - -"My dear sir, why should I interfere? Boys must fight, let them fight -it out." - -"Three to one--is that your idea of fair play?" - -Trevanion shrugged. - -"Hadn't you better reserve your whip for stimulating your tidesmen, Mr. -Polwhele? They need a little spiriting, if what I hear is true." - -And with that as a parting shot Trevanion rode away. - -"What was the origin of this?" asked Mr. Polwhele. "I'm sorry to see it, -Master Trevanion." - -"'Twas like this, sir," said Sam, rubbing his head and legs alternately. -"I comed upon they chaps, and Jake Tonkin says to me, 'Catched any fish -lately, young Sam?' Says I, ''Tis easier to cut lines, to be sure,' -says I, and then they set on me, and they'd ha' melled and mashed me if -Maister Dick hadn't come up." - -"Have they been cutting your lines, then?" - -Dick saw no help for it but to acquaint the riding-officer with the -petty persecution he had lately suffered, and the cause of it, which -hitherto Mr. Polwhele had not known. - -"'Tis rascally, 'pon my soul it is," said the officer, "and I'm sorry -Penwarden has brought it on ye. Not but 'twas your own doing, Master -Dick; you'd better have kept out of it, though I own 'twas a good deed -to old Joe. I'm on my way to see Sir Bevil, and I'll tell him as a -magistrate, and he'll engage to commit any ruffian that molests ye." - -"Not on my account, if you please, Mr. Polwhele," said Dick earnestly. -"There's bad blood between the Towers and the village as it is, and -'twill be ten times worse if Sir Bevil comes into it." - -"Maybe you're in the right. Well, I'll see you safe home, and if I may -advise ye, keep out of the way o' the village folk. You're not friends -with Mr. Trevanion seemingly. Is he backing the smugglers, d'ye know?" - -"I can't say anything about that. My father has nothing to do with -him." - -"Well, well, these family quarrels are common enough. Come along beside -me." - -Nothing could have been more unfortunate than the intervention of the -riding-officer. Purely accidental as it was, the villagers regarded it -as another proof of the new alliance between the Towers and the enemy. -John Trevanion did not fail to describe to the elder Tonkin, the next -time he met him, how savagely Mr. Polwhele had laid his whip upon Jake, -and the irate smuggler swore that if he encountered the riding-officer -he would make him pay for it. - -That evening Dick consulted Joe Penwarden on the situation, as he had -intended. Joe was much distressed to think that he was the cause of the -bitterness with which the village folk now regarded the family at the -Towers. - -"I don't know what you can do," said he. "But let things bide; maybe -they'll see by long and late they've misread 'ee." - -"But we can't have our fishing spoilt time after time, Joe." - -"'Tis a pretty stoor, be dazed to it!" said Joe, angrily. "And all for -a wambling old carcase like me! Ah! I warn't allus like as I be now. -When Lord Admiral Rodney spoke to me on Plymouth Hoe I was as limber a -young feller as you'd see in Devon or Cornwall. He was goin' along with -two handsome females----but there, I think I've telled 'ee. What I say -is, why did Maister John come home, cuss him? There was none o' this -afore." - -"I don't think that's fair, Joe. They'd have run a cargo all the same, -if he were at the ends of the earth; and I couldn't have done -differently." - -"Ye may say so, but I hold to it, whatever ye say. He's ill-wished 'ee, -that's the truth, and a pity it is he ever showed his face here." - -Two evenings later, when Dick was struggling with a piece of Latin prose -for Mr. Carlyon, there was a knock at the outer door, and Reuben -admitted Penwarden, with Jake Tonkin firmly in his clutch. - -"Axe Squire if I can have speech with him, Reuby," he said. - -Mr. Trevanion came out into the hall. - -"Well, what's this, Joe?" he asked. - -"I catched this young reptile a-meddlin' wi' Maister Dick's lines, -Squire," said Penwarden, "so I brought him up to be dealt with according -to law." - -"Meddling with his lines, indeed!" cried the Squire in surprise. "Why -should he do that? What have you to say for yourself, rascal?" - -Jake had nothing to say for himself, but stood with a sullen glower upon -his face. - -"'Tis not the first time either, Squire, and I be mazed as you didn' -know it," Penwarden continued. - -"I knew nothing about it. Dick," he called into the room, "come here." - -Dick obeyed reluctantly. - -"Penwarden tells me," said his father, "that your lines have been -tampered with. Is that true?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"How often?" - -"Three or four times within a week or so." - -"Why did you not tell me?" - -"I didn't want to bother you, sir." - -"But this is new; it shows a hostile spirit----. Well, I'll say no more -now. As for you, you young scoundrel, I'm not a justice, or I'd commit -you. You shall take your choice; a sound flogging, or haled before Sir -Bevil: that will mean three months in Truro jail. Which is it to be?" - -"I don't want to see Sir Bevil," said Jake, sullenly. - -"Strip off your coat, then. Reuben, bring my whip." - -Dick went away: he could not remain to see the lad thrashed. - -"Now, Reuben, half a dozen lashes," said the Squire when his man -returned. "No; I'll do it myself. Stoop!" - -Dick pressed his fingers into his ears when at the third or fourth -stroke Jake began to howl. The Squire gave him full measure; then bade -him begone, and take care not to offend again, declaring that he should -not get off so easily next time. - -"Now, Dick," he said, returning to the room, "what is the meaning of all -this?" - -Thereupon Dick made a clean breast of it, telling all that had happened -since the rescue of Penwarden. The Squire's face clouded as he listened -to the story. - -"John Trevanion is at the bottom of this," he cried, thumping the table. -"They would never believe I was against them unless their minds had been -poisoned. I will see Tonkin to-morrow and get at the truth." Then, -with one of the swift changes of mood characteristic of him, he added: -"No, I won't do it. I won't gratify that cur; he shall never think I -care a snap for him. Tell me if anything of the kind happens again, and -I will myself go over to see Sir Bevil. On my life, the toad shall -smart if he is proved to be stirring folk against me." - -Every succeeding incident in this series did but confirm the village -folk in their conviction that the Squire was now their declared enemy, -and in staunch alliance with the revenue officers. - - - - - CHAPTER THE EIGHTH - - A Light on the Moor - - -Next day everybody in Polkerran knew of Jake Tonkin's thrashing. It was -discussed by the men in tap-rooms, on the jetty, in barns and piggeries, -in mills and cobblers' work-rooms. Fishwives chattered about it on -their doorsteps and at their windows. Boys meeting their playmates asked -if they had heard that Jake Tonkin had been walloped by Squire, and -Jake, as the victim of two assaults of this nature in succession, was -looked upon as something of a hero. Public opinion was dead against the -Squire, and was perhaps only the stronger because it was in the wrong. - -It was clear that John Trevanion intended to make himself as unpleasant -as possible to his relative. In the afternoon a number of men were seen -mounting the steep road from the village to the cliff, drawing trolleys -laden with short narrow planks of wood. On reaching the green level -they proceeded to erect fences on the ground that had formerly been the -Squire's, and was now John Trevanion's. By the end of the next day a -large portion of the land was enclosed, the effect of these operations -being that the inmates of the Towers were cramped in their movements out -of doors, being restricted to the high road and the various rights of -way, which even the landlord could not close against them. - -Sam Pollex hoped that the Squire would retaliate. The Beal, from which -the huer was accustomed to show his signals to the pilchard fishers, was -still Mr. Trevanion's property, and he could, if he chose, fence it -round in the same way. But there was nothing petty in the Squire's -nature. He was not the man to take a mean revenge on his neighbours, so -that when a fisher reported one evening that he had seen sharks and -grampuses some distance out at sea, a sure sign that the pilchards were -coming, the villagers went to bed without any fear that access would be -forbidden to the usual haunt. - -Just before dawn next morning, Nathan Pendry, father of John Trevanion's -portmanteau carrier, the most experienced fisher in the village, took -his stand at the extremity of the Beal, carrying his bush. Seaward, the -sky was gloomy; in the east a pale orange and pink glow on the horizon -announced the rising sun. The air was very still, only the slow ripples -washing the sand at the foot of the cliff breaking the silence. In the -fairway lay three boats, the largest of them a smack of eight tons -burden, manned by six oarsmen, together with Tonkin and a fisher nearly -as large as he. These men and the occupants of the other boats sat -without speaking, their eyes fixed on the huer above. He stood -motionless, gazing intently on the surface of the sea. Beyond the -promontory the village was as yet asleep; one man stood solitary at the -end of the jetty. - -Suddenly the huer bent forward, in an attitude of intense expectancy. A -few minutes passed; then lifting himself he waved his bush aloft. His -experienced eyes had detected a shadow in the water, moving across the -bay in a direction parallel with the shore. Instantly the men in the -first boat fell to their oars, and Tonkin, standing up in the stern, and -making a trumpet of his hands, shouted, "Havar! havar!" towards the -single figure on the jetty. This man repeated the cry; it was taken up -in the village; and soon from every street and lane a crowd of men, -women, and children poured up towards the cliffs, dressing themselves as -they ran, and shouting, "Havar! havar! Yo-hoy, hoy, hoy!" - -Meanwhile the rowers were tugging at their oars with all their might, -Ike Pendry, who was rowing bow, having his eyes fixed on his father, and -directing the steersman in accordance with the movements of the bush. -The ground behind the huer was now thronged with spectators, no longer -shouting, but watching Pendry and the boatmen in tense silence. All at -once the huer dropped his bush; the rowers shipped oars; and Tonkin and -his mate grasped a long net, which had lain folded ready to their hands, -and with a few deft movements shot it overboard. - -"Yo-hoy, yo-hoy!" broke from every throat. Then the crowd relapsed into -silence, watching the further proceedings in the bay. - -The "seine net," as it was called, was a quarter of a mile long and -sixteen fathoms broad at the middle. It was fastened on each side to two -stout double ropes, and at each corner to four strong warps about fifty -fathoms long. Corks were fixed to the upper edge, and leaden weights to -the lower. When it was "shot," the corks buoyed up one end to the -surface of the water, the leads sank the other perpendicularly to the -bottom. The boat meanwhile was rowed round the shoal, following the -directions of the huer, until, the two extremities being made fast, the -fish were imprisoned in an oblong barrier of network. As Tonkin -straightened his back after completing his part of the work, another -shout rent the air, and the huer, his task also accomplished, broke -through the dignified calm which had hitherto distinguished him, and -waved his cap triumphantly. - -Now came the turn of the "tuck-boat," one of those that had remained as -yet in the fairway. It was rowed within the area enclosed by the seine, -and laid close to the seine-boat, to the bows of which one end of a -smaller net, called the "tuck," was fastened by a rope. The boat then -slowly made the inner circuit of the seine, the tuck being paid out and -deftly hooked at intervals to the larger net. Meanwhile the men in the -third boat beat the water with their oars, so as to scare the fish into -the middle of the enclosure. - -Now came the most exciting moment of the day. The cliff-top all round -the bay was dark with spectators. Small boys, eager to get in front, -dodged and shoved among the legs and skirts of their elders. The -village blacksmith was there; cobblers with bent backs and leather -aprons; tinkers, tailors, wheelwrights, carpenters, ploughmen, -dairymaids, old men with sticks and crutches, old women who could -scarcely totter, mothers with babies in their arms: all were agog with -excitement to see the final act. Sam Pollex was there, and when he -caught sight of the parlourmaid of the Dower House he sidled up to her -elbow, listened with delight to her exclamations of "My gracious!" "Look -'ee see, now!" "Lawk-a-massy me!" and by-and-by ventured to instruct her -ignorance of the movements passing below. - -With the shouts of the boys were now mingled the deeper tones of the -seiners as, ranged in a row in their boat, they began to haul on the -tuck, calling "Yo, heave ho!" in time with their rhythmic movements. -"Pull away, boys!" shouts the huer; "Yo-hoy!" scream the boys. "Up she -comes! Look at 'em! Look at 'em!" The water eddies like a mill-race; -in the midst is seen a heaving mass of gleaming scales; and from round -the point come boats of all sizes, which range themselves in a circle -about the shoal. Men lean over the sides, dip their baskets, lift them -full of shining fish, empty them into the boats, and dip them again for -more. Soon they stand ankle deep in pilchards, and when the boats sink -to the gunwales, they are rowed away to the jetty, where men are waiting -with shovels and barrows, ready to carry the fish to the salting-house. - -Dick Trevanion was among the spectators. He never missed the first haul -of the season. But to-day he was acutely conscious of a change. Last -year the villagers had greeted him with smiles and cheery words; to-day -they lowered their eyes, passed him in silence, and edged away from him -as he moved from place to place. He could not but feel bitterly his -isolation. Why did they so misjudge him? He had not changed: he knew -well that, in any ordinary contest between the smugglers and the revenue -officers, his sympathy would have been with the former; friendly as he -was with Mr. Mildmay, he would enjoy nothing better than that -gentleman's discomfiture, if it were due to fair means and the -villagers' wits. Yet, because he had intervened to prevent harm to an -old man, he was now regarded by the villagers as their enemy, one who -would descend to play the mean part of spy and informer. - -With gloomy face he turned away and walked back along the promontory. -At the end he met Mr. Carlyon, who had just ridden up on his cob. The -parson's ruddy face was suffused with cheerfulness; he knew by the -jubilant shouts of the crowd that the catch was a good one, and rejoiced -that his parishioners were winning from the deep their means of -subsistence for the winter. He marked Dick's clouded face, and, -guessing the occasion of it, he tried to cheer him. - -"Come, Dick," he said genially, "cheer up, my lad; this haul will put -the folk in a good temper, and they will forget their grudge against -you." - -"I hope they will, sir," replied Dick, "but there's one man who'll try -to keep them in mind of it." - -"You mean your cousin?" - -"Yes." - -"But surely he'll not be such a cur. He's a scoundrel--there now, what -am I saying? I'll tackle him, my boy. Why, bless my soul, he was in -church on Sunday, and my text was 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' -I'll ride there now, and get him to give me some breakfast--though I -detest the fellow," he added in one of his unconscious asides. - -"He is away from home, I believe," said Dick. - -"Well, then, I'll put it off till another day, but tackle him I will. -I've a bit of news, Dick. The carrier brought me some books last night; -that's not the news, though. No. You have heard, maybe, of a Frenchman -named Delarousse?" - -He looked slyly at Dick; everyone in Polkerran knew the name of the -Frenchman with whom the smugglers had such close dealings. - -"As a natural enemy of our country I don't pity him," pursued the -parson, "but as a--h'm--an honest free-trader I own I feel for him. His -privateer was badly knocked about in the Channel by a revenue cruiser a -week or two ago, and while she was being repaired, it appears that he -tried to run a cargo at Polperro. As ill-luck would have it--dear me! -I wonder if I ought to have said that," he added under his breath--"he -ran into the arms of the revenue people; they seized his lugger and -carried him to Plymouth, where he'll cool his heels for a time until -they put him among the other French prisoners on Dartmoor." - -"Do they know it in the village yet, sir?" - -"Probably not; the carrier was going straight on to Newquay; he had -nothing for us except my books. But you may be sure the folk will soon -know all about it. The carrier had a glass of brandy with Petherick, -and Petherick, as you know, is the biggest gossip in the parish. His -brandy is better than mine, the dog! I must ask him where he gets it." - -Dick could not help smiling at the parson's unconscious self-revelation. - -"That's right; you're feeling better, I see," said Mr. Carlyon cheerily. -"Now I'll go on and bespeak my basket. Pilchards of the first catch are -the daintiest dish I know. 'Tis a holiday to-day, but I shall see you -to-morrow. Good-bye." - -He rode on. Dick turned to watch him, and saw Sam Pollex walking beside -the maid-servant of the Dower House. When Sam observed his young master -he left the girl and came sheepishly towards him. - -"I've been tellin' to she the hows and whys of it, Maister Dick," said -he. - -"Indeed." - -"Iss, I have. Bein' a furriner, she be 'mazin simple for such a -well-growed female. She axed me why I never brought no more eggs." - -"And what did you say?" - -"Well, not likin' to hurt her feelings, I telled her our hens be -uncommon idle lately, and she said she knows they do have fits that way -sometimes. Maister John's gone to Lunnon, to buy things for his mine." - -"I wish he'd stay there." - -"Her name be Susan." - -"Quite a common name." - -"She's as nice a female as ever I've seed." - -The pilchard fishing was for several days so engrossing an occupation -that the villagers had no time for fostering their grievance against the -Towers. Dick and Sam, who had formerly been in the thick of it, -sometimes as spectators merely, occasionally as participators, kept -away, and spent the greater part of their time in fishing quietly some -few miles up the coast. One day Dick reverted to the project of hunting -seals, which he had temporarily abandoned, partly through the diversion -afforded by the discovery of the well, partly because he did not care to -kill the parent seals while their offspring were so young. Now, however, -the prospect of sport, and the practical wish to obtain a sealskin for -his mother, made him resolve to try his luck in the cave, and he laid -his plans in consultation with the ever-ready Sam. - -He guessed that the seals left the cave at low tide to find food in the -deep, and returned when the sea flowed in. Since the cave was at such -times inaccessible from the sea, he decided that it must be approached -from the well, of which neither he nor Sam had now any remaining dread. -One evening they sallied towards it, carrying a well-made rope-ladder, a -musket apiece, a large hammer, and several torches, which would give -more light than the ancient candle-lantern they had formerly carried. -To one end of the rope-ladder they had attached a series of stout -meat-hooks borrowed from old Reuben: they could more confidently trust -their safety to a number of teeth gripping the rock than to the single -fluke of their small boat anchor. They had timed their start so that -they would reach the cave just as the tide turned. - -It was a dull, murky evening, with a touch of autumn rawness in the air. -Twilight had not quite merged into darkness when they arrived at the -ruined chapel at the well-head. They looked warily around to make sure -that their presence was not observed, then prepared to descend. - -"'Tis rayther fearsome," murmured Sam, as he looked into the black -shaft. Now that he was on the spot, the tradition of ghostliness in -which he had been brought up revived something of his former fears. - -"Nonsense," said Dick, "we have laid the ghost for ever, Sam. I will go -down first. Don't follow until I come to the door. I will whistle for -you. When you hear me, fling down the ladder and the hammer. At a -second whistle, come yourself." - -Sticking a lighted candle-end into his hatband, and slinging the musket -over his shoulder, he stepped backward into the well, and began the -descent. He found the successive staples entirely by the sense of -touch, the candle throwing a deep shadow below him. At first he felt a -little nervous, but gathered confidence after a few steps, and made the -latter part of the descent very quickly. - -Sam, waiting above, heard a whistle, curiously prolonged by its -reverberations from the walls. He threw down the hammer, and gave an -involuntary start when he heard it thud upon the bottom. The ladder -followed, and the unkindled torches; then, without lighting a candle for -his own hat, he stepped over the brink, muttering to himself: - -"S'pose I fall! But I won't. S'pose I do though. But Maister Dick -didn't. S'pose _I_ do. Well, if 'tis to be, 'tis, so I med as well go -cheerful." - -In reality he descended more quickly than Dick had done. They gathered -up their burdens, and made their way by the light of Dick's candle along -the passage until they came to the ledge overlooking the cave. - -Here they stopped and peered over. The tide was rather lower than they -had expected. Their eyes ranged the cave for a time without discovering -any sign of the seals. Then Dick lit a torch, and holding it over the -dark space beneath, he suddenly saw two orbs of light, like the eyes of -a monstrous cat, in a far corner to the right of him. Moving along the -ledge in that direction, he descried two seals, greyish in colour, and -much larger than he had supposed them to be, lying on a rock, with the -two young ones between them. - -"We will only kill one, Sam," he whispered, "and I hope 'twill be the -father." - -The seals were apparently fascinated by the glare of the torch, for they -made no movement, their eight eyes glowing like balls of fire. In order -to obtain more light upon his task, Dick kindled two more torches, and -stuck all three into crevices of rock in such a way that they -illuminated the whole corner of the cave where the seals lay. But now -the animals had caught sight of him, and as if instinctively realising -that the intruder was an enemy, they scrambled with clumsy movements off -the rocks into the water. - -"They be goin' out to sea, scrounch 'em!" whispered Sam, whose attitude -to all prospective victims was an indignant surprise that they did not -wait meekly for their doom. - -But the seals, after swimming a yard or two, took up their position -behind a larger boulder, above which the tops of their sleek, massive -heads could just be seen. - -"We shall have to go down to them, Sam," said Dick. - -"They be great big creatures," said Sam dubiously. "Wi' those terrible -big flappers they could smite us flat as flounders." - -"You had better take the hammer in case I miss and they attack us. We -must at any rate prevent one of them from getting away." - -They retreated to the further end of the ledge, to which the light of -their torches scarcely reached, and carefully hooked the ladder to the -jagged rock. Then in perfect silence they descended. The water only -came to their knees. Wading through it with scarcely more noise than an -otter might have made, they drew gradually nearer to the rock behind -which the seals had sheltered. Here they found themselves baulked. The -rock was close to the wall, and it was impossible to get a shot at the -animals without circumventing it, which appeared to Dick a dangerous -movement. The surprising quickness with which the seals had shuffled -off their former perch showed that, if a shot failed, they might fling -their heavy bodies upon the assailants before they could escape. He was -considering what to do, when a movement among the seals forced him to -act on the instant. The largest of the creatures heaved itself to the -top of the rock, and lay there as if on the watch for the enemy, -presenting the side of its head to Dick. He raised his musket, a -firelock of ancient type, and fired. The reverberations in the hollow -vault were broken in upon by a hoarse roar, and through the cloud of -smoke the seal slid over the rock into the water, and came swimming -towards the two boys. Dick seized Sam's musket, preparing to fire -again; his first shot had only enraged the animal. But before he could -raise the weapon, the seal threw itself out of the water, and he had -just time to spring aside and evade its onset. As it passed, its -flipper struck the musket from his grasp, and it fell with a splash into -the water. - -Sam, for all his fear of ghosts, was brave enough before a real enemy. -He was standing a yard or two in Dick's rear. As the seal plunged -heavily into the sea, Sam brought the hammer down with all his force -upon the creature's head. There was one tremendous convulsion of the -water, then the seal's movements ceased and it sank to the bottom. - -[Illustration: "AS THE SEAL PLUNGED INTO THE SEA, SAM BROUGHT HIS HAMMER -DOWN."] - -Meanwhile, the other animals, scared by the noise, had flung themselves -into the water, and were swimming towards the mouth of the tunnel. - -"Well done, young Sam!" said Dick. "You did that famously." - -"So I did, to be sure," replied Sam, "but I couldn' help it. You shot -un, Maister Dick; see his blood." - -There was a red tinge upon the water. - -"How are we to get him up?" said Dick. "He's a monstrous big fellow." - -"We'll wait till tide is down and skin him here. Be his body good to -eat?" - -"That I don't know; we can try. But the skin is the valuable part of -him, and having that we may leave the rest." - -In two hours the receding tide had left the dead seal on the sand. The -boys took out their knives, and, expert in such work, in another -half-hour had removed the skin. Their torches were by this time burning -low, so they clambered up to the ledge, and carried their implements and -booty as quickly as possible through the adit to the foot of the well, -and then up to the surface. - -Vastly pleased with the success of their expedition they set off towards -home. The night was very dark, and a thin rain was falling, which -increased as they proceeded, until it became a steady downpour. They -were tired; their burdens, light enough when they started from home, now -seemed to be pounds heavier; the rain beat full in their faces, finding -out every crevice between their clothes and their skin; and the ground -was rough, covered here with tussocks of grass that squelched under -their tread, there with fragments of mining gear which threatened to -trip them up. They trudged on in silence, feeling the loneliness and -the inclemency of the weather the more keenly because it ensued upon the -high excitement of their adventure. - -As they struck into the path leading by Penwarden's cottage, Sam -suddenly declared that he saw a flicker of light to their left, some -distance across the moor. - -"I can't see it," said Dick, scarcely looking in the direction -indicated, "and it doesn't matter to us. I'm tired; this skin is heavy; -I want to get home." - -"'Tis moving," said Sam a moment later. "Maybe 'tis Maister John comin' -back from Lunnon." - -"He wouldn't come that way. I see it now; 'tis some belated traveller, -no doubt." - -"But the light bean't on the road; 'tis too far away." - -"Never mind about the light," Dick replied, testily. "Come along." - -They soon came to one of John Trevanion's new fences, which compelled -them to leave the path and seek the high road. In his moody frame of -mind Dick resented this bitterly. They now perceived that the light, -spread starwise by the rain, was much nearer to them, and presently -heard the creaking of wheels and the dull thud of horses' hoofs on the -turf. A minute after they had struck the road a closed travelling -carriage, drawn by two horses, turned into it from a byway, scarcely -more than a bridle path. On the right of the driver there was a single -lamp. Catching sight of the two figures on the road, bending forward -under their loads, the driver hailed them and pulled up his horses -beside them. - -"Hi! can 'ee tell me if this be the right road for Polkerran?" he asked. - -"Iss, fay, right for'ard," answered Sam. - -"And where be the Five Pilchards?" - -"Down-along through village. Better mind the hill, if you be a -furriner, 'cos 'tis 'nation steep and twisty." - -"So be they all, od rake it." - -Here another voice interposed, and a head showed itself dimly at the -carriage window. - -"Vill you--ah! how say it!--vill you embark on ze--ze coach, and, if you -please, show ze road?" - -"Drat it all, why will 'ee talk?" cried the driver. "Put yer head -inside, for gospel sake. Come up beside me, friends, if you'll do a -kindness, and say the word when I do come to the hill. I don't want to -break hosses' knees nor my own neck." - -The boys, glad enough to get a lift, mounted beside the driver, with a -tingling curiosity about the passenger inside who spoke in so strange an -accent. It was not far to the Towers, and when they came to it Dick -asked the driver to stop, and bade Sam get down and carry the sealskin -and his share of the other burdens to the house. - -"You bean't a fisher?" said the driver to Dick as Sam was descending. -There was a note of anxiety in his voice. - -"I fish, but I'm not what you would call a fisher." - -"I knowed it by your speech. Well, then, I won't trouble 'ee, sir, this -mizzly night," said the man, with some eagerness. - -"No trouble at all. 'Tis not very far." - -"Well, 'twas to be," muttered the coachman. Dick thought it was an odd -thing to say. Still more surprised was he when the driver leant over -and extinguished the candle-flame with his fingers. "You see," he -explained, "the gentleman inside is terrible bad, met with an accident, -as 'a med say." - -"Bring him to our house, then," said Dick instantly; "my mother will be -pleased to do something for him." - -"Not for gold and di'monds," replied the man quickly. "No, we go to -Five Pilchards; 'tis a good enough inn, I've heerd tell." - -Dick said no more. He wondered who the stranger was, and what brought -him to Polkerran, where visitors were rare. The carriage rumbled on -slowly; every now and then the driver made the horses walk, though the -road here was level. It seemed to Dick that his attitude and manner -were those of a man intently listening. - -They came to the spot where a short drive led from the road to the Dower -House, which could just be discerned, a black mass in the rain. "That -villain has not returned, then," thought Dick, seeing no light in the -house. - -At this moment there came upon their ears the clattering sound of -several horses from the foot of the hill which they had nearly reached. -The driver jerked his horses to a standstill, looked from side to side, -and seeing the carriage-drive, to which there was no gate, wheeled the -horses round and drove in, not on the hard road, but on the bordering -grass. - -"This is a private road," said Dick, wondering. - -"'Twas my thought. These be ticklish times for travellers, and 'tis -best not to meet strange riders in the dark. I'll bide till they be -past, and then go on again." - -He drew up under the trees about forty yards along the drive, within a -few yards of the house. Dick heard him breathing heavily. The -clattering of hoofs drew nearer: the driver seemed to hold his breath; -then, when the horsemen had passed the end of the drive at a fast trot, -he heaved a sigh of relief. He waited until the sounds had died away in -the distance, and wheeled the horses round. There was not room on the -grass for the carriage to turn completely, and the wheels made a -crunching sound on the pebbly road. The side of the carriage was still -turned to the house when the door opened, and John Trevanion appeared on -the threshold, holding a candle above his head, and peering into the -dark. - - - - - CHAPTER THE NINTH - - Doubledick's Midnight Guests - - -"Who's that?" cried Trevanion. - -Dick, being on the offside, was concealed by the driver's burly form, -but he shrank back against the front of the carriage. He did not wish -to meet his cousin's eyes at that moment, and began to wonder why he was -on the box in the rain when he might have ridden inside. - -"Axin' yer pardon, sir," replied the coachman, "I be afeard I've took -the wrong road. 'Tis 'nation dark, and my lamp has gone out." - -"What was that clattering of horses I heard?" - -"Ah, I can't tell 'ee that. I didn't see no one. Maybe 'twas -riding-officer. I axe yer pardon for disturbin' ye, sir, this terrible -bad night and all, and I'll drive on to village." - -"You're a stranger, aren't you? Have you got anybody in your carriage?" - -"Never a soul, sir. The truth is, I've lost my way, and shan't be sorry -to get out o' this pesty rain." - -"'Tis heavier now. Well, good-night. You'll find a warm room in the -inn at the foot of the hill, if the innkeeper hasn't raked out the fire -and gone to bed. Good-night." - -He retreated with his guttering candle into the house and shut the door, -the coachman driving back to the high road. Dick was mystified. Why -had the man denied having a passenger? Why had he extinguished his -light and turned out of the road on hearing horsemen? The driver said -nothing, except to grumble under his breath at the weather, and Dick -refrained from questioning him, thinking that some light might be thrown -on the mystery when they reached the inn. - -The carriage had just wheeled into the road when Dick felt a touch on -his right arm. He looked round: the passenger was leaning forward out -of the window. - -"How is ze name of zat man--him zat hold ze light?" asked the stranger -eagerly. - -Dick hesitated; then, seeing no reason for not answering, said: "That is -Mr. John Trevanion." - -"Tre--vat say you, if you please?" - -"Trevanion." - -"Trevanion!" repeated the questioner, giving a strange intonation to the -name. "Ah! Shank you." - -He withdrew his head into the carriage. Dick heard the driver mutter: - -"Why can't he clap a stopper on his tongue, the stunpoll!" - -He drove slowly down the steep winding hill. - -"There's the inn," said Dick presently. "Doubledick isn't abed, late as -it is." - -A light shone through the red blind of the inn parlour. The door was -open, and Doubledick stood in the doorway, illuminated by the light -behind. In spite of the heavy rain several men, among whom Dick -distinguished the elder Tonkin, were grouped about the door. They had -heard the wheels of the oncoming carriage, and there were signs of -excitement among them. As the vehicle drew up, Tonkin stepped forward, -thrust his head in, uttered a smothered exclamation, then opened the -door hastily. The eyes of all the men were fixed on the figure that -emerged, so that Dick on the box was not noticed. A short, broad man, -clad in a long overcoat, his cocked hat pulled low over his brow, -descended from the carriage and went quickly into the inn, the men -following him. The door was shut. Feeling that he was in a somewhat -false position, Dick seized the opportunity to slip down from his seat -and withdraw round the angle of the wall, where a flight of steps -ascended between it and the wall of the opposite house. He heard Tonkin -speaking to the driver; the carriage rumbled over the cobbles, not -returning up the hill, but going through the village in the opposite -direction. Immediately afterwards the inn door was reopened, the heavy -boots of the fishers clumped along the street, and in a few moments -nothing was to be heard except the pattering of the rain. - -Dick felt a little sore at having to trudge back afoot, without a word -of thanks. He was drenched to the skin. Glancing behind as he began to -climb the hill, he saw that the light had now disappeared from the -inn-room. The whole village was in darkness. More than ever dispirited -and mystified, he plodded along. Apparently the carriage had been -expected. He could not help connecting it with the horsemen whom the -driver had been so anxious to avoid, and, remembering the strange accent -of the passenger, it suddenly flashed upon him that the man might be one -of Boney's spies, whom he had unwittingly helped to escape pursuers. -But on reflection this idea seemed untenable, because a spy was hardly -likely to appear at this remote part of the coast, and he could not -believe that the smugglers of Polkerran, like those of the south-eastern -counties, had any treasonable communications with the French ogre. - -He was still pondering on the baffling occurrence when the sound of -horses trotting again fell on his ear. In a few moments he had to stand -aside to avoid being knocked down by the first of half-a-dozen horsemen, -whom, dark as it was, he recognised by their headdress to be soldiers. -Their uniforms were covered by their riding cloaks. He was seen as he -shrank back: a rough voice called "Halt!" and the horsemen reined up. - -"Stand forth, in the King's name, and answer for your life," said the -same voice. - -Dick went towards the foremost horseman. - -"Who are you?" he was asked. - -"My name is Trevanion," he replied. - -"Ah! Same as the gentleman up the hill," cried the soldier. "Now, tell -us quick; have you seen a coach, wagon, or other four-wheeled piece of -machinery hereabouts?" - -"Yes; a two-horsed carriage drove down to the inn yonder about twenty -minutes ago." - -"What road did she come?" - -"This very road that you're on." - -"Confusion on it! Then how did we miss the thing? But there, no -matter; we'll after it and catch the villain." - -Without more delay the sergeant and his men clattered off down the hill, -relieving Dick of the necessity of giving explanations, which he felt -might be somewhat awkward. Being now thoroughly excited, he forgot his -fatigue and wetness, and ran after the dragoons to see what happened -when they reached the inn. He was but a minute or two behind them. The -village was still in complete darkness; the rain had ceased, and the -moon showed her rim through a rift in the scudding clouds. - -The troopers were at the door of the inn, five still on horseback; the -sixth had dismounted and was rapping on the door with the hilt of his -sword. - -"Hang me, will he never open?" cried the man, when repeated blows drew -no response. - -"Must be a rare sleeper, to be sure," said another. - -"I'll bust the lock with a shot from my carbine if he don't open soon," -cried the angry sergeant. "This is some jiggery-pokery, sure as I'm -alive." - -He thundered again on the door, calling upon the innkeeper with many -imprecations to open in the King's name. At last there was the sound of -a casement opening above. Looking up, the troopers saw first a -blunderbuss, then an arm, and finally a head in a white nightcap. - -"Who be that a-bangin' and smitin' at an honest man's door, when he be -abed and asleep?" demanded Doubledick's voice angrily. - -"'Tis for you to answer questions, not to axe 'em," said the sergeant. -"Now, speak like a true man, and hide nothing, or the King will have -your miserable head. Did a carriage come down the hill a while ago?" - -"Oh, if ye be King's men I bean't afeard o' ye. A carriage? Why, to be -sure 'a did, a half-hour ago, or maybe more." - -"And where is it now?" - -"There's a question to axe a poor simple soul wi' only two eyes. How be -I to know that, captain, on a dark night like this?" - -"Be hanged to you! You know whether it stayed or went on, and you'd -best speak up without any shilly-shally." - -"True. I do know that. The carriage went on, to be sure." - -"Which way? Speak up." - -"Well, I can't 'zackly say, but 'twarn't up the hill, so I reckon 'twas -through village towards Redruth. Iss, I reckon 'twas that." - -"And the man inside?" - -"Daze me if ever I knowed of any man inside. Driver had lost his way, -seemingly; 'a was like a squashed turmit in the rain: and when he'd took -summat to comfort his innards, off-along he drove. Warn't here five -minutes, no, nor yet four." - -"'Tis treason-felony and hangman's job if you're not speaking the -truth," said the sergeant. "Confusion take him, we'll have to ride on. -Look here, Tom; you stay here with Matthew and keep your eye on the -door. The rest of us will ride on after the carriage, and come back to -you if we catch our man." - -"What rascal of a deserter be you a-chasin' by night, captain?" cried -Doubledick. - -"No deserter, but a prisoner that escaped from Plymouth. We've been -after him all day and all night, and smite me if it don't seem he has -given us the slip. Come on, men." - -The sergeant rode off with three of his men, the other two dismounting -and taking up their stand at the door. - -"I reckon I can go back to my warm bed now, eh, sojers?" said -Doubledick. "But ye're sappy wet, poor fellers, and tired too, to be -sure, hikin' arter a runaway prisoner all day and all night. Bide a -minute till I've pulled a few garments on my cold limbs, and I'll come -down and give 'ee summat to warm yerselves." - -The nightcap disappeared, a candle was lighted, and in a few minutes -Doubledick came to the door with two steaming beakers of hot brandy and -water, which the troopers accepted gratefully. - -Dick, from the shadow of an alley, had seen and heard all that went on. -The soldiers chatted with the innkeeper for a while; then he retired -into the inn, shut the door, and put out the light. - -A minute or two afterwards Dick saw a figure stealing down the steps at -the side of the inn, peep round the corner, and then retreat hastily. -He supposed it was one of the men whom he had seen at the door -previously, but was unable to distinguish his features, owing to the -deep shadows thrown on the alley-steps by the moon. To avoid discovery -himself, he shrank back against the blind wall. It must now, he -thought, be nearly midnight; but, wet though he was, he determined not -to leave the spot until he had seen how the matter ended. Having been -behind the wall when the carriage drove away, he was not sure whether -the passenger had re-entered it or not. The hurried manner in which the -man had gone into the inn was not that of one who intended coming forth -again. Doubledick had lied when he said that he knew nothing of the -occupant of the carriage; yet why should he harbour an escaped prisoner, -who was almost certainly a Frenchman? The mystery was deeper than ever. - -It was perhaps an hour later, and Dick was on the point of going home, -when the silence of the night was again broken by the sharp ringing -clatter of hoofs. The sergeant and his three men returned, a white mist -rising from their horses' backs. - -"We caught the carriage," said the sergeant, as he rode up, "but 'twas -empty as a sucked egg. The driver said he'd lost his way on the moor -coming from Truro, and was going on home to Redruth. Have you seen -anything?" - -"Not a thing," replied one of the troopers at the door. - -"Well, we must search the inn. What a miserable fool I was not to ask -that young feller if there was any one in the carriage when he saw it!" - -Dick hesitated for a moment. Should he tell what he knew? A French -prisoner was an enemy of his country; might it not be his duty to help -the dragoons to capture him? But reflecting that the man might be -nothing worse than a smuggler, in which case to inform against him would -only embitter the inimical feeling of the villagers against him, besides -being an ungracious act in itself, he decided to say nothing. - -After a long-continued knocking and the expenditure of much abusive -language, Doubledick once more opened the door. - -"Ye'll gie me the rheumatiz and send me to my grave," he said with a -whine. "What be ye rampin' men o' war wantin' now?" - -"We're going to search your inn for that there mounseer, my fine feller, -and you'd best take it quiet, or you'll find yourself strapped to one of -our hosses and carried with all your bones a-rattling afore the -Colonel." - -"Search, if ye must. Name it all, why should I hinder 'ee! Turn the -inn topsy-versy, ye'll find nothing but maybe a rat or a cockroach." - -The sergeant and two of the troopers entered. They searched the -tap-room, the inn-parlour, kitchen, cellars, bedrooms, lofts; rummaged -cupboards, empty barrels, a clock-case, the copper in the scullery, an -overturned water butt in the backyard; all to no purpose. - -"He's not here, that's certain," said the sergeant at last, dashing the -perspiration from his brow. "We must have overshot the villain somehow. -Plague on it! We shall have to ride back to Truro and try to get on his -tracks, or the Colonel will be in a rare passion." - -"I won't ask 'ee to stay, brave men," said Doubledick, "knowing what -terrible rages noble officers do fly into. But a nibleykin o' real old -stingo won't do 'ee no harm, and ye can drink confusion to Boney. Hee! -hee!" - -All the soldiers accepted the liquor with alacrity, and the two who had -already tasted its quality winked at each other, not acquainting their -comrades with their previous pleasurable experience. Smacking their -lips and declaring that the innkeeper was a real good-hearted fellow, -they remounted and rode up the hill. Doubledick watched them until they -were out of sight, a leer of triumph on his face. Dick heard him -chuckle as he shut the door and shuffled up the stairs. The light was -extinguished, and Dick, vexed with himself for remaining so long and so -unprofitably, set off homeward in the track of the dragoons. - -A few minutes after he had left, a heavily-cloaked figure--the same that -Dick had seen a while before--stole down the steps at the side of the -inn, and, looking round cautiously, approached the door and rapped six -times upon it, pausing a brief while after every second tap. -Immediately after the sixth, the casement above opened, and Doubledick, -looking out, said in a hoarse whisper: - -"Be that you, Zacky?" - -"No, 'tis I, John Trevanion. Come down and let me in, Doubledick." - -"Good sakes, I didn' know 'ee was to home, Maister John. Thought 'ee -was still in Lunnon town. A pretty stoor there's been to-night. Bide a -minute, sir." - -He lit his candle, descended, let Trevanion in, and barred the door -behind him. - -"I never thought you were such a fool," said Trevanion, angrily eyeing -the nightcapped and nightgowned innkeeper. "What on earth possessed you -to harbour Delarousse?" - -"Chok' it all, why shouldn't I?" replied Doubledick truculently. -"Bean't he a good friend of ourn? Who better?" - -"Confound you, he's a Frenchman, and a runaway prisoner. The soldiers -will get on his track again, and your ridiculous folly will be the ruin -of us all. You have no business to run such risks." - -In his anger Trevanion raised his voice. - -"Risks, do 'ee say? Jown me if you hain't run risks yerself, Maister -John, and a deal bigger; hee! hee!" - -"Silence!" shouted Trevanion. "Don't provoke me, or upon my soul and -body I'll----" - -The threat died on his lips, for at this moment a door opened at the -further end of the passage in which they stood, and there appeared the -short, rotund form of the passenger who had descended from the carriage -some hours before. The overcoat and the cocked hat were gone; the -Frenchman wore the rough fustian, marked with a broad arrow, in which -the authorities arrayed prisoners. His eyes gleamed with the fire of -hatred as he looked full at Trevanion, who on his part returned glare -for glare, but whose countenance wore a strange expression, which -Doubledick, watching him, could not fathom. - -"It is you," said the Frenchman, in his own tongue. "You, Robinson--or -Trevanion, is it not so?" - -"You be known to each other, then?" said Doubledick. "Hee! hee! Why -don't 'ee shake hands, like friends?" - -"Silence!" cried the Frenchman sternly. "You go," he added, addressing -Doubledick in English. "I haf somezink to say to zis -monsieur--Trevanion." - -He took the candle from the astonished inn-keeper's hand, and motioned -to Trevanion to enter the parlour. Following him, he shut and bolted -the door, leaving Doubledick in the dark passage. The innkeeper -promptly knelt down and put his ear to the keyhole, but since he knew -almost nothing of French, he understood little of the ensuing dialogue, -which was conducted in that tongue. - -"You see I have found you, monsieur--Trevanion," said Delarousse. "You -thought, no doubt, that you had escaped me when you landed that dark -night. But you should not have come to Polkerran; that was a foolish -step for one so clever to take. You would have been caught, but for a -sudden alarm from the shore; yet it mattered little that I had to sail -away then, for, as you see, I have found you--cheat, thief, scoundrel!" - -Trevanion did not flinch as the Frenchman hissed these words at him. He -thrust his hand into the breast pocket of his cloak. - -"Aha!" laughed Delarousse. "You have a pistol? I have not. You would -like to shoot me, but you dare not. I should like to shoot you, but I -have no weapon, and, equally, if I had, I dare not. I will not hang for -you: so you deal in this country with men that kill others, is it not -so? But I tell you, Trevanion--that is a name I do not forget--I tell -you that you shall not escape. It is not the time now, but there will -come a day when you shall repent of having deceived and robbed the man -who trusted you. Once more I tell you what you are: cheat, thief, -scoundrel!" - -"Pretty words, monsieur," said Trevanion with a sneer. "You had better -take warning. This country is not safe for Frenchmen. You have escaped -from prison, by some piece of imbecile folly----" - -"Not so," interposed Delarousse. "It was by the skill of good friends, -who are loyal to one that has done business loyally with them. They -would have taken me to Roscoff in their lugger, and tried to dissuade me -when I said that I should come here. But they helped me. One of them -risked his neck to drive me here, and my true friends have guarded me. -I came to assure myself that the man who called himself Robinson lives -here in this village. I saw you from the carriage when you stood at -your door; I learnt your real name, and now, once more I say it, I will -wait my time, and you shall pay for your knavery." - -"I care nothing for your threats. You have been lucky to escape once; -you will not escape a second time. Set foot on this shore again and the -whole country will rise at you. Expect no mercy from me." - -"Mercy! From you! Mon Dieu, is it you that talk of mercy?" - -He broke off, and let out a gust of harsh, sardonic laughter. Then, -thrusting himself forward, he cried: - -"Bah! I spit at you! When all men know you as I know you there will be -no talk of mercy. Are you fool as well as villain? Go! Return to your -fine house. Flourish on my money. It shall be for a season, and -then!----" - -Trevanion bit his lip. His expression told of a struggle for -self-control. He glared at the Frenchman for a few moments; then, with -a hollow laugh, he moved towards the door. - -"Do your worst," he said, turning with his hand on the bolt. "I am in -England; I defy you; and, by heaven! I promise you ten feet of English -rope as a spy 'if you dare to show yourself here again." - -He drew back the bolt, causing Doubledick to scuttle like a rat along -the passage. A mocking laugh followed Trevanion as he strode from the -inn. - -Before there was the least hint of dawn in the sky, a man, -unrecognisable in oilskins and sou'-wester, stole from the house next to -the inn, where he had been concealed when the dragoons made their -search, and walked rapidly to the jetty. Tonkin's lugger, the _Isaac and -Jacob_, lay alongside. Delarousse stepped on board; the vessel cast off; -and by the time that the mass of the villagers were awake, the guest, -whose presence few had known, was several leagues nearer to the French -shore. - -But the departure of the lugger had not been wholly unobserved. In the -little white cottage on the cliff, Joe Penwarden had enjoyed a full -night's sleep, as he usually did when the moon was up. The sound of -horses on the high road did not reach him, and he was ignorant of the -strange happenings in the village. But the moon was in its last -quarter; the "darks" would soon return, and with them the activity of -the smugglers might be expected to be resumed. The cargoes were -sometimes brought from Roscoff in French luggers, sometimes in the -_Isaac and Jacob_, and Penwarden was accustomed to watch the sailings of -Tonkin's vessel. On this particular morning he woke early, and after he -had kindled a fire, he rested his telescope on the window-sill to take a -look round while the kettle was boiling. He soon spied the well-known -lugger scudding along under full sail. - -"So you be at it again, Zacky," he murmured with a chuckle, as he shut -the telescope. "Well, please God, I'll be ready for 'ee." - - - - - CHAPTER THE TENTH - - The Fire Bell at the Towers - - -Next day the escape of Jean Delarousse, smuggler and privateer, was the -talk of the countryside. The dragoons had called at the Towers and -roused the Squire from bed, supposing that he was a magistrate and would -assist them. Then they rode for several miles across the moor until -they came to Sir Bevil Portharvan's house. That gentleman promised to -raise the hue and cry next day, and called up his servants to ask if any -of them had seen a carriage cross the moor that evening. The groom -declared that as he rode back from an errand in Truro he had seen a -moving light some distance to the left, concluding that it probably -proceeded from a belated carrier's cart on the way to Polkerran. On -this the troopers galloped back, and seeing a light in the Dower House -they called there and acquainted John Trevanion with their errand. He -guessed at once that the fugitive had been in the carriage which had -turned into his drive, and inwardly cursed his ill-luck in missing the -opportunity of laying by the heels a man whose recapture would have -rejoiced him; but having reasons of his own for not disclosing his -knowledge of the man, he forbore to mention the earlier incident, and -contented himself with wishing the pursuers success. When they had gone -he cloaked himself and followed them down the hill, being but a few -hundred yards behind Dick, whom he did not see in the darkness and the -twists and turns of the road. - -There was not a man in the village but suspected that the Frenchman had -got away on Tonkin's lugger; but not one of them would have said a word -to betray him. Delarousse was not an enemy, but a friend with whom they -had profitable dealings. When Sir Bevil rode down and questioned -Doubledick and others, it was clear to him from their manner that they -would give no information; and guessing, when he heard that Tonkin had -sailed early that morning, that the Frenchman had gone with him, he was -rather relieved than otherwise, for, like all the gentry around, he -bought his liquor cheap, and was never depressed when the revenue -officers were outwitted. - -Two days passed. Sam Pollex reported that there was a subdued air of -excitement in the village. Mr. Polwhele, the riding-officer, was seen -speaking to Penwarden, and the revenue cutter, which had been absent for -some time, once more anchored in the little harbour. Mr. Mildmay did -not come ashore: he seldom did so during the smuggling season; but one -of his men trudged up the hill to Penwarden's cottage, and did not -return. These facts made Dick tingle with excitement: but the Squire -had forbidden him to go near the smugglers again, so that he was unable -to keep watch for the run which he, like everyone else in Polkerran, -expected to take place. - -On the third morning, when Dick was tramping over the cliff with his gun -towards a cleft where he had heard that a pair of choughs had nested, he -saw Penwarden smoking on the bench beside his cottage door. - -"Morning to 'ee, Maister Dick," he said. - -"Good morning, Joe. You look very spry," replied Dick genially. - -"Well, and I feel spry, to be sure. Haven't 'ee heard?" - -"Heard what?" - -"Why, how we brought up the smugglers wi' a round turn last night." - -"Did you? Tell me about it, Joe. I wish I had seen it, but Father -won't let me out of the house at night now." - -"Why for, maister?" - -"Because I got home very late the other night, and he's afraid I shall -get my head broken, I think, now that the folks are so set against us." - -"'Tis a very wise commandment of the Squire. Well, I'll tell 'ee. Never -was they so flambustered afore. When I seed _Isaac and Jacob_ goin' off -so merry t'other morning, I guessed she wouldn't come back empty, the -wind favourin' and all. So what do I do but put on my considerin' -cap----" - -"That means a pipe and a bowl of rum, doesn't it?" said Dick with a -laugh. - -"I won't say but it do. Thinks I, now where will they try to run their -cargo? Tonkin went off in a 'nation hurry, and the reason o't you know -as well as I, but we won't speak o' that. There warn't time for him to -fix up with the shoremen, leastways with many of 'em, afore he went, so -thinks I, Zacky won't try to carry his kegs inland. What then? Why, -she'd sink 'em somewheres off the coast, and let 'em lay till he gets a -chance o' liftin' 'em. I've knowed a crop o' goods lay for a month -afore they could be lifted." - -"Doesn't it spoil the spirits?" asked Dick. - -"It do, if the tubs lay too long. Then the spirits be stinkibus and fit -for nothing. Howsomever, they'll sink 'em, thinks I, and what's to be -the place? Well, I mind that ten year or more ago they dropped a big -crop just beyond St. Cuby's Cove, and got 'em clean away in two nights, -while Mr. Curgenven was playin' cat and mouse miles down the coast. -Says I to myself, that's the very place." - -"But how did you know it ten years ago?" - -"By one or two things I noticed when I went a-rambling at foot of -cliffs; trifles I could hardly tell 'ee of. That's the very place, says -I, so I has a little talk with Mr. Polwhele, and he made it known to Mr. -Mildmay, and betwixt us we hitched up a pretty scheme to circumvent 'em. -And I was right, and wrong too, as you'll see. - -"Well, we sent over to Plymouth for a half-troop of dragoons, and put -them in Penruddock's empty farmhouse on the moor yonder. They came -quiet last night, and not a soul knowed about 'em. You see, 'twas only -my calcerlation as Tonkin wouldn't try a run, and 'twas best to be on -the safe tack, as you may say. Wi' the dragoons on shore, and Mr. -Mildmay at sea, we reckoned we'd spoil their game, whether 'twas sinkin' -or runnin'. When 'twas dark, we brought the sojers down to shore, and -put 'em among the rocks on each side of where I thought 'twould happen. -I had a sort o' suspicion that the smugglers had a hiding-place -somewhere along shore thereabouts, though I'd never been able to find -it." - -"What made you suspect that?" - -"Because we grappled for the sunk crop two days arter 'twas sunk, but -'twas gone; yet 'twas more than a week arterwards afore the stuff was -carr'd into the country, so it must ha' been hid somewhere. Well, we had -waited some hours, and the cutter had sailed away down the coast to put -'em off the scent, when just afore six bells we heard the creakin' o' -the lugger's gear, and I knowed I was right. At the same time the -fellers come creepin' round the cliff from the village. 'Twas to be a -run arter all. Our plan was to let 'em get warm to work, and not pounce -on 'em till we'd seed where their hiding-place was. Mr. Mildmay meant to -fetch about and come on 'em from seaward, while the sojers took 'em from -landwards. - -"Drown it all, 'twas ruined--ruined, I say; but 'twas not so bad as that -neither--'twas almost ruined, by a sappy landlubber of a sojer. The -unloadin' was goin' on as merry as you please when this soft stunpoll of -a chap let out a sneeze fit to blow yer gaff off. 'Twas all up then; no -good waiting for Mr. Mildmay; the smugglers' look-outs heard the tishum -and gave the alarm. Mr. Polwhele blew his whistle for the attack, and -we pounced out from our lairs, sojers and tidesmen, and dashed upon 'em -from two sides at once. - -"Some of 'em dropped their tubs like hot taters, and slipped off in the -darkness. But the rest stood their ground like men, and there was a -tidy little tumble, pistols cracking, cutlasses flashing----" - -"How could they flash in the dark?" said Dick. - -"You could hear 'em if you couldn't see 'em, and I don't care who the -man is, I call that flashin'. There was some pretty wounds dinted on -both sides, but as 'ee med think, the sojers' swordplay was a trifle -more learned than the free-traders', and arter some time we King's men -got the better o't, and they couldn't stand against us no longer. But -that sneeze: why couldn't the feller clap it under for five minutes -more? We catched nine of the smugglers, and laid them tied hand and -foot on the beach. But the rest got away, and drown it all, Tonkin was -one of 'em. I knowed un by his size, and a sojer and I and some more -had him betwixt us, but he let out with those sledge-hammer fists of -his, spun a sojer this way and a tidesman that, and by long and short -broke his moorings and swam out to the lugger. If that sneeze hadn't -come so soon Mr. Mildmay would have been there with the cutter, and we -should ha catched the whole crew. But 'twas not to be. By the time the -cutter fetched up, the lugger was well out to sea, and we lost her. But -we've got the nine men, who'll have to choose betwixt gaol and the -King's service, and I've chalked the broad arrow on twenty-four tubs, -which be now half-way to the King's store at St. Ives." - -"And did you discover the hiding-place?" - -"Chok' it all, we did not. Maybe there's no such thing. But 'twas a -proper tit-for-tat for the knock they give me, and I reckon 'twill be -some time afore they fly their colours again." - -"'Tis the biggest haul you've ever made, isn't it?" asked Dick. - -"We've got more tubs afore, but never so many men. I'm a deal more -cheerful in my mind than I used to be. We are doing the King's work -better in these parts than 'twas done in Mr. Curgenven's time, and I -hope them above will remember it." - -Dick went on. He was pleased for the old man's sake that he was so well -succeeding in his duty; but at the same time was full of misgiving as to -the hatred his energy would breed among the village folk. - -When he returned later in the day from a vain quest for the choughs, Sam -Pollex told him that the village was seething with rage, and everybody -was asking what had become of Doubledick. He was not among the nine men -who had been carted to Plymouth; search had been made for his dead body -on the shore; it was known that he had been among the tub-carriers, but -nobody had seen him since the fight. - -The mystery was solved at nightfall. The inn-keeper, dressed as a -peaceable fisherman, trudged into the village with a fat goose on his -back, and declared with a wink that he had been on a short visit to his -friend Farmer Nancarrow, five miles distant. His cronies knew that -Doubledick had adopted this course as a blind to the revenue officers if -they made an inquisitive visit to his inn. However strong their -suspicions, they could not proceed against him with any chance of -success. They were in the same difficulty in regard to Tonkin, whom -none could swear to, his face having been blackened. Nor could it be -proved even that it was his lugger which had brought the cargo. When -the _Isaac and Jacob_ came into the harbour next day and was boarded by -the revenue officers, it contained nothing but a few hundredweight of -fish; and though grappling operations were conducted in St. Cuby's Cove, -and for some distance on each side of it, no discovery of sunken tubs -was made. - -It was a fact, often remarked on in after days by the Polkerran folk, -that the only spectator on the jetty when Tonkin's lugger put -in--exclusive of the revenue officers, a toothless old fisher, Ike -Pendry's sweetheart, and a handful of children--was Mr. John Trevanion. -He seemed to be in the top of good humour; joked with Mr. Mildmay, gave -the old fisher a plug of tobacco, favoured Marty Bream with an admiring -glance, and chucked the children under the chin. When the lieutenant's -examination was concluded, and Tonkin came ashore, a free man, but under -suspicion, Mr. Trevanion had a word for him too, asked to see his catch, -and bought some of the finest of the fish. Then with a nod to Mr. -Mildmay he strolled with easy gait up the hill. - -That Tonkin himself, an hour or two later, should carry his fish to the -Dower House was natural enough, but it was not perhaps quite so natural -that, having delivered them to Susan for transmission to the cook, he -should have been asked to step into the house and taken to the master's -own room. Nor was it likely, when he was let out at the front door by -Mr. Trevanion an hour later, that the conversation which had passed -between them in the interim had for its subject nothing but fish. -Nobody in Polkerran knew of this visit, or some intelligent person might -have suspected that it had a connection with a remarkable change that -came about in the villagers' manner of regarding Monsieur Jean -Delarousse. Hitherto they had looked upon him as a keen man of -business, with whom it was as safe as it was honourable to have dealings -of a free-trade nature. But from that day they cherished a sour -distrust of him; they resolved to do business with him no longer, and to -transfer their custom to another merchant of Roscoff, whose name is of -no importance in this history. In this transference they followed the -lead of Tonkin, blindly--all but Doubledick, who swam with the current, -indeed, so far as outward appearances went; but in the privacy of his -own cunning mind, buzzing still with the recollection of what he had -heard through the keyhole of his parlour door, indulged in speculations -of a very tantalising nature, and wondered what Maister John's little -game was. - -Whether the relation of cause and effect existed between this meeting of -Trevanion and Tonkin, and an event that took place a few hours later at -the Towers, is a matter on which the reader may presently form his own -conclusion. - -Dick had gone to bed a little earlier than usual, tired out after a long -tramp over the moor in search of wild fowl. His room faced the sea, and -he had left his window open, as his practice was except in stormy -weather. In the dead of night he suddenly found himself awake, and -wondered why, for he had not been dreaming, nor was he conscious of -having heard a sound. But in a few seconds he was aware of an unusual -smell, that appeared to be wafted through the window on the sea breeze. -It was the smell of burning wood. He leapt out of bed, ran to the -casement, and looked out over a row of outhouses that extended for some -yards from the dwelling towards the cliff. One glance was sufficient. -The tool-house at the furthermost end was on fire. - -Quickly pulling on his breeches, he ran to the adjoining room, occupied -by Sam, hauled the snoring boy from his bed, shook him vigorously, and -cried-- - -"The tool-house is on fire! Run to the turret and pull the bell. -Quick! The breeze is off the sea, and we shall have the whole place in -a blaze." - -Then he rushed to Reuben's room on the lower floor, wakened the old man, -and told him to fill every bucket he could find with water from the -well. Lastly, he ran to his parents, breaking the news gently so as not -to terrify his mother. By this time the alarm bell was clanging its -quick strokes out into the night. - -Dick ran out of the house to the well-head near the dismantled stables, -where Reuben already had two buckets filled and was still pumping -vigorously. He caught up the buckets, hurried to the conflagration, and -flung the water on the flames. But it was clear that they had got such -a hold upon the shed that to extinguish them with water laboriously -pumped from the well would be impossible. The wind was steadily -carrying the fire toward the main building, and unless the blaze could -be checked within a few minutes, the old place was doomed. - -To fetch more water would, Dick saw, be a waste of time. What could be -done? Between the burning tool-shed and the dwelling-house was a long -wooden structure that contained the brew-house and a shed in which -Reuben kept vegetables, grain for the pigs, and other materials. Dick -remembered that the brew-house, though substantially built, was -worm-eaten, and, like the rest of the Towers, had not been repaired -within memory. Acting on an idea which had suddenly struck him, he ran -at full speed to the scullery, brought thence a rope and, returning, -made his way with it through the smoke into the brew-house, and attached -it firmly to one of the stout timbers supporting the roof. - -The Squire had now come upon the scene. - -"We must pull down the brew-house, Father," cried Dick. "'Tis the only -chance to prevent the flames from spreading." - -Together they hauled upon the rope. The timber did not give an inch. -They summoned Reuben to assist them, but the oak, worm-eaten though it -was, resisted their united efforts. - -"Once more! Pull all together," cried Dick in despair. The post did -not move. - -"Ha, Squire!" shouted a voice behind, "I see what you are about. 'Tis a -good notion. Give me a hold." - -"Polwhele, 'tis you. We'll be glad of your arm." - -"Did you ride, sir?" cried Dick eagerly. - -"I did," replied the riding-officer. "Egad! I see your meaning. My -horse is hitched to the fence. I'll bring him in a second." - -He ran off, returning soon with his horse, which pranced and snorted -when it came within the smoke and heat. Mr. Polwhele and Dick knotted -the rope to the animal's collar, while the Squire covered its eyes with -his coat. They turned its head away from the flames, and smote its -flanks. It started forward, almost escaping from the grasp of Mr. -Polwhele, who held it by the bridle. The post, already weakened by the -previous straining, gave at last, and a portion of the roof fell in with -a crash. The same operation was performed on a similar post in the -opposite corner. This was brought down at the first pull, and all that -remained of the brew-house was a heap of laths, beams, tiles, and broken -utensils. - -They proceeded then to smother the ruins with water and earth, paying no -heed to the blazing tool-house. After some twenty minutes the flames -began to subside; they poured more water, as quickly as it could be -drawn, on the glowing ruins, and had the satisfaction of seeing that the -demolition of the brew-house had been effective. The fire spread no -further; the Towers was saved. - -Panting and perspiring with their exertions, the four men stood for a -while in silence, watching the gradual dwindling of the flames. - -"That bell may stop," cried Mr. Polwhele suddenly. "'Tis well pulled, -whoever is doing it, but to little good, it seems. 'Pon my soul, I'm -the only man that has come to its call." - -"Ah! You see how things are with me," said the Squire bitterly. "Not a -soul cares whether the Towers burns to the ground, and I and mine in it. -I remember, forty years ago, when the place took fire, the bell brought -the whole village to our help. Now they'll lie abed and laugh to think -I'm homeless." - -"'Tis a disgrace and a scandal," cried the riding-officer, "and I'll -tell them so. The idiots, to suppose you would inform on them! I'll -set that right, Squire; I blame myself for not doing it before, but I -believed they would come to their senses." - -"You will waste your breath, Polwhele. Don't attempt it for me. I -could tell you one way to dash their enmity, but that's impossible." - -"What is it?" - -"Send John Trevanion where he came from. 'Tis he that is poisoning -folks' minds against us; yes, 'tis he." - -At this point Dick returned from the house, whither he had been to stop -the ringing of the bell. Sam came with him. - -"Now, young Sam," said his father wrathfully, "'twas you that started -this blaze, I'll be bound, wi' yer mischief and jiggery. I'll leather -'ee, that I will." - -"Be choked if I did!" was Sam's indignant cry. "Why do 'ee say it, -Feyther? You think because I break a dish now and again that I do all -the mischief, but I don't care who the man is, I hain't been nigh -tool-house or brew-house this mortal day." - -"Then who did it? Tell me that." - -"I can't tell what I don't know, but if I med put a meanin' to it, I'd -say 'twas done by the same hands as cut our lines and set our boat -adrift, be drowned to 'em." - -"By heaven, I see it!" cried the Squire, smiting one fist with the -other. "'Tis part of the scheme, Polwhele. They will stick at nothing. -Penwarden caught young Tonkin cutting Dick's lines, as you know, and I -thrashed him. They avenge him by firing my house. I'll clap them in -jail; unpopular as I am, the justices can't refuse to punish such a -crime." - -"You've no proof, Squire," said Mr. Polwhele. "You can't arrest the -whole village on suspicion. And now I think of it, if it is as you say, -there is no need to suppose your cousin is at the bottom of it. You -have no proof." - -The Squire was silent. Mr. Polwhele's view was no doubt that which -would be taken by the majority of people. Mr. Trevanion was conscious -of the weakness of his position, and regretted that in his impulsiveness -and resentment he had spoken so freely. The only facts upon which his -conviction of his cousin's venomous treachery depended were the purchase -of the mortgages and the subsequent fencing-in of the acquired property, -and neither singly nor in combination were these strong enough to -justify his accusation before reasonable people. - -"Well, well," said the Squire at last, "I may be wrong. I say no more -about it. But this persecution has gone far enough, and 'tis time it -was stopped, though how to stop it I know no more than the dead." - -"I'll see what I can do, Squire. The Towers is saved, and glad I am of -it. 'Tis to be hoped the wretches will try their tricks no more." - -He mounted and rode away, the Squire having warmly thanked him for his -assistance. The four inmates of the Towers then returned to their beds. - -"You did well, Dick," said the Squire as they parted. "'Twas a good -thought of yours to pull down the posts; without it we might have been -burnt out. We'll hold fast to the old place a while longer, my lad." - -To his wife he related all that had happened, and mentioned what Mr. -Polwhele had said about his suspicion of John Trevanion. - -"I've no proof, that's true; but in my heart I know it; time will show -whether I'm right or wrong." - - - - - CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH - - Sir Bevil Intervenes - - -Soon after breakfast next morning Dick and Sam went down to the shore to -launch their boat for a day's fishing. The post to which it was moored -being close under the cliffs, they did not come in sight of it until -they reached the foot of the winding path. Then Sam, who was walking -ahead, uttered a cry. - -"What is it?" asked Dick, hurrying on. - -"Scrounch it all, look 'ee, Maister Dick!" - -The boat lay on the white sand, but it was a navigable vessel no longer. -It had been sawn across in three places. The old craft, which had -withstood for forty years the battering of innumerable waves and the -more insidious attacks of time, and in which three generations of -Trevanions had sailed upon the deep, would be launched no more. It -would henceforth serve no useful end except as firewood. - -Dick felt first a pang of grief, then a surge of bitter rage. His -enemies could not have chosen a more galling or vindictive means of -wreaking their ill-will. They had dealt with the boat as the smugglers' -craft were dealt with when captured by the revenue officers. Dick saw -in their act a subtle indication of the thoroughness with which they -identified him with the Government men. It said: "You have joined the -revenue officers; very well, we treat you as they treat us." He had no -doubt that the destruction of the boat and the firing of the tool-house -were parts of one scheme. - -"The cowards!" he exclaimed, "to do behind our backs what they durst not -do to our face." - -"'Tis a miserable, dirty deed," agreed Sam. "We must tell of it to the -high powers." - -"Much good that will be!" cried Dick bitterly. "We can't tell who did -it; Sir Bevil will only instruct Petherick, and he is too much of a fool -ever to find out, if he wanted to, which is unlikely. We can do -nothing, Sam." - -"How can we go fishing now?" said Sam gloomily. "'Tis takin' the bread -out of our mouth, that's what it is. They mean us to starve, the -wretches." - -The loss of the boat was indeed a serious blow to the family at the -Towers. The principal source of their food supply was cut off. In the -present state of war between them and the villagers it would be -impossible to borrow a boat, and the only place from which the boys -could now fish the sea was the head of the jetty, where they would come -into awkward contact with the hostile fishermen. - -Dick examined the segments, with a lingering hope that even now old -Reuben, who had so often patched and caulked the boat, might be able to -repair it. But the destroyers had done their work only too well; he -turned away without a word, and gloomily wended his way homeward. - -As he walked towards the house, he saw a horseman riding down the road -towards the village. At a second glance he recognised him as Sir Bevil -Portharvan. When he reached home his father told him that Mr. Polwhele -had ridden over to Portharvan House very early, and informed Sir Bevil -of the night's occurrence. That gentleman had never been on more than -speaking terms with Squire Trevanion; it is not easy for a wealthy man -to be cordial with one who has gone down in the world and yet retains -his pride. Sir Bevil disapproved of the Squire's attitude to his -cousin, which seemed to him the outcome of sheer envy. But he was -sufficiently loyal to his class to be greatly incensed at the criminal -action of which the riding officer told him, and he promised to exert -his influence as a magistrate to prevent any further proceedings of the -same kind. - -He rode to the Towers, learnt the particulars from the Squire's lips, -and, having coldly expressed his sympathy, went on. As he came to the -Dower House it occurred to him to see John Trevanion, whom he had met -often of late, and ask him to use his efforts to put down the -persecution. Trevanion's attitude was admirably correct. He -acknowledged that he was on bad terms with the Squire; deplored the -breach, which was not of his making; and promised to let it be known in -the village that he disapproved of such violent measures as the people -had recently taken. That was as much as he could do. Sir Bevil went -away feeling that John Trevanion was an excellent fellow, and regarding -his own errand even more in the light of a troublesome duty than he had -done before. - -From the Dower House he went straight to the inn, which was the focus of -the village life, and the place from which his views would radiate with -every man who left it after drinking his ale, cider, or brandy. Reining -up at the door, he called Doubledick forth. - -"Good mornin', yer honour," said the innkeeper, rubbing his hands -deferentially as he obeyed the great man's command. - -"Look here, Doubledick," said Sir Bevil bluntly, "I've heard of what -went on at the Towers last night. That sort of thing won't do, you -know; it must be stopped, and you can tell your customers I say so. -Free-trading is all very well, but arson is an ugly word and a hanging -matter; and, egad! if any man is caught playing such low tricks, and -brought before me, he'll get no mercy, I promise you. Make that clear, -will you?" - -"Iss sure, Sir Bevil," replied the innkeeper. "'Twas a cruel deed, the -Squire bein' so cast down and all. I'll tell the folks yer very words, -sir, that I will." - -"That's right. I saw Mr. John Trevanion on the way down, and he agreed -with me, so there will be an eye on the village nearer than mine." - -"Oh, if you seed Maister John, Sir Bevil, 'tis as good as seein' the -Lord High Constable o' the county, I warrant 'ee. Folks think a deal o' -Maister John, they do." - -A keener observer than Sir Bevil might have detected a spice of irony in -Doubledick's remark. But the baronet was satisfied, and after yielding -to the innkeeper's invitation to take a glass to help him on his -homeward journey, he rode off with the comfortable sense of having done -his duty. - -When Dick went to the Parsonage that afternoon for his usual lesson, he -told Mr. Carlyon all that had happened. On the next Sunday the vicar -preached an excellent sermon from the text, "Cursed be he that removeth -his neighbour's landmark," which the women listened to without -understanding, the men going to sleep as usual. - -The loss of the boat caused something like consternation among the -inmates of the Towers. The Squire could not afford to buy a new one; how -was the necessary fishing to be carried on? This problem taxed the wits -of Dick, who lay awake for two nights pondering and puzzling. Then the -thought came to him, why not build a boat? He had never attempted such -a ticklish piece of work, but he was pretty handy with tools, and the -idea of setting his wits against the machinations of the enemy fixed his -resolution. - -He remembered sorrowfully that with the burnt tool-house had perished -his tools and the carpenter's bench at which he had been accustomed to -work. But he could borrow the necessary implements from Petherick, the -sexton, who did all the repairs required at the church and the -Parsonage. There was no lack of timber in the planking of the ruined -portion of the Towers. The most formidable obstacle was his absolute -ignorance of the art of boat-building, but a means of overcoming that -soon suggested itself. - -The Polkerran fishers obtained their boats from St. Ives, fifteen or -sixteen miles away. A tramp of that distance was nothing to a healthy -lad, so, early one morning, taking some bread and cheese in a wallet, -and telling no one of his intention, Dick set off. It was a raw -November day; the road was wet and muddy, and as Dick passed under the -trees along the route his face and neck were bespattered by the -drippings from their bare boughs. But he made light of such ordinary -discomforts of winter; the swinging pace at which he walked set his -blood coursing, and by the time he arrived at St. Ives his whole body -was in a healthy glow. He entered an inn and moistened his dry fare -with a glass of ale, then found his way to the principal boat-builder's -yard, and stood looking on as the workmen sawed and planed and hammered. -The builder had no secret to guard; his yard was open to any one who -cared to visit it. He gave Dick a friendly greeting; the men threw a -glance at him, and went on with their work and their gossip as -unconcernedly as though he were not there. - -Having spent several hours thus, strolling through the town to warm -himself while the men were at dinner, he set off in the afternoon on his -long tramp homeward, going over in his head the details of the -operations he had witnessed. Next day he appeared in the yard at the -same time. The master-builder himself was absent, and there was a shade -of surprise in the men's expression of face as they saw him enter; but, -as before, they paid no attention to him, and showed neither interest -nor curiosity. - -On the third day, however, when he again made his appearance, their -rustic stolidity was penetrated at last. - -"Mornin' to 'ee, sonny," said the foreman builder, a cheerful-looking -veteran of sixty; "you be as regular as church-clock, to be sure." - -Dick smiled and returned the man's greeting. - -"You will know a boat from keel to gunwale," continued the foreman. - -"That's what I've come for," said Dick. - -"Well, now, think o' that!" - -"Didn't I tell 'ee so, gaffer?" remarked one of the men. - -"True, you did, and a clever seein' eye you have got, Ben." - -"And _I_ said 'a was not a common poor man," said another. "That's what -_I_ said, bean't it, Ben?" - -"Iss, fay, they was yer very words." - -"Well, sir," said the foreman, "seein' that these clever fellers have -seed so far into ye, maybe you'll tell what's your hidden purpose in -lookin' at we." - -"I'm learning how to build a boat," replied Dick. - -"Good now! You never thought o' that, Ben, clever as ye be, I warrant -'ee. Well, sonny--sir, I mean--I've been nigh fifty year larnin' to -build a boat, and I bean't done larnin' yet." - -"That's bad news, because I want to build one in a week or two." - -"Well, I won't say but you can make some sort of a tub in the time, but -'twill be a wambly figure o' fun, and be very useful for givin' ye a -sea-bath. Ha! ha!" - -"There's no harm in trying, though," said Dick, good-humouredly. -"Perhaps if you'd let me try my hand I might pick up a notion or two." - -"I don't mind if I do. Just set they thwarts in the splines; that's a -little small job, and we'll see how 'ee do set about it." - -Dick stripped off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to -perform the task given him, the foreman watching him critically the -while. - -"Not so bad," he said when the job was finished. "I won't say but -Maister will cuss when he do see it, but 'tis not so bad for a young -feller; what do 'ee say, my sonnies?" - -The men left their work and inspected Dick's, twisting their necks, -pressing their lips together, and showing other marks of solemn -consideration. They pronounced the work pretty good, and declared they -wouldn't have believed it. - -The foreman gave Dick other little jobs to do, and being more pleased -with the lad's handiness than he had admitted, he took pains to instruct -him. Dick learnt about ribs and splines; how to steam the ribs and give -the necessary "flare"; the difficulty of getting the planking to "fly" -to a true curve without "shramming"; and many other technical details -which dashed his hope of being able to build a boat in a week. - -"Don't 'ee go and set up for a boat-builder, though," said the foreman -pleasantly. "Maister will werrit if he do think the bread 'll be took -out of his mouth." - -"No fear of that," replied Dick laughing. "I only want to build a boat -for myself, to replace an old one I lost." - -"Well, I will say 'tis a right good notion to build one yerself instead -o' buyin' one, though 'twouldn't do for we if everybody was so handy." - -Dick's journeys to and fro between Polkerran and St. Ives extended over -ten days. His absences greatly puzzled Sam, but Dick gave no -explanation until he felt that he had learned enough to make a start, -and decided to visit the boat-builder's no more. He was not so foolish -as to suppose that he had mastered the trade, but believed he knew -enough to enable him to construct a boat that would serve his simple -purpose. Then one morning he set Sam to collect a number of sound -planks from the floors and wainscoting in the unused rooms at the -Towers, and having borrowed from Petherick the tools necessary to -supplement those that Reuben had, he began his task. - -Day by day for a fortnight the lads worked steadily, using the -dilapidated stables for their workshop. Occasionally the Squire and -Reuben stood by and criticised; old Penwarden, too, looked in and -offered a more or less impracticable suggestion. Once when Dick was at -a loss how to proceed, he trudged to St. Ives to consult the foreman. - -"What, Maister, has she sunk a'ready?" said the man with twinkling eyes, -as Dick entered. - -He obtained the information he desired, and within a few days afterwards -the boat was finished. Nobody at the Towers, except her makers, believed -that she would float. How to get her down to the water was at first a -baffling problem. She was too heavy and cumbersome to be carried down -the cliff-path by the boys, and they would not seek assistance from the -villagers. It was Mr. Carlyon that solved the difficulty. He suggested -that the boat should be conveyed on a farmer's wagon to a dell about -four miles northward, where a stream flowed into the sea. This was done -early one morning, the farmer, a friend of the Vicar's, being bound to -secrecy. They launched the boat on the stream, and Sam gave a whoop of -delight on seeing that she rode fairly upright. With a couple of spare -sculls from their nook on the Beal, they pulled her out to sea, and Dick -was pardonably proud of his handiwork when she proved quite seaworthy, -if somewhat lumbering. - -"She's not very pretty, but she's strong," he said to Sam, "and that is -all we need trouble about." - -During the weeks in which Dick had been thus occupied, no further -annoyance was suffered from the villagers. Sir Bevil's warning had -apparently taken effect. Penwarden reported that two more serious -checks had been given to the smugglers. Once they had been interrupted -in the act of running a cargo at Lunnan Cove, some miles to the south, -and a hundred tubs had been seized by Mr. Mildmay. A few days later, -the cutter had gone in chase of a lugger in a stiff gale, and the -seamanship of the smugglers being at least equal to that of the King's -men, the quarry had escaped. But her crew, not daring to run the cargo -while the revenue officers were on the alert, had sunk the tubs, which -were always carried ready slung to meet such an emergency, in five -fathoms of water beyond St. Cuby's Cove. In their hurry, however, the -work was not done so carefully as usual, with the result that one of the -tubs was chafed off the sinking rope, drifted about, and next morning -was descried by Penwarden from the cliff. He informed Mr. Mildmay. The -shallow water along the shore was systematically searched, and the whole -cargo was hooked up by means of "creeps," as the grapnels were called. -Rumour, reaching the Towers by way of the Parsonage, said that on both -these occasions Tonkin was the freighter, so that his loss by the -successive failures was probably not far short of 300. - -Tidings came, also, by the local carrier, of renewed activity on the -part of the _Aimable Vertu_ in the Channel. A revenue cruiser had -fought an action with her off the Lizard, and was worsted, her commander -being wounded, and the vessel only escaping by running in shore to -shallow water, where the privateer could not follow. The authorities, -already deeply incensed by the escape of Delarousse from Plymouth, were -furious at this recurrence of his depredations, and had offered a high -price for information of his movements, and a still higher reward to any -officer who should capture him. - -For a few days Dick laid up his new boat, when fishing was done, in the -mouth of the little stream on which he had launched it, tramping back -with Sam over the four miles to the Towers. But this became irksome, -and he tried to think of some means of keeping the craft nearer home -without running the risk of its destruction by the smugglers. After a -good deal of anxious consideration he hit upon the idea of building a -shed for it on the beach at the foot of the cliff. - -"Jown me if I see the good o' 't," said Sam, when Dick explained his -plan. "They'll break into the shed, or fire it, if they want to, and -we'll lose our boat and our labour too." - -"But I've thought of a way of preventing that, Sam. They won't -interfere with it in daylight: 'tis only the night we need fear. Well, -we'll make 'em give us warning of any trick they play." - -"I don't see how, unless they be born fools." - -"They're not fools: far from it: but they might be a trifle sharper in -the wits, perhaps. If it comes to scheming, I think we can beat 'em, -Sam. We'll build the shed close under the house. Now listen. We'll -make the door to open outwards, and tie a strand of sewing thread to the -bottom, running it through hooks along the wall and out at the back of -the shed. There we'll tie it to a fishing-line, and round a pulley up -to the cliff-top, taking care to keep it off the rock by making it run -through notches in sticks of wood. At the top we'll have another -pulley, and at the foot of the house wall another, and so carry it into -my bedroom. There we'll fasten it to a weight--a poker will do; which -we'll sling up beside the window. We'll put a tea-tray underneath it, -d' you see? so that if the shed door is pulled open the thread will -break, the poker will fall, and make such a clatter that we are bound to -hear it all over the house." - -Sam broke into laughter. - -"Ha! ha! it do mind me of the old 'ooman and little crooked sixpence," -he cried. "Do 'ee mind, Maister Dick? 'Cat began to kill the rat, rat -began to gnaw the rope,' and so on till th' old 'ooman got home at last. -My life, 'tis a noble notion! What a headpiece you have got, to be -sure! But, scrounch it all, won't they see the line?" - -"I don't think so. 'Tis so much the colour of the rock that it will -escape notice." - -"True. But s'pose we do hear a clatter-bang. That won't stop 'em from -hauling out the boat, and we couldn' get down the cliff in time to save -her." - -"I'd thought of that. We'll fix up a booby-trap over the door." - -"Never heerd o't. What be a booby-trap?" - -"'Tis a thing that Mr. Carlyon told me of, a trick he used to play when -he was a young fellow at college. You fix above the doorway something -that will tumble down when the door is opened, and come plump on the -head of any one entering. That will stagger them, and while they are -recovering their wits we shall have time to run down. You may be sure -they'll run away before we get to them, for if we recognize them they'll -have Sir Bevil to reckon with." - -"Ha! ha!" laughed Sam. "That 'ud be a funny sight to see. We'll do it, -Maister Dick, and 'tis my wish I bean't too sleepy to tumble up when -they tries their tricks." - -It was a full day's work, from daybreak to long past sunset, to erect -the shed from materials carefully prepared beforehand. Dick felt the -necessity of completing the apparatus before another day dawned, lest -their proceedings should be spied from a passing boat and reported in -the village before they were ready. He obtained permission from his -father to remain out, telling him frankly what his purpose was, but -without giving details, and toiled on, by the light of a screened -lantern, until the whole contrivance wis finished. The booby-trap -consisted of a pail nicely balanced on a bar running across the shed, -and filled with water deeply coloured with indigo. It was connected by -a thread with a loose board in the floor beneath, so that a trespasser -stepping across the threshold would snap the thread, cause the pail to -turn on its axis, and receive its contents on his head. - -"The parson used flour, he told me," said Dick, "but 'tis too good to -waste on those rascals." - -"Ay, and a dousin' will make 'em cuss more," said Sam. "Oh, 'twill -grieve me tarrible if I be asleep!" - -Three days passed. Apparently the shed had not been discovered by the -villagers. The boys tested their invention and found it successful. -They took the boat out each morning, and restored it to its place when -the day's fishing was done, fastening the door from the inside, -connecting it with the booby-trap, and leaving the shed by a small door, -just large enough to crawl through, at the back. - -On the third evening Mr. Carlyon came to the Towers to join the -Trevanions in a game of whist, as he did frequently during the winter -months. It was a still, clear night, with a touch of frost in the air; -but the cold did not penetrate to the Squire's room, where a blazing -wood fire threw a rosy radiance on the panelled walls, and woke smiling -reflections in the glasses and decanters that stood on a table near that -at which the party of four were absorbed in their game. The house was -quiet; Reuben and Sam had retired to rest, for the Vicar would need no -attendance when he mounted his cob to ride home. - -The Squire was in the act of shuffling the pack, when suddenly the -silence of the house was shattered by a tremendous crash in one of the -rooms above. Mrs. Trevanion pressed her hand to her side; the Squire -missed his cast, and let the cards fall to the floor; Mr. Carlyon put -down the glass which he had just raised to his lips, so hastily that the -fluid spilled on the baize. Dick sprang up. - -"'Tis the alarm!" he cried. "They are at my shed!" - -He dashed out of the room, to meet Sam in shirt and breeches tumbling -down the stairs. Dick seized a cutlass hanging on the wall, Sam the -parson's riding-whip, and throwing open the door they sallied out into -the night. - -"It dinged me out of a lovely dream," said Sam. "Dash my buttons, 'twas -a noble noise." - -They scampered along the cliff to the zigzag path. Meanwhile the Squire -hurriedly explained the matter to the astonished Vicar. - -"Bless my life, I must go too," cried Mr. Carlyon. "The impudence of the -scoundrels! Is this the result of Sir Bevil's intervention? Come -along, Squire; bring your pistols. Man of peace as I am, I will give -you absolution if you wing one of those fellows!" - -The two hastened forth less than a minute after the boys. Both were -active men, in spite of their years, and they scrambled down the path -with no more stumbles than were excusable in elderly gentlemen a little -short in the wind. Before they got to the bottom they saw a boat just -pulling off from the shore, and the boys knee-deep in water, trying to -give a parting salutation with their weapons to the disturbers of the -peace. Sam had the satisfaction of hearing a bellow from the man in the -stern of the boat as the whip-thong slashed his face; but Dick's cutlass -was not long enough for effective use, and in a few seconds the -marauders were out of reach. - -The four met on the beach and hastened up towards the shed. To their -surprise the door was only half open. - -"They must have heard the noise," said Dick. "My window is open. I -daresay they waited to see what it meant, and then heard us coming down, -for when we got to the foot of the path they were beginning to shove the -boat off." - -"The neatest contrivance I ever heard of. I congratulate you on your -ingenuity," said the Vicar heartily. "But we may as well see that the -villains have done no mischief." - -As he spoke he pulled the door fully open, and before Dick could check -him, set his foot on the threshold. Instantly there was a splash; the -worthy man gasped and spluttered, and came out with a spring, shaking -his head like a dog emerging from a bath. - -"God bless my soul!" cried the Squire, looking with amazement at the -dark shower pouring from his friend on to the sand. "What on earth is -this?" - -"Ho! ho!" laughed Sam, prancing with delight, his veneration for the -Church quite eclipsed by his joy at a fellow mortal's misadventure. "I -ha' seed it arter all. Ho! ho!" - -Dick, overwhelmed with dismay, shook Sam by the arm and bade him be -silent. What excuse, what reparation could he make to the venerable -gentleman who had suffered so untoward an accident? - -"I didn't think--I tried to--I'm dreadfully sorry, sir," he stammered. - -"Ha! ha!" came the parson's rolling laugh. "'Pon my life, he's an apt -pupil, Squire. The young dog! Ha! ha!" - -"Explain this--this--" began the Squire angrily. - -"This booby-trap, Squire," cried Mr. Carlyon. "'Tis I am the booby. I -taught Dick, in a reckless burst of confidence, how we young rantipoles -at Oxford used to deal with each other--and our tutors too, I'm bound to -say. I wish I hadn't. But, you young rascal, I told you that we used -flour: what is this horrible stuff?" - -"Only a solution of indigo, sir; it won't do you any harm," replied poor -Dick. - -"Won't do me any harm? Only make me black and blue, eh? Ha! ha! I'm -glad 'tis no worse. But 'tis a thousand pities those ruffians escaped -the shower. Well, well, the rain falls on the just and the unjust, -we're told, and----bless me, Squire, it takes me back forty years, when -we had rigged up a trap for a freshman, and it toppled on the reverend -head of the dean himself. Ha! ha!" - -"Ha! ha!" laughed the Squire, his vexation giving way to his sense of -humour. - -"Ho! ho!" roared Sam. "Drown me if it bean't the----" - -"Shut up!" growled Dick. "Why must you laugh at the Vicar in that -idiotic way?" - -"'Cos he laughs at hisself," said Sam, highly aggrieved. "I wouldn' -laugh at him with his nightgown on in church, not I; but when he be just -like a simple common man, daze me if I can keep it in." - -The two elders were now climbing the path. Dick stayed to retie the -thread, though he did not expect that the marauders, after the alarm -they had had, would make a second attempt that night. Having closed the -door, he accompanied Sam up the cliff, greatly relieved when he heard, -far above, the Vicar's hearty laugh, as he related to the Squire sundry -other pranks and escapades of his younger days. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWELFTH - - Penwarden Disappears - - -As Dick hoped, the scare given to the enemy by his prompt sally from the -Towers proved effectual; no further attempt was made to interfere with -the boat. Rumours of the contrivance for giving an alarm spread among -the villagers, and Mr. Carlyon, without revealing his own misadventure, -took care to explain to Petherick, sexton, beadle, and constable, that -the intruders would have suffered material damage if they had had the -courage to enter the shed. Petherick duly reported this, as the parson -intended, adding on his own account that the young monkeys had invented -an instrument of torture for all who dared to molest them. The parson's -housekeeper discussed with Petherick a strange stain upon her master's -stock, and Petherick himself, despatched one day to the Truro perruquier -with a parcel carefully tied, was amazed when the tradesman, opening it -in his presence, revealed a wig, not iron grey, but mottled blue in -colour. These matters were a topic of conversation in Polkerran for many -a day, and there were some who offered explanations, and some who shook -their heads and looked profoundly wise, but discreetly held their -tongues. The truth was never known outside the Towers, Dick threatening -Sam with excommunication if he breathed a word of it. - -One Wednesday, early in December, the boys set out a little before dawn -to fish. The air was cold and misty; trickles of condensed moisture ran -down their faces and necks, and little pools formed on the rims of their -hats. The exercise of rowing warmed them, and the discomfort, always -less to their seasoned skins than it would have been to a townsman and a -landlubber, was forgotten altogether when the fish rose freely to their -bait. They made a good catch after two hours' work, and turned to row -back in order to carry the fish home in time for early breakfast. - -They had come nearly a mile from shore, and were pulling hard, the wind -blowing off the land against them, when all at once, some distance -astern, there loomed out of the mist a three-masted vessel of -considerable size. - -"Look, Sam," said Dick, "isn't that the same craft we saw following the -smack that night?" - -"'Tis so," replied Sam; "the night Maister John come home-along. I said -he landed from the smack, you mind; you said 'a didn't; and I don't care -who the man is, but I know I be right." - -"Pull away, Sam. We don't want to be seen. It may be the French -privateer we've heard about, and we ought to tell Mr. Mildmay or -Penwarden." - -"True, and there's money if she's catched. Would they gie us a bit o't, -think 'ee?" - -"I daresay. There! She has vanished into the mist again. Do you know -if the cutter is in the harbour, Sam?" - -"She warn't yesterday. Maister Mildmay is busy down coast. I'd liever -old Joe got the money than he." - -They saw no more of the vessel, even from the top of the cliff. Mr. -Trevanion was interested in their news, and agreed that it should -certainly be imparted to Penwarden or Mr. Polwhele, Mr. Mildmay being -absent. - -Dick remembered that the old exciseman had probably been up all night. -He sympathised with him in his arduous duty of watching all through the -long hours of darkness, in fair or foul weather, frost or rain. At dawn -of day Penwarden was accustomed to take a "watch below," as he called -it, until noon, priding himself on requiring no more than four or five -hours' sleep. At noon an old woman from the village came to get his -dinner and tidy up, leaving when her work was done, his other meals -being prepared by himself. Dick decided not to awaken Penwarden until -he had had his sleep out, but to seek Mr. Polwhele, whose house stood on -the cliff half-a-mile on the further side of the village. Dick went -there by a roundabout way, to avoid meeting the fisher-people and their -sour looks. The riding-officer was much surprised at the news he -brought. - -"'Tis a risky thing on the part of Delarousse, if 'tis indeed he," said -Mr. Polwhele; "and why he should come here I can't tell, for Polkerran -is not worth powder and shot." - -"Maybe to arrange for running a cargo," said Dick. - -"I don't think that, for 'tis whispered that the folks here do not deal -with him any longer. I can't think 'tis he, but I will run up my signal -to warn Mr. Mildmay, if he can see it through the mist. Thank 'ee for -the news. Perhaps you will tell Penwarden, and ask him to keep an eye -lifting." - -Dick promised to do so, and returned home. - -Shortly before twelve, the time when Penwarden was usually moving about -again, Dick walked up to the cottage to inform him of the strange -vessel. He knocked at the door, but there was no answer. Thinking that -the old man was lying later than usual after a tiring night's duty, Dick -felt loth to rouse him, and resolved to wait a while, walking up and -down before the cottage, beating himself for warmth's sake. Now and -then he stopped to listen at the door, but there was no sound from -within, nor indeed without, except the booming of the surf, the whistle -of the wind impinging on the cliff edge, and the screams of gulls which -had not yet flown inland to seek their winter sustenance in the -neighbourhood of farms. The mist cleared off, and not a sign of the -vessel was to be seen on the horizon. - -"Old Gammer Oliver is late, too," thought Dick. "Perhaps Joe told her -not to come at her usual time." - -He took a book from his pocket, and read it, still walking up and down. -But he soon tired of this; the hour for the midday meal at the Towers -was drawing on; and he would have returned but for his promise to Mr. -Polwhele. - -"I ought to have hammered hard on the door at once," he said to himself. -"Tired as he must be, he would not mind being disturbed in this case." - -He shut up his book, slipped it into his pocket, and strode briskly -towards the cottage, about thirty paces distant. No smoke was rising -from the chimney; nothing was audible but the wind rustling the leaves -of a laurel bush, and causing the bare tendrils of last year's creeper -to scratch against the wall. The sudden scream of a gull wheeling its -flight above the roof made Dick start and look round uneasily. There -was nothing living, on four feet or on two, in sight. - -He came to the door, and, hesitating no longer, rapped smartly upon it. -Neither voice nor movement answered him. Again he knocked, with greater -energy, calling the old man by name. The perfect silence when his -knuckles ceased their tattoo alarmed him. Joe always locked the door -when he left the cottage by day, and locked and bolted it when he -retired at night. Still, it was a natural act to turn the handle, and -Dick, when he did so, almost laughed, for the door opened, revealing the -dark little passage, on one side of which was the bedroom, on the other -the kitchen and sitting-room in one. Of course, the old fellow had gone -out. - -But as Dick stood on the threshold and his eyes became accustomed to the -dimness within, this comforting reflection gave way to surprise and -apprehension. Half-way down the passage Penwarden's hat lay on the -floor. Near it was a bundle of bulrushes which he had brought back from -a voyage in his sea-going days; it usually stood against the wall -beneath a portrait of Rodney. Beyond, the glass of a case enclosing a -stuffed John-Dory was broken to splinters, which glinted from the stone -floor. The passage presented a strange contrast to its usual neat and -tidy appearance. - -"Joe!" Dick called. - -His voice reverberated; there was no other sound. He entered the passage -and opened the door of the kitchen. It was empty; nothing was in -disorder; a kettle stood on the hob; on the table lay a mug, a knife, -and a plate holding a few crumbs of bread, witnesses to the old man's -supper. Dick turned about, crossed the passage, and halted for a moment -at the bedroom door, seized by the shaking thought that Joe had been -taken ill in the night--was perhaps dead. He called, rapped, and, with -quivering nerves, entered. The blind was down, so that he could -scarcely see; but there was the bed, empty, the bedclothes disturbed. -He pulled up the blind. The cold light of the winter sky flooded the -room, and he saw things that filled him with alarm. A chair was -overturned; fragments of a pipe and a tinder-box lay beside the bed; a -thin hair rug was creased into the shape of billows; on one of the white -deals was a dark red stain. The appearance of both room and passage -pointed to a struggle. The stain was the fresh mark of blood. - -What had become of the old man? Dick felt the answer to his unspoken -question. Excisemen had many enemies; sometimes they lost their lives, -not merely in open fight with the smugglers, but by insidious attack. -Mr. Mildmay had told of ambushes, midnight assaults, torture, brutal -murders. Such incidents were almost unknown in the west country; the -fair fame of Cornishmen had not been sullied as that of the men of Kent -and Sussex had been. But what more likely than that the bitter -ill-feeling rife in the village, which had lately vented itself against -the inmates of the Towers, should now have sought a new victim in -Penwarden? If the smugglers were prepared to go such lengths against -the Trevanions, towards whom their hereditary loyalty had for -generations been akin to the Scottish clansman's devotion to his chief, -they would scarcely be disposed to spare a humble old seaman, to whom -they attributed the heavy losses they had recently suffered. - -These thoughts ran through Dick's mind in a moment. That Penwarden had -suffered violent handling he could not doubt. He must at once report -the disappearance. He hurried from the room, closing the door, and in -the passage met Gammer Oliver, as she was called, the old woman who came -daily from the village. - -"Oh, Maister Trevanion!" she exclaimed, "you did give me a turn." - -"Mr. Penwarden is not here; something has happened to him. You don't -know anything about him?" - -"Do 'ee say it? Lawk-a-deary, and me so late and all! My darter was -took bad this morning, or----" - -"Do you know anything about him?" repeated Dick. - -"Not a mossel, sir. I hain't seed the gaffer since I gied un his dinner -yesterday. Save us all! What a moil and muddle things be in!" - -"Yes, I don't know what has happened. Tidy up, and bring the door-key -to the Towers. I am going now." - -He hastened home, and told the Squire what he had discovered, and what -his suspicions were. Mr. Trevanion, often supine and sluggish in matters -concerning himself, was energetic enough when he heard of wrong or -injustice suffered by others. - -"This is scandalous!" he exclaimed. "Do you go at once and find Mr. -Polwhele, Dick. I will hurry to the parson. Stay, I'll give Sam a note -for Sir Bevil; we must raise a hue and cry after the old man. Where is -Mildmay, I wonder?" - -"Mr. Polwhele was going to signal to him, sir," said Dick. - -"That's right. He must watch the coast. I've heard of the wretches -shipping off to France preventive men who make themselves troublesome. -'Tis ten to one they will serve Penwarden so; that vessel you saw may -have come for that purpose." - -Within a few minutes the three active members of the household had gone -their several ways. Dick hastened for the second time to see the -riding-officer. As he went he came to a resolution. The smugglers, it -was clear, were determined on pursuing their policy of persecution. All -who opposed them, or whom they supposed to be their opponents, would -have to reckon with their remorseless animosity, which might express -itself in open violence or deeds of stealth as necessity demanded. It -was to be war, and, as events were shaping themselves, war between the -village and the Towers. Well, the war should be fought out. The -quarrel had been forced on the Trevanions; they had not willingly -departed from their neutrality; but matters had now gone so far that to -remain neutral was impossible, and Dick resolved to take once for all -the side of the law. He anticipated some difficulty in bringing his -father to adopt the same attitude; but at the present moment the Squire -was so indignant with the smugglers that, even if he was not ready to -throw himself into active opposition to them, he might not forbid Dick -to do so. Feeling that at such a crisis all quiet work at his books was -impossible, Dick determined to beg Mr. Carlyon to release him, and to -devote himself heart and soul to the contest, whether of wits or -weapons. The first object must be the rescue of Joe Penwarden. - -Mr. Polwhele was still at home. - -"This is a new thing, 'pon my life," he said, when Dick had told him his -tidings. "Till now the villains have been only on the defensive; to -take the offensive means there's a new spirit working in 'em. D'you -think, now, that your father is right, and John Trevanion is the man -behind?" - -"I don't want to say what I think, Mr. Polwhele," replied Dick. -"Whether he is or not, we must put a stop to it. I can't do much, but -what I can do I will." - -"I'm glad to hear it. The curious thing is that John Trevanion has but -lately been here. One of the fishers had told him of the strange -vessel, and he came for the same purpose as you, to ask me to signal to -Mr. Mildmay. He said it was scandalous that the Frenchman should be -allowed to cruise at large." - -"Do you think she came to ship Penwarden away, sir? That is my father's -idea." - -"'Tis a notion, now, but not likely, unless John Trevanion came here to -throw me off the scent. You saw no small boat pulling to the ship, did -you?" - -"No, sir." - -"Then I think the Squire is wrong. Now, seemingly, Mr. Mildmay has not -seen my signal, but he must be somewhere off the coast. As soon as 'tis -dark I will show a light with my telescope lantern; that will fetch him; -and if you are ready to join hands with us, I will bring him to the -Towers and we'll hold a council of war. Will the Squire agree to it?" - -"I don't know. I'll ask him, and if you'll meet me at six o'clock on -the bridge yonder, I will tell you what he says." - -When the Squire returned from his visit to the Parsonage, Dick opened -his mind to him. At first Mr. Trevanion shrank from definitely -committing himself to the cause of the revenue officers, but when Dick -pointed out that his position could scarcely be worse than it was, and -that the Trevanion influence might still have some weight with the -better-disposed among the village folk, he consented to the -riding-officer's proposal. - -"The vicar is coming over this evening," he said. "We shall at any rate -have all the wisdom of the parish." - -At half-past six there met in the Squire's room, Mr. Mildmay, the -riding-officer, Mr. Carlyon, and Dick. They drew their chairs to the -fire; the elder men lit their churchwarden pipes, and, with glasses of -steaming toddy at their elbows, proceeded to discuss the situation. - -"I have a note from Sir Bevil," said the Squire. "He is sending to Truro -for assistance. What shape that may take I don't know." - -"The shape of a constable or two, probably," said Mr. Polwhele, "and if -they are no better than Petherick, they won't help us much." - -"Petherick shall cry the village to-morrow," said the Vicar. "Being a -justice as well as parson, I have written out a proclamation, summoning -all good and true men to give information that will lead to the -discovery of Penwarden, dead or alive." - -"I don't believe they'd murder him," said Mr. Mildmay, "or they wouldn't -take the trouble to spirit him away. A crack on the head would be a -much simpler matter." - -"What do you suppose is their object in kidnapping him?" asked the -Vicar. - -"Either to hold him while they run a specially valuable cargo, or to -ship him to France and keep him permanently out of their way. A fool's -trick; for he's bound to be replaced, though we'd find it hard to get a -better man, old as he is." - -"And foolish in another way," added the riding-officer. "They ought to -know that a deed of that kind will only stir up the rest of us. I -wouldn't give much for their chances of running a cargo yet awhile." - -"Nor for shipping him," said Mr. Mildmay. "I'll swear they haven't done -it yet. My boats were up and down the coast all last night. One of -them spied that rascally privateer putting in towards St. Cuby's Cove in -the mist this morning, but she sailed away, and though I gave chase, she -got off. To-night we'll have the boats patrolling for miles; I defy 'em -to slip through us." - -"When did they seize him, d'you suppose?" asked the Squire. - -"In the early morning, I think, Father," said Dick, "before it was -light. The blood stain was quite fresh. They must have hidden him -somewhere; they wouldn't carry him away in the daylight, in case some -one saw them." - -"That wouldn't trouble them, bless you," said Mr. Mildmay. "All -Polkerran and most of the folk around are hand-in-glove with them. They -could count on the silence of everybody but a few ranters and -psalm-singers, who would either be abed and asleep, or going about their -business." - -"I don't agree with you, Mildmay," said the Squire. "They would have to -pass this house on the way to the village, and they know very well that -Dick and young Sam are early birds; they wouldn't risk meeting them. -No; 'twas done in the dark, depend on it." - -"That might be if they took him to the village, but we don't know that," -retorted Mr. Mildmay. "No doubt there are any number of underground -cellars and secret passages in the village: 'twas in some such place -that fellow Delarousse was hidden while the dragoons were searching the -inn, you may be sure. But those are not the only possible -hiding-places. What with nooks, caves, and adits in the abandoned -mines, we might search for a month of Sundays and not find the poor -fellow." - -"But they won't hold him long, surely," said Dick. "What a trouble it -would be to guard him and feed him!" - -"True; they would expect to be able to ship him soon. If they are -planning a run, and find we're too watchful for them, I'll be bound -they'll let him loose before long, and we'll find him one fine morning -back again." - -"Dick speaks of guarding and feeding," said Mr. Carlyon. "May not that -give us a clue? It seems probable, as Mr. Mildmay suggests, that he is -not in the village. If he is elsewhere, somebody must leave the village -to carry food to him, and a vigilant watch would detect the fellow." - -"Bless my life, parson," said Mr. Polwhele, "you don't know these -rascals. They're as wary as otters and as slippery as eels. I'll -warrant they'd slip us in broad daylight, and as to the darkness of -night, why, a regiment of soldiers wouldn't be large enough to net 'em." - -"Well, to be practical," said the Squire. "You, Vicar, as a justice, -can give Mr. Polwhele a warrant of search. You may unearth him in the -village, and I should begin with the inn; Doubledick's name suits him. -With the coast closely watched by Mr. Mildmay's men, the kidnappers -cannot ship him. Sir Bevil will raise the hue and cry in the -neighbourhood inland, and 'tis such a serious matter that I doubt -whether any of the yeomen would connive at it. The name of _habeas -corpus_ would scare them out of their wits. I'm inclined to think with -Mr. Mildmay that the rascals will let him loose in a day or two when -they see what a stir they have made; but of course we must not rely on -that, but do our best to ferret him out." - -"Very well summed up, Squire," said the Vicar. "We cannot do more -to-night; and, as 'tis not late, perhaps you and these gentlemen would -favour me with a rubber. Polwhele trumped my trick last time," he -added, under his breath. - -"With all my heart," cried the Squire. "Dick, bring the cards, and ask -Reuben to fry some pilchards. All work and no play, Mr. Mildmay, you -know----" - -The gentlemen were nothing loth to spend an hour or two in this way. -They had supper at eight; the officers then left to attend to their -nocturnal duties; and as Mr. Carlyon remained to play piquet with the -Squire, Dick went to bed early, resolving to take some independent steps -in the morning. - - - - - CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH - - Cross-Currents - - -Polkerran next day was the stage upon which a series of dramatic -incidents were enacted, pure comedy to the spectators, but with a -possible tragedy behind the scenes. - -At an early hour a mob of boys and girls, with a sprinkling of aged folk -verging on second childhood, followed at the heels of Petherick, the -constable, as he shambled through the streets, stopping at the corners -to ring his bell, shout "Oyez! Oyez!" and mumble the formal words of Mr. -Carlyon's proclamation. He pretended to read them from the sheet of -double foolscap that he held at arm's length before him, but being -perfectly illiterate, he in reality recited them by heart, the Vicar -having devoted two solid hours since dawn in drumming them into the -man's head. His duty thus religiously performed, Petherick repaired to -the tap-room of the Five Pilchards, where he discoursed for a time on -_habeas corpus, felo de se_, and other magical prescriptions, relieving -his dryness so frequently with rum-hot that he was at length overcome -with emotion, and mingled his liquor with his tears. - -Two hours later, Sir Bevil Portharvan rode down with Mr. John Trevanion, -a brother magistrate, and a sheriff's officer from Truro, intending to -harangue the populace and impress them with the majesty and terror of -the law. But finding that no audience gathered about him except the -young and old children aforesaid, a few pallid indoor workmen, and a -number of women accompanied by squalling infants in arms--the -able-bodied men being, curiously enough, otherwise engaged--he abandoned -that part of the programme, and contented himself with solemnly -superintending the affixing to the inn-door of a bill, headed with the -royal arms, which he had ordered overnight to be printed in Truro. - -At noon came Mr. Mildmay, Mr. Polwhele, a posse of excisemen, and a -soldier on furlough, who, with the authority of a warrant signed by the -Vicar, proceeded to make a thorough search of the houses, beginning with -the inn itself. They descended to the cellars, ascended to the lofts; -rummaged in clothes presses; turned down beds; rapped at walls for -hollow sounds indicating secret passages or receptacles; peeped into -horse-troughs, cow-byres, and pigsties; poked in coppers and washtubs; -in short, worked themselves into a fine perspiring heat and the village -folk into an itching frenzy by the conscientious thoroughness of their -inquisition. Some of the men who had been undiscoverable by Sir Bevil -were now energetically employed, in advance of the search party, in -removing bales, kegs, packets, and canisters, so that when Mr. Mildmay -appeared at one end of a street, these interesting objects were -collected at the other; and when this end in turn was visited, the -barefooted carriers of the articles in question slipped back and -replaced them in their former hiding-places. - -While Mr. Mildmay and his assistants, after three hours' unremitting -toil, stood mopping their brows and venting their honest opinion of the -Polkerran folk, John Trevanion rode down the hill. He reined up when he -reached the group, and greeted the discomfited representatives of the -law. - -"How d'ye do, gentlemen?" he cried. "Have you had any success?" - -"Confusion seize 'em, Mr. Trevanion!" replied the lieutenant. "We've -not seen a sign of the old man, nor discovered a single cask or bundle -of contraband. You'd think 'twas the most innocent, duty-paying village -in the three kingdoms." - -"That's most unfortunate. As to the contraband--well, you know, we all -like to get our goods as cheap as we may, I don't disguise it; but old -Penwarden is another story. Have you no notion where he is?" - -"No more than you, Mr. Trevanion," said the riding-officer, throwing a -keen glance on the horseman. - -"Then you must be blank indeed," said Trevanion with an easy laugh. -"'Tis my belief there's a great deal too much fuss made about old Joe's -disappearance. Surely nobody in Polkerran would wish to injure so -ancient an institution. 'Tis a prank, depend upon it, and when the -prankers have achieved their object--you and I can guess what that -is--they'll let him loose as sound as a bell." - -Trevanion's debonair frankness disarmed Mr. Mildmay, to whom he was a -comparative stranger. It seemed ridiculous that the Squire should -harbour such unworthy suspicions of his cousin. - -"By the way," continued Trevanion, "I am glad I met you. I am having a -few friends in on Saturday night--a bit of a randy; that's our name for -it here--and I shall be delighted if you will join us. I haven't seen so -much of you as I should like; this mine I'm starting has kept me busy." - -"I'm much obliged to you," said Mr. Mildmay, "but I fear----" - -"Oh, I know what you would say. But your cutter can spare you for an -hour or two. Not for the world would I hinder your duties; to catch -that villain Delarousse in particular would be worth a good deal to you; -but 'tis dark early; the hour fixed is six; and I won't say a word if -you must leave us before we are ripe." - -"Well, I will come. Thank you." - -"And you too, Mr. Polwhele? The service of your country can spare you -for a little while?" - -"To be sure. I'll come too, Mr. Trevanion; 'twill be like old times, -indeed." - -The riding-officer's assent was much more hearty than Mr. Mildmay's, -which was perhaps a little surprising in view of the suspicions he had -confessed to on the previous day in speaking to Dick. - -"That's right," said Trevanion. "I shall be glad to welcome you. The -hour is six--did I name it? I hope Penwarden will be found by that -time; you'll feel easier, I dare say. Good-bye, then." - -When he had ridden away, Mr. Mildmay dismissed the underlings and went -off to have a meal with the riding-officer. - -"That fellow's too free-and-easy to be the villain the Squire thinks -him," said Mr. Mildmay, as they walked southward out of the village. - -Mr. Polwhele smiled. - -"I'm beginning to think he's the cleverest free-trader the duchy ever -bred," he remarked. - -"My dear fellow!" expostulated the lieutenant. - -"I had my suspicions; this invitation has convinced me," replied Mr. -Polwhele. "Bless my life, to think you are so simple, Mildmay! Don't -you see the game? They've put Penwarden out of the way. What does that -mean? A big run, as sure as I'm alive. But we two are obstacles; they -blink at kidnapping us, but they do better. They invite us to a randy, -and while we are making merry they slip inshore, run their cargo, -liberate Penwarden, and laugh at us for a pair of jackasses." - -"That's nonsense, Polwhele. The cutter will be out, though I'm not on -it. Besides, didn't he say we can leave when we like?" - -"Yes, with the belief that when he has us there, warmth, good liquor, -and pleasant company will prove more attractive than hunting rascals in -the cold." - -"Why did you accept, then?" - -"First, to look after you, Mildmay. Second, to keep my eyes open. -Third, to make Trevanion think I don't suspect him, so that the -smugglers may go forward with their plans. He is playing a deep game, -I'm sure of it." - -"That's detestably unjust, Polwhele," said Mr. Mildmay, with some heat. -"Give a dog a bad name, and----I tell you what. We will both leave at -nine; not a minute later. That's several hours before any run took -place that ever I heard of. Nine it shall be, and call me jackass if the -shore's not as quiet all night as the churchyard." - - -Meanwhile, what had Dick been doing? - -At the hour when Mr. Carlyon was driving the terms of his proclamation -into Petherick's reluctant skull, Dick rose from bed, and taking the key -of Penwarden's cottage, brought to the Towers by Gammer Oliver, went up -the cliff to make a more thorough examination of the premises than he -had made on the previous day. He wished that he had thought of doing so -before, for there had not only been rain in the night which would help -to obliterate any traces that the kidnappers might have left on the -ground, but the neighbourhood had been visited by inquisitive boys, -dairymaids, farm-hands, and idle folk from the village, who tramped -round the cottage, gazed at the door, and peered in at the windows, -leaving innumerable footprints on the soil. - -Dick was puzzled to think how Joe's captors had obtained entrance to the -cottage. It was not by the front door, unless Penwarden had carelessly -left it open; its timbers were sound and the lock unbroken; not by the -chimney, which was too narrow to admit anything larger than a pigeon. -They might have gone through the garden and forced the back door; though -they would surely have tried to effect an entrance quietly, while the -old man lay asleep. - -Arriving at the cottage, Dick unlocked the door, entered, and went -through the passage to the back door, which opened on a tiny garden. -The lock had not been tampered with. Penwarden was very proud of his -garden, devoting many hours a day in the summer, when his duties were -light, to the cultivation of peonies, fuchsias, nasturtiums, and other -flowering plants, together with onions, artichokes, and vegetable -marrows. The flowers were on one side of a narrow path, the vegetables -on the other. There was a small gate in the rear fence. At this time of -year the ground was bare, Penwarden finding nothing to do but a little -rake and spade work. - -A glance at the path apprised Dick that the captive had been carried out -this way. The pebbles were disturbed; parts of the boxwood borders were -trampled down, and over the edge there were prints of heavy boots on the -brown earth. Dick examined the kitchen window. The explanation was at -once clear to him. There were deep scratches on the sill and the -woodwork; the conclusion was irresistible; the kidnappers had climbed -into the kitchen and gained the bedroom before Penwarden was aware of -their presence. That they had carried their victim out by the back door -seemed to show that at any rate they had taken him inland, and not down -to the shore. How the front door came to be unlocked was a puzzling -circumstance, since they had clearly neither entered nor come out that -way. - -Dick went again to the back, and sought to trace the footsteps beyond -the gate; but the grass there was so beaten down by the rain and the -feet of the curious idlers, that the most careful investigation must -prove fruitless. He returned into the cottage, to make a thorough -search of the bedroom. Gammer Oliver had made the bed, straightened the -rug, set the chair on its legs, and washed over the stained plank. It -seemed probable that his instruction to her to tidy up had robbed him of -any chance of making a discovery. But Dick resolved not to err again -through over-haste, and, the small window admitting little light, he -found a candle, lit it, and began to prowl methodically round the room. -For some time his search met with no reward, but all at once, catching a -glint of light reflected from some object on the floor in the angle -between a grandfather's clock and the fireplace, he stooped, and picked -up a large steel button, to which hung by the broken threads a torn -scrap of blue cloth. - -Dick felt a thrill of excitement. Penwarden had not been carried away -unresisting. He knew that already by the signs of struggle formerly -observed. The severed button was an additional proof. No doubt it had -been wrenched off in the fight--from whose coat? Not from Joe's; his -buttons were the regulation brass buttons of the Government service. -Many of the fishers had steel buttons on their winter coats, and one -button was like another. But it occurred to Dick that the particular -garment which had lost this button might not yet have been repaired, and -he wondered whether the Vicar's search-warrant would justify Mr. Mildmay -in demanding that all the blue coats in the village should be spread out -on the beach for examination. The absurdity of the idea struck him at -once. Of course the very garment that was wanted would not appear. But -he thought of a better way--one that would arouse no suspicion, though -it might prove impossible of execution. He would go down into the -village and scrutinise the clothes of all the men he met. The owner of -the lost button was probably one of the most active of the smugglers, -and not an indoor man, so that there was some chance of meeting him in -the street, on the beach, or on the jetty. - -He set off at once. On the way he met Sir Bevil and other horsemen -riding from the Dower House, where John Trevanion had entertained them -after the futile ceremony in the village. The fishers, who were not to -be seen when Sir Bevil was burning to address them, now stood smoking at -the corners, in front of the inn, on the jetty, and elsewhere. They -appeared to be very much amused. Some of them scowled at Dick as he -passed; others laughed and spat; one asked him with an oath what he was -staring at. Dick was seldom in the village now, and the hostility of -the folk's attitude might have made his heart sore had he not been -hardened to it. - -He walked along as unconcernedly as he could, standing for a few moments -to watch some fishers mending nets on the beach, and lingering until -their movements brought the front of their coats into view. Some coats -were brown, some blue; some had steel buttons, others bone. Not one was -lacking. Presently he came to the jetty, where Isaac Tonkin, sitting on -an upturned tub, was superintending some repairs to the seine-net in his -lugger. He wore a blue coat, but his arms were folded, one hand holding -his pipe to his mouth. He threw one glance at Dick, but made no -movement, and thenceforth ignored him. - -Dick strolled up and down. Excitement utterly possessed him; to his -fancy Tonkin was deliberately concealing two out of his four buttons. -The two visible were of steel. What could he do to make the man -unclasp? But it was not necessary to practise any wile. The simplest -causes effected what he desired. - -"Feyther," called Jake Tonkin from the lugger, "fling us a quid o' yer -bacca." - -"'Tis bad for young stummicks," said the father. "Howsomever, here 'ee -be." - -His right arm fell as he sought his pocket: the front of his coat was -revealed; one button was missing. - -It is probable that Dick, but for his long waiting and his excitement, -would not have yielded to impulse. But as Tonkin threw the tobacco into -the lugger, Dick stepped up to him, and, holding out the incriminating -button, said: - -"This is yours, I believe." - -Tonkin stared at him for an instant, blew a cloud from his lips, and -held out his hand for the button as if to examine it. In anticipatory -triumph Dick handed it to him. - -"Did I hear 'ee say as this button do belong to me?" asked the man in a -curiously quiet voice. - -"Yes, I did say so." - -"Well, drown me if I want it," and with a flick between his forefinger -and thumb he sent it skimming through the air. It fell into the sea a -dozen yards away. - -Dick's cheeks flamed with rage at his stupidity in allowing himself to -be outwitted. He had had in his possession the sole piece of evidence -against the kidnappers, and now it was lost on the sandy bottom of the -harbour. Shaken out of his self-control, he said hotly: - -"'Twas you that kidnapped Penwarden. Don't think you will escape. -There'll be an end to this villainy." - -"Go and inform, then, you cussed young slip of a rotted old tree. 'Tis -not the first time, neither, you dirty young whelp." - -A burst of laughter from the lugger brought Dick to his sober senses. -Disdaining to contradict the aspersion, he turned abruptly on his heel, -tingling with fury at his own indiscretion. Jibes and jeers pursued him -as he walked towards the homeward road; these stung him less than the -knowledge that by his own folly he had thrown away a chance of helping -Penwarden. - -Gloomy thoughts kept him company as he toiled up the hill. Nor was he -cheered by the air of malignant triumph manifest on Doubledick's fat -face, when, half-way up the hill, he met the inn-keeper waddling down. -In imagination he heard the gleeful chuckles with which Doubledick would -learn of his discomfiture. After the heroic resolution he had lately -come to, it was a sorry thing to have been worsted in the first -encounter. - -Walking more rapidly on the level road past the Dower House, at a -cursory glance to the left he saw a short, thickset form scramble over -the fence that bounded the premises, and hasten furtively in the -direction of the Towers. The sight struck him with surprise and wrath -at once, for the slinking figure was undoubtedly that of Sam Pollex. -Being himself partially concealed by the hedge, he thought it probable -that Sam had not seen him, so, hurrying along, he turned as soon as -possible into the grounds of the Towers, and came face to face with Sam -as the boy arrived at a little wicket-gate. - -"What do you mean by it?" he demanded angrily, holding the gate so that -Sam could not pass through. - -Sam blushed and dropped his eyes, looking flustered and perturbed. - -"Were you not bidden never to go there again?" Dick continued. "Didn't -I say I'd break your head for you if you disobeyed?" - -"Iss, you did so," said Sam ruefully. "Ah, well, you'm better do it and -get it over." - -"What were you doing there?" said Dick, still holding the gate. - -Sam looked sidelong, shuffled his feet, then, as with a great effort, -replied: - -"I didn' go to sell eggs, nor nawthin' o' that sort. If you must haul it -out of a poor feller, I rambled there to----" - -"Well?" - -"To see maidy Susan; now I've said it." - -"Then you're a silly ass. She's years older than you. What does a maid -of twenty want with a boy of sixteen?" - -"Twenty she is, and sixteen be I, but I've a deal more wisdom in my -noddle than she, arter all. She's a simple soul about pilchurs, and -night-lines, and buildin' boats, and all sorts o' famous things I've -knowed since I wer table-high, and she do have a tarrible thirst for -high knowledge. She've a clever little head-piece, too, for when I wer -tellin' to she how pretty 'tis to see a otter divin' for fish, who -should come up-along but Doubledick----" - -"Did he see you?" interrupted Dick. - -"I wer just agoin' to tell 'ee. No, 'a didn't see me, 'cos I slipped -behind Maidy, she being well growed, and says I, 'That feller is my -'nation enemy,' says I, and afore I knowed wheer I wer, she whisked me -into a little small cupboard place wi' coats and boots hangin' on the -wall, and commanded me, in a feelin' whisper, to bide theer till she -toled me out. Drown me if I didn' hear Doubledick go shailin' past wi' -Maister John, and then there comed a rumblin' through the wall, and I -knowed they two was a-talkin'." - -"Did you hear what they said?" asked Dick eagerly. - -"Iss, I did. I hadn' nawthin' better to do, so I put my ear to the -wall. Iss, I heerd a thing or two." - -"Well, what did you hear? Anything about Penwarden?" - -Sam had gradually pushed open the gate, and was now walking beside Dick. - -"Not a word. I wer so flambustered in bein' poked in that hencoop of a -place, and thinkin' what they'd do to me if so be they catched me, that -'twas all mixed up, and I couldn' tell A from B." - -"But think: you must have heard something clearly. You didn't lose all -your wits, did you?" - -"Well, I did hear Maister John say wind was steady, and 'a hoped 't 'ud -hold fair for business." - -"Yes: what then?" - -"Don't 'ee bustle me; then maybe I'll mind o' more. Iss, I mind -Doubledick said, 'Hee! hee!' says he; 'if it do hold for another -forty-eight hours,' says he;--and be-jowned if I could hear any more o' -that piece of reckonin', my poor heart was a-strummin' so." - -"Confound your poor heart!" cried Dick. "Do pull yourself together. It -may mean salvation to Joe." - -Sam scratched his head. - -"If you'd only been theer instead o' me!" he muttered. "Ah! 'Twas -carriers. Iss: Maister John axed if 'twas settled about carriers. 'A -round score,' says Doubledick, if 't wasn't two; 'good fellers all; no -wamblin', slack-twisted cripple-toes for this job,' says he." - -"What job?" - -"That I can't say. But Zacky Tonkin was in it; iss; gie me a minute for -rec'lection; iss. Doubledick says, 'Zacky be sour as a green apple.' -'Ha! ha!' laughs Maister John, ''a don't like playin' second fiddle,' -says he, which is a passel o' nonsense, 'cos Zacky never played on -fiddle, fust, second, nor last either, all his born days, that I do -know. ''Tis for 'ee to keep un quiet!' says Maister John. 'He hev his -uses, but hain't got a mossel of brains. You've got enough for two, -Doubledick,' says he." - -Dick was becoming impatient. The conversation as reported was not very -enlightening, and surely Doubledick had not visited the Dower House to -discuss such trivialities. But Dick had learnt his lesson; he would not -err again by being over-hasty; so he schooled himself to endure the slow -trickle of information as it oozed from Sam's reluctant memory. - -"Didn't they name Penwarden at all?" he asked. - -"Never heerd un. The only other names I heerd wer Tom Pennycomequick -and Jimmy Nancarrow." - -"Ah! what about them?" - -Sam reflected. - -"Tom Pennycomequick and Jimmy Nancarrow," he repeated, as if the -repetition would recall the connection. "Iss; I mind o't. Says Maister -John, 'Who be on guard to-day?'" - -"'On guard!' Not 'on the watch'?" - -"That's what 'a meant, seemingly, but 'a said 'on guard.' 'Tom -Pennycomequick and Jimmy Nancarrow,' says Doubledick. There was summat -about 'bogeys,' if I could only mind. Iss, fay; I've got un. 'Two,' -says Maister John, 'what for?' 'Hee! hee!' goes Doubledick; ''cos they -was afeard to go alone,' says he. 'Afeard o' their own bogeys,' says -Maister John, and then they both laughed so hearty that daze me if I -didn't bust out too, and had to clap the tail of a coat in my jaws so -they shouldn' hear. 'T'ud ha' been gashly if they found me, and drawed -out o' me how maidy Susan had put me theer, and--well, you bean't -a-hearkenin', so I'll say no more." - -In truth, Dick's ears were closed; his mind was rapidly piecing together -the fragmentary items of information Sam had given him. They had now -reached the Towers; Dick went straight to his bedroom, and sat with his -elbow on the window-sill, looking out over the grey sullen sea, and -striving to bind together these separate strands. The outcome of his -meditation was as follows: - -Something important was to happen within forty-eight hours, and it -depended on the weather. It was now midday on Friday; what was to be -done would be done before midday on Sunday. There had been mention of -carriers--that implied a smuggling run. Penwarden's name had not been -mentioned, but two men had been said to be on guard. Over whom or what? -Not over smuggled goods, for the run had not yet taken place. Not over -the revenue officers, for the phrase would then have been "on the watch" -or something similar. The word "guard" would naturally be used in -connection with a prisoner; that prisoner must be Penwarden: where was -he? The men on guard were afraid; no doubt the place chosen for his -imprisonment was a lonely spot, not in the village, but somewhere remote -from the scene of the impending operations, unless, indeed, it was -intended to ship him to France in the lugger that brought the cargo. In -that case he would probably be in some secure nook near the shore. - -Perplexed, Dick wondered whether he had at last discovered a clue. It -was at least worth while to follow it up. The men whose names had been -mentioned were well known to him. Pennycomequick was a cobbler, -Nancarrow a farmer, whose holding was situated about three miles away on -the moor. To make direct inquiries might awaken suspicion: how could he -discover where they were? An idea struck him. No doubt their guard -would be relieved. Trevanion had been surprised to learn that two were -on duty; the task, then, was usually undertaken by one. Was it possible -to find out if any one left the village secretly during the day? - -Suddenly a simple stratagem occurred to him. He took up an old, worn -pair of boots, ran downstairs, and called Sam. - -"Take these down to Pennycomequick's, and tell him to sole them, and to -put a good iron tip on the heels. If he is not there, ask when he will -be back. Be sure not to forget that, and be as quick as you can." - -"Iss, I woll," said Sam, "for I do have a hankerin' arter dinner." - -He hurried away, and returned when Dick was half through his midday -meal. Dick heard the boy clumping into the house, but did not go to him -at once, being disinclined to enter into explanations with his parents -at this stage. He left the table as soon as he could, and found Sam -busy with dumpling and gravy in the kitchen. - -"Well, Sam?" he said. - -"Mistress commands me not to speak wi' my mouth full," mumbled the boy. -"Now I can tell 'ee," he went on after a few moments. "Pennycomequick -bean't to home. He be gone to Trura to buy leather." - -"When will he be back?" - -"'Them above alone knows,' says the woman when I axed her. 'He said -four, but what Pennycomequick says, and what he do, be as far apart as -from here to nowhere.' If that be all you want to know, Maister Dick, -I'll continny work on this noble pudden." - -Dick was satisfied. He returned to his room, and, about three o'clock, -mounted to the roof of one of the towers from which the house took its -name. With him he carried an excellent spy-glass which remained to the -Squire from his seafaring days. From this lofty eyrie a view could be -obtained for miles around. If the cobbler and the farmer were on guard -together, it was likely that they would be relieved together, and they -could hardly return, the one to the village, the other to his farm on -the moor, without coming at some part of their journey within range of -vision. Dick felt a momentary damping of the spirits when it occurred -to him that Penwarden's place of concealment might be some nook below -the cliffs. In that case the sentries would be changed by boat from the -harbour, and he would see nothing of them. But even in that case the -farmer must ascend the hill and cross the moor, and though he might be -concealed at some portions of his road by trees and bushes, he must at -length cross open country. Behind the parapet Dick could watch unseen, -and he settled himself to wait in patience. - - - - - CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH - - Doubledick on Duty - - -It was a chill, dreary afternoon. The sky weighed upon earth and sea -like a canopy of lead. The wind moaned and sighed about the roof; the -trees seemed to shiver in their nakedness. From over the cliff came the -hollow murmur of the breakers. Northward Penwarden's cottage stood -lonely and forlorn; eastward stretched the dark gloomy waste of -moorland; southward the village huddled in its cleft as if for warmth, a -few thin streamers of smoke flying inland on the wind. Nearer the Dower -House a score of men were engaged in erecting sheds and machinery for -Trevanion's miners, and the sound of their voices came in mournful -cadence to Dick's ears. - -For some time there was scarcely a movement on the face of the country. -Presently a carrier's cart rumbled down the road, stopping at the Dower -House. Through his spy-glass Dick saw Susan's bright face smiling as -she spoke to the carrier, who conveyed into the house boxes, baskets, -and packets of various shapes and sizes. Dick remembered that on the -morrow Trevanion was entertaining a party of friends to celebrate the -reopening of the mines. He was miserably conscious of the contrast -between his cousin's lot and his own. Why, he asked himself, had Fate -dealt so hardly with the Trevanions of the Towers? The cart moved on, -no doubt to the Five Pilchards, where the carrier would refresh himself -before starting on his return journey to Truro. The workmen shouldered -their tools and tramped after it, and when they had disappeared the land -was left in its former immobility. - -At length, as the gloom was deepening with the dusk, Dick descried, some -distance to his left, two figures moving slowly along, one towards him -on the high road, the other away from him, crossing a ploughed field -towards a footpath that led from the road, some distance behind, across -the moor. The sky was so lowering that Dick could not at first, even -through his glass, identify the men. The receding figure dwindled, and -was by-and-by lost to sight; the advancing one increased, and became -recognisable by its crookedness as that of Pennycomequick, the cobbler. -But he bore no bundle of leather. He passed the Towers in the direction -of the village, and soon he too had vanished. - -Dick could not doubt that the other man was the farmer, Jimmy Nancarrow. -The path into which he had struck led to his farm. Where had they come -from? Not far along the high road, otherwise the farmer would have left -it when he reached the path, and have gone the easiest and shortest way -home; unless, indeed, he had remained with the cobbler for company's -sake. Dick smiled at this thought. Pennycomequick was the most crabbed -and crossgrained man in the village; whereas Nancarrow was a hearty, -jovial fellow, not the kind of man to walk an extra half-mile and tramp -over a ploughed field for the pleasure of the cobbler's society. It -seemed more probable that the men had come to the road together from -some adjacent spot, and that the farmer had left it at once. - -Cold and hungry after his hour of watching, Dick was about to descend -into the house when he caught sight of Tonkin's lugger beating up from -northward against the south-west wind, and evidently making for the -harbour. He gazed at her through his glass. Tonkin and three other men -were aboard her. A large fishing-net was heaped on the deck. It was a -strange coincidence that these movements on sea and land should have -been contemporaneous. Dick went down the stairs to the living-room, -then vacant, lay down in front of the fire, and ruminated on what he had -seen, until the warmth sent him to sleep. - -When he awoke, his father was in the room. Dick considered whether he -should speak about the clues which he believed he had discovered, and -decided that, since nothing was as yet certain, he would keep silence -until he had carried his investigation further. To search for the -tracks of the two men, or to follow them up if found, would be -impossible that evening; but this was to be his task as soon as there -was clear daylight on the morrow. - -"Mr. Mildmay is going to the randy at the Dower House to-morrow, I -hear," said the Squire. - -"Is he, sir?" replied Dick, surprised. - -"Yes; I heard it from Mr. Polwhele, who is going too." - -"Mr. Mildmay is almost a stranger, and 'tis rather a dull life for him -between whiles; but Mr. Polwhele knew John Trevanion years ago, did he -not, sir?" - -"Oh! he is going as watch-dog. He suspects that the invitation may be a -trick to get them out of the way while the smugglers run a cargo, and -got Mr. Mildmay to promise to leave promptly at nine. He accompanies him -to see that he is not detained." - -"Nothing has been heard of old Joe, Father?" - -"Nothing at all. I incline to think that we shall soon see him again. -With Mr. Polwhele on the alert, and Mr. Mildmay also, let us hope, there -can be neither run nor shipment, and the rascals will tire of keeping -guard on the old man." - -Again Dick was on the point of disclosing what he knew, but was -restrained by the same feeling that suspicion must become certainty -before any steps were taken. - -Next morning, waking before it was light, he rose and dressed, roused -Sam, and set off with him to investigate the neighbourhood of the spot -where he had first seen Nancarrow and Pennycomequick. The air was crisp -and clear, with the first nip of frost, giving promise of a fine -morning. There had been rain in the night, but a thin film of ice -covered the ruts and pools, and the boys might have been tracked in the -darkness by the slight crackling under their feet as the icy layer gave -way. - -The night was yielding by the time they reached the high-road near the -point where Nancarrow had left it. The farmer's tracks were easily -discoverable in the ploughed field, for, having been filled up by rain, -the prints of his large boots formed a series of white and regular -patches in the frost-besprinkled ground. A covey of snipe rose into the -air from the sedgy border of a pool at the side of the field, and Sam -pointed out a fox with lowered brush slinking along after them beside a -hedge of brambles. - -"We have other foxes to run to earth--two-legged foxes," said Dick, who -had told Sam on the way the occasion and the object of their expedition. -Sam had a quick eye for the tracks of birds and beasts, but when they -had traced the farmer's footprints back to the road, even he was at a -loss. The rain had washed the hard surface of the highway, and -obliterated the tracks of footfarers. - -Finding their examination of the road likely to prove fruitless, they -scrambled through the hedge on the left, and crossed into the rugged and -uneven ground that lay between the road and Penwarden's cottage. There -were no footprints on the path that ran past the cottage, nor on the -coarse grass with which the earth was covered. Returning to the road, -they walked for a quarter of a mile further, until they reached the -footpath which, in the ordinary course of things, the farmer would have -taken. They failed to light upon any more traces. - -"I'll work backwards along the other side under the hedge," said Dick. -"Nancarrow must have crossed the road. You go back to where we saw his -footprints, and I'll keep pace with you. No; we'll change parts; I can -easily find the prints; your eyes are quicker than mine to discover new -ones." - -"That's true," said Sam, gratified by this testimony to his powers. -"Wend along, then, Maister Dick, and holla when you come to 'em." - -In a few minutes Dick called to Sam to halt. The latter bent towards the -road, and scrutinised its hard surface minutely, for several yards in -each direction beyond the point opposite to that where Dick stood. - -"Neither heel nor toe mark do I see," he said at length. "The road be -washed clean." - -He stood erect and gazed about him in a puzzled way. All at once his -eyes became fixed on one portion of the hedge. Stepping towards it, he -stooped and peered among the stiff rime-encrusted leaves. - -"Hoy!" he called. - -"Hush!" said Dick, hastening towards him. "Speak low; there may be some -one about. What have you found?" - -"Look' ee see," replied Sam in a mysterious whisper. - -Dick stooped; there was a patch of foliage less thick than the hedge -around it; some of the leaves had apparently been shaken off, and here -and there twigs were broken. - -"Some man, fox, or other creeping thing hev squeezed hisself through -theer," said Sam. "We'll do the same." - -He thrust his body against the hedge, which yielded to his pressure, and -without much effort he passed through to the other side. - -"Dear life!" he whispered, "here be the line o' fortune. Come through, -Maister." - -Dick followed him. The softer earth on the seaward side of the hedge, -more receptive than the highway, showed distinct traces of the passage -of clumping boots. Some were recent; some appeared to be of slightly -older date. Looking along the ground towards the sea, they saw that the -grass was crushed over a width of two or three feet, though many more -goings and comings were needed to make it a beaten path. - -This was a discovery indeed. - -"We will follow it up," said Dick. - -They set off side by side. Dick was surprised to find how frequently, -and to all appearance erratically, the track wound to right and left. -But after a few moments it became clear that the deviations were not -accidental, but purposeful. The general surface of the ground was very -uneven, here a bump, there a hollow; now a patch of gorse, then a -stretch bare of all but grass. Of these features advantage had been -taken by those whose passing had made the track. They had chosen, not -the easiest route, but that on which they would be least visible from -the direction of the village. Dick noticed that nowhere along the path -were the towers of his home in sight, although a few yards to right or -left they were completely in view. This explained how it was that -Pennycomequick and Nancarrow, if they had come this way from the cliff -to the road, had escaped his observation from the parapet. - -They had followed the track for perhaps half a mile when the ivy-clad -ruins of the chapel above St. Cuby's Well came into view. Instantly -recollections, suspicions, deductions linked themselves in Dick's mind. -Penwarden had mentioned a hiding-place which the smugglers were believed -to have on the shore, but which was seldom used, and had never been -discovered. The old mine, with its abandoned workings, would form an -ideal temporary store for contraband goods. But how was access to it -obtained from the sea? Not by the entrance to the seal cave, for this -was unsuitable in itself for a storehouse, and the work of hoisting the -tubs up the wall and over the ledge would be very laborious. Dick -remembered the transverse gallery which he had passed on his way through -the adit to the well; probably the hiding-place would be found at the -shoreward end of that, though it was strange that the pertinacity of the -revenue officers had never discovered it. Another surprising -circumstance was the choice of the well as the channel for the -conveyance of goods between the shore and the country. The horror and -dread in which it was held by the villagers had seemed genuine; yet, if -his reasoning was correct, the fear of ghosts had not been so potent as -to prevent the smugglers from entering it. Possibly there was another -shaft connecting the hiding-place with the upper ground; but remembering -the strutted adit he had traversed, Dick felt sure that the goods were -brought to the surface by way of the well. The explanation of this -puzzling fact did not occur to him till later. - -As they approached the well the boys proceeded with great caution. - -"I believe they have got Penwarden down there," said Dick. "Somebody is -guarding him; somebody may be watching in the chapel. If we are seen it -will be awkward for us, and perhaps still more for old Joe." - -"Daze it all, we could run to the Towers and tell of all their wicked -doings. But do 'ee think they bean't afeard o' the ghosteses?" - -"They don't appear to be." - -"Dash my simple soul, I see their manin', I do b'lieve. 'Afeard o' -their own bogeys,' says Maister John. They do be the ghosteses their -own selves. To think o' their deceivin' ways, tarrifyin' poor simple -folks like you and me wi' their feignin'!" - -They spoke in whispers, peering ahead, listening for sounds. But there -was nothing to alarm eyes or ears, and they came at length beneath the -shade of the masonry, and stood on the brink of the well. Here there -were clear traces of recent movements--traces which might have escaped -them had they come unsuspectingly, but which were evident to their -prepared perception. The herbage was slightly trodden; the topmost -staple was not so thickly cased with rust as it had been at their last -visit; and the mossy coating of the stonework at the edge was darkened -at two places, about two feet apart, where the hands of men ascending -would have rested for support. - -"We must go down and explore the adits," said Dick. - -"But we couldn't see a hand's length ahead of us," replied Sam, fumbling -in his pocket. "No; there's no candle; have you got one?" - -"No. 'Tis a pity. We had better go back for breakfast and come again -by-and-by. Just take a look round and see that nobody is about." - -Sam left the slight hollow in which the ruins were situated, and mounted -to a spot whence the ground sloping up to Penwarden's cottage, and the -whole expanse southward to the Towers, could be scanned. No one was in -sight, but the boys considered it prudent to return by the road, as they -had come, and made the best of their way back. The hour was still -early; there were neither vehicles nor pedestrians visible; and they -arrived at the Towers considerably excited by their discovery, and with -a healthy appetite for breakfast. - -While they were still engaged in that meal, John Trevanion issued from -the front door of the Dower House. He wore an old shooting-coat and -leggings, and carried a fowling-piece slung over his shoulder. Leaving -his own grounds, he skirted those of the Towers, gained the road, walked -along it for some distance, then struck into the path leading past -Penwarden's cottage in the direction of St. Cuby's Well. He sauntered -easily along, and although he had apparently come out to shoot, he was -not accompanied by a dog, nor did he proceed with that intent -watchfulness which a sportsman usually displays. - -When he arrived on the crest of rising ground beyond which lay the well -at the distance of a quarter-mile, he paused, and looked round in all -directions, as a man might look who is either seeking game or admiring a -landscape. Then he resumed his walk, but at a much brisker pace than -before. On coming within a hundred yards of the ruins, he began with -apparent carelessness to whistle a tune. In a few moments the mass of -ivy hanging before a doorway parted, and a man appeared. Trevanion -threw a swift glance behind him, then advanced, joined the man who was -awaiting him, and vanished with him behind the ivy. - -"All well, Doubledick?" he asked. - -"Iss, well enough, though I shall say 'praise be' with a feelin' heart -when 'tis all over." - -"_You_'re not afraid of bogeys, Doubledick?" - -"Not I. But 'tis lonesome, and never a soul to change a word with." - -"Jake Tonkin did not stay with you, then?" - -"No. 'A would hev if so be I'd axed un; but when his feyther landed me -I seed they two chuckleheads afeard o' their own bogeys--hee! hee! 'tis -your sayin', Maister John. I wouldn't lose my fame wi' the likes o' -they, so when Jake axed should he bide, I answered un bold as brass, I -assure 'ee. Not that I wouldn' ha' been glad o' company, for 'tis a -'nation long time from four o'clock yesterday till midnight to-day." - -"It is, but 'twas right not to change guard too often. The less coming -and going the better, even by sea. Pennycomequick and Nancarrow -returned on the lugger, of course?" - -"Well, no. The sea was choppy, and the wind stiff agen 'em, so they -come this way to save time and squeamishness." - -"Chuckleheads, as you say. I hope they were careful not to be seen." - -"Trust 'em for that. Nanky 'ud go straight to farm, and Penny's crooked -frame 'ud make nobody mispicious." - -"Well, twelve hours will see the end of it. All is planned, and will go -like clockwork. The officers are coming at six; they talk of leaving at -nine, and I shall not hinder them." - -"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick. - -"Tonkin and his crew will do their part. They won't be back in time to -lend a hand here, but we have enough without them. The wind holds; the -cutter will not trouble us; and we can go to church to-morrow and sing -'Te Deum' with some satisfaction." - -"Ay, true, 'twill be summat noble to talk about to-morrer in churchyard -among the tombs." - -"Well, I'll go and bag a brace of woodcock on the moor. I'll look in on -Nancarrow, too; 'tis just as well to be sure he met nobody." - -Trevanion moved to the ancient doorway and pulled aside the screen of -ivy. But he let it fall quickly and stepped back. - -"Look here, Doubledick," he said in a whisper. - -Doubledick went to his side, and peered out through the foliage. Two -figures were approaching the spot, not by the track from the road, but -across the higher ground. Each carried a fowling-piece. - -"Come out shooting, like me," whispered Trevanion. - -"They didn' see 'ee?" said Doubledick anxiously. - -"Not they. If they had seen me they wouldn't have followed. The last -person young Dick would wish to meet would be his cousin." - -Themselves concealed behind the ivy, the two men could watch the -new-comers without the risk of being seen. They expected the boys to -pass by, as nine villagers out of ten would have done, and the -expression on their faces changed when Dick and Sam came directly -towards the ruins, and, what was still more surprising, straight towards -the well. Anger was written on Trevanion's countenance, and alarm on -Doubledick's. The boys stood for a moment at the brink of the well. -Then Dick, telling Sam to follow him immediately, kindled the candle in -his hatband, lowered himself over the edge, and began to descend. - -A muffled curse broke from Doubledick's lips. He reached for Trevanion's -gun, but Trevanion, now smiling, withdrew it, and signed to the -inn-keeper to be silent. They remained where they stood for a minute or -two after Sam had disappeared, then went forward to the well and peered -down into the depths. The shaft was in darkness. It was clear that the -boys had entered the adit. - -There was no one to hear the short dialogue that ensued between the two -men standing close together at the head of the well. Apparently it was -of agreeable tenor, for both smiled, though hardly with amusement. -Doubledick took from his pocket a strip of something soft and black, -removed his hat, and tied to his face a mask of crape. Then, with no -light to guide his footsteps, he made his way downward into the shaft as -the boys had done. When he had entirely disappeared, Trevanion -shouldered his gun, and sauntered towards the road. Crossing this, he -tramped over the moor towards Nancarrow's farm. Rather more than an -hour later he was overtaken on the Truro road by Mr. Carlyon, who was -riding his cob towards the village. - -[Illustration: "THERE WAS NO ONE TO HEAR THE SHORT DIALOGUE THAT ENSUED -AT THE HEAD OF THE WELL."] - -"Fine birds, vicar," said Trevanion, holding up a brace of woodcock and -a moor-hen. "They'll look smaller on my table a few hours hence." - -"Good morning, Mr. Trevanion," said the parson, and rode by. - - - - - CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH - - Across the Pit - - -All unconscious of what was happening behind them, the boys, on reaching -the foot of the well, passed through the open doorway into the narrow -passage. - -"These be rare doings," began Sam; but Dick silenced him. - -"Don't speak, Sam," he whispered. "We don't know who is here, or how -near." - -They passed on their left the passage where Dick had been checked by the -landfall on his first approach from the cave. Moving slowly and with -great caution, stopping every now and then to listen, they uttered never -a word until they arrived at the point where the transverse gallery -struck off to the right. Here they halted. It was necessary to decide -whether to go straight on, and come by-and-by to the seal cave, or to -turn into the passage, which they had never as yet traversed. A moment -sufficed for coming to a decision. The light from Dick's candle showed -that this passage was strutted, like that along which they had already -come. - -"This must be the way," whispered Dick, and low as was his tone, the -words echoed and re-echoed strangely in the narrow gallery. - -They advanced, picking their way still more carefully than before, -peering into the darkness ahead, occasionally turning to look behind -them. The floor of the adit at first sloped slightly downwards, but at -length appeared to become level. The air was close and stuffy. Sam, -following his young master, and seeing the weird shadows cast on the -walls by the smoking flame, was soon in a cold sweat, not so much of -fear as of nervous anticipation. His dread of ghosts had disappeared -with knowledge; but it was knowledge of a negative kind. He knew there -were no ghosts, but his imagination conjured up nameless terrors. More -than once he was tempted to retreat, but he was too apprehensive even to -halt long enough to strike a light and kindle his own candle, and the -sight of Dick's tall form moving steadily on in front of him helped him -to pluck up courage. - -When they had been walking for a few minutes, Sam suddenly hurried -forward and caught Dick by the arm. - -"I heerd summat!" he whispered hoarsely. - -Dick stopped. Far from comfortable himself, the touch of Sam's hand -made him jump, and the thumping of his heart was almost audible. They -listened intently; no sound struck upon their ears. - -"It must have been a falling stone," said Dick. - -"Suppose the roof fell on us, same as it did in the cave!" murmured Sam. - -"'Tis not likely. Don't get jumpy, Sam. Let us go on." - -Again they advanced; a few steps brought them to another adit branching -to the right; but a glance at this revealing no struts, Dick decided not -to change his course until he had thoroughly explored the passage in -which he was. In a few minutes he came to another adit, this time on -the left, and this also he passed by for the same reason, and because it -was narrower than any of those he had hitherto seen. Now the floor -seemed to ascend gradually, and shortly afterwards became much more -uneven. At length he stopped short, and waited until Sam came up with -him. - -"Look at this," he whispered. - -Sam looked, and saw a narrow plank bridge, about seventeen feet long, -spanning a black, yawning chasm. - -"'Tis an old mine shaft," said Dick. "We must cross the bridge." - -"Will it bear us, think 'ee?" said Sam timorously. - -"It will, if it bears smugglers carrying tubs. We must try." - -Dick leant forward and probed the planks with the muzzle of his -fowling-piece. - -"'Tis firm and steady," he said. "I will go first. Don't start until I -get across. The candle will give you more light than it gives me." - -"I don't like to see 'ee do it," said Sam, almost whimpering. "If ye -fall, 'twill be yer grave." - -But Dick had already set his foot on the bridge. He trod warily, moving -almost by inches until he reached the middle. Then he quickened his -pace, and covered the second half in three swift strides. - -"'Tis quite safe," he whispered, turning at the end. - -"Didn' it wamble?" - -"No." - -"Not a little teeny bit?" - -"Come, come, I am heavier than you." - -"Well, I woll." - -He moistened his lips, pressed his hat firmly on his head, then started -forward and crossed the whole bridge at a run. - -"Here I be!" he panted. "Name it all! I'll never do it again." - -"Then I shall leave you behind. My word! 'tis close and stuffy here." - -They went on. In a minute or two the passage widened, and looking -round, they discovered that they were in what appeared to be the -entrance to a huge cavern. Still advancing, they were brought up within -a few yards by a rough and irregular wall, not wholly of granite, like -the wall of the seal cave, but partly of rock, partly of earth. There -were small heaps of soil and stones of different sizes on the uneven -floor, and the wall was not perpendicular, but inclined like the eaves -of a house. - -Dick gazed about him in search of a further opening. There was none. -The way was blocked, just as it had been in the offshoot of the passage -from the seal cave to the well. The general appearance of the place -indicated that at some time or other the upper earth had fallen in. To -make sure that there was not even the smallest orifice in the wall, Dick -moved close along it, carefully examining it by the light of his candle. -When about half-way round, he stopped, and placed his hand on something -that protruded from the wall, which was here earthen. But this -projecting object was neither earth nor rock. In shape it was convex and -regular. He passed his hand over it, brushing off some adhering -particles of soil. - -"Why, Sam," he said wonderingly, "'tis part of a tub." - -"Do 'ee tell o't?" said Sam, moving his palm over the surface. "So -'tis, and be-dazed if there bean't a rope on it." - -He tugged at the rope, and fell backwards, almost upsetting Dick. - -"Rot it all!" he exclaimed. - -"'Tis rotted already," said Dick smiling. "It must have been there a -long time." - -"Cansta pull un out, Maister?" said Sam. "Maybe there's summat inside, -and I do be most tarrible dry." - -"We'll see; but you shan't drink neat spirit, Sam, so you needn't think -it. Lend a hand here." - -Between them the boys soon succeeded in working the tub from the loose -earth in which it was imbedded. It was a small barrel about fourteen -inches in diameter, bound with wooden hoops, exactly similar to those -which the smugglers were wont to use. The broken rope, or "sling -stuff," as it was called, attached to it proved that it had once formed -part of a run cargo. Sam shook it; there was no "glug" of liquor. - -"'Tis spiled, sure enough," he said, "but the hoops bean't broke." - -"Here's another, Sam," said Dick, who had been looking into the hole -left by the removal of the tub. "I can't help thinking we have come to -an old haunt of the smugglers; yes, I understand it now. You know there -was a landslip hundreds of years ago, just beyond the cove. The earth -must have fallen in on a cargo before it could be removed." - -"But why didn' they dig 'em out arterwards? And why be the tub as empty -as a drum?" - -"Yes, 'tis strange they did not dig them out, but the emptiness is easy -to understand. The spirit has run away." - -"Run away! How could it with the tub sound, not a hole in it? Besides, -there bean't no smell, and I don't care who the man is, but if sperits -run out, you can smell 'em anywhere." - -"I suppose----" began Dick, but his answer was suddenly cut short. From -the direction of the passage through which they had come there fell upon -their ears a dull rumbling sound, which reverberated for a few seconds, -then died away into silence. - -The boys stood for a moment in silent bewilderment; then, with a -foreboding of evil, Dick hastened back from the cavern along the -gallery. In a minute the astounding cause of the noise was explained. -The bridge by which they had crossed the shaft was gone. Only the -jagged end of it jutted out from the further brink of the chasm. By the -flickering light of the candle Dick thought he saw a figure moving -backwards through the gallery on the opposite side. He shouted, his -voice coming back to him in a hundred echoes. The figure disappeared, -if indeed it were not an hallucination: Dick's state of horrified -amazement might well predispose him to see visions. He stood on the -brink, bathed in chill and clammy perspiration. He realised to the full -the situation of himself and his companion. They were trapped in the -gallery. Before them was a shaft perhaps hundreds of feet deep; behind, -an impenetrable wall. - -"I said I'd never do it again, and I never will," sobbed Sam. - -"Hoy! hoy!" shouted Dick. - -"Yo-hoy, hoy!" Sam repeated in his rougher tones. - -But there was no reply; only the mocking, receding echoes. - -Dick leant against the wall in dull stupefaction. He had said nothing to -his parents about the expedition; he had expressly charged Sam not to -speak of it to Reuben. His very caution had proved his undoing. So -common was it for him to be all day away from home with Sam that their -absence would scarcely be remarked until night, and then, even if it -caused alarm, no one would dream of looking for them at the well, still -less in one of the passages below. But if Dick's suspicions and -inferences were well founded, at some time during the day or night there -would be smugglers in one or other of the galleries, and they would -surely come within sound of his voice, and not be so base as to refuse -to help him. Then it struck him that perhaps such a cry might merely -terrify them; that they might believe it to be the utterance of the -disembodied spirits that were said to haunt the place. But no; as his -first terrors subsided, and he regained his thinking power, a sudden -light dawned upon him. The ghosts were the invention of the smugglers -themselves! They had taken advantage of ancient tradition and floating -rumour for their own purposes, encouraged the credulity of the many in -order that the few might preserve the secret of their hiding-place. And -then it flashed upon him that his presence near their jealously-guarded -lair had been discovered, and that his return had been deliberately cut -off, so that they might carry out undisturbed the important operation of -which Trevanion and Doubledick had spoken. In that case his -incarceration would be temporary, like Penwarden's. As soon as the run -had been accomplished, he, like the old exciseman, would be liberated, -and the smugglers would gloat over their triumphant strategy. - -"How many candles have you got?" he asked suddenly. - -Sam rummaged in his pocket, and produced five stumps varying in length. - -"They will last about twelve hours," said Dick. "There is no wind here -to make them gutter." - -"But they won't make us a bridge," groaned Sam. - -"Listen to me," said Dick. - -Speaking calmly, he told Sam the conclusions to which he had come. - -"Now, Sam, you see what we have to do. It was about nine o'clock when -we came down the well. It will be twelve hours or more before they -attempt the run. We have twelve hours before us; we must get across the -shaft and dish them--I don't know how, but we must do it." - -"How can we? Rake it all, we shall have no dinner!" - -"Don't talk like that," said Dick sternly. "We want all our wits and -determination. 'Tis mere folly to think about dinner, or groan and moan -because we are hungry. I tell you, young Sam, you must do your best to -help, and be cheerful, or you and I will split." - -"Well, I'll keep my solemn thoughts to myself and spake out nothing but -merry ones, if I can think 'em." - -Dick considered for a few moments; then he took from his pocket a knife -and a long piece of string, knotted the latter about the haft, and stuck -the blade into a lighted candle. This he lowered into the chasm, lying -at full length to make the most of the string. But the flame revealed -no bottom to the shaft. Even had they seen a floor it seemed impossible -to get there, or, getting there, to be in any way profited. At one time, -no doubt, there had been a means of ascending and descending the shaft; -but the very existence of the bridge showed that the machinery had long -since disappeared, and the passage-way by which they had made their -entrance was the only exit. - -"We had better blow out the candle," said Dick. "We don't know how long -we may be here, and you may be glad to eat it before we get out of -this." - -"That I never could; but 'tis wisdom to save it, when we can't see -anything nice to look at, and you can allers meditate better in the -dark." - -They reclined against the wall of the gallery. For a time they were -silent except for sighs that now and then escaped Sam's heaving breast. -After one prolonged expiration Dick asked sharply what he was grunting -about. - -"Don't 'ee laugh, now, if I tell o't," said Sam pleadingly. "My simple -thought was, what would Maidy Susan say if she knowed o' this horrible -place o' torment? 'There shall be weepin' and gnashin' o' teeth,' says -pa'son; 'twill come to that afore long wi' me. There now, 'nation take -it! I said I'd spake merry thoughts. Maybe you could put one into my -mizzy-mazy head, Maister Dick." - -"I'll break it for you if you can't talk sense---- There! Did you hear -that?" - -"'Twas like the whisk of a rabbit's scut among the furze. Hoy! Yo-hoy! -Come and help two poor boys in misery." - -"Hoy! hoy!" shouted Dick. - -The echoes crossed and clashed, but there was no answer. - -Another period of silence. It seemed to last for hours. At length Dick -relit the candle and once more scanned the shaft. Could he jump it? He -measured it with his eye. He had never been to school; jumping as a -sport was unknown to him. In the ordinary course of his outdoor -adventures he had sometimes leapt across a stream or from rock to rock, -but never a space so wide as this. Realising the impossibility of the -feat, he blew out the candle and returned to his place beside Sam. - -"I seed yer thought," said the boy, "but Sir Bevil fox-hunting never -took a gap like that. A hoss med do it, but not a two-legged body." - -Again there was silence. Presently Sam fell asleep, snoring vigorously. -Dick pondered and puzzled; to him sleep was impossible. All at once he -remembered the barrel he had found in the wall of the cave. A faint -hope stirred within him. He wakened Sam, relit the candle, and hurried -back through the passage. - -"What be goin' to do?" asked Sam. - -"To see how many tubs there are," he said. - -"If there be a million they bean't no good wi' all the sperits gone -a-lost," said Sam. "Howsomever, 'twill be summat to do to count 'em, -and keep us from the squitchems." - -They regained the cave. Dick, bending so that the light of the candle -shone full into the hole in the wall, began to scrape away with his -knife the earth that partially concealed the second barrel. Not to be -backward, Sam set to work in the same way a little to the right. The -second tub was soon unearthed, then a third. - -"We must be careful not to disturb the earth above," said Dick, "or we -shall have the rest covered up again. I believe there are a good number -here." - -"All leery," said Sam with a sigh. "But I don't care who the man is, -they bean't leerier nor I.... There's my tongue runnin' to vittals -again; I reckon 'tis because I hain't done growin'." - -After resting a while, they resumed their work. In course of time, they -had a row of ten or twelve barrels standing against the wall. - -"I wish there was something else," said Dick. - -"What yer manin' be 'tis not for me to say," said Sam, "but my feelings -be just the same. Why, dash my bones, here _be_ summat else; a box, -Maister; look at un." - -He drew forth a long flat box, which he shook as he had shaken the -barrels. - -"Ah! 'tis full o' nothing, seemingly. If 'twas only tay, now, or bacca -that we med chaw; but 'tis a'most as light as a feather." - -He prised up the lid of the box with his knife. The wood was thin, and -crumbled away at the touch of the steel. There was something pink -beneath, and the removal of the lid disclosed a quantity of silk, which, -when it was unfolded, proved to be many yards in length. - -"Only think o't!" said Sam. "Don't it feel plum! Oh! what a noble -garment 't'ud make for Maidy Susan!" - -"'Tis much too good for her," said Dick. "It would suit Mother better." - -"True, 'tis fit for queens and other high females, but the Mistress be -gettin' a old ancient person, and 't'ud look more fitty on a nesh young -frame. Ah me! it bean't no good for high or low, this side o' that dark -fearsome hole in the ground." - -"Let us see if there are any more boxes," said Dick. "And let me tell -you, Mother is only forty-five, so mind what you say, Sam." - -"Well, forty-five is more 'n double twenty, can 'ee deny it? When I be -forty-five, I shall be a old aged feller with a beard and a shiny sconce -like Feyther, and he don't care a cuss what raiment he do wear." - -Further search brought to light several boxes like the first, containing -silks of various hue, and laces which even to Dick's inexperience -appeared valuable. The materials seemed to be in as good a condition as -when they left Lyons or Nice, and without doubt represented a -considerable sum of money. But to Dick, as he contemplated them, they -suggested a more immediate and urgent use than the turning into money. -The wood of the barrels appeared to be sound; it had been preserved from -rotting by their spirituous contents. By breaking them up into their -separate staves, he would have at his disposal enough timber to make a -bridge. The staves were two feet long and about five inches broad; ten -or twelve lengths would be required to span the gap, and allow -sufficient grip. The "sling-stuff" round the barrels, as he had already -proved, was too friable to be of any value for lashing, but the silk, -torn into strips, might answer this purpose. - -"Take hold of the end of this," he said to Sam, handing him a length of -the material, "and pull as hard as you can." - -The test proved that the silk was capable of enduring a heavy direct -strain, and if this were so in the piece, it would be still stronger -when wound many times about the wood. - -Dick explained his plan. - -"Drown it all!" cried Sam. "What a tarrible deed o' wickedness! Can -'ee abear to think o' this noble shinin' stuff tore to strents and -lippets?" - -"'Tis a pity, of course, but 'tis more important that we should get over -the gap than that any woman, matron or maid, should flaunt it in fine -array. We'll set to work at once. Time must be getting on. The candle -has nearly gone: that means three hours or so. Light another, Sam." - -Dick tore the silk carefully into even strips, while Sam knocked the -ends off the tubs, and broke the staves apart. Every now and then the -boy paused, heaving a deep sigh. - -"'Tis like a knife goin' through my soul every time I hear the hoosh ye -do make," he said. "There, I says to myself, there goes the sleeve, and -that's the petticoat, and there's this part and that I don't know the -true name of. Ah well, Maidy Susan will never know from me, that's one -comfort. She'd be cryin' her pretty eyes out, that 'a would, if she did -see the deed o' destruction." - -When nine or ten barrels had been broken up, and the floor was strewn -with strips of silk, pink, blue, green, and other colours, Dick began to -arrange the materials for constructing the bridge. It was to be about -twenty feet long, to allow for a sufficient overlapping at each end of -the gap. When he came to consider the actual details of construction he -saw that his first idea, a bridge to cross on foot, was not feasible. -The staves were too narrow to afford a secure foothold, and if placed -side by side, the risk of their breaking apart was very great. He -resolved, therefore, to concentrate his energies on a single pole, -formed by binding three layers of staves together, and by means of this, -work his way across the gap hand over hand, his legs dangling in the -shaft. It would be a ticklish feat; indeed, he was by no means -confident of its possibility; but he had the strongest motives for -making the attempt, as well as a native doggedness that forbade him to -sit idle in the face of difficulty. - -The short staves had little curvature. He laid a number of them end to -end to form a length of twenty-two feet, placing them alternately so -that one had its convex, the other its concave, side to the ground, and -with overlapping ends. These he bound very firmly together. Then he -laid a second set on the first, in such a way that their joins occurred -at different spots. Then he wound the strips of silk as tightly as -possible round this double pole, carrying the windings several inches on -each side of the joints. When four or five feet of the double pole were -finished, he tested its rigidity by endeavouring to snap it across his -knee; but though the thin wood bent slightly, the lashings held firmly, -and he was well satisfied. - -"'Tis very good so far, Sam," he said; "now we must put on a third -layer." - -"'Nation take it, we shall never be done," cried Sam, stretching his -aching body. "I be mortal tired, and hungry!--there now, Maister Dick, -spake yer mind like a simple honest feller, wi'out any tongue-twistin', -and fine deceivin' language. Bean't 'ee most achin' hungry? Now, tell -me true." - -"I own I am, but 'tis no good thinking of it." - -"No more do I want. You've said it. I reckon you be just as famished -as I, if not more, only too proud to own it. Be-jowned if there be any -sech lofty pride in me." - -They proceeded with the work, lashing the third layer firmly to the -other two, and employing, for greater security, the flexible wooden -hoops which had held the barrels together. At last the bridge was -complete. It had been a long and laborious task: neither of the boys -had any idea how many hours it had occupied; they had lighted successive -candle-ends mechanically, without taking count of them. The close air -of the cave was now impregnated with smoke and tallow fumes, and both -longed for a breath of fresh air. - -All this time they had neither seen nor heard any person or thing. -Indeed, they had been so fully occupied, as scarcely to bestow a thought -on what might be going on beyond the gap. It did cross Dick's mind that -the noise made by Sam in breaking the barrels might have been heard; but -it was a considerable distance from the cave to the gap, and the passage -between them was not straight. Nobody could have seen them at work; the -sound, if it travelled beyond the gap, could only be a faint, -indistinguishable murmur then; and the absence of a bridge was an -effectual preventive of interference. It now remained to throw the -suspension bridge across the gap. They carried it through the passage, -stood it on one end, and lowered it over the opening, Sam holding the -bottom end steady while Dick let the structure down by means of a silken -rope. - -"'Tis too crazy a thing to bear a cat's weight," said Sam gloomily, when -it rested in place. - -"I don't believe you. At any rate we can't make anything better. I'll -go first, being the heavier. If I get safe across you can come after. -Hold your end firmly as I go." - -"You don't want me to look at 'ee?" - -"Why not?" - -"Because--because--drown it all!" said the boy, dashing tears from his -eyes. "Do 'ee think I could bear it if I seed 'ee drop into this -everlastin' pit?" - -"You're a good fellow, young Sam; but I shan't drop, please God!" - -He took his boots off, so that he could get a firmer grip if he had to -scramble up the opposite side. Then, while Sam lay flat on the ground -across the end of the pole, Dick swung himself over the shaft, gripping -the bridge with both hands extended above his head. He remained -motionless for a few moments, testing the strength of his support; then, -realising that the quicker he moved the better, since the strain both -upon the pole and his own endurance would be less than if he went -slowly, he began to advance hand over hand, but as smoothly as possible, -towards the other side. As he approached the middle, he saw by the -light of the candle in his hatband that the pole was sagging alarmingly, -and he felt it sway with his every movement. The further end of it was -no longer flat on the floor of the passage, but tilted up at an angle of -30 degrees. Dick shivered as he felt his support apparently slipping -downwards into the shaft. But he did not pause, and in a moment he was -relieved to find that the downward movement ceased. - -Arriving within a foot or two of the wall, he saw that he was some -little distance below the level of the passage, and the free end of the -pole, now almost perpendicular, was swaying terribly. How was he to get -up? There was no projection from the side of the shaft which he could -grasp, and it seemed that at any moment the pole might slip off into the -gulf, carrying him with it. His arms were aching with the unaccustomed -strain; not much longer could they sustain the weight of his body. -Groping with his toes on the sheer face of the shaft, he managed to get -a slight purchase with one foot. In another moment he obtained a little -better grip with the other, though in so doing he had to spread-eagle -himself. Now, with his double purchase on the wall, he was able to -relieve the weight on his hands, and take breath for the final effort. - -The lessening of the strain on the pole reduced the angle of inclination -of its free portion to the floor. Dick worked his way inch by inch -along; then, drawing his body upwards, he swung his leg over the pole, -gripping it firmly with his hands, and in a few moments was able to -reach out and grasp the free portion above the brink and haul himself on -to the floor. - -He flung himself face downward to rest, gasping a murmur of -thankfulness. Sam at the other end, though he had at first closed his -eyes, opened them almost immediately, unable to resist the fascination -of that perilous crossing. He shuddered when he saw the pole bend and -sway under Dick's weight, and pressed his lips hard together so that he -should not cry out as the further end rose higher and higher from the -level. When Dick had safely landed, Sam was too much overcome with -emotion to utter a sound. He rubbed the chill moisture from his face -and waited. - -Presently Dick got up, rekindled the candle, which had been extinguished -when he threw himself down, and called across. - -"Now 'tis your turn, Sam. You will have an easier passage than I. -Drive a couple of staves into the ground and lash the pole to them. -I'll hold it firm on this side, so that it will not sway so much as when -I crossed." - -"No; I can't do it; I'm all of a sweat," said Sam. - -"Come, come! you'll not give in, surely." - -"Iss, I woll, cheerful. Never could I sink my legs into that gashly -hole. It do put me in mind of poor fellers dangling on the drop in -Bodmin jail. No; there bean't meat enough in my inside to give me sperit -for it, and here I'll bide--I don't care who the man is--till you finds -a gangway." - -"But you'll be left in the dark. This is the last candle." - -"You won't make me afeard if you try. Here I be safe; not a soul can -get to me across this hole; and dark or light, I bean't the man for sech -a deed. I be truly sorry to leave 'ee, Maister Dick, but you'd rayther -see me sound in all my members than here a bit, there a bit." - -"Very well. You've lost your nerve, that's clear. Shy over my boots, -will you?" - -Sam lifted one and cast it; but he was apparently too much shaken to -take good aim. The boot fell into the shaft. - -"See now! 'Tis plain!" he said forlornly. "My poor wambling arm! Even -as yer boot fell, so----" - -"Hush!" cried Dick. - -There had been no sound of the boot striking on the bottom. After what -seemed a long time--it was in fact no more than two or three -seconds--from the depths came rumbling reverberations of a splash. The -water must have been nearly two hundred feet below. Both the boys were -silent as they thought of the terrible fate Dick would have met with if -he had fallen. - -"Well, good-bye, Sam!" said Dick at last, rousing himself. "One boot is -no good without the other, so you can keep it. I'll come back for you -as soon as I can." - -"I wish 'ee well, Maister." - -He stood near the brink, with a piteous expression upon his rugged face, -watching Dick's gradually receding form. When a bend in the passage hid -his master and comrade from view, he leant against the wall, and buried -his face in his hands. - - - - - CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH - - A Packet for Rusco - - -During many hours Dick had been solely preoccupied with the problem how -to recross the chasm. Penwarden, the smugglers, even the destroyer of -the bridge, were all forgotten. But now all the circumstances of his -recent misadventure returned with full force to his mind. A run was to -be attempted. The smugglers' hiding-place, which the revenue officers -had sought in vain, must be somewhere near at hand, and the person, -whosoever it was, that had flung the bridge down the shaft--for its fall -could not have been accidental--had done so with the intention of -forestalling interference. - -Dick considered what he had better do. Should he make his way back to -the well, in the hope of being able to climb it secretly and give -warning to the officers? He reflected that it might be too late for -that. Besides, his presence in these underground passages had been -observed by some one early in the morning; that same person might still -be lying in wait for him. As this idea occurred to him, he remembered -that he had left his gun behind in the cave, and for an instant thought -of returning for it; but a slight sound from the other direction made -him hastily extinguish the candle, and advance cautiously along the -passage; perhaps the bridge-destroyer was coming towards him. - -In pitch darkness he stole along, scarcely conscious of the sharp edges -and rough projections of the stone floor on which he trod. In a few -minutes he saw a faint glimmer of reflected light ahead, the source of -which was hidden from him by a bend in the passage. On reaching the -bend, he descried, moving across the end of the gallery along a -transverse one, a procession of men with candles in their hats, -hurrying, at short intervals apart, from the direction of the well. -Clinging to the wall, confident that in the black darkness he was wholly -invisible, he crept forward. By the time he came within a few yards of -the transverse passage, this, too, was in darkness, the last of the line -having passed by. - -He hastened to the corner, and peeped round to the right. The last man -was entering the narrow tunnel, which he had noticed casually as he came -by with Sam. The dimness of the flickering light, and the fact that the -man's back was towards him, prevented him from forming any conclusion as -to the identity of the individual. The light gradually dwindled, until -the opening of the tunnel was quite indistinguishable. - -Waiting for a moment or two, to listen and look along the passage -leading to the well, Dick ventured to creep stealthily in the same -direction as the men, and to penetrate into the tunnel. He had advanced -in this but a few yards, when he was made to beat a hasty retreat by a -faint but growing light at the further end, and the sound of heavy -footsteps approaching. As quickly as possible he tiptoed back in the -darkness, and regained his former station in the side gallery, where he -stood eagerly watching. In a few moments a man crossed from right to -left. His face was blackened; before and behind him hung a tub, exactly -similar to those which Sam had lately broken up. A second man followed -at a short interval, loaded in the same way; then a third, and so on, -until twenty-two had passed. They seemed by their dress to be for the -most part farm-hands, but the light from their candles was too dim to -reveal them clearly. - -The light diminished, the sound of footsteps died away, and Dick, -emerging once more into the passage, saw the end of the procession on -the way to the well. From the other direction there was no sound. Dick -felt an overmastering curiosity to discover how the run was being -worked, and whence the tubs were brought. He hastened to the tunnel, -paused for a little at the entrance, straining his ears for the -slightest sound of men returning, then went on. - -After a few steps he heard a slight creaking from some point ahead. A -glance behind assuring him that there was no present danger in this -direction, he was emboldened to proceed. There was a sudden bend in the -tunnel; at the far end he saw a light; and, hugging the wall as closely -as possible, he crept forward until the scene beyond was clearly in -view. - -He found himself near the entrance to a small oblong chamber, perhaps -twenty feet by sixteen, and scarcely eight feet high. The walls were -shored up by thick balks of wood: the roof was supported by rough beams. -The place was dimly illuminated by two lanterns standing on the top of a -pile of barrels that reached within two feet of the roof. At the far -end a man was working a windlass over a hole in the floor. Two barrels, -slung on ropes, emerged from the depths, were unhooked by the man, and -rolled against the wall on the other side of the chamber. A whiff of -cold salt air struck gratefully on Dick's senses; the smugglers' -mysterious hiding-place was clearly very near the sea. - -Dick was watching the man lower the hooks into the space beneath when he -was startled by the sound of footsteps at no great distance behind him. -Looking back, he saw a glimmer of light. Regress was barred; in a few -moments he would be discovered unless he could find a new place of -concealment. There was no time for hesitation. The back of the man at -the windlass was towards him; the tackle creaked as more tubs ascended. -In the corner of the chamber to the right was the stack of barrels on -which the lanterns stood. There appeared to be just squeezing space -between them and the wall. With his heart in his mouth Dick stole -across to them on tiptoe, and had barely gained their shelter when the -man released the tubs which had just ascended, and added them to those -that were arranged along the opposite wall. - -As Dick was creeping between the barrels and the wall, his foot touched -an obstacle, over which he almost stumbled. Fortunately, having no -boots on, he made no sound. He stood still, panting, in desperate -anxiety. In the urgency of the moment he had made for the first -hiding-place that offered itself, without reflecting that the carriers -were no doubt returning for these very barrels, and their removal must -reveal him without a possibility of escape. A thrill shot through him -as he felt a slight movement in the object at his feet, and he edged -instinctively away from it, wondering what it could be. The light from -the lanterns did not reach the floor; indeed, scarcely illuminated the -space behind, they being closed in that direction. - -He heard the footsteps drawing nearer, and, peeping through a chink -between two barrels, saw, not one, but the whole twenty-two carriers -file into the chamber, which they nearly filled. He suspected that they -had deposited their burdens at the foot of St. Cuby's Well, whence, in -all probability, these were being hoisted to the surface by means of the -windlass, which he remembered having seen near the door when he first -approached it from the seal cave. - -The man at the windlass had raised only a few barrels during their -absence, and these having been slung on the shoulders of the men who had -first entered, they returned to the entrance of the tunnel, waiting for -their comrades in turn to receive their loads. - -"Bean't this lot to go, Maister?" said one of the latter, jerking his -head towards the stack behind which Dick was concealed. Dick shivered, -and prepared to dash forth and force his way through the men grouped at -the tunnel, in the hope that their surprise and alarm, and their being -encumbered, would give him time at least to escape instant seizure. To -his relief the man at the windlass replied sharply: - -"No, they bean't. They be for the higher powers; let 'em alone. And -you come and hoist; I be tired." - -The voice was Doubledick's. - -While the tubs were being hoisted, and the waiting men talked quietly -among themselves, Dick had leisure to turn his thoughts towards the -object at his feet. It could hardly be an animal; otherwise it would -long since have betrayed him. He gently moved a foot towards it, and -touched it. Again he detected a slight movement. Passing his -stockinged toes over a few inches of the obstruction, Dick gave a start -as he recognised by the touch a man's boot. It did not move when he -pressed it: clearly it was attached to a leg, the leg to a body--and the -conviction flashed upon him that, bound and gagged at his feet, lay the -lost Joe Penwarden. To assure himself he bent down quickly, and felt -his way upward to the face. His hand encountered the shade over the old -man's sightless eye: it was Joe indeed. - -Penwarden was lying on his back, and Dick very soon discovered that he -was bound hand and foot to a plank, so tightly that only the slightest -movement was possible. His mouth was heavily gagged, but there was no -bandage over his single sound eye. Dick could not see him, and durst not -speak even in the lowest whisper, so near was he to the smugglers. But -if Penwarden was to be liberated he must be definitely assured in some -way that a friend was at work who was himself in danger; otherwise, on -being freed, he might make some sound or movement that would betray them -both. Then it occurred to Dick that, while he was unable to see -Penwarden's features, Penwarden had probably seen his, for the lanterns -shed a faint illumination on the upper part of the space behind the -barrels, to which his head almost reached. This suggested a means of -giving the old man a warning. Raising himself to his full height he -looked downwards and pressed his forefinger to his lips. The sign, if -observed, would, he knew, be effectual. - -Once more he stooped. He drew his knife from his pocket, opened it -without clicking, and silently cut the rope binding the prisoner's feet. -Then, working upward, always with the same slow care, he severed in turn -the ropes that strapped his knees and elbows to the plank, those binding -his wrists, and finally the gag over his mouth. This last probably gave -the old man the most discomfort, and might have been removed first, but -the use of his limbs was of more urgent importance just now than his -voice. - -By the time that this was done the last of the carriers had received his -load, and the creaking or the windlass had ceased. - -"That's all," said Doubledick. "Now get 'ee up-along to well, and lend -a hand in the hoisting." - -"Be we to wait for 'ee, Maister, when the tubs be all up?" asked a man. - -"No, no. You'll do best to carr' the tubs off as quick as may be. I'll -go straight home-along. To-morrer mornin', after church, if ye like ye -can come down-along to inn, where there'll be a nibleykin of rum-hot -ready for every man of 'ee." - -The carriers tramped into the tunnel, and the sound of their footsteps -died away. - -A voice came up into the chamber from below. - -"Iss," said Doubledick in reply. "Stand by while I let down the passel. -Belike ye know enough English to understand that." - -Dick fancied that he heard a low chuckle from below, and a foreign voice -say, "All right." - -Doubledick had already begun to clear away the barrels at the end of the -stack nearest to the windlass. It was plain that what he had got to do -was a secret between himself and the men below; the tub-carriers were -ignorant of it. Dick moved silently to the other end of the stack, the -place where he had entered, and gazed round to watch the innkeeper's -proceedings. Even now, though there appeared to be no danger of -detection, the upper part of his face remained covered with a mask. He -had removed the lanterns, and placed them on the floor; several of the -top row of barrels had been lifted down. His object, without doubt, was -to drag Penwarden forth, and lower him by means of the windlass to the -men waiting beneath. Dick felt sure that these were the French crew of -the lugger that had brought the cargo, and that the "parcel" they were -expecting was the old exciseman, whom they were to carry to France. - -The innkeeper's pre-occupation was Dick's opportunity. In another second -or two the cutting of the prisoner's bonds must be discovered. As -Doubledick was rolling a barrel towards the wall, Dick, moving silently -on his almost bare feet, rushed like a whirlwind on the man. Doubledick -at that moment made a half-turn, as if some instinct warned him of -danger, but he was too late to prevent Dick from getting a suffocating -grip round his neck. He gasped, groaned, struggled frantically to free -himself. Both fell to the floor, knocking over one of the lanterns, and -rolling perilously near the open trapdoor. Dick never let go his grip -on the inn-keeper's throat, for it was necessary to prevent the men -below from suspecting that anything was amiss. - -[Illustration: "DICK RUSHED LIKE A WHIRLWIND ON THE MAN."] - -Meanwhile Penwarden had scrambled painfully to his feet, and limped -towards the scene of the struggle. His limbs, cramped and numbed by his -bonds, were as yet almost powerless. But seeing Doubledick's legs for -an instant disentangled from those of his assailant, the old man -suddenly threw himself across them, pinning Doubledick to the floor, and -so putting an end to his struggles. Dick raised himself, keeping his -hands on the man's throat. The heaving and writhing ceased. - -While Dick still held him down, Penwarden hobbled behind the barrels, -carrying a lantern, found the gag that had been used on himself, and -brought it back to turn it to account with Doubledick. His own hands -were still too much numbed to tie an effective knot, but he held the gag -between Doubledick's teeth while Dick made it fast. - -All this time there had come through the hole in the floor the murmur of -voices. Without relaxing his grip, Dick leant over and peered down. He -was just able to see that a boat lay beneath; the hole was vertically -above the sea. - -"Ah, mon Dieu!" cried one of the boat's crew, perceiving Dick's head, -"ven come ze--ze packet?" - -Dick withdrew. - -"Answer," he said to Penwarden. - -The old man tried to speak, but could give utterance only to a hoarse -whisper. Whereupon Dick, in a voice intended to be an imitation of -Doubledick's, replied: - -"In a minute." - -His imitation was so entirely unsuccessful that he durst not say more. - -The Frenchman's question had suggested a means of dealing with -Doubledick. In attacking him, Dick had no definite plan in his mind for -subsequent action. He was concerned only to prevent Penwarden from -being lowered through the trapdoor. But now that Doubledick was in his -power, it struck him that it would be simple justice to serve him as he -had intended to serve Penwarden. He whispered the suggestion to the old -man, who received it with a low chuckle. - -"But they fellers down below will know un," he murmured. - -"Will they? They are French; Doubledick has never been to France. They -won't remove the gag, probably, until they are well out to sea, and if I -know them, they won't put back and run the risk of meeting the cutter, -even if they do discover their mistake." - -"Ze packet, ze packet!" came the impatient cry from below. - -No more time was lost. The cords that had bound Penwarden were useless, -but there was plenty of sling-stuff on the tubs, and in a few seconds -enough was slipped off for the purpose. Both Dick and the exciseman -were used to handling rope, and though the latter's fingers were still -somewhat numb, he was able to lend some feeble assistance to Dick in -securing Doubledick to the plank. At the end of this there was a hook. -They attached this to the rope over the windlass, and prepared to lower -the innkeeper to the hands waiting below. - -At the last moment Penwarden slipped off the crepe mask that still -covered Doubledick's face. - -"Look 'ee, Maister Dick," he said hoarsely. "You can swear to the -feller, so can I. You be goin' to Rusco, you miserable sinner, and if -so be you ever come back, I'll swear an information against 'ee for -unlawful detainin' of one o' the King's lieges, and Maister Dick will -kiss the Book and bear testimony. Good-bye to 'ee, and may the Lord ha' -mercy on yer soul." - -They let the frenzied man down through the trapdoor, and heard guffaws -of laughter from the Frenchmen as they received their expected packet. -The boat pulled off towards a lugger that lay a few cables' lengths from -the cliff. The prisoner was hauled up the side; the men climbed on -board and hoisted the boat in; and in a few minutes the lugger -disappeared into the darkness. - -It was not the time to enter upon explanations on either side. -Penwarden was eager to follow up the tub-carriers, Dick to release Sam. -When the exciseman heard of the boy's situation, he yielded with a sigh, -and considered with Dick a means of bringing Sam across the shaft. They -were not long in deciding that the best plan would be to make use of the -quantities of rope at hand, and form a running tackle by which the boy -might be drawn over. This was soon done, and taking one of the -lanterns, they hastened back to the scene. - -"Hoy, Maister, be that thee?" cried Sam out of the darkness when he saw -the approaching light. - -"Yes, and Mr. Penwarden is with me. We are coming to bring you away." - -"Praise and glory be! I did think I'd never see daylight again. Have -'ee got a true and proper bridge?" - -"You'll see. Run back to the cave and bring two staves and our guns." - -They waited at the brink of the shaft until Sam reappeared. - -"Now drive the staves into the floor," cried Dick. - -"I can't. It be hard stone." - -"Well then, go back to the cave again and bring some of those big pieces -of rock on the floor." - -Sam went obediently. Instructed by Dick, he arranged a number of the -rocks, four or five feet deep, to form a sort of platform. - -"Now knot this rope to the staves," said Dick, flinging it across. "Put -it behind the rocks, and pile more rocks on top to hold it down." - -While this was being done, he made the other end of the double rope fast -to a large boulder near the head of the shaft. - -"Now, Sam, all you have to do is to clasp the rope and let yourself -down. We will do the rest." - -"Be it firm and steady?" asked the boy anxiously. - -Dick hauled on the rope; it was held firm by the rocks. - -"There, you see 'tis quite safe. All you want is a little courage; it -will not take half a minute to get you across." - -"I'll send summat fust to prove it," said Sam. - -He withdrew a few paces into the passage, and returned, carrying a long, -flat box. This he hitched to the rope. - -"Haul away, Maister Dick, and let me see wi' my own eyes." - -The box was drawn to the further side in a few moments. - -"Now are you satisfied?" asked Dick. - -"Iss, fay; and I've some more boxes that had better go fust." - -Four boxes and the two guns were hauled across before Sam consented to -venture himself, and then only because he feared he could carry no more -when he got to the other side. - -"'T'ud be a sin," he said, "to leave all these silks and satins behind." - -"How do you know the boxes contain silks and satins?" - -"'Cos I opened 'em and felt 'em in the dark. 'Twas like strokin' a cat's -back, wi'out no fear o' scratches. You'll be sure and not let me drop -into the pit, Maister?" - -"Yes. Come along; I want my supper." - -"Be-jowned, and so do I. Here I come." - -He grasped the rope, let himself gently down, and was hauled to the -other side. - -"Oh, Maister Penwarden," he cried as he landed, "I be 'nation glad to -see 'ee safe and sound. Wheer have 'ee been all this time? You have -gied us all a terrible deal o' trouble." - -Penwarden growled. - -"Never mind about that, Sam," said Dick. "Our trouble is well repaid, -and we had better get home as soon as we can." - -"True. If you go first and turn the lantern so's it do gie me a light, -I'll be able to carr' these boxes wi'out tumblin' and breakin' my head. -So for home-along." - -On the homeward way Dick related his adventure. The old man said nothing -until he heard of the discovery of lace and silks. - -"Ah!" said he, "and these boxes that young Sam be carr'in' on his head -are filled with silks and laces, I s'pose." - -"Iss, fay," cried Sam exultantly, "and noble gowns and pinnies they will -make, to be sure." - -"Well," said Penwarden, "then I seize 'em in the King's name." - -"Rake it all!" exclaimed Sam. "Did the King buy 'em? Did he bury 'em? -Did he find 'em? No, the King be a good man, but 'a never did no -free-tradin' in his life, I reckon, and we won't part with 'em, will we, -Maister Dick?" - -"I know my duty," said Penwarden, "and seized they be. Resist at yer -peril." - -"Daze me if I don't wish ye'd been carr'd to France," cried Sam. "Arter -what we've been through for 'ee, too!" - -A wordy war ensued that lasted until they reached the door of the -Towers, where the boxes were deposited for the night. It required a -peremptory command from Mr. Polwhele next day to induce Penwarden to -relinquish his claim on them, the old man then being more than ever -convinced that the world was a strange mix-up. - - - - - CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH - - Petherick makes a Discovery - - -About an hour before Doubledick was embarked for Roscoff, a group of men -employed by Mr. Polwhele as his assistants stood on the bridge spanning -the stream that flowed through the village. It was freezing, and they -stamped and swung their arms to keep themselves warm. - -"'A said he would jine us by half-past nine o'clock," said one. - -"Well, church-clock has tolled the half-hour, and 'tis gashly cold. -What shall us do, neighbours?" asked a second. - -"Go home-along, say I," a third answered. "He be a true man of his -word. Half-past nine, 'a said; half-past nine 'a meant, and if he -bean't here 'tis a plain token he bean't a-comin'!" - -"I tell 'ee what, neighbours," said the man who had first spoken. -"We'll gie un five minutes' law, as near as we can guess it by trampin' -forth and back; then we'll wend up-along to Dower House and axe un for -orders. I'll be sworn he be fillin' up his inside wi' high meat and -noble drink." - -"Ay, and maybe figgy pudden or squab-pie," said another, licking his -lips. "Do 'ee think, now, we bein' pore men all, they'd gie us a croust -and a nibleykin, like the rich gaffer and Lazarus?" - -"Jown me if we don't go straight as a line and see. Hey! step out, -souls all." - -They hurried into the village and up the hill, arriving at the Dower -House about ten minutes to ten. The house was brightly lit, and from -within came sounds of laughter. - -"Sech merry doings bean't for we poor souls," remarked one of the men -despondently. - -"True, neighbour Pollard, we bean't all portigal sons," said another. - -"You be a bufflehead, sure enough. The portigal son in the Book comed -home-along a beggar in rags, arter swallerin' pigs' wash." - -"Ah well, I must ha' been thinkin' o' some other holy man." - -"True; Lazarus was the man. Rap at the door, neighbours, and make a -goodish noise, or ye won't be heerd through this yer racket." - -Susan came to the door in answer to the knock. - -"Please, ma'am, we be come," began Pollard, and then found it necessary -to swallow. - -"Well I never! What be come for?" - -"For Maister Polwhele, wishin' 'ee no harm. 'A said he'd jine us when -clock said half-past nine, and we'll be obleeged to 'ee if you'll say as -we be come for orders." - -"Why, bless me, Mr. Polwhele went away when clock strook nine, and as -sober as a jedge." - -"Well, souls, 'tis 'nation hard to traipse up that hill for nothing at -all. We med as well go home-along and get to our beds. We be sorry to -bring 'ee out, ma'am, such a bitter cold night, but 'twas to be." - -"I wish 'ee well, poor souls," said Susan. - -"A nesh young female," remarked one of the men, as they departed. - -"She'd as lief as not ha' gied us some grog if I warn't sech a humble -feller of my inches. Hey! theer's a deal lost in this world by modest -men like we." - -They shambled dolefully down the hill. Half-way down they were met by -the boatswain and six seamen from the cutter. - -"Ahoy! mates," cried the boatswain, "have ye seen or heard anything of -Mr. Mildmay?" - -"Neither heerd a cuss nor seed the tip o's nose." - -"Ah well, then. I thought you might have, coming along by Mr. -Trevanion's house." - -"Ha' ye seed or heerd anything o' Maister Polwhele, now?" - -"Neither bowsprit nor whistle. No doubt he's with our officer, dancing -a hornpipe, or whatever they do at fine gentlemen's parties." - -"No, he bean't at Dower House. We've been to call for un. 'A told us -he'd jine us on bridge when church-clock strook half-past nine." - -"That's curious, because Mr. Mildmay told us the same thing, putting the -cutter instead of the bridge. Isn't Mr. Mildmay up there, then?" - -"That we don't know. It didn't come into our heads to axe for he." - -"Well, we'd better go up and put the question. Step out, messmates." - -Mr. Polwhele's men returned with them, in the hope that the bold sailors -would ask for the grog, which their modesty had missed. The door was -again opened by Susan. - -"Now, my dear," said the boatswain, "we won't keep you in the cold. -Just answer a little question. Is Mr. Mildmay aboard?" - -"Dear life! First Mr. Polwhele, now Mr. Mildmay. No, sailorman, they -both wented out together, a minute arter clock strook nine." - -"Bless your pretty face! Well, messmates, we've had our cruise for -nothing, unless this lovely lass will give us something to drink her -health in." - -"Here's Maister!" cried Susan, stepping aside hastily as John Trevanion -came to the door. - -"Well, my men, what's this?" he asked genially. - -"Please yer honour," began Pollard. - -"Avast there!" cried the boatswain. "Mr. Mildmay was to come aboard by -three bells, sir, and seeing he was late, we made bold to come up here -for orders." - -"Please yer honour," said Pollard, "Maister Polwhele telled we the same, -only 'twas nine and a half bells wi' him." - -"Well, my men, you're too late. They both left here at nine. But come -in: 'tis a cold night, and you won't be the worse of something warm. -Susan, bring a full jug and tumblers. No one shall leave the Dower -House to-night without drinking success to the mines." - -The men tramped in, voluble with thanks. Susan served them each with a -tumbler hot, and they left a few minutes later, with a high opinion of -Mr. Trevanion's hospitality, and the comfortable feeling that they had -not made their journey for nothing. - -Sunday morning broke bright, frosty, and clear, the sun shining with a -brilliance that belied the cold. About half an hour before church time, -as Mr. Carlyon was conning over his sermon for the day, there entered to -him the pluralist of the parish, Timothy Petherick, constable, sexton, -beadle, and bell-ringer. There was a scowl of annoyance upon his face. - -"Well, Petherick, what is it?" said the Vicar, looking up. - -"Yer reverence," said the man, "hain't I telled 'ee times wi'out number -that the bats and owls do make a roostin' place o' holy church-tower?" - -"I believe you have." - -"Well, yer reverence, it didn' oughter be," said Petherick, smiting his -fist. "They heathen animals didn' oughter take up their habitation in -sech a Christian place. 'Like owl in desert,' says the Book, not 'like -owl in church-tower.'" - -"Clear 'em out, and be hanged to 'em," said the parson. "Yet, after -all, they don't do any harm." - -"No harm! Dash my bones, yer reverence--God forgi'e me for usin' -Saturday words of a Sunday--they do do harm. Do 'ee think I can strike -a true Christian note out o' the bell? No, not I; 'tis all clodgy, like -the spache of a man that's rum-ripe, and all because some owl or -airy-mouse hev made his nest on the clapper, scrounch un." - -"Well, go up the ladder and brush it off." - -"Theer 'tis, now. What's happened o' the ladder, I'd like to know? -Theer bean't no ladder. 'Twas theer yester morn, but not a mossel o' -ladder be theer to-day. 'Tis bewitched, sure enough; some pixy or -nuggy, or little old man, hev sperited un away in the night, for I -squinnied up-along and down-along, and never got a sight o't." - -"Well, time is getting on. Do your best, Petherick. Someone has -borrowed the ladder, no doubt, and will bring it back to-morrow. You -should lock the tower door, and then this sort of thing couldn't -happen." - -Petherick retired, a man with a grievance. Entering the tower, he pulled -at the bell-rope with a scornful air, and, indeed, the sound given out -was little like the clear note that ordinarily summoned the Polkerran -folk to worship. - -They were on the whole good church-goers. At least half the population -were regular attendants, some of the other half being Methodists, who -preferred going to "meeting." The principal smugglers were sound -churchmen to a man, and repeated the responses after the Commandments -with great fervour, especially after the eighth, when they glared -reproachfully at Mr. Polwhele in his pew by the chancel steps. - -In spite of the strangely muffled bell, there was an unusually large -congregation on this Sunday morning. The villagers, as their custom -was, assembled in the churchyard, waiting until the Squire and his -family had passed into the church before they should follow to their -seats. Much animation was observable among them this morning, and when -Dick walked up the centre path with his parents, he guessed that many of -them were discussing the successful run of the previous night, and a -smaller number the supposed deportation of Joe Penwarden. There was no -sign of perturbation among them, whence he inferred that the -disappearance of Doubledick was not yet known. It was not uncommon for -the innkeeper, after a run, to absent himself for a day or two, so that, -even if it were known that he had not yet returned to the inn, they -would feel neither surprise nor alarm. Nor was the failure of their -plot against Penwarden suspected. He had not spent the night in his -cottage. Dick had insisted that the old man should sleep at the Towers, -in order that he might have a good supper, and that Mrs. Trevanion might -bathe and anoint his chafed wrists and ankles. - -The Squire's large curtained pew was on the north side of the chancel, -Mr. Polwhele's next. Opposite, and facing it, was John Trevanion's. -The master of the Dower House looked particularly fresh and cheerful -when he strode up the aisle to his place. He smiled a greeting to one or -two families with whom he was acquainted, carefully avoiding his -relatives. - -The village folk clattered in; the band in the gallery above the door -tuned up their instruments; the toneless bell ceased to ring, and Mr. -Carlyon having made his solemn entry, the service began. - -The Vicar had just come to the end of the second lesson when, through a -postern leading from the tower, came Petherick with a face full of news. -He hastened to the reading desk, touched Mr. Carlyon on the sleeve, and -said in a church whisper: - -"Please, yer reverence----" - -"Not now, Petherick," the Vicar whispered back. "Go to your seat." - -"I bean't in fault, and say it I woll," said the man. Then in a low -tone, which, in the breathless silence of the congregation, penetrated -to the remotest corner of the gallery, he added: - -"Maister Mildmay and riding-officer was in belfry, tied round the middle -to bell." - -"God bless my soul!" murmured the astonished Vicar unconsciously. "This -is unseemly," he said sternly: "'tis brawling. Go to your place, -Petherick." - -The beadle marched to his seat under the pulpit with the air of one who -had spoken his mind and scorned rebuke. Those of the congregation who -had been in the secret tittered when he made his announcement; the -larger number, who were vaguely aware that something had happened to the -officers, but did not know its nature, gazed at one another with -startled looks, which speedily changed to smiles. The occupants of the -Squire's pew alone preserved their composure. Mr. Carlyon's stern look -silenced the giggles and whispers of the frivolous, and the service -proceeded. - -The hymn had been sung, the Vicar was in the midst of the prayer for the -King's Majesty, and had just recited the words "our most gracious -sovereign Lord King George," when a man quietly entered from the outer -porch, and stood within the church beneath the gallery. The heads of -the congregation were bent forward, so that his presence was unnoticed. -The prayer came to an end; everybody said "Amen," but one voice rose -above all the rest. It was that of the new-comer. Tonkin, in his pew a -few paces down the aisle, started and turned his head like one -thunderstruck. A bruise was noticeable on his right cheek. All held -their breath as Joe Penwarden marched steadily down the aisle to his -seat near the riding-officer's. As he passed the Vicar, he raised his -hand to the salute, then knelt quietly at his place, where the coloured -sunbeam, streaming in through the south window, lit up his -weather-beaten face. - -That dramatic scene in the church was talked of in Polkerran for many a -long year. A deep hush had fallen upon the whole congregation; even the -most fractious and fidgety children felt awed, by they scarcely knew -what. Consternation held the smugglers rigid in their seats. John -Trevanion's face turned sea-green, and the smile by which he tried to -conceal from the congregation the mingled emotions--surprise, rage, even -fear--that possessed him, did but reveal them the more clearly to two -pair of eyes in the Squire's pew. - -Meanwhile the Vicar had turned over a few leaves of his prayer-book. -Now, in a peculiarly solemn tone, he began to read the thanksgiving "For -peace and deliverance from our enemies." The words rolled through the -church: "We yield Thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from -these great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compassed"; and at -the close Penwarden's voice was again uplifted in a loud and prolonged -"Amen." - -Mr. Carlyon was a man of tact. He knew very well that his people would -be on tenter-hooks until they could discuss these strange incidents. It -was no time to preach to them. A sermon was not an essential part of -the service. Accordingly he finished the order for morning prayer and -gave the Blessing without ascending into the pulpit. The congregation -streamed forth. Tonkin and his friends in a knot hurried down to the -inn, followed closely by the tub-carriers of the previous night, whom -Doubledick had invited to meet him there. John Trevanion came out -alone, and walked rapidly homeward, without a word or a look to anyone. -The rest went their several ways, except the Squire and his family, and -Penwarden, whom Mr. Carlyon invited to the Parsonage. There they found -Mr. Mildmay and the riding-officer sitting in the sunlight at an open -window, sipping toddy and taking snuff, thoughtfully brought to them by -the housekeeper. - -"Upon my word," said the Vicar, on beholding their wrathful -countenances, "if I had not so lately taken off my surplice I fear I -should laugh. What is the meaning of it, gentlemen?" - -It is regrettable, but the truth must be told. The two officers, Mrs. -Trevanion not having entered the room, let forth a flood of language -such as certainly had never before been heard within those walls. - -"Come, come," said the Vicar, "remember my cloth. I will change my -coat, and then ask you to tell me calmly, as befits the day, all that -has happened." - -"Your cousin, Squire----" began Mr. Mildmay, on the Vicar's departure, -but he choked. - -"Is a consummate scoundrel, sir," said Mr. Polwhele for him. - -"He hoodwinked us," said the lieutenant. - -"He trapped us," cried the riding-officer. - -"Calmly, gentlemen," said the Vicar, re-entering. "Now, Mildmay." - -"He invited us to his house----" - -"And laughed and joked," put in Mr. Polwhele. - -"And made himself deuced pleasant," said Mr. Mildmay. - -"One would think they were parson and clerk," said the Vicar under his -breath. - -The hint was taken, and Mr. Mildmay was able to speak a few sentences -without interruption. - -"Well, we left together, Polwhele and I, at nine o'clock, as we -intended. 'Twas pitch dark. We had quitted the grounds but half a -minute, and were walking along by that stone hedge near the mine-shaft, -when we fell headlong over a rope stretched across the road. Before we -could get to our feet, hang me if a crowd of ruffians didn't fling -themselves upon us and well-nigh choke the breath out of our bodies. I -hit out----" - -"So did I," said Mr. Polwhele, his feelings overcoming him. - -"So did Polwhele. I barked my knuckles." - -"So did I," said Mr. Polwhele. - -"So did Polwhele; but we might have been fighting air for all the good -we did. The rascals held us down while they gagged and roped us----" - -"And never a word said," put in the riding-officer. - -"No, confound it all! 'Twas too dark to tell black from white. All the -scoundrels were masked, and didn't breathe a word we could identify 'em -by. They roped us so that we couldn't move hand or foot, and carried us -we didn't know where----" - -"Except that it was over plaguey rough ground. I was jarred and jolted -till I felt as if all my joints were loose." - -"So was I," said Mr. Mildmay. "I knew no more till I found myself being -hauled up a ladder, and then, confusion seize them! they lashed me to -the bell----" - -"Mildmay on one side, I on t'other, the same rope going all round." - -"And there they left us all night. I didn't get a wink of sleep----" - -"Nor I----" - -"Till the morning, and as soon as I dropped oft, that dunderhead -Petherick must pull the bell-rope, and I felt a great thwack in the -small of my back, and woke in a desperate fright. There was a second -thump, and then it stopped, and we had peace for a few minutes." - -"That was when Petherick was telling me that I really must clear the -tower of owls and bats," said the Vicar. - -"Bats!" cried Mr. Polwhele. "They were whisking me in the face all -night." - -"And the owls were tu-whooing like fog-horns," said Mr. Mildmay. "Then -the thumping began again, and I was jarred till I thought I should die. -Then there came a horrible noise of fiddles and serpents and clarinets -from below, and yowling and growling, and soon after Petherick's head -appeared through the hatch, and he had the impudence to laugh in our -faces. When he had done cackling, he loosed us, and we crawled down the -ladder more dead than alive, and here we are." - -[Illustration: "PETHERICK'S HEAD APPEARED THROUGH THE HATCH."] - -"And I lay my life 'twas John Trevanion's plot," cried Mr. Polwhele -hotly. "Never has such a scandalous outrage been known in Cornwall -before. The Judas came to the door and bade us good-night, and said he -was sorry we must go, but duty must be done--the detestable hypocrite." - -"There was certainly more art in it than the village folks are capable -of," said the Vicar. "By----dear me! I am forgetting myself, but it -brings back to me the pranks we played at Oxford. I remember----but -there, that's best told on a week-day. You'll find it hard to prove -anything against John Trevanion, my friends." - -"That's the cunning of the villain," said Mr. Mildmay. "But I'll keep a -lynx-eye on him for the future, and my gentleman will overreach himself -one of these days. No doubt he made a fine haul last night." - -"He did so," said Penwarden, who had remained in the background. "The -carriers made five trips betwixt the cave and the well, and though I -couldn' see 'em, I reckon they ran summat nigh two-hundred tubs." - -"Bless my soul, where do you spring from, Joe?" cried the -riding-officer. - -"Ah, sir, there be no spring left in my aged frame. I bean't what I was -in my young days, when I served wi' Lord Admiral Rodney. But I'm not -dead yet, thanks to Maister Dick, and I'll be on duty to-morrer, sir, -same as ever." - -"Come, Joe," said the Vicar, "we must hear all about it. I own I almost -forgot where I was when I saw you tramp up the aisle just now." - -"The Squire's lady did say I wasn't to get up, Pa'son, but when I woked -and found 'em all gone-along to church, I couldn't bide wi'out goin' up -to the House of the Lord like holy David, and givin' my humble and -hearty thanks to the Almighty." - -He related how, at dead of night, he had been hauled from his bed by -half-a-dozen masked figures, carried to the well, let down in a basket, -and taken to the place where Dick had found him. - -"'Twas that 'nation rascal Doubledick at the bottom of it," he said. -"When I laid there flat on a plank, wi' a blanket atween my teeth, and a -gashly ache in every inch o' my body, I could ha' borne it all like a -holy martyr, but for the villain's tormentin' mouth-speech. 'A tried -his best to change his tone o' voice, but I knowed un through it all. -'You be agoin' on yer travels,' says he. ''Tis uncommon spry in 'ee at -yer time o' life, wonderful brave in a old aged feller. And ye'll lay -yer bones in a furrin grave, wheer ye'll bide till Judgment Day, and -when the trump wakes 'ee and they axe 'ee what be doin' in a strange -heathen land, ye'll have to tell, 'twas because ye couldn't keep yer -tongue from evil speakin', nor yer hands from pickin' and stealin'. Ah! -'tis a sorrerful sight to see a old ancient like 'ee goin' the way to -everlastin' bonfire for sech ungodly deeds.' So 'a went on a-rantin' -and ravin' till I come nigh bustin' wi' the rage inside me. But I -reckon he sings another tune now. 'Tis he hev gone on his travels, and -he dussn't show his face here no more, for 'twill be transportation if -he do." - -It was Dick's turn to recount the steps of his discovery, and he learnt -from Penwarden the explanation of the only point that still puzzled him: -why he had found the front door of the cottage unlocked. Penwarden said -that one of the kidnappers had opened the door to keep a look-out. The -presumption was that, after locking the back door behind his comrades -when the deed was done, he had merely closed the front door, probably -because he was in haste to rejoin them. - -While Dick told his story, the Vicar was turning over the yellow leaves -of an old leather-bound manuscript book. - -"Ah! I have it," he exclaimed at length. "This is the diary of William -Hammond, vicar of this parish eighty years ago--material for my poor -starveling history, Trevanion. You have seen his name on the tablet in -church. Listen. 'To-day I read the burial service for seven men of -this parish, to wit, Anthony Hallah, Francis Hocking, John Tregurtha, -John Maddein, Richard Kelynack, Paul Tonkin, Thomas Rowe, who 'tis -supposed were overwhelmed in the late landslip beyond St. Cuby's Cove. -Their bodies have not been recovered, but I yielded to the entreaties of -their families that I would recite the solemn office of the Church, that -their souls might rest in peace.' Do you see the story in this? The -poor fellows were smothered while running a cargo into the cave which -Dick found blocked up. Naturally the place was shunned by the -smugglers, and I daresay it was years before a new generation made for -themselves the hiding-place Dick has discovered. No doubt it is in the -part of the cliff that bulges over the sea. They must have hollowed out -the chamber, and pierced a hole in its floor, and you might have -searched for ever, Mr. Mildmay, without perceiving from below the -trapdoor with which it was concealed. No doubt, as Dick suggests, they -have traded on the superstitions of the people in regard to the ghost at -the well, and the fact that they seldom needed to use the hiding-place -has helped them to preserve their secret. This will be a terrible blow -to the smuggling hereabouts, and 'tis an extraordinary thing that it -should be due to Dick, whose intervention has been brought about so -strangely." - -"Confound it, Dick, you ought to be in my place," said Mr. Mildmay with -a rueful look. "Here have I been dashing about in the cutter, and -Polwhele riding up and down, and all the fuss and fury not half so -effective as your quiet use of your wits. 'Tis a dash to one's proper -pride." - -"There was a great deal of luck about it, sir," said Dick. "If Sam -hadn't overheard the conversation between John Trevanion and Doubledick, -we might have puzzled our wits for years without getting at the truth." - -"Ah!" said Mr. Carlyon with a chuckle, "and there's a lady in the case -as usual. I understand that Sam takes a brotherly interest in Mr. -Trevanion's maidservant--a very good girl, behaves well in church, and -seems most attentive to my sermons. Upon my word, Squire, we owe -something to John Trevanion after all." - -"Humph!" grunted the Squire. "What does the Book say, Vicar? 'The -wicked diggeth a pit, and falleth into it himself.' That is true in the -case of Doubledick, at any rate." - -"And he's no loss to us," said Mr. Polwhele. "Without a doubt he hid -that ruffian Delarousse. I suppose they'll now be hob-a-nob together in -Roscoff. What's that at the window?" - -He sprang up and put his head out. - -"Do 'ee feel better now, sir?" asked Petherick, sympathetically. - -"What are you doing there, Petherick?" asked the Vicar, recognising his -voice. - -"I wer just a-comin' along to tell 'ee wheer I found ladder, yer -reverence. 'Twas in the ditch over beyond the linney, and be-jowned if -I wouldn' give a silver sixpence, poor as I be, to know who 'twas carr'd -un theer. We must clear out these owls and airy-mouses, to be sure." - -"Well, set about it to-morrow," said the Vicar, closing the window. - -"I'll be bound the fellow has heard all that we've said," cried Mr. -Polwhele. - -"Then you may be sure it will be all over the parish to-morrow," said -Mr. Carlyon. - - - - - CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH - - A High Dive - - -The failure of their carefully-laid plan afflicted the smugglers with a -numbness of dismay and stupefaction, and robbed them of all power to -appreciate the success of the trick played on the revenue officers. -Tonkin bitterly reproached himself for leaving the shipment of Penwarden -to Doubledick and undertaking the seizure of John Trevanion's guests. -Moreover, honest and simple-minded as he was, a tiny seed of suspicion -was beginning to germinate in his mind. Before John Trevanion came -home, the freighting had been done by Tonkin on a modest scale in -co-operation with Delarousse. Now, however, John Trevanion had taken -the lead. For some reason, which none knew, and only Doubledick -suspected, he had thrown over Delarousse, and did business with a rival -and enemy of his in Roscoff. Having more capital than Tonkin, whose -recent losses had indeed been crippling, he could buy more largely and -employ more men, so that Tonkin found himself in a position of galling -subordination. As Trevanion had said to Doubledick, the big man did not -care to play second fiddle. He was beginning to wonder whether the -jovial master of the Dower House was quite so good a friend as he -seemed. - -The escape of Penwarden was a blow, the more crushing because so -mysterious. After church on Sunday, Tonkin and his fellows foregathered -with the tub-carriers in the Five Pilchards, where Mrs. Doubledick -attended to them in her husband's absence. The young farm labourers had -been in complete ignorance of the presence of Penwarden behind the -stacked barrels. His projected deportation was the secret of Tonkin and -a few trusty friends, who knew better than to run the risk of being -betrayed by an informer. They were still anxious to guard their secret, -and being unable to discuss the matter freely in the presence of the -carriers, they made themselves so unpleasant that the latter presently -betook themselves in dudgeon to the Three Jolly Mariners. But even when -the important people had the taproom of the Five Pilchards to -themselves, they were at a loss. In Doubledick's absence no light could -be thrown on the mystery. - -"Do 'ee know wheer yer man be, Mistress?" asked Tonkin of the gaunt -woman behind the bar. - -"I do not," she replied, "but 'a will come home-along in a day or two, -to be sure. He loves his home, does Doubledick." - -"Well, you ought to know, if anybody." - -"Hey, my sonnies," said a voice at the door, and Petherick entered. "I -be come to jine ye in yer laughter and merrymakin'." - -"Then you be come the wrong road," said Tonkin gloomily. "We be -downcast and dismal." - -"Ay, mumchanced and mumblechopped," added Nathan Pendry. - -"You do surprise me! Never did I see anything that tickled my ribs so -much as they two King's servants lashed to the holy bell. I don't care -who the man is, 'twas a merry notion. But good now! I know what yer -dark thoughts be. 'T'ud make angels weep and wail, so 'twould. To -think that Cuby's ghost will walk never more!" - -"Oh, Cuby's ghost be jowned! If ye do know anything, tell it out -without hawkin' and spettin', constable," said Tonkin. - -"Well, neighbour Doubledick be a lost soul this day, that's sartin," -said Petherick. - -"My Billy be dead!" shrieked Mrs. Doubledick, sinking into a chair and -rocking herself to and fro. - -"No, no, Mistress," said Petherick. "It bean't gone so far as that. -Dry yer eyes, woman. He bean't a corp, 's far 's I do know, but never -will ye see un again, no, never." - -"Name it all, constable, don't spin it out so long," said Nathan Pendry. -"Put the 'ooman out of her misery." - -"Well, I will. Neighbour Doubledick be this day in Rusco." - -"Dear life!" exclaimed Mrs. Doubledick. - -"How do 'ee know that, constable?" asked Tonkin. - -"I heerd it all wi' my own ears. Seems as if Joe Penwarden was to go, -but the voyage wer too much for his old aged stummick, so he and young -Trevanion sent neighbour Doubledick instead." - -He then repeated what he had overheard at the window of the Parsonage, -his audience listening in wrath and amazement. - -"So ye see," he concluded, "he dussn't show his face hereabouts again, -for they two will swear to him afore Sir Bevil, and neither might nor -power can save un. Seems to me as ye've met your match in young -Squire." - -This opened the floodgates of rage, and the room rang with execrations -and threats of vengeance. At last Tonkin declared that he would sail to -Roscoff next day, hear Doubledick's version of the matter, and learn -whether the innkeeper himself admitted the impossibility of returning -from his exile. Meanwhile he bound all those present not to disclose -their knowledge of what had happened. He felt that the ignominious -failure of the scheme would make them all a laughing-stock, which was -especially to be avoided now that a score of miners had been imported -into the village by John Trevanion. The men loyally kept the secret, -even Petherick restraining his gossiping tongue, for he had a wholesome -fear of Tonkin. - -Next morning, therefore, Tonkin sailed away in his own lugger, beating -out against a stiff breeze. An hour or two later, Mr. Mildmay paid a -visit in the cutter to the scene of the night's events, seized the tubs -still left in the smugglers' den, broke up the windlass, and blocked up -the tunnel leading to the well. - -Next afternoon Dick and Sam launched their boat, and sailed out to fish -at some distance from the point of the Beal. Meeting them on the cliff, -Penwarden advised them to keep their eye on the weather. The sky was -threatening, and the boat, while safe enough on a calm sea, had not -proved her capacity to ride out a storm. - -Sam appeared to be in low spirits. Usually talkative, he had scarcely -spoken to Dick on the way from the house, and had indeed not been -visible since breakfast time. - -"What's the matter, Sam?" said Dick, as he sat at the tiller, noticing -the boy's gloomy face as he rowed to assist the sail. - -"Nawthin'," replied Sam curtly. - -"But there is. Your face is as long as a fiddle. Something must have -upset you. What is it?" - -"Well, if I must tell, I will. My poor heart be broke." - -"That's bad. What broke it?" - -"The Mistress." - -"My mother! What has she done?" - -"'Tis not what she does, but what she says. Oh! 'tis terrible hard for -poor folks in this world." - -"I agree with you. We are all pretty poor at the Towers." - -"That's why I feel it. Some poor folks can have noble raiment, others -can't, and drown me if I can see the why and wherefore." - -"Don't talk rubbish." - -"'Tis not rubbish. Hevn't Mistress got a fine new sealskin coat? -Didn't she wear it to church yesterday? Didn't she look like a queen, -and make all the women's eyes open as wide as saucers? And there was -Maidy Susan, poor young thing, lookin' as plain as a sparrer beside -her." - -"Well, you wouldn't expect to see a servant-maid as fine as the Squire's -wife." - -"Iss, I would so, when her might be. I showed they silks and satins to -Mistress, and telled her I had broughted 'em for Maidy Susan. 'No, -indeed,' says she; 'quite unsuitable for a girl in her station o' life.' -'Why for, please 'm?' says I. 'Because I say so,' says she; 'I never -heerd o' sech a thing.' Be-jowned if I can see why. Pretty things be -fitty for pretty females, and I don't care who the man is, Maidy Susan -would look as fine in 'em as Mistress do in her noble sealskin." - -"Fine feathers don't make fine birds, they say," remarked Dick with a -smile. - -"No, nor fine coats don't make old women young and pretty. They only -make 'em look fatter." - -"Sam, don't be impudent." - -"Bean't impedence, leastways, not meant for sech, as you know well. It -be truth," insisted Sam. "Can 'ee deny it? I axe 'ee, bean't Susan a -pretty maid?" - -"She is, I own." - -"Well, then, there you are." - -This appeared to Sam a clinching argument. Dick laughed. - -"I'll speak to Mother," he said. "Perhaps she will let Susan have a -little silk for high days and holidays. But you know the story of the -jackdaw that dressed up as a peacock and was pecked to death by the -peacocks it went amongst?" - -"Never heerd o't, and I don't believe it. Peacocks be sech silly -mortals. Howsomever, if ye'll speak to Mistress I'll say no more, for -she'll do whatever you tell her." - -By this time they were far out in the bay. They cast their lines -overboard, and caught one or two flat fish; but sport being very slow, -and the wind increasing in force, after about an hour they decided to -return. - -Another boat, meanwhile, had put out for the same purpose. It contained -Jake Tonkin and Ike Pendry. The two boats passed within a few yards of -each other. - -"Afeard of a capful o' wind," said Jake with a sneer to his companion, -loud enough to be heard on the other boat. - -"Ay, they'll 'eave up afore they get ashore," rejoined Pendry. - -Dick paid no attention to them. Running in behind the Beal, which -sheltered him from the wind, he found the sea in Trevanion Bay so calm -that he began to wonder whether he had not been over-hasty in putting -back. They landed, moored the boat, and carried their meagre catch to -the Towers. - -"They may jeer," said Dick, as he steadied himself against the wind, -which on the cliff-top blew with the force of half a gale, "but they'll -run in themselves pretty soon, you'll see." - -Having handed the fish to Reuben, they left the house again, and made -their way along the Beal, somewhat curious to see how the two -fisher-lads were faring. Jake's boat, an old tub, as crazy as that of -Dick's which had been destroyed, was tossing and rolling in a way that -must have rendered fishing a very uncomfortable occupation. - -"They're a couple of jackasses," said Dick. "The wind is getting up -every minute. Look at that! That gust nearly capsized them." - -"I reckon they be showing off," said Sam. "Ah! they're putting back -arter all, and 'twas time." - -The boat's head was turned for home. Dick and Sam walked to the end of -the promontory, whence the sea on both sides was in full view. - -"'Twill be a noble sight to see 'em cross the reef," said Sam. - -"Oh, they won't try that," said Dick. "The tide is too low. You can -see the rocks every now and again through the breakers. They will make -for the fairway." - -The wind was now blowing with terrific force, the gusts smiting the -boys, exposed as they were, like the fists of some unseen gigantic -boxer. They kept their feet with difficulty. Sam's hat was whirled -away, and rolled and bounded along the Beal at the speed of a hare. The -surface of the sea was broken by innumerable little white ridges, and at -intervals one of these was seen to be the crest of a huge wave, which -reared itself, and before it fell was torn into shreds of spindrift. - -Jake Tonkin's boat ran clear of the headland towards the harbour, and, -having got what he apparently considered to be sufficient sea-room, he -hoisted his lug-sail, and steered direct for the fairway. It seemed to -the two watchers on the Beal that the wind had been maliciously awaiting -this opportunity of mischief. A more than usually fierce gust ripped -the sail loose; the boat staggered, spun round, and drifted broadside to -the sea. The two lads in her seized their oars, and after great -exertion brought her head once more towards the shore. But in a few -moments one of them started baling, then resumed the oars, only to ship -them almost instantly afterwards and bale out again. - -When the sail was carried away, the boat was about a third of a mile -from the spot on which Dick and Sam stood. Her progress towards the -harbour had been extraordinarily slow, though the wind was behind her. -Dick guessed that she had sprung a leak, and when the baling became -continuous, he realised the extreme peril of her occupants. Every -moment she was in danger of being swamped. He watched with excitement, -not unmixed with anxiety. She drew gradually nearer, but with a sluggish -heaviness of movement that bespoke her water-logged condition. Another -twenty or thirty yards would bring her within the shelter of the reef, -in which case the danger of being swamped would be over, unless the leak -gained upon the lad energetically baling. - -A shout from the left drew Dick's attention towards the jetty. The -lads' plight had been perceived, and a large boat, manned by a crew of -four, was pulling off to their assistance. If they could hold their own -for five more minutes they would be taken off. But just as Dick, thus -calculating the chances, turned from this momentary glance shorewards to -watch the labouring boat again, a great wave broke over her, she -disappeared, and the lads with her. - -A quick look round, then Dick dropped to the ground, unlaced his boots, -drew them off, and flung off his coat. - -"Go to our den, Sam," he cried, "and fling over the two barrels we use -for chairs." - -"You be never going to----" - -But Sam's protest was unheeded and almost unheard. Dick was clambering -down the steep face of the cliff. The fisher-lads could not swim; -scarcely a man in Polkerran was more skilled than they; and it was plain -that unless assistance came to them at once they must be drowned, for -the boat, pulling out against wind and wave, could not reach them in -time. - -Thirty feet above the sea, and almost exactly over the spot where the -boat had capsized, there was a narrow ledge. As a swimmer Dick was -self-taught. He usually plunged into the sea from a rock a few feet -above the surface; the dive he now prepared to take was at least five -times as great as he had ever attempted before. Fortunately the fairway -was clear of rocks, although the waves beat roughly against the almost -perpendicular cliff. A momentary hesitation, then Dick dived off. He -took the water cleanly, but, somewhat dazed by the violence of the -shock, he went far deeper than a practised diver would have done. To -himself, as to Sam, gazing at him horror-stricken from above, it seemed -a terribly long time before he shot up to the surface. - -But he emerged at last. Shaking the water from his eyes, he looked -round for signs of the fisher-lads. Within twelve yards of him he saw -the boat, bottom upwards, and a boy clinging to the rudder. A gust of -wind whipped the spindrift into Dick's eyes; for some moments he could -see nothing more. But then, five or six yards away, between the boat and -the cliff, he caught sight of an arm rising from the sea, only to -disappear instantly. He struck out for the spot. In a few seconds a -dark mass surged up almost beside him. Another stroke or two enabled -him to get a grip upon it before it could sink again. Fortunately both -for the drowning lad and his rescuer, the former was by this time -unconscious. In the rough sea that tumbled about him Dick could scarcely -have fought against the struggles of a frantic man. In a trice he -turned the lad face upward, and, firmly grasping his collar with one -hand, swam on his back with his legs and one free arm. Surely he could -hold out until the boat came up! He heard the shouts of the men and the -splash of the oars; it could not be far away. - -There was a danger that he might be swept by the waves against the -frowning cliff, and knocked senseless. To avoid this, he struck out -furiously towards the middle of the fairway, where the empty barrels -thrown down by Sam were floating. In a calm sea his strength might -easily have endured the fatigue of supporting a dead weight, but he knew -that he was being conquered by the tumbling waves, and the blinding, -choking spray that swept over him, it seemed without intermission. -Again and again he felt that he could never regain his breath. The -struggle to do so weakened him far more than the muscular exertion. The -dreadful conviction seized him that he, too, was drowning. But his grip -never relaxed; even when a dazed and helpless feeling came over him, he -kept the lad's collar firmly in his clutch. Then he was dimly conscious -of a quiet restfulness and content; and Sam, in frantic terror above, -saw his movements cease, and felt an agonising certainty that his young -master was lost. - - -When Dick came to himself, he found himself lying in the bottom of -Nathan Pendry's boat, within a few yards of the jetty. The rescuers had -come up in the nick of time. Dick and the lad he had saved were hauled -into the boat together, and the fingers of the former were so tightly -clenched that for some time it was impossible to separate the two. The -overturned craft had drifted within a few yards of the cliff, and the -other boy still clung to it. He was taken aboard, and meanwhile two of -the men used all the means they knew to restore the others to -consciousness. Without waiting to secure the capsized boat, they pulled -with all speed for the jetty, which was thronged with village folk, whom -the news of the accident had brought in hot haste from their houses. - -The dripping lads were taken out and carried to the inn, where Mrs. -Doubledick had made up a roaring fire, and had blankets and hot brandy -awaiting them. Sam, pale as a sheet, forced his way through the crowd -at the door towards his master. - -"Oh, 'tis good to see 'ee safe!" he cried, almost hugging Dick. "Hev -'ee swallered much?" he asked anxiously. - -Dick was too weak to reply. He began to laugh childishly, for within a -few feet of him, swathed in a steaming blanket, sat his old enemy, Jake -Tonkin, even more feeble than himself. - -"'Twas him ye did it for!" cried Sam indignantly. "No one could ha' -blamed 'ee if ye'd let the villain drown." - -Dick shook his head. - -"Now, young Sam Pollex," cried Mrs. Doubledick, "you be off! Maister -Trevanion don't want 'ee kiddlin' and quaddlin' about when he do feel -bad. Just pick up his clothes out o' that plosh o' water and spread 'em -on this chair-back. Then go. We'll send him home-along in a cart or a -wheelbarrow when he's better." - -"Daze me if I go, Mistress!" cried Sam. "Here I bide till Maister be -able to shail along, so I tell 'ee." - -"Let the chiel bide," said Nathan Pendry. "They be like two twains in -everything, mischief and all, and they 'm best not parted." - -"Iss, fay, my brother Ben was twain to me," said Simon Mail, "and 'a -quenched away when they took un from me." - -"Why, dear life now, neighbour Mail," cried Mrs. Doubledick, "bean't it -true, then, that yer brother Ben was shot in the nuddick at some great -battle in Egypt, or other furrin land?" - -"True, he was; but he couldn't ha' been if he hadn't been parted from -I." - -"A-course not, ye chucklehead!" said Mrs. Doubledick. "If ye hadn't -been parted he would ha' been talkin' foolishness along with 'ee now. -Off ye go now, neighbours all. The lads will do better wi'out ye, and -there bean't no need to send over to Redruth for a doctor." - -"I wish 'ee well, Maister Trevanion," said Pendry as he went out. "Us -do hate 'ee like p'ison, that's true; but I don't care who the man is, -'twas a brave deed, and that I'll stand by, so theer!" - -The village folk were somewhat divided in their opinion as to their -future attitude towards the inmates of the Towers. The better sort, of -whom Nathan Pendry may be taken as a representative, were so much struck -by Dick's rescue of Jake, that their feelings underwent a change. They -were not at first very ready to show their altered sentiments openly, -but the leaven was beginning to work. If Dick, who had been so much -persecuted, they argued, had the generosity to risk his life on behalf -of one of those who had most injured him, it was hardly credible that he -should really be the spy and informer he was suspected of being. -Others, however, would not agree that the family was less open to -suspicion, so far as smuggling was concerned, because of a single plucky -act. Their view was supported by John Trevanion, who, having heard of -the incident, took care to drop seeds of depreciation in the ears of -such of the fishers as he encountered here and there. - -The former party received a notable accession on the evening of the -rescue. Isaac Tonkin returned home. The first person he met when he -set foot on the jetty was Nathan Pendry, who told him what had happened -in his absence. Tonkin was so much surprised at the news that he did -not wait to give an account of his discoveries in Roscoff, but hurried -at once to his house, where, as Pendry had told him, Jake had been put -to bed. - -"Be ye feelin' bad, my sonny?" he said with rough tenderness, leaning -over the boy. - -"Not so bad as I did in the water, Feyther," Jake replied. - -"'Tis good to hear, my son. You be safe as a trippet, right enough. -And 'twas young Squire saved 'ee! Well, there's norra man in the whole -parish could ha' done it. I reckon ye gied un a proper word o' thanks?" - -Jack did not reply. - -"Did 'ee hear what I axed 'ee? A-course ye gied young Squire a good -word for 's kindness? Did 'ee, or did 'ee not?" - -"I didn'." - -"Ye didn'! And why not?" - -"Never did it come into my head." - -"Well, it better come into yer head now, and quick, or I'll have to ding -it in. Pull on your clothes, and go up-along this minute to the Towers, -and say as you be tarrible ashamed o' yerself for forgettin' to say -thank 'ee. Get on with 'ee!" - -Jake had to get up there and then, and set off on his errand. He had -not been gone five minutes before his father, who had been walking -restlessly about, suddenly went down into his cellar and brought up a -keg of brandy and a large canister filled with tobacco. Then he rapped -on the wall, and hearing a faint "Hallo!" in answer, he shouted: - -"Be that you, Ike Pendry?" - -"Iss, 'tis I." - -"Come-along in; I want 'ee," - -When the lad entered, Tonkin handed the keg and canister to him, saying: - -"Carr' them things up to Towers for me, my son. Axe for Squire, and tell -un they be a present from Zacky Tonkin, go along now." - -Ten minutes after Ike started with his load, Tonkin, as restless as -ever, banged the table with his great fist, startling his meek little -wife, and cried: - -"Drown me if I don't do it!" - -"What, Zacky, my dear?" - -"Go up-along myself and thank young Squire. Name it all, hain't he saved -our only boy, Betty? A man can't do less than say thank 'ee, I don't -care who he is." - -He thrust on his hat, and set off in haste. At the top of the hill he -overtook Ike, who, laden as he was, had walked slowly. - -"Stir your shanks, Ike," said he. "Here now, I'll take keg; you keep -canister." - -They went on together. At the Dower House they came up with Jake, who -was shambling along, feeling anything but comfortable at the thought of -the impending interview. - -"What, slug-a-stump!" cried his father angrily. "Bean't theer yet?" - -"Seeming not," said Jake. "I be tired." - -"Well, my son, ye'll just step out a bit quicker, or I'll have to take a -loan of the Squire's whip." - -All three now proceeded until they came to the Towers. - -"Be Squire to home, neighbour Pollex?" asked Tonkin of Reuben, who -opened the door. - -"Iss sure; but I reckon he don't want to see 'ee, Zacky Tonkin," replied -the old man. - -"Maybe, but I want to see he, and ye can tell un so." - -Reuben departed. In a minute he returned. - -"Squire says ye're to step in," he said, sourly. "For me, I'd shet the -door in yer face, and well you know why." - -Tonkin and his companions were led to the living room, where sat the -Squire and his wife. - -"Well, Tonkin, what can I do for you?" said the Squire pleasantly. - -"Nawthin' as I know on, Squire, thank 'ee kindly. My respects, my lady." -He turned his hat awkwardly between his hands. "The truth is, Squire," -he went on, "I b'lieve I'm the feyther or an ungrateful young feller. I -be real vexed to think he didn' say a word o' thanks to Maister Dick for -what he done for un, and he hev got to say it now, or I'll leather un. -Med I see young Maister?" - -"Not to-night, Tonkin. I sent him to bed, and there he'll stay." - -"Then maybe ye'll carr' it for me, sir. Now Jake, make yer bob and say -yer say." - -Jake touched his forelock, but stood in lubberly silence. - -"What, can't 'ee find yer tongue? Now, hearken to me, and say what I -say. If you please, Squire----" - -"'If you please, Squire----'" - -"I be truly thankful----" - -"'I be truly thankful----'" - -"As Maister Dick saved me from being drownded." - -"'As Maister Dick saved me from being drownded.'" - -"Purticler as I didn' deserve it." - -"'Purticler as I didn' deserve it.'" - -"Good now! I mean it, sir, and so do he. And I've brought 'ee a keg of -cognac and a tin o' bacca--bought with honest money, Squire; and I axe -'ee to take 'em as a little small offering from a man who's a feyther -like as you be." - -"Thank you, my man," said the Squire, his face kindling with pleasure. -"I appreciate your thanks, and so will Dick: and I shall appreciate your -gift, I assure you. Jake isn't much the worse for his ducking, I can -see." - -"And I hope Maister Dick bean't either," said Tonkin. - -"Not a bit. He'll be as well as ever after a night's rest. Jake should -learn to swim, you know." - -"And I woll, if Maister Dick'll larn me," said Jake suddenly. - -"Well, I don't know about that," said the Squire, with a slight reserve -in his manner. "You see, there has been some feeling lately----" - -"See now, Squire," interrupted Tonkin bluntly, "answer me a plain -question, man to man. Did you, or anybody belongin' to 'ee, ever spy or -inform on we honest free-traders?" - -"That's a question you ought to be ashamed to put to me," said the -Squire warmly. "Do you think a Trevanion would ever do such a thing?" - -"Well, no, I didn' think so till---- Howsomever, I'll say no more o' -that. I axe yer pardon, and I hope ye'll let bygones be bygones, and -that's said honest." - -"With all my heart." The Squire extended his hand to the smuggler, -whose grip made him wince. - -"That's brave and comf'able," said Tonkin. "And now I wish 'ee well, -sir, and you, ma'am, and if so be as Maister Dick 'll larn Jake to swim, -I'll be proud, and so will he." - -The Squire showed the three men out, and they returned home well -satisfied with their interview. Tonkin was soon the centre of a group of -his particular friends in the parlour of the Five Pilchards, to whom, -after announcing that he would believe no more "'nation gammut," as he -put it, about the Squire and his son, proceeded to relate the issue of -his visit to Roscoff. - -"I hain't brought Doubledick back wi' me," he said. "For why? 'Cos he -warn't theer!" - - - - - CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH - - A Bargain with the Revenue - - -About eight o'clock that same evening, while Tonkin was still conversing -with his intimates in the parlour of the Five Pilchards, a horseman rode -up to the house occupied by Mr. Polwhele on the south cliff. His seat -was not that of an accomplished equestrian, and his manner of -dismounting would have given some anxiety to anyone who had a regard for -him. The long cloak he wore, with the collar turned up almost to the -eyes, incommoded his legs, and only by clutching at his patient steed's -mane did he avoid a fall. - -The house stood alone, and its solitary situation was a source of -satisfaction to the traveller. A light within, and a full moon without, -gave him a reasonable assurance that the riding-officer was at home. -Accordingly he hitched the bridle to a hook placed for that purpose in -the wall beside the door, and knocked. Mr. Polwhele was a bachelor, and -it happened that the woman who was housekeeper, cook, and housemaid in -one, had gone into the village, so that he opened the door himself. - -"Well?" he said, peering at the close-wrapped figure that stood on the -threshold. - -"'Tis I, Maister Polwhele," said the man, at the same time turning down -his collar. - -"Doubledick!" exclaimed the astonished officer. "Well, of all the----! -You'd be safer in France, my man." - -"Iss, maybe; but I be come home, and I'd like a word with 'ee, Maister." - -"Well, there's no warrant out for your arrest, so I suppose you----; -yes, come in. I don't understand this at all." - -Doubledick followed the riding-officer into the room where he had been -reading. He carefully shut the door behind him, offered Mr. Polwhele a -pinch of snuff, and took one himself, then sat down rather stiffly. - -Half an hour later he emerged from the house, remounted his horse, and -rode away, not northward in the direction of his home, but eastward -along a bridle path across the moor. In a quarter of an hour, however, -he turned to the left, skirted the village, passing about midway between -it and the church, and continued for some time in the same direction. -Then once more he struck to the left and came by-and-by to the -high-road, at a point between the Towers and the Dower House. He turned -into the drive leading to the latter, but instead of reining up at the -front entrance, he passed round the house to the back, and having again -awkwardly dismounted, he rapped on the kitchen door. - -"Oh, 'tis you, Maister Doubledick," said Susan, when she opened to him. -"Folks said you'd gone away." - -"So I had, my dear; but I be back-along, as you can see wi' yer pretty -eyes. Now tell me, be the Maister to home?" - -"Yes, he be in his room, rayther poorly." - -"And be he alone?" - -"Yes, but 'tis not for long, folks say. We'll have a mistress afore -long, and i hope she be likeable, that I do." - -"Well, now, that's new news, to be sure. And who be the woman?" - -"She bean't 'zackly a woman. 'Tis Sir Bevil's darter, seemingly, and -she be a maid younger nor I, they say." - -"So she be, to be sure. Dear life! And I never heerd o't. Here's a -shillin' for your news, to buy 'ee a fairin'." - -"Thank 'ee, Maister Doubledick, but I shan't need un for a fairin'. I'm -to have a fine gown o' silk, only think o't!" - -"A present from Maister John, I s'pose?" - -"No; 'tis to be from Sam Pollex, that young boy as lives up at Towers. -Didn't 'ee know what a treasure he found?" - -"What was it, my dear?" - -"Why, he and young Squire were rummagin' in some cave yonder--I don't -know 'zackly wheer--and they come upon boxes full o' silks and satins, -all the colours o' the rainbow. Young Sam be goin' to gie me enough for -a gown--a kind young feller, that he is." - -"Well, then, if ye don't mind, my dear, I'll take back that shillin', -seein' as ye're so well purvided, and gie 'ee a groat instead. Bean't -no good to waste money, be it? And now, will 'ee tell yer maister I be -come for a word wi' un?" - -Susan went away with a cloud upon her face. - -"Maister will see 'ee," she said when she returned. "Take yer groat, -Maister Doubledick; some day ye may need it more nor I." - -Doubledick pocketed the coin with a chuckle, and followed her along the -passage to her master's room. - -"This is amazing, Doubledick," cried Trevanion, when the door was shut. -"I never expected to see you again." - -"Hee! hee! Rusco bean't fitty for everyone, Maister John," replied the -innkeeper, with a meaning look. "Ye be took bad, the maidy says." - -"Oh, 'tis nothing but a fit of the dismals. How in the world did you -get away?" - -"It do seem a miracle to 'ee, I s'pose. Why, fust man I seed when they -put me on quay was a old friend o' yourn--leastways, 'a used to be sech. -He be a good friend o' mine, too, 'cos I did un a good turn a while ago. -He don't speak our Christian tongue very well, poor soul, but I made un -understand a mistake had been made wi' me, and he showed his true -friendship by bringing me over to Megavissey. I rid over from there, -and plaguey stiff I be in the jints." - -"But you're in great danger; don't you know that? You made a terrible -bungle of the job, my man." - -"True, but them above had a finger in it. I bean't sorry as I've seed -Rusco, not I. And as to danger, well, Maister John, I'll speak to 'ee -as a friend. The feller I named--no, to be sure, I didn' name un, but -'tis all one--the Frenchy do seem to be mizzy-mazy in his head. He -telled to I of a feller called Robinson, and seemed to have got it in -his furrin noddle that 'twas the same name as Trevanion, or fust cousin -to 't. He axed a tarrible lot of questions about un, wheer he lived, -and what he did wi's days and nights, and seemed to I as if he'd got a -rod in pickle for un. Jown me if I didn' think 'a wanted to make a call -on this Robinson feller, and 'ud be tarrible wisht if 'a didn' find un -to home." - -Doubledick kept his eyes fixed upon Trevanion's face, but if he had -expected to see any sign of uneasiness, he was disappointed. - -"I take no interest in your friend or what he wants," said Trevanion. -"I am more concerned about you, Doubledick. You're not safe here, you -know." - -"That's what I've come to see 'ee about," returned the innkeeper. "But -truly I be a bufflehead; I ought to ha' named un to 'ee, in course I -ought. His name is Delarousse, Maister. And to tell 'ee the truth, -thinkin' he was a bit over coorious in the questions he axed, I telled -un a thing or two as wer a trifle crooked, I did. I telled un how this -Maister Trevanion as he thought was Robinson was often away from home, -and how 'a dwelt in a big house on the cliff called the Towers. He axed -I if the Towers was near the top of a hill, and I telled un 'twas a -goodish bit away, Maister Robinson--Trevanion, I mean--havin' come into -the property. Thinks I to myself, if he comes to Polkerran one fine day -a-caprousin' and makin' a stoor, 't'ud be just as well he went up-along -to Towers and showed his tantrums to the cussed folk theer. What do 'ee -say to that, Maister John?" - -"You are talking a deal of nonsense, Doubledick," was the answer. -"Don't you understand that as soon as 'tis known you are back in the -village you'll be arrested for kidnapping Penwarden?" - -"Oh, ay, that's what they say, is it? But don't 'ee think, now, we -could persuade the officers o' the law to leave me bide?" - -"Quite impossible. Penwarden and my young cousin will swear to you, and -there has been such a stir about the matter that Sir Bevil or the Vicar -will sign the warrant the moment they hear of your arrival." - -"Maybe. But money do make the mare to go, Maister, and seems to I, if -so be you'd help, we med put a clapper on evil-speakin' tongues. -A-course 't 'ud need a pretty big sum to do it proper, but theer, what's -that to 'ee, rollin' in money as you be? And I know well ye'll put yer -hand in pocket to help a poor feller in a quag, purticler as he've done -summat for 'ee, in Polkerran and Rusco both." - -"I'll be hanged if I do," cried Trevanion, at last shaken out of his -composure. "You made a wretched bungle of a simple job, and you'll have -to take the consequences." - -"Good now! I like to hear a man speak fine and brave, but I hev a brave -mouth-speech o' my own." Doubledick's tone was as smooth and -deferential as it had been throughout the conversation, but an onlooker -might now have observed that he was beginning to show his teeth. "Zacky -Tonkin, now," he proceeded: "I reckon he'd be fain to know why -Delarousse warn't no longer the feller to do trade with: that bit o' -knowledge med be worth payin' for. And Sir Bevil: iss sure, his darter -be a nesh young female----" - -"Confound you! What do you mean by that?" cried Trevanion. - -"Ah! little small birds do carr' little small seeds, they do. High -persons like Sir Bevil be mighty purticler when 'tis question o' lawful -matrimony." - -Trevanion, red with anger, rose from his chair and came towards -Doubledick threateningly. - -"Ah! dear life!" continued the innkeeper, unflinchingly, "and there be -Mounseer Delarousse, too, thankful for what I done for him. It did vex -me tarrible to mizzle un; but a word can put that right, and let un know -the true dwellin' o' that coorious feller Robinson. In course his -grudge agen Robinson bean't nothing to I, but he do seem tarrible sour -and rampageous. Howsomever, let every man fight his own battles. Now -I'll go home-along, and I wish 'ee well, Maister." - -He rose, took his hat, and moved towards the door. - -Trevanion looked after him for a moment irresolutely, then stretched his -hand towards the bell-rope. - -"Stay, Doubledick," he said, "you must take a thimbleful before you go." - -"Not for me, Maister," replied the innkeeper, with a virtuous expression -of countenance. - -"Nonsense, man. It won't poison you. You have read me quite wrongly, -my friend. Did ever a man take offence so easily! You've come badly -out of my little test, but I'll overlook it. I've a deal more patience -than you.... Susan, bring the decanter and glasses. Hot, Doubledick?" - -"Well, I don't mind if it be, this chilly night. But 'tis gettin' -latish; it must be only a nibleykin, Maister." - -"Now, Doubledick," said Trevanion, as they sipped their liquor, "I'm not -the man to refuse to help a friend, even if he shows himself only a -fair-weather friend after all." - -"I knowed it," cried Doubledick heartily. "A little small voice inside -telled me ye were only a-tryin' me, and 'ud show yerself in yer natural -true colour at last. Well, Maister, ten pound won't do it; no, King's -servants do hev high notions, be-jowned to 'em. Twenty? I be afeard it -wouldn' go far. 'Tis well to do a thing handsome when 'tis to be done. -Fifty? Iss, a man can do summat wi' fifty. Fifty pound 'll keep a -many tongues quiet, and I'll be dazed if I don't snap my fingers at -justices, sheriffs, hangmen, and constables, if I do hev fifty pound to -my hand." - -Trevanion rose and went to a cabinet in a corner of the room. Unlocking -it, he opened a drawer, standing with his back to Doubledick. There was -a sound of rustling paper. - -"'Tis a monstrous sum," he said, half turning. - -"Ah, 'tis, to be sure," said Doubledick feelingly, "but King's officers -do hev' a tarrible big swaller." - -"Well, here you are," said Trevanion, recrossing the room. "I'm not the -man to refuse a friend." - -"So ye said afore. Thank 'ee. 'Tis atween us two, in course; my mouth -is shet. But there's another thing, Maister. Did 'ee know as old Joe -and young Dick brought a heap o' silks and satins out o' the old mine?" - -"The deuce they did!" cried Trevanion in astonishment. "Where did they -get them from?" - -"That I can't say. But old mine do belong to 'ee, surely." - -"It does. Whatever they have found is my property. How do you know -this, Doubledick?" - -"The little small birds, Maister. Well, I've telled 'ee for yer good." - -"I'll not forget it. Egad, they shall hear from me." - -When Doubledick left the house a few minutes later, he carried the -bundle of crisp white notes snug in his breast-pocket. He said good-bye -very cordially to his host, and, mounting his horse, rode boldly along -the highway and down the hill to the inn. - -Most of the smugglers had returned to their homes, but Tonkin, Nathan -Pendry, and one or two more still remained in the inn-parlour, with -their legs stretched out towards a genial fire, their long churchwarden -pipes filling the room with clouds of smoke. Mrs. Doubledick had gone -to bed. No other visitors were to be expected at this hour, and the -company would let themselves out at their own time. The woman was torn -between hope and fear. Tonkin had learnt in Roscoff that Doubledick had -left with Delarousse; and Mrs. Doubledick was relieved to know that her -husband had escaped the miseries of confinement in a French prison; but -she was troubled lest he should fall into equally rigorous hands at -home. - -Doubledick entered the room quietly. - -"Well, neighbours all," he said behind their backs, "a man's home be the -fittiest place for un, I b'lieve." - -The men sprang up in amazement, grasped his hand, smote him on the back. - -"What did I tell 'ee!" said Tonkin. "Didn' I say neighbour Doubledick -was a clever feller, and 't 'ud take a deal o' cleverness to get over -he?" - -"Ye did, there's no denyin' it," said Simon Mail. "Ah, neighbour -Doubledick, you was born wi' noble intellects." - -"But you be a terrible bold feller," said Pendry. "There'll be a warrant -out for 'ee, and ye'll be carr'd to Trura jail, as sure as I be alive." - -"If 'tis to be, 'tis; and rayther would I be jailed in Cornwall than in -France," replied Doubledick. "But I won't be jailed nowheer, I b'lieve, -and I'll tell 'ee why. Theer was only two as seed me--Joe Penwarden and -the young tom-holla at the Towers. Well, they dussn't swear to me." - -"Why not, neighbour?" said Pendry. - -"Because they been up to jiggery theirselves, hee, hee!" - -"Speak yer meanin' plain, for the sake o' poor simple I," said Mail. - -"Hee, hee! I mind I telled old Joe he'd hev to answer for pickin' and -stealin', and so 'a woll. Do 'ee know, neighbours, they brought out o' -well a noble store o' raiment, purple and fine linen, as pa'son says?" - -"Never!" ejaculated Pendry and Mail together, Tonkin smoking in silence. - -"Iss, 'tis true as Gospel. They brought out silks and satins and who -knows what all, and look 'ee, friends, that be thievin'!" - -"I don't know about that," said Tonkin. - -"But I do know," said Doubledick positively. "We hain't used the well -for ten year, we all do know that. Last time 'twas only 'bacca and -brandy--not a bale o' silk or passel o' lace. Well, then, this stuff -bein' buried in the earth, or we'd ha' found it, I reckon it had been -theer ever since the landfall, hunderds o' years ago, in yer grandfer's -days, Zacky. See then, the true owner o't, arter all this time, be the -owner o' the land, and that's Maister John--would ha' been Squire till -three months ago. Hee, hee! They ha' stole Maister John's proputty." - -"I've heerd tell o' what clever folks call treasure trove," said Mail, -"and that belongs to King Jarge." - -"King Jarge ha' got quite as much as he can do with up-along to Lunnon," -said Doubledick, "and I don't care who the man is, they silks and satins -do belong now to Maister John. Well, do 'ee think they wicked robbers -will hev the impedence to swear agen a honest free-trader like me? -They'll never do it. Maister John will claim the goods and threaten 'em -wi' the law, and that'll be enough to keep their mouths shet, trust me." - -"How did this wonderful bit o' knowledge come to 'ee neighbour, you -bein' away and all?" asked Mail. - -"Ah! little birds, Simon, little small birds," replied Doubledick with a -knowing look. - -"Then maybe you do know another 'mazin' bit o' news," said Pendry. - -"Maybe I do. Tell to me, and then I'll tell 'ee." - -"Why, young Squire this very day did save young Jake from bein' -drownded, didn' he, Zacky?" - -"Iss, fay," said Tonkin, "and I went up-along to-night to say thank 'ee, -as a true Cornishman oughted. And I tell 'ee what, friend, we been all -wrong about Squire informin' and all that. I axed un plain, man to man, -and he telled me I oughter be ashamed to think sech a thing, and I -believe un." - -"But did he deny it?" asked the innkeeper. - -"Well, no, I couldn' go so far as to say that." - -"Ah, Zacky, you be a simple plum-baked feller, to be sure. Ye don't -know the windin's and twistin's o' these high gentry. Plain simple -souls like 'ee don't know what eddication do for a man. That young whelp -of Squire's do go to pa'son and larn all the wisdom and cleverness of -ancient men of old; 'a can twist 'ee round his finger, I b'lieve." - -Tonkin looked troubled. Doubledick had such a reputation for -knowingness that his opinion carried weight. - -"Well, time will show," said Tonkin. "I tell 'ee one thing, that I -won't hev a hand no more in anything agen Squire, not till I do know -sartin-sure. What do 'ee say, Nathan?" - -"Iss, I say the same. Let's be sartin-sure, that's what I say," replied -Pendry. - -Doubledick puffed his scorn of such simple-mindedness. - -"Well, I be tired, neighbours," he said. "Riding a-hoss-back from -Megavissey hev well-nigh scat me in jowds" (by which he meant, broken -him in pieces), "and I yearn for my bed. We'll see what we will see, I -b'lieve." - -The company broke up. The fishers went their way; Doubledick closed the -door behind them, and raked out the fire. Before he ascended to his -bedroom he locked his bundle of banknotes in a strong box which he kept -under the stairs, and might have been heard chuckling gleefully. - -Next morning the inn was early besieged by a crowd of fishers who had -heard of Doubledick's return, and were agog to learn all the -circumstances from his own lips. A little later the newly-imported -miners arrived, and, later still, as the news travelled farther, -farmers, millers, and dairymen flocked into the village. Doubledick -rubbed his hands with glee at the trade he was doing. Except to his -intimates, he explained very little. To the questions of the others he -replied only by nods and winks, and they at last ceased to interrogate -him, remarking one to another that he was a real knowing one; nobody -could get round him; "a wonderful feller, truly, for see how soon he hev -slipped away from France, wheer many a good man hev rotted in prison -since these 'nation wars began." - -There were many who expected that before the day was out Doubledick -would be arrested and carried before Sir Bevil, and a throng of idlers -hung about the inn in anticipation of this exciting event. But no -constable, soldier, or sheriff's officer appeared, and at nightfall the -innkeeper's reputation was higher than ever. - -Two men believed that they knew the reason of the authorities' -forbearance. John Trevanion fondly supposed that the banknotes with -which he had parted had found their way into the pockets of Mr. Mildmay, -Mr. Polwhele, and Joe Penwarden. In those days the bribery of revenue -officers was not infrequent. Tonkin, on the other hand, suspected that -the Squire had persuaded Penwarden not to prosecute, in order to -consolidate the better feeling between the village and the Towers to -which Dick's rescue of Jake had given birth. The actual reason was -known to four men alone: the revenue officers, Penwarden, and Doubledick -himself. - -About midday Sam Pollex came rushing up to the Towers from the village -with the news of Doubledick's return. - -"Nonsense," said Dick; "he wouldn't dare show his face again." - -"Name it all, Maister, didn' I see un with my own eyes?" cried Sam. -"There he be, down-along at his kiddly-wink, more bustious nor ever, or -may I never speak again." - -Dick hastened instantly to the little white cottage on the cliff, where -Penwarden had again taken up his abode. - -"Joe," he cried, bursting in like a whirlwind, "Doubledick is back! -Come with me to the Parsonage; we'll get a warrant for his arrest." - -Penwarden was eating his dinner. He conveyed a piece of fish to his -mouth without showing any sign of surprise. - -"Back, is he?" he said. "Ah, well! Rusco warn't good for his health, -seemingly." - -"It would suit him better than Truro jail. Come along; there's just -time to get to the Parsonage and back before my dinner." - -"Not for a old ancient feller like me." - -"Well, I'll go alone then; but they'll want two witnesses, I believe, -before any justice will commit him." - -"They will, I believe, but I won't be one. No, I couldn' bring myself -to 't." - -"What on earth do you mean?" cried Dick in amazement. "'Tis your duty -to bring the villain to justice." - -"Villain he is, and I'd crack his skull as soon as look at him. But as -to duty--I knows my duty, Maister Dick, and my duty is to let un bide. -Besides, never could I face the stoor of appearin' in a court o' -justice. Theer'd be lawyer fellers in wigs and gowns, axin' me this, -that, and t'other till I wouldn' know whether I pitched on my head or my -heels. But I'd fain fetch un a crack on the nuddick, so as 'a couldn' -stir for a fortnight." - -"Oh, well, of course 'tis your business," said Dick, somewhat offended. -"If you don't prosecute him, I suppose he'll go free. 'Tis no concern -of mine." - -And he returned to the Towers, and told his father that old Joe hadn't -so much spirit as he thought. - -Two hours before, Penwarden had received a visit from Mr. Mildmay and -Mr. Polwhele. When they informed him that Doubledick had returned, he -started up, seized his hat, and declared with great vehemence that he -would go straight along to the Parsonage and get Mr. Carlyon's warrant -for the villain's arrest. The revenue officers had much ado to appease -him, and only when Mr. Mildmay made a strong appeal to his sense of duty -as an old Navy man did he agree to the inactive course proposed. - -"If 'tis a matter of duty to the King, as ye say, sir," he remarked, "I -reckon I do know my duty as well as any man. Hain't I served with Lord -Admiral Rodney? Not a man of us but did what he bid at once, or he'd -ha' knowed what for. Did I ever tell 'ee how the Lord Admiral spoke to -me special one day?" - -"Well now, let me see," said Mr. Mildmay, who had heard the story a -score of times. "Did you ever hear it, Polwhele?" - -"In Jamaica, wasn't it, Joe?" said the riding-officer, who having been -on the coast ten times as long as Mr. Mildmay, had probably heard the -story ten times as often. - -"No, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe, sir. I was cruisin' theer one day when who -should I see beatin' up but Lord Admiral Rodney, convoyin' two handsome -females--ah! as clippin' craft as ever I seed. While I was standin' by, -all of a sudden he put up his helm and steered right across my bows. -'Get out of the way, you cross-eyed son of a sea-cook!' says he, and the -two females laughed like a brook in June. Ah! 'tidn' every common -mariner as could say he'd been spoke to special by sech a fine -man-o'-war as Lord Admiral Rodney." - -"You're right, Joe," said Mr. Mildmay. "No admiral at all, let alone a -great man like Rodney, ever spoke to me, worse luck. Well then, you'll -let matters rest, old fellow, and you won't be sorry for it." - -"But I may crack un over the skull if he gets in my way, I s'pose?" - -"Well, yes, but not too hard; dead men tell no tales, you know." - -"I'll mind o' that, and not gie un a whole broadside. Dear life! What a -mix-up of a world it is, to be sure?" - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH - - The Last Deal - - -For a week or two there was a lull in events. One day the Squire -received a letter from John Trevanion's attorney, demanding that he -should give up the property of his client which had been feloniously -abstracted from the abandoned mine. The Squire swore, a rare occurrence -with him, and sent Dick with the letter to his own lawyer in Truro. Dick -returned with a piece of news that staggered his father. The attorney -had died suddenly a few days before. He was the holder of the mortgage -on the Towers and the Beal; it was almost certain that his executors -would demand payment of the advance. For the first time the Squire was -faced with the absolute loss of his ancestral home. He waited some days -in torturing suspense: then the dread letter came. The amount of a -hundred pounds must be paid within a month. - -The Squire had not even a hundred shillings to spare. In deep distress -of mind he walked to Truro to consult another lawyer, and see whether -the bond could not be renewed or transferred. He applied to a young -solicitor who had recently set up business in the town, and who -undertook to do what he could. The Squire placed in his hands also the -letter he had received from John Trevanion's attorney. - -A correspondence ensued between the two men of law, with great ingenuity -of argument and ample quotation of authorities on both sides. It did -not terminate until the precise question in dispute was no longer of -importance. Meanwhile the Squire retained the silks and satins. - -With the approach of Christmas the vigilance of Penwarden and his -superiors became incessant. At that season there was a great demand all -through the countryside for the wares of the free-traders, and unless -precedent was to fail, many a bale and keg would be landed on the coast -without paying dues to the King's Government. - -One dark night, Tonkin arrived in his lugger at Lunnan Cove, a few miles -south of the village, with a fine cargo freighted jointly by John -Trevanion and himself. Contrary winds having delayed him, he arrived -several hours later than had been arranged, and found that the -tub-carriers, evidently tired of waiting, had gone away. He dropped the -tubs overboard in the usual manner, taking their bearings carefully, and -returned for them on the following night. To his surprise and bitter -rage, when he explored the bottom with his creeps, a strong force of -tub-carriers waiting on the shore, he failed to find a single tub of the -cargo so carefully laid. All had vanished. If he had been on the spot -a few hours earlier, he would have seen them hoisted one by one into the -revenue-boats, and conveyed to official sanctuary at St. Ives. - -The smugglers were furious. Some one must have betrayed them. -Occasionally there were traitors among them, but rarely, for the fate of -an informer, if discovered, was of such a nature as to deter others. -When they returned to the inn to drown their disappointment and talk -over the occurrence, Doubledick shrugged. - -"What about yer fine friends at the Towers now, Zacky?" he said. - -"Good sakes! How could 'em know?" cried the exasperated fisher. - -"Oh, you simple soul! Didn' I see yer Jake a-fishin' along wi' young -Squire only yesterday?" - -"Rabbit it all! Do 'ee mean to say 'tis Jake that split? Why, daze me, -the boy didn' know about it hisself, Doubledick; we kept it so close." - -"Well, I only tell 'ee what I seed. 'T 'ud be hard to b'lieve sech a -miserable dirty thing o' Jake, I own it. In course he never done it, -bein' a Tonkin; 'twas only my little bit o' fun. But I don't care who -the man is, they folks up at Towers hev turned preventives; norra one of -'ee woll make me b'lieve different." - -"Dear life! Won't Maister John be in a gashly passion!" said Simon -Mail. "He had more nor you in it, Zacky, I b'lieve!" - -"Iss, fay, he did. Neighbour Doubledick loses least; 'tis a mercy for -'ee, neighbour." - -"So 'tis, Zacky," said Doubledick. "Ah! I was right to bide quiet a -while arter that journey to France. But name it all, I bean't goin' to -bide quiet for ever; I'll take a share in the next, be-jowned if I -don't, and I hope them above will gie us better luck." - -"Ay, Maister John will be in a rare passion," repeated Simon Mail. "He -be spendin' money so free that 'twill be a blow to him, to be sure." - -"True," said Pendry, "and spendin' for the country, too. Do 'ee think, -now, as Boney will come to these parts, neighbour Tonkin?" - -"I wouldn' think so myself, but you never can tell," replied Tonkin. -"'Tis a little small place, wi' no great riches to tempt un; but that -may be a reason for 't. We've no forts nor cannons nor sojers to defend -us, and Boney may choose the place according; 't 'ud be easier to land -here than at Weymouth, where the King and all his high generals -sometimes be." - -"What I say is, Maister John be a fine feller," said Mail. "'Tidn' -every gentleman as 'ud do what he be doin'. Why, he've had a dozen men -from Trura riggin' up iron shetters to his winders, and a cart come -t'other day wi' firelocks and pikes, and I seed him only yesterday -marchin' his miners up and down in front o' the house, every man of 'em -wi' a terrible weapon o' some sort; and when he shouted, up went -firelock or pike, and seein' the guns all pointin' at me, I run off as -hard as my poor legs 'ud move, for I didn' want to be hurted, not I." - -"Ay, and I seed Petherick goin' up to Dower House wi' a noble bell under -his arm," said Pendry, "and when I axed un about it, 'a telled me 'twas -to rig up in the roof, to gie the word o' warnin' to the whole village -if Boney was spied wi' all his horses and men." - -"And what's more," added Mail, "he hev took three men-servants into -house, purgy fellers they be too, so's to hev a army to lead agen the -enemy. They'll eat a deal o' meat, they will, and sartin sure he'll be -in a passion at losin' money over this crop." - -"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick. "It do make me laugh, neighbours, to -think o' Maister John leadin' a army agen Boney. I'll go up-along -to-morrer and see this practisin' wi' pikes and firelocks; 'twill do me -good, hee! hee! They miners had better turn sojers out and out, for -they'll never get tin or copper enough out o' the earth to pay for their -keep." - -Doubledick strolled up the hill next day, and stood with a look of keen -enjoyment on his face as a score of miners drilled under Trevanion's -direction. At the close of the exercise he accosted Trevanion. - -"'Tis a noble sperit, to be sure, Maister John," he said, "but daze me -if I think yer new sojers and yer iron shetters will keep out Boney and -his thousands and millions. He's a tarrible feller, by all accounts." - -"'Tis every man's duty to defend his country so far as he is able," said -Trevanion coldly, beginning to move away. - -"Iss, sure," said Doubledick, keeping pace with him; "and it must cost -'ee a tidy bit o' money. But I be afeard it bean't much good. Why now, -s'pose 'twas not Boney, but one of his simple generals, or no sojer at -all, but a plain feller like me--or like Delarousse, say. I say, s'pose -Delarousse took it into his head to hev his revenge for the trade he've -a-lost, to wipe off old scores, as ye may say--jown me if he'd be -flustered by a passel o' miners or a shetter or two. Howsomever, 'tis -not for me to say. Ye do know more about the arts o' warfare nor I, I -reckon." - -"Your tongue runs on, Doubledick," said Trevanion with a hollow laugh. -His annoyance was plain to see: the fellow was presuming on the secret -between them. - -"Iss, I be forgettin' what I come to say," said Doubledick. "The folks -at the Towers be at their tricks again, seemingly." - -"If I knew it!" cried Trevanion furiously. "If you catch young Dick, or -that wretched follower of his, spying, I hope you'll take care they -don't do it again. You squared the officers on your own matter; can't -we keep them quiet on the trade?" - -"Ah! that's different. To jail me wouldn' put money in their pockets, -like seizin' a cargo. I'm afeard 't 'ud take more nor the crop's worth -to put 'em quiet on that, Maister. But there now! we allers do hev ups -and downs; maybe the ups will beat the downs in the end." - -That Doubledick's philosophy was well founded was signally demonstrated -a few days later. Though the loss in case of failure was severe, the -profit of a successful run was so high that success once in three times -was accounted satisfactory. To recoup the recent loss another cargo was -freighted in Roscoff, Trevanion, Tonkin, and Doubledick taking equal -shares. The spot selected was the mouth of the little creek four miles -north of the Towers, where Dick had launched his home-made boat. Only a -few men, on whom the confederates placed absolute reliance, were -admitted to the secret. The goods were run ashore in complete safety, -and each of the three freighters pocketed a considerable profit. - -Elated by this success, another run was arranged a few days -subsequently. In this Trevanion had the largest share, Tonkin ranking -next, Doubledick, Pendry, and Mail being involved to the extent of a few -pounds each. The place was changed, a small cove a little nearer the -village on the south side being chosen. Mr. Mildmay had been called to -a spot ten miles distant, and everything promised success. Tonkin's -lugger anchored off the rendezvous, the goods were "rafted" ashore, and -the carriers had all shouldered their burdens, when a dash was made on -them by preventive men aided by a troop of dragoons, and, after a sharp -fight, only one man got away with his tubs. - -John Trevanion never appeared on the scene of operations. He was always -kept well informed as to the time and place of the runs, but it was his -constant policy to remain in the background. On this occasion, when he -learnt of the second failure within a week, he was exasperated beyond -endurance. He rode down to the inn, stormed at the smugglers, and having -learnt that Mr. Mildmay had been summoned away by his own arrangement, -merely as a blind, he declared that either Jake Tonkin or Ike Pendry had -betrayed him to Dick, with whom they now occasionally fished. This -accusation enraged the elder Tonkin, and the two men would have -proceeded from recriminations to blows, if Doubledick had not stepped in -between them. - -A week passed. It was the Wednesday before Christmas Day. There had -been some hesitation among the smugglers, after the last failure, -whether to venture on what was usually the most important run of the -season. At this time they found customers for their wares much further -afield than usual. But the prospect of large profits, and the perpetual -fascination of the trade, overcame their doubts and fears, and early on -this Wednesday morning, before it was light, Tonkin sailed off in the -_Isaac and Jacob_ for Roscoff. Once more he had equal shares with -Trevanion, no others being concerned in the run except as helpers. - -On Wednesday evening, Doubledick left the inn, and walked along the -southward bank of the stream in the direction of the church. He had -left word that he was going to see Petherick about a Christmas dinner -which the Vicar was accustomed to give to the children and young people -of the parish, in a barn upon his glebe. He spent an hour or two with -Petherick in his cottage near the church, received from him the Vicar's -orders for squab-pie (a hotch-potch of mutton, apples, onions and -raisins, with sugar and seasoning), "figgy pudden" (which is Cornish for -plum-pudding), and other delectables of the season, and having arranged -with the sexton the commission to be paid him for passing on an order -which he could have placed with no one else, he drank a parting glass -and started ostensibly for home. It was a fine night, moonless but -clear, with that crisp coldness in the air that exhilarates. Instead of -walking along the road by which he had come, Doubledick struck off to -the left into a lane that would bring him, after a long round, to the -south cliff. There were no houses hereabouts, the church being at least -half a mile from the nearest dwelling. - -When the innkeeper came to the spot where the ground began to rise, he -did not turn to the right, along the path that led to the bridge over -the stream, and was the nearest way home, but trudged directly onward, -puffing a little as he went higher. It was very dark, or he might -perhaps have seen a figure silently stalking him. Every now and again -he stopped to take breath and to glance in the direction of the village. -At these times the shadowy figure dropped down behind a furze bush, and -there waited until Doubledick, with a grunt and sigh, again went on his -way. - -Presently he came to Mr. Polwhele's house on the cliff. He did not pass -it by, nor approach the front door, but stole to the window, where a -light shone through the blind, and gently tapped at it. In a few moments -the door opened. Mr. Polwhele's figure was for an instant silhouetted -against the light from a hanging-lamp in the passage. Doubledick -entered quickly, and the door was shut again. - -The silent form of the second man was motionless and invisible in the -darkness. But when the door was closed, it tip-toed swiftly across the -grass, and if a third person had been in the neighbourhood he might have -seen the head and shoulders of a fisher in strong relief against the -illuminated blind. But there was no spectator. The fisher placed his -ear against the glass, and remained in that posture for several minutes. -Then he withdrew, muttering his disappointment, and posted himself -behind a clump of gorse a few yards away, where he could keep his eye on -the door. - -"Well, Doubledick," said the riding-officer, when he had given his -visitor a chair, "'tis to be, then?" - -"Iss, sir, and a big thing too. Maister Trevanion hev 200 ventured, -and Tonkin the same." - -"And where is it to be this time?" - -"At the creek, sir, same as time afore last. They did so well then that -they couldn' think of a better place, the den bein' broke up." - -"And when?" - -"Thursday night, or ye med say Friday mornin', accordin' to the wind." - -"They mean to run, and not to sink, I suppose?" - -"Iss, sure, sir. Next day bein' Christmas, ye see, they must hev the -stuff carried off at once. I'd axe 'ee, sir, not to lay hands on the -men; seize the tubs, in course, but I don't want 'ee to do any hurt to -the fellers." - -"Well, I'll do what I can; but you know what soldiers are. They've been -itching for months to fight Boney, and they want to keep their hand in, -you know." - -"True, sir. Ah well! the carriers will run fast enough; 'tis only Zacky -Tonkin and the rest I be afeard for; they'll fight, 'tis sartin-sure." - -"You're a thorough-paced scoundrel, you know, Doubledick," said the -riding-officer. "'Pon my word, if it weren't my duty to stop smuggling -by hook or by crook, 'twould give me the greatest pleasure in life to -see you tarred and feathered. I warned you, you remember. You'll be -caught one of these days, mark my words, and the money you're heaping up -won't save you then, my man." - -"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick uneasily. "Name it all, was there any -other way to save myself from jail? 'Tis a risk, I own it; it do gie me -the creeps in the night sometimes when I think o't. And be-jowned, sir, -when you gie me the 50 for this job, I'll pack up my traps and go into -other parts wi' my wife, and spend my old age in peace and quietness, if -she'll let me. Ye won't stop me, sir?" - -"Not I. 'Tis dirty work, and I'd rather fight the trade fair and -square, 'pon my word I would." - -"'Tis the last time, then, for me. And now I must be traipsin' -home-along." - -Mr. Polwhele accompanied him to the door. On the step Doubledick turned -and said in low tones, his words, however, being distinct in the clear -night air: - -"Ye'll mind and not take Zacky, sir? I hain't no fancy for -blood-money." - -"I'll do what I can. Good-night." - -He stood for a moment or two watching the innkeeper's receding form, -then turned to re-enter the house. But it happened that, in the very -act of turning, he caught sight of a dark figure slinking away from a -furze bush in Doubledick's wake. He slipped into the house, turned out -the lamps in the passage and the room, and in a quarter of a minute came -out again, the darkness completely veiling his movements. With swift -steps he followed the two figures down the slope, drawing near to the -second of them under cover of the bushes. Having assured himself that -Doubledick was being deliberately shadowed, he bent low, rapidly made a -circuit, and concealed himself behind a clump which the stealthy pursuer -must pass. As the man came abreast of him, wholly engrossed in keeping -the innkeeper in view, Polwhele suddenly sprang out, caught his victim -by the throat so that he could utter no more than the faintest gurgle, -and bore him to the ground. Then, whipping out his pistol, he -whispered: - -"If you make a sound I will shoot you. Get up and come with me." - -Keeping a firm hand on the fallen man's collar, he lugged him to his -feet, marched him back to the house, and thrust him through the still -open door, which he bolted behind him. - -"So 'tis you, Jake Tonkin," he said, as he relit the lamp. - -"Iss, 'tis I. Let me go, Maister. Doubledick said 'twas I that split, -the villain! Let me go. Scrounch me if the two-faced wretch don't -suffer for this!" - -"I'm afraid I can't let you go yet, my son," said the riding-officer. -"Now 'tis no good kicking or shouting. Remain quiet, and in a day or -two you shall go, safe and sound. If you give trouble I shall have to -deal with you as your folk dealt with Penwarden." - -Jake sullenly submitted. Mr. Polwhele gave him supper, then locked him -into a room where the window was heavily barred. - -"I am sick of this," he thought, as he returned to his own room. "'Tis -well Doubledick is going, or, by George, there would be murder." - -Next morning Sam Pollex, going down to the village to buy some raisins -for a plum-pudding, overtook Susan Berry, John Trevanion's housemaid. -"Aw, Ma'am, ye do look wisht, sure enough," said Sam, remarking the -gloomy aspect of Maidy Susan's usually merry face. - -"And so I be, Sam," she replied, "I wish I were to-home, I do." - -"Now that be cruel to we, daze me if it bean't. Why do 'ee wish sech a -cruel thing, Ma'am?" - -"Why, to-morrer be Christmas Eve, and there'll be no ashton fagot, and -no egg-hot, like us have to-home." - -"What be they, Maidy?" - -"Don't 'ee know that? Why, the fagot be made of ash-sticks tied about -wi' nine twigs, and on Christmas Eve 'tis dragged to the Squire's hearth -and set ablaze; and then we do dance and jump for cakes, and dive for -apples in a tub o' water. Oh, 'tis sech fun, you can't think! And then -we drink egg-hot----" - -"What's that, if it be so pleasin'?" - -"Why, silly chiel, 'tis cider and eggs and spice, made as hot as 'ee can -drink it." - -"Aw, I know what that is. Mess is what we do name it, and as for fagot, -we do call that mock, only it bean't sticks, but a mighty block o' wood. -Squire don't hev it now, since he hev been so poor. But why don't 'ee -axe yer maister if ye can do as ye do to-home?" - -"I don't know what be come to Maister. He be all hippety-like--looks as -grave as a church owl, and him goin' to be married, too. Pa'son be -goin' to pray for un fust time o' Sunday." - -"Well, marriage be a fearsome thing, I s'pose. I seed a weddin' up-along -at church once, and theer was a little Noah's flood o' tears. I don't -think I'll ever be married." - -"You be only a chiel yet. But there now, 'tis ever since Maister -brought they great lubbers into house, and gied 'em guns and swords and -I don't know what all. Seems he be afeard o' summat. Do 'ee think that -monster Boney will come and eat the poor childer here, Sam?" - -"Not he. He dussn't do it. Don't 'ee be afeard, now, Maidy dear. I'll -look out for un, and if I do see un I'll ring our bell so powerful loud -that all the brave men in the country will run to defend 'ee." - -"We've got a bell, too." - -"Not sech a banger as ours, I warrant 'ee. I do wish Squire were rich; -then we'd hev the mock, and a great big figgy pudden, not a little small -one wi' half a pound o' figs in it; and Squire would axe 'ee and all the -country to come and join us, and ye'd come in yer fine new gown that I'm -goin' to gie ye. But theer, 'tis not to be, and 'twill only make us -wisht to think o't." - -"Look 'ee see, Sam: what a throng o' folk! Whatever is the matter?" - -They had come within sight of the village green, where a crowd of men, -women, and children were talking excitedly. - -"What be all this stoor, Ike?" asked Sam of the young fisher. - -"Why, Jake Tonkin can't be found nowhere. He wented up-along yestere'en -to wood to get some mistletoe, and never come back." - -"Never come back?" - -"No. His mother be in a tarrible state, Zacky bein' away and all." - -"Sure 'a didn' go wi' Zacky to Rusco?" - -"Now that's foolish. Didn' I say 'a wented for mistletoe yestere'en, -and Zacky sailed off in mornin'.' - -"So 'a did, to be sure. Here's riding-officer; let us tell him." - -Mr. Polwhele rode up into the midst of the crowd. - -"Well, neighbours, what's to do?" he cried. - -"Jake Tonkin be gone a-lost, Maister," shouted a score of voices in -answer. - -"Lost, is he? He's big enough to take care of himself, surely. Isn't -he with his father?" - -"No, Maister," piped a small boy. "Zacky Tonkin be----" - -"Wisht yer clatter!" cried the child's mother, catching him by the arm -and shaking him. - -"Who saw him last?" asked the riding-officer. - -"Who seed un last?" repeated several voices. "Here be Un Tonkin; she'll -tell to we." - -"'A wented last night to get mistletoe, sir," said Mrs. Tonkin, with a -pale, anxious face. "Never hev he stayed out all night afore, and I be -afeard something bad hev come to un." - -"Oh, dear no! I can't imagine anything of the kind," said the officer, -cheerily. "Don't be down-hearted. He'll come home-along by-and-by as -large as life. I'll ride to the wood and look about, and tell my men to -search too. The young rascal! Up to some mischief, you may be sure. Go -home, my good woman, and don't distress yourself, and you folks, instead -of standing gossiping here, go and hunt. Christmas Day is coming, you -know, and we must have Jake back in time for the parson's dinner." - -But the day closed without the discovery of any trace of the missing -lad, and some of Mrs. Tonkin's kind neighbours were already condoling -with her on the loss of her only son, and assuring her that Zacky would -be in a terrible way when he came home. - -Mr. Mildmay and the riding-officer supped together before setting out, -the one by sea, the other by land, for the scene of the expected run. - -"Would to heaven we had never come to terms with Doubledick!" said Mr. -Polwhele. "Never again for me, Mildmay. Set a thief to catch a thief, -they say, but I don't know how you feel: I feel myself a mean rascal, -old stager as I am at the game." - -"Honestly, I agree with you, and having Jake Tonkin mewed up here -complicates things desperately. The moment he is let loose he'll tell -his father, and if I know the man, Doubledick's life won't be worth a -snap of the finger." - -"Well, I warned him. I couldn't foresee that Jake would come upon him -in that accidental way. Scheme as we will, Mildmay, there's a Power that -overrules us all." - -"The best thing we can do now is to warn Doubledick. We've gone into -partnership with the fellow, and we can't in honour keep silence. Give -him a chance to escape." - -"You're right. I'll call at the inn as I ride down, and tell him we -have Jake locked up here. That will give him about twelve hours' -grace--time to clear away bag and baggage." - -When the lieutenant went aboard his cutter, Mr. Polwhele entered the -inn. - -"Where's Doubledick?" he asked of the inn-keeper's wife. - -"He be gone along to Trura, Maister," she replied, in her usual vinegary -manner. - -"What for?" - -"Well, I don't know as it be any business o' yourn, but 'tis to buy some -figs for the pa'son's dinner." - -"Oh, well, if he comes back, tell him I want to see him first thing in -the morning, will you?" - -"He hain't done nawthin' agen the law." - -"I'm glad of that. Don't forget my message." - -Mr. Polwhele left, firmly convinced that Doubledick had become -suspicious and already beat a retreat. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST - - The Attack on the Towers - - -That night the Towers was heavy with an atmosphere of gloom. The Squire -had remained the whole evening sunk in his chair, not reading, or -smoking, speechless, his head bent upon his breast. He had heard from -his lawyer that all efforts to transfer the mortgage had as yet proved -fruitless: nobody wanted a bond on barren land. The next day but one -was Christmas, and the Squire brooded on the melancholy thought that it -would be the last Christmas he would spend in his old home. Occasionally -he glanced at the motto inscribed above the lintel of the door: - - Trevanion, whate'er thy Fortune be, - Hold fast the Rock by the Western Sea. - -What a mockery the old legend seemed! He had held fast; now he felt as -though some inexorable power were unclenching his nerveless fingers. -And the bitterness of his mood was intensified by the foreboding that -the old house, and his last rood of land, would go, as all the rest had -gone, into the hands of the man who had disgraced his name, and who bore -him implacable enmity. - -Dick went to bed early, sick at heart, unable to endure the mute misery -upon his parents' faces. He meant to rise before it was light, for a -purpose which, he sadly felt, he might never accomplish again. It had -been his custom for several years to carry to the Parsonage on Christmas -Eve a basket of fish of his own catching, as a present to his good -friend the Vicar. It was a poor gift, but he had not the means to offer -anything better, and Mr. Carlyon was always pleased with it, regarding -the spirit in which the simple offering was made. - -About an hour before dawn he wakened Sam, and after nibbling a crust, -the two boys set off. Experience had taught them that this was the best -time to fish at so late a season of the year. The air was damp and raw, -with scarcely any wind, and as they issued from the house they shivered, -and buttoned their coats high about their necks. - -"We must go to the Beal for some tackle, Sam," said Dick. "That will -warm us before we go down to the boat." - -"Iss. I wish it were to-morrer. Pa'son's dinner will be summat to -cheer a poor feller up, these wisht and dismal times. Do 'a think, now, -Maister Dick, as we'll ever hev a real Christmas randy up at Towers, -same as they do hev at Portharvan?" - -"I'm afraid not, Sam. I'm afraid we shan't spend another Christmas at -the Towers." - -"Well, then, you and I had better go for sojers or sailors. I'm afeard -I bean't high enough for a sojer. But sailors get prize-money, old Joe -says, and I'd like that, 'cos then I could buy a thing or two for Maidy -Susan--and Mistress, too: I wouldn' forget she. Maybe I'd get killed, -fightin' the French, but dear life! it wouldn' matter much: we hain't -got many friends. I don't s'pose Maidy Susan 'ud fall more 'n two -tears, or maybe three." - -"None at all, I should think," said Dick. - -"Oh, I don't think so bad o' she as that. When I seed her yesterday she -said she wished I could go to Dower House to-night. Maister John be -goin' to a randy at Portharvan; he'll kiss his young 'ooman under the -mistletoe, I reckon." - -"And Susan wants you to go to the Dower House and kiss her, I suppose?" - -"Now that's too bad, Maister. We bean't neither of us so forward as -that. Maidy said she'd like me to go up-along and gie un some o' my -merry talk, but jown me if my tongue 'ud run merry wi' things so bad up -to home." - -"You couldn't go: Father would never allow it. You'll have to be -satisfied with the Vicar's nuts and candy, Sam." - -They came to their den at the end of the Beal, and remained there for -some little time arranging their tackle in the wan glimmer preceding the -dawn. Then they emerged, and climbed up beside the big boulder to take -a look at the sea, over which a thin mist hung. - -"Isn't that the _Isaac and Jacob_?" said Dick, pointing to a vessel -tacking to make the fairway between the cliff and the reef. - -"Iss, sure. Tonkin be come home wi'out a cargo, seemin'ly, unless he -hev run it a'ready." - -They watched the lugger creeping slowly toward the harbour. The tide -was on the ebb, and there was not enough depth of water upon the reef to -allow the vessel to head straight for the jetty. As she crept into the -fairway Dick was struck with the unusual appearance of her deck. -Amidships it was almost clear except for two or three men; but, herded -under the low bulwarks on the weather side, out of sight from the -harbour, were a score or more of men whom he recognised by slight -indications in their dress to be foreigners. Almost instinctively Dick -slipped behind the boulder, pulling Sam with him. - -"That's very curious," he whispered, standing so that he could see -without being seen. - -On the lee side of the vessel, he noticed arms, legs, and here and there -a red-capped head protruding from beneath tarpaulins, thrown with -apparent carelessness on the deck. Two or three heads also appeared in -the hatchway, suggesting that other men were on the companion below. -But what struck Dick most of all was the fact that although Nathan -Pendry held the tiller, there lolled against the bulwarks near him a -stranger whose hat and coat were manifestly Cornish, but whose lower -garments were as unmistakably of foreign cut. He was a short, stout -man, and he held a pistol, which was pointed at the helmsman. - -Dick was so much fascinated and wonderstruck by this extraordinary -spectacle that for a few moments he neither spoke nor stirred. - -"Be it Boney at last?" whispered Sam, his eyes wide with alarm. - -"No, no: Boney would bring thousands. But I can't make it out. We'll -run home, Sam, and tell Father." - -Creeping round the boulder, and dipping their heads as long as there was -any chance of being observed from the lugger, they set off at a -breakneck run for the Towers. Dick dashed up to the Squire's room, and -knocked at the door. - -"Come in," said the Squire. He was awake--had indeed lain sleepless -almost all night, thinking miserably of his affairs. - -"Father," said Dick, entering, "Tonkin's lugger has just put in with a -gang of Frenchmen on board. Pendry is at the helm; there's a fellow -standing over him with a pistol. I didn't see Tonkin." - -"What on earth does that mean?" cried the Squire, starting up. "Get me -my boots, Dick; I'll pull on some clothes, and go up on the roof to take -a look at them." - -In a few minutes the Squire, Dick, and Sam were behind the parapet of -the principal tower, the Squire with his telescope in his hand. Lofty -as their perch was, the jetty and the lower part of the village were not -in sight, being concealed by the contour of the hill. But they could -see the upper houses and the cliffs beyond; the church tower and the red -roof of the Parsonage away to the left; and almost every yard of ground -between the hilltop and the Towers. - -"Shall I ring bell, Maister?" asked Sam. - -"No; wait a little. We don't want to make ourselves a laughing-stock. -There's nothing in Polkerran to make it worth any Frenchman's while -to--Ha! I see it all. 'Tis a trick of Mildmay's, the sly dog. Do you -see, Dick? He has disguised himself and his men as Frenchmen, and -pounced on Tonkin's lugger with a fine crop aboard. Ha! ha! The neatest -feat I ever heard of." - -"I'm rather doubtful about that, sir," said Dick. "The faces I saw -weren't Cornish." - -"It would be a poor disguise if they were. You may be sure I'm right, -and we shall have Mildmay coming up to breakfast by-and-by with a fine -tale of tubs. I slept badly, Dick; I'll return to my bed for an hour or -two." - -Dick remained with Sam on the roof. He was not at all convinced that -his father was right. It was difficult to conceive what object a band -of Frenchmen could have in attacking so small a village, yet he felt -sure that they were Frenchmen, and that their visit was not an ordinary -smuggling affair. After a long look through his spy-glass he said to -Sam: - -"There's no smoke, no sound of firing---no noise at all. We can't see -anything here, Sam; let us take a run to the Beal again." - -But at that moment he saw a man rise over the crest of the hill; -immediately behind him came others. They were armed with muskets and -cutlasses, and advanced rapidly and in a manner that suggested a -definite goal. - -"Off to the turret and pull the bell, Sam!" cried Dick. He rushed -downstairs to his father's room again. - -"Thirty or forty armed men are marching from the village, sir," he said. -"I think they're coming to attack us." - -"Bless my soul, what fools they must be!" said the Squire with a -mirthless laugh. "There's nothing here worth firing a shot for. Ah! -there's the bell. We'll see if 'tis more effective than last time we -rang it. And we'll give them a warm reception, my boy, by George we -will! Go and bring Reuben to me." - -So crowded was the next hour, and so conflicting were the accounts given -subsequently, in all honesty, by actors in the drama, that the writing -of a clear and coherent narrative is a matter of some difficulty. Mr. -Carlyon diligently questioned everyone who could throw a light on the -separate incidents, and out of this material compiled a long chapter for -his history of the parish. But the prolixity of his style, and his -habit of interrupting his narrative with classical parallels and -references to abstruse authors, render his book quite unsuitable to the -present age, and make it necessary to treat his manuscript as the modern -historian treats his sources. - - -When the _Isaac and Jacob_ was moored alongside the jetty, the -tarpaulins that covered the deck were thrown aside, the men whom they -had concealed sprang to their feet, and, joined by others who swarmed up -the companion way, rushed ashore behind their leader, Jean Delarousse of -Roscoff. There were but two or three of the Polkerran folk visible. A -large number of the fishers were five or six miles away, having affairs -of their own to attend to. The majority of the population were still -abed. A dozen miners, due for the day shift in an hour's time, were -breakfasting. Only the smoke rising into the air from the chimneys of -their cottages gave sign of life. - -The few men who were out and about fled incontinently to their homes at -sight of the fifty determined Frenchmen, armed with muskets, cutlasses, -and pistols, advancing across the few yards of open space that separated -the jetty from the nearest houses. It was evident that the invaders had -prearranged their operations. Twelve of their number separated from the -main body and went off hastily in couples, three to the right, three to -the left, until they reached the last dwelling in either direction. -Then doubling up the hills to right and left, they posted themselves -around the village in a half circle, at intervals of about a hundred -yards. Their object manifestly was to prevent any villager from -breaking through, and carrying news of the raid into the country beyond. -The Dower House and the Towers were naturally not included in the -cordon. - -While this movement was being carried out, Delarousse led the rest of -his force straight to the Five Pilchards. The door was already open; -the miners usually paid an early visit to the inn before they started -for their work. Delarousse on entering was confronted by an elderly -woman of shrewish aspect, who stood like a dragon behind the shining -taps. - -"Ze Towers, vere Trevanion live--it is zat big house on ze cliff?" he -asked. - -Mrs. Doubledick nodded. Fright bereft her of speech. - -"Vere is Doubledick?" asked the Frenchman. - -The answer was a shake of the head; whereupon Delarousse, ejaculating -"Ah, bah!" returned to his followers, who were collected about the -entrance, and led all but six of them up the hill. Like a prudent -general, he took care to secure his communications. - -Though he presumed that Mrs. Doubledick's shake of the head signified -ignorance of her husband's whereabouts, in this he was in error. -Doubledick had returned home late at night, unaware of the impending -crisis in his affairs. His wife gave him Mr. Polwhele's message, and he -anticipated a very pleasant interview with the riding-officer on his -return from circumventing the smugglers. Rising early, he happened to -see from his bedroom window the crowd of Frenchmen swarming from the -lugger, and without waiting to finish dressing, he ran down to the -taproom, pulled up a trap-door behind the bar, and descended into the -capacious cellar beneath, having strictly charged his wife not to reveal -his whereabouts. He was shaking with fear, rather of possible -consequences which his imagination foresaw than of immediate bodily -harm. Delarousse could scarcely fail to discover before long that -Doubledick had given him misleading information, and he was a man whose -wrath it was not wise to face. - -Between thirty and forty Frenchmen, strong, hardy fellows, marched -rapidly up the hill behind their leader, whose agility was remarkable in -one so corpulent. They had just risen upon the crest when the clang of -a bell struck upon their ears. - -"En avant, mes gars!" cried Delarousse. "Courez, toutes jambes!" - -And being on fairly level ground, they broke into a double. - - -The Squire, being now convinced that the Towers, as the most conspicuous -dwelling-house in the neighbourhood, was the object of the Frenchmen's -raid, displayed none of that indecision and vacillation which so often -beset him in the matters of every-day life. He was now keen, alert, and -ready, as became a man who had served in the King's navy. He smiled -grimly as he saw the Frenchmen hasting towards him, as yet half a mile -away. "A pack of fools!" he thought; "but 'tis hard that I should be -molested when on the brink of ruin." - -In a few sharp, decisive words he bade Dick and Reuben close and bolt -the doors and shutters, and haul against the former such heavy articles -of furniture as they could move in the few minutes at their disposal. -Meanwhile he himself collected several old muskets that were at hand, -with powder and slugs, in some cases relics of ancient trophies of arms -treasured by the family. If he could hold the enemy at bay even for a -short time, their project would be ruined, for the alarm bell and the -sound of shots would arouse the whole countryside, and unless the -invaders were supported by other vessels, they must soon retire to the -lugger. At the first glance he had seen that they were not French -regular soldiers, and concluded that their landing was not the foretaste -of a general invasion, but merely a chance filibustering raid. - -In the turret Sam was pulling the bell-rope with short, quick jerks. -His brain was in a whirl. The advance of the Frenchmen was hidden from -him, but looking out of the narrow window in the opposite direction, he -spied, less than a minute after the first clang, Joe Penwarden hurrying -along towards the Towers as fast as his old legs would carry him. -Running to the opposite side of the chamber, where a door admitted to -the house, he yelled down the stairs: - -"Maister, here be old Joe a-comin'. Let un in by the back door." - -"Run, Dick," said the Squire, "you're quickest. An addition to the -garrison is welcome." - -Dick flew to the back door, whither Sam had summoned Penwarden through -the turret window. During these few seconds the strokes of the bell were -very irregular, but they did not cease. - -"What is it, Maister Dick?" said the old man, as Dick closed and -barricaded the door behind him. - -"A gang of Frenchmen are running to attack us. They landed from -Tonkin's lugger about ten minutes ago. Go to Father, Joe; he's in the -front room over the porch. I'm going to the roof to see what they are -doing." - -He leapt up the stairs three at a time, and emerged on the leads of the -tower, whence, sheltered by the parapet, he could observe the enemy in -safety. They were now within two or three hundred yards of the house. -Dick was surprised that there was no sign of pursuers from the village. -Now that the feeling between his family and the people was less acute, -he had expected that the bell would already have summoned a concourse of -fishers, miners, and men of all occupations. He was surprised, too, -that the alarm was not echoed by the new bell which had recently been -rigged up in the Dower House. Surely at such a moment personal feuds -might well be forgotten, and private enemies unite to beat off a public -foe. But between the Towers and the hill not a man was to be seen -except the advancing Frenchmen. At the Dower House there was no sign of -life or movement, a strange circumstance that set him wondering. Why -was not John Trevanion alarmed at a French raid? Was it possible that -he knew of it beforehand, approved it, had even arranged it? Having -failed in some of his schemes hitherto, had he now joined hands with -alien filibusters to deal his cousin a crowning stroke? - -As his eyes ranged round, Dick suddenly caught sight of a large vessel -looming in the mist in a straight line with the head of the Beal. Its -shape was very indistinct and blurred, but there was a certain -familiarity in its aspect, and a sudden conviction flashed upon Dick -that it was the same vessel as he had seen twice before in unusual and -mysterious circumstances. Surely it must be the notorious privateer, -the _Aimable Vertu_, owned by Jean Delarousse. Why it should have come -to an insignificant place like Polkerran, when it might have gained rich -prizes on the high seas, was a question that puzzled him greatly, unless -Trevanion had made an alliance with the Frenchman. - -The Squire's dispositions to meet the threatening attack were as good as -could be devised, having regard to the short breathing-space allowed -him, and to the nature of his situation. A large rambling building like -the Towers could not be held for any length of time by a slender -garrison of five. There were half-a-dozen points at which it could be -assaulted simultaneously--the front door facing the village, the back -door facing the sea, the stable-yard, the offices, the rooms and -passages in the ruined portion. But the principal tower, flanking the -porch, was in passable repair, and it was there that the Squire had -determined to make a final stand. It contained two or three rooms -approached by a stone staircase springing from near the front door. -Mrs. Trevanion was sent by her husband to the topmost room. He posted -himself, with Reuben and Penwarden, in the room over the porch, where -the window-shutters had been loopholed, no doubt by some former owner of -the Towers, though the Squire had never given the matter a thought. -Dick he sent to the back of the house, instructing him to call Sam to -his help if he saw fit. - -"Neither for fire nor battle does the bell summon aid," he said -bitterly. "Sam may as well save his energies." - -His final instruction was that if the Frenchmen broke in, as seemed only -too probable, they should all retreat to the tower, the entrance to -which from the staircase was protected by a heavy, iron-studded oaken -door. Believing that the invaders' object was loot and not slaughter, -he scarcely anticipated personal damage, but supposed that the garrison -would be allowed to remain in the tower unmolested while the rest of the -house was sacked. - -Delarousse, panting a little from his exertions, was as much alive to -the risks and perils of his enterprise as the Squire could be. Success -or failure hung upon minutes. But he had not earned his reputation as a -daring and resourceful privateer undeservedly. His object was a very -simple one. It was not bloodshed or rapine, but merely the seizure of -the man who had grievously wronged him--John Trevanion, or, as he had -known him in Roscoff, Robinson. Doubledick, to feed his private malice, -had declared that John Trevanion lived in the Towers--the largest house -upon the cliff. The Frenchman's little knowledge of the country had -been gained solely by observation from the sea, and by the faint -glimpses he had obtained on that dark and rainy night when he evaded the -pursuit of the dragoons. He remembered that the house at whose door he -had seen his enemy was nearer the top of the hill than the Towers; but -he had no reason to doubt Doubledick's statement that the latter was now -the residence of John Trevanion, and no one had told him that there were -other Trevanions who had no dealings with John. It was therefore his -whole-hearted belief that the Towers sheltered his bitterest foe which -inspired his attack upon a man who had never injured him. - -Utterly possessed by his purpose, he wasted no time in a vain summons to -surrender. The bell was still clanging overhead. He had taken -precautions to prevent interference from the village, where the absence -of so many men on the scene of the expected run favoured his design. -But he was not to know but that the summons might draw armed men from -every corner of the neighbourhood beyond the village, and his blow must -be struck at once. Accordingly he made straight for the porch, and -finding, as he had expected, that the door was fast closed, he put his -pistol to the lock, and with one shot shattered it to splinters. But -the door was held also by bolts and crossbars resting in staples, and -further secured by a sideboard placed against it by Dick and Reuben, so -that the breaking of the lock availed him nothing. Brought thus to a -check, he stood for a few moments within the porch among his men to -consider his next step. - -Meanwhile the Squire at the last moment had hurried to the top of the -tower, with a double object: to observe the movements of the enemy more -clearly than was possible through the loophole of a shuttered window, -and to scan the surrounding country for any sign of assistance. No one -was at present in sight. The air was heavy; the wind was off shore; and -in all probability the sound of the bell had not even reached -Nancarrow's farm, the nearest house except the Parsonage, much less Sir -Bevil Portharvan's place, two miles farther away. - -He had given instructions before leaving Penwarden that the French were -not to be fired on until they opened hostilities. With his wife in the -building, he was determined not to draw upon himself by any premature -act the reprisals of so formidable a gang of desperadoes. Now that the -Frenchmen were within the porch, they were immune from musket fire, and -he began to wonder whether his prohibition was not a mistake. As soon, -however, as he heard the report of Delarousse's pistol, with a rapidity -that might have surprised those who had only known him of late years, -the Squire seized a large block of loose stone that formed part of the -half-ruined parapet, and toppled it over on to the roof of the porch -below. It fell upon the tiles with a tremendous crash, scattering -fragments in all directions, and bounded off on to the gravel path. -Though none of the Frenchmen was struck by the stone itself, or even by -the splinters of the tiles, it was sufficiently alarming to drive them -from the porch, and they scurried instantly into the open. Two muskets -flashed upon them from the loopholes above; one man was hit by a slug, -and hopped away on one leg, assisted by his comrades. At the same -moment the bell ceased to clang. Hearing the shots, Sam rushed down the -stairs to take his part in the fray. The whole body of Frenchmen had -now withdrawn out of range, and the Squire saw the little stout man, -their leader, carefully scanning the building, with the object, no -doubt, of finding a weak spot to attack. Only two minutes had elapsed -since the enemy made the first move. - -Alarmed at the sudden silence of the bell, from which he concluded that -its clanging had achieved its object, Delarousse despatched one of his -men to the high ground northward to report the approach of any armed -force. Meanwhile he himself made a rapid circuit of the Towers, -keeping, if not out of range, at least beyond easy-hitting distance. -The back entrance seemed to him a vulnerable point, and the more -promising, because it was not commanded by the tower, but only by the -small window at which Dick was stationed. His ill-success at the front -door made him resolute to go the shortest way to work at the back. He -sent half-a-dozen men across the open stable-yard into the half-ruined -stable to haul down one of the stout balks of wood that supported the -roof, for use as a battering-ram. This movement was concealed from Dick -by the angle of the building. - -While his men were gone about this errand, Delarousse, impatient of the -loss of time, took it into his head to summon the garrison to surrender. -He trotted back to the front of the building, set his legs apart, and, -lifting his eyes to the top of the tower, shouted a loud "Hola!" The -Squire showed his head above the parapet, but did not reply. - -"Hola!" repeated the Frenchman. "Trevanion! Render Trevanion; zen I -go." - -"A trick!" thought the Squire. "He thinks I'm worth a ransom!" - -"Trevanion!" cried Delarousse again. "Ze ozers I not touch." - -"I'll see what they say," shouted the Squire. "Anything to gain time," -he thought. - -Going to the door opening on the staircase he called for Dick. - -"This fellow wants me, Dick," he said. "Goodness knows why! I suppose -he imagines some rich imbecile will buy me back. If I surrender myself, -he promises to spare the rest. Just run and see what your mother says: -my old bones don't take kindly to those stairs." - -Before Dick returned Delarousse lost patience and shouted for an answer. -The Squire kept out of sight. - -"Mother says you must not think of it for a moment," said Dick, running -up again. "I knew she would." - -"To tell the truth, so did I," replied his father. "But we have gained -two or three minutes. Now to decline as civilly as possible--though he -might at least Mounseer me, I think." - -As soon as his head reappeared above the parapet, Delarousse shouted: - -"Eh bien! You render Jean Trevanion?" - -Father and son looked at each other. Dick's face expressed surprise -mingled with relief; a strange smile sat upon the Squire's countenance. - -"We give up nobody," he called down firmly. "Do your worst." - -Dick thrilled with filial pride. It was a lesson in chivalry that he -never forgot. A word from his father, he could not doubt, would have -sent the Frenchmen in hot haste to the Dower House; but that word the -Squire could not speak, even though John Trevanion was his worst enemy. - -Delarousse spat out an oath, shook his fist at the impassive gentleman -above him, and toddled off to the back, disappearing behind the -outhouses. - -"We'll see what the rascal is after now," said the Squire quickly, and -followed Dick down the stairs. - -For a minute or two the further proceedings of the assailants were -hidden from view. Then the watchers saw, coming round the corner from -the stables, four men bearing a stout twelve-foot post. Delarousse, -immediately behind, urged them on with voluble utterance and vigorous -play of hands. - -"A battering-ram!" said the Squire. "I think, Dick, 'tis time to give -them a warning." - -Dick lifted his musket and fired through a loophole upon the men rushing -forward. There was a cry from below; the effect of the shot could not -be seen through the smoke; it was answered by a score of bullets -pattering on the shutters. The Squire placed his musket to a second -loophole. It was impossible to take aim; he fired at random; and -another sharp cry seemed to tell that his slug had gone home. A babel -of shouts arose. Peeping through the loopholes they saw that one of the -four men bearing the post lay on the ground; he had let fall his end of -the battering-ram. At the same moment there came the distant crackle of -a fusillade. The sound goaded Delarousse to fury. He rushed forward to -lift the dropped end of the post. But just as he was stooping, there -was a loud shout from his left. He turned his head, without rising from -the ground, and what he saw, in common with the spectators above, was -three men half pushing, half dragging a fourth towards the leader of the -party. Delarousse remained in his stooping posture, as though -transfixed with amazement, while a man might count four. Then, -springing to his feet, he rushed headlong towards the approaching group, -drawing a pistol as he ran. - -[Illustration: "DELAROUSSE RUSHED HEADLONG TOWARDS THE APPROACHING -GROUP."] - -Up to that moment the fourth man had been passive in the hands of the -three; but as soon as he caught sight of Delarousse leaping towards him, -he jerked himself violently from the grasp of his captors, felled first -one, then a second, with sledgehammer blows from right and left, and, -slipping from the hands of the third, dashed with extraordinary speed -along by the stable wall in the direction of the village. In ten -seconds he was out of sight, and the whole band of Frenchmen, yelling -fiercely, some discharging their pistols, turned their backs upon the -Towers and doubled after the fugitive. - -Dick darted from the room, and up the stairs to the roof, Sam hard upon -his heels, the Squire following at a pace that belied his melancholy -allusion to his old bones. Penwarden also, hearing Sam's jubilant shout -at the raising of the siege, left his post at the front, and clambered -up after the others, muttering "Dear life! what a mix-up the world is!" -Leaning over the parapet, the four watched the strangest chase that ever -was seen. The fugitive came to the wicket-gate leading out of the -grounds, and took it with a flying leap, with the crowd of Frenchmen in -full cry behind him. Some, like Delarousse himself, bore a burden of -flesh and forty years; others were younger and slimmer, and these, -impelled by the furious cries of their leader, leapt the gate in turn, -the last of them catching his foot in the top and coming sprawling to -the ground. - -Their quarry, crossing a strip of land that still belonged to the -Squire, came to the fence recently erected around the grounds of the -Dower House. It was six feet high, a formidable obstacle to a man of his -bulk and years. He clutched the top of it, heaved himself up, rolled -across it sideways, and disappeared on the other side, wrenching the -tail of his coat from the hands of the foremost Frenchman. In a trice -the pursuer scrambled up after him, threw himself over, and also -disappeared. Of the other members of his party, some scaled the -obstacle with more or less facility; others, baulked by it, ran to right -and left to find a path. Delarousse, whose stature and build forbade -any athletic feat, yet disdained to leave the direct course, and called -to two of his men to hoist him up. For an instant he sat swaying on the -top of the fence; then he too dropped like a falling sack. Of all the -thirty odd Frenchmen there were now only two or three to be seen. - -But in a minute or two the hunt again came fully into view from the -lofty tower. The fugitive sped along with amazing swiftness, making a -straight line for the Dower House. Behind him, strung at intervals over -two fields, poured the impetuous Frenchmen. One or two were close at -his heels; the rest followed, each according to his ability. - -"They've catched un!" cried Sam, his eyes dilated with excitement. "No, -be-jowned if they have. Got away! Yoick! Yo-hoy! Now then, Frenchy! -Ah, I thought ye'd do it, now you've smashed yerself. No, he's up again! -Halloo!" - -The side door of the Dower House stood half-open. The fugitive drew -nearer and nearer to it; the pursuers seemed to make still more violent -exertions to overtake him before he reached it. A few yards more! Ah! -he was inside: the door was closing. But before it was quite shut, the -first pursuer flung himself forward and thrust his musket within. To -close the door was now impossible. For a few seconds the Frenchman -appeared to be engaged in a fierce trial of strength with the persons -inside. Two or three of his companions joined him; they threw -themselves together upon the door; it yielded; and they dashed into the -house. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND - - John Trevanion in the Toils - - -With the aid of imagination's magic boots we skip now from the Towers to -the village, and see what was happening there. - -The _Isaac and Jacob_ lay alongside the jetty, in charge of half-a-dozen -Frenchmen who lolled lazily about the deck. Nathan Pendry, who had -steered the vessel into harbour, reclined, the picture of scowling -discontent, against the bulwarks. Below, in the dark, reeking hold, -trussed like fowls, lay Isaac Tonkin, Simon Mail, and two more of the -most respected smugglers of Polkerran. - -It appeared from Tonkin's story, told many a time in after years to the -breathless company in the parlour of the Three Jolly Mariners, that on -arriving in Roscoff to purchase his Christmas cargo, he had been sought -out by Jean Delarousse, whose customer he had formerly been. The -Frenchman did not complain of Tonkin's desertion, nor did he seek a -renewal of their trade relations; his sole object was to persuade the -Cornishman, by means of a heavy bribe, to deliver John Trevanion into -his hands. Tonkin had his grievance against Trevanion. He felt sore at -having had to play second fiddle to the younger man in recent smuggling -transactions. But being an honest fellow, and loyal in grain, he -rejected Delarousse's offer with indignant scorn, and refused to believe -what he understood of the tale poured into his ears in broken English, -of a long course of deceit and fraud by which, as Delarousse alleged, -Trevanion had enriched himself at his partner's expense. The Frenchman -had appeared to take his refusal in good part, and Tonkin, having -freighted his lugger, put to sea on his return voyage, intending to run -his cargo at the creek in the small hours of Friday morning as arranged. - -The _Aimable Vertu_, Delarousse's privateering craft, lay in Roscoff -harbour. Tonkin was only a mile or two at sea, when he noticed that the -privateer was coming up astern. This circumstance at first gave him no -concern; Delarousse was doubtless setting forth on one of his forays. -But soon he began to suspect, from the course held by the larger vessel, -that he was being chased, or at least dogged. The _Isaac and Jacob_ was -a very swift vessel, and, laden though she was, her master hoped to be -able to maintain his lead until nightfall, and then to escape under -cover of the darkness. But he was not long in discovering that his -lugger was no match in speed for the privateer. The short dusk of the -December evening was closing down upon the sea when the _Aimable Vertu_ -came within range. The lugger's armament consisted of one small -carronade; the Frenchman had a broadside, which at a single discharge -would have shattered the lesser craft to splinters. When, therefore, -Tonkin was hailed and bidden to heave-to, he chose the sensible, indeed -the only practicable, course, and obeyed. Delarousse and a boarding -party took possession of the lugger; in spite of vigorous protests, -Tonkin and his crew were bound and laid by the board, and, room having -been made for them in the hold by the removal of several tubs, they were -carried below. The two vessels then in company continued on their -course for the English coast. - -Favoured by the light mist that hung over the Channel during the night, -the privateer escaped discovery by any English cruisers or -revenue-cutters that might have been in the neighbourhood. When, -however, she approached the rugged Cornish coast, the mist became a -danger, and Delarousse had Tonkin fetched from below, and ordered him to -pilot the vessels into Polkerran harbour. This the humiliated mariner -flatly refused to do, persisting in his refusal in spite of the -entreaties, curses, and menaces of his captor. He was carried back by -ungentle hands to his noisome lair, and Pendry, a man of less backbone, -proved to be more amenable to the Frenchman's commands. Under his -skilful pilotage, the lugger safely made the harbour, the privateer -standing some distance out at sea, to watch events. - -Now Tonkin, as has already been said, was a man of enormous strength, -and as the pages of this history have shown, of great courage and -resolution also. Nor was he lacking in prudence or common-sense; -witness his ready surrender of the lugger when refusal would have meant -his being blown out of the water. The same common-sense restrained him -from struggling against impossible odds, both when he was trussed up, -and afterwards when the vessel was manned by fifty or sixty well-armed -Frenchmen. But so soon as he felt the lugger lightly graze the jetty, -and knew by the rush of hurrying feet on deck that the great majority of -his captors had gone ashore, he began to strain at his bonds. The -Frenchmen had done their work of trussing capably enough, and, in the -case of ninety-nine men out of a hundred, no doubt there would have been -no danger of its being undone. But Tonkin's muscles were hard as iron; -he had the strength of a horse. After a few minutes' straining, the -rope about his wrists gave way; to release his legs was then easy. -Delarousse having gone through his pockets before trussing him, he was -without a knife, and had to loosen with his hands the ropes wherewith -his comrades were tied. As soon as the first man was liberated, he set -to work on the bonds of another, and within a few minutes after Tonkin -had released himself, all the men were free. - -Until the lugger reached the harbour, a number of the Frenchmen had -clustered on the companion, and at its foot. When the time came for -them to dash ashore, they scrambled in hot haste through the hatchway on -to the deck, not thinking to batten down the hatch. As soon, therefore, -as Tonkin was free, he rapidly planned how to escape from the hold with -his men, when they had recovered the full use of their partially numbed -limbs. He first felt about in the darkness for articles that would -serve as effective weapons, and discovered a marlinspike, the hammer he -used for driving spigots into the tubs, and several balks of timber that -were employed for preventing the tubs from rolling. Each man armed -himself. Long experience of smuggling had taught them to move quickly -without noise, and, led by Tonkin, whose agility seemed in no wise -lessened by his bulk, they swarmed swiftly through the hatchway. - -The men left in charge of the vessel were leaning over the bulwarks, -smoking, and envying their comrades at the inn, who, finding that the -villagers showed no disposition to interfere with them, had seized the -opportunity to refresh themselves at the expense of the innkeeper. -Before the idle spectators on the deck could turn and form up to meet -the rush, Tonkin and his men were upon them. A few swift, sharp strokes -of the fishers' nondescript weapons, and the Frenchmen were lying -senseless on the deck. - -Without the loss of a moment the Cornishmen leapt the bulwarks and -scampered along the jetty. They were half-way to the inn before the -careless sentinels in the parlour heard their footsteps and ran out to -see what was happening. Forming in front of the door, they brought -their muskets to the shoulder and delivered a scattered volley; but -surprise, haste, and strong liquor combined to spoil their aim, and none -of the fishers was hit except Simon Mail, who dropped his spike with a -yell and sat down on the cobbles, _hors de combat_. The Frenchmen had -no time either to reload or to retreat. The fishers, burly men all, -charged straight at them and struck four to the ground, the other two -taking to their heels and starting to run up the hill towards their -leader. But as if by magic the neighbourhood of the inn was suddenly -alive with figures. The fishermen and miners, who had remained hitherto -cowering in their cottages, rushed out the moment they could do so -safely. The fugitives were caught and held; a fierce crowd surrounded -the others; and in a few minutes all six, bruised and battered, lay in a -row against the inn wall. - -Meanwhile Tonkin had dashed into the inn, pulled up the trap-door -leading to the cellar, and descended into the depths. Doubledick, whom -the sound of shots had caused to shake like a jelly, heard the heavy -clump of the fisher's boots, and shrank behind a large tun in a corner -of the cellar. Unaware of his presence, Tonkin hastened to the opposite -corner, where, in a cunningly contrived recess, lay a store of firearms -and ammunition, kept there for use against the King's officers when -required. It was now to be turned to a more legitimate purpose. Tonkin -seized as many muskets as he could carry, and hurried with them up the -ladder, sending down for more those of his men who were not occupied -with the Frenchmen. By the time these latter were secured, arms had -been served out to the fishers who had escaped from the lugger, and to -the most likely of the others. Then a compact body of thirty well-armed -men followed Tonkin up the hill. - - -In order to trace clearly the course of events in that crowded hour of -Polkerran's history, it becomes necessary to glance at what had happened -at the Dower House. - -John Trevanion had become so accustomed to the smuggling operations, and -it was so much a part of his policy to keep himself in the background in -these matters, that it did not occur to him to rise early in order to -learn what luck had attended the run which he had expected to take place -at the creek, during the night or in the small hours of that morning. -Having a perfectly easy conscience, and the comfortable expectation that -he would be richer by two hundred pounds when he awoke, he slept as -placidly as a child, and did not become aware that anything unusual was -occurring until a repeated rapping at the door by Susan Berry, startled -out of her wits, at length penetrated his slumbering intelligence. - -"All right," he called drowsily. "What's the time?" - -"I don't know, sir," cried poor Susan through the door. "Please, sir, -there be a passel o' men firing shots at the Towers." - -"Nonsense!" said Trevanion. - -"'Tis gospel truth, sir. There be hundreds o' men shoutin' and -hollerin', and Cook be fainted dead away in kitchen." - -"Fling cold water on her, Susan. There's nothing to be afraid of. -They're shooting rabbits, I've no doubt." - -Trevanion's thought was that the smugglers had been checkmated at the -creek, and then, in their fury, had attacked the Towers, believing that -their discomfiture was due to an alliance between the Squire and the -revenue officers. His chagrin at the loss of his expected profits was -not so profound as his delight in the thought that the enmity he had so -carefully fostered was bearing such rich fruit. Far be it from him to -interfere. But being now effectually awakened, he bade Susan to return -to the kitchen, dressed quickly, and went to an upper window whence he -could see something of what was going on. The Towers was, however, too -far away, and the air too misty, for him to observe the operations so -closely as he would have liked, and, curiosity and malicious pleasure -overcoming his prudence, he determined to set forth and watch from a -more convenient standpoint the mischief which he hoped was afoot. But -wishing not to attract attention, he forbade his household to leave the -premises, issued by the back door, and slunk round the inside of one of -his high fences. - -He had advanced about half-way to the Towers when he was startled to -hear shots behind him, from the direction of the village. The sound -brought him to a sudden halt, and a sickening misgiving seized him. Had -the firing begun in the village, there is little doubt that he would -have at once suspected the attack of which he had long been secretly in -dread. But the fact that the Towers was being assaulted, so soon after -the run was to have taken place, had thrown him off his guard. Now, in -a flash, he remembered what Doubledick had said about his interview with -Delarousse, and the misleading information given to the Frenchman. At -the time, and since, he had been somewhat sceptical of the innkeeper's -veracity, but he began to think that his statement had, after all, been -true. At any rate, it was the Towers that was in danger; the Dower -House was at present safe; and after a brief pause of hesitation, he -turned about and hurried back in the direction of his own house. - -But he had scarcely taken half-a-dozen steps when, from behind a bush -close by, there rose a red-capped figure, and Trevanion looked straight -at the muzzle of a firelock. He stopped, and before he could collect -his wits, two other figures joined the first. "C'est lui!" cried one of -the Frenchmen. They were three of the sentries whom Delarousse had -placed around the village, and were hastening to rejoin their leader in -advance of the band now dashing up the hill. Trevanion was so much -taken aback as to be incapable of resistance. All that he did when the -men roughly seized him was to protest that a mistake had been made. -"Ah! ah!" said one of his captors. "On ne s'en trompe pas; pas de -tout." The other two each took one of Trevanion's arms, and marched him -at a great pace through a gate in the fence towards the Towers, the -third man bringing up the rear. What happened when Trevanion and -Delarousse came face to face has already been related. - -Maidy Susan, when Trevanion had left the house, showed herself strangely -callous to the sad plight of Cook. Convinced that the Corsican Ogre had -at last effected his long-threatened landing, she wondered in her simple -soul why her master had not ordered the alarm bell to be rung, and the -men servants to seize their arms and sally forth to defend their -country. She peeped in at the kitchen, saw that Cook had recovered -sufficiently to fan herself and scream, and then ran upstairs to watch -what was going on. Only a minute or two afterwards, Trevanion broke -from his captors and fled, the yelling Frenchmen in full cry behind. - -"'Tis he! 'Tis Boney!" cried Susan. - -She clutched at the casement frame for support, then suddenly flew -downstairs like a young deer. It was she who held the door open, she -who was forced back by the onrush of the infuriated Frenchmen. She -crouched behind the door until the last of them, Delarousse himself, -passed, then sped to the top of the house and began frantically to pull -the bell-rope. Meanwhile the men whom Trevanion had been at such pains -to drill had fled towards the village, and fallen into the hands of -Delarousse's sentries. - -Trevanion darted along the passage and up the stairs like a fox seeking -cover from the hounds. He flung himself into his room, slammed and -bolted the door, caught up a pistol, and stood, panting from haste and -terror, in the middle of the floor. He heard the loud and rapid tramp -of his pursuers drawing near. - -"Keep out, or I'll shoot you!" he cried. - -The Frenchmen laughed him to scorn. He was one; they were many. They -set their shoulders to the door; the timbers cracked, gave way; a bullet -whizzed harmlessly over their heads; and bursting into the room, they -seized their victim and dragged him out and down the stairs again. -Delarousse met them at the foot. Gasping for breath, he ordered some of -his men to bind Trevanion's arms behind his back and take him down to -the lugger, others to set fire to the house. - -"Ah! sclrat!" he bellowed. "Tu es moi!" - -Scarcely had the words left his lips when one of his band, who had been -wounded by a shot from the Towers, hurried in with the news that a party -of men were in pursuit of them. Confiding Trevanion to the charge of -four of his most trusty followers, Delarousse collected the rest, and -led them to the front of the house, which the newcomers were said to be -approaching. At the end of the drive, where it branched from the road, -was Tonkin with his company of fishermen and miners. - -Tonkin had led his men up the hill with more haste than discretion. -When they reached the top they were blown, and for some minutes had to -moderate their pace. They could not see from the road what was -happening behind the fences, and had come midway between the Dower House -and the Towers, at the same time as Trevanion arrived abreast of them in -the opposite direction. But the spectators on the tower had seen them. -The moment Trevanion entered his door, the Squire, with Dick, Sam, and -Penwarden, hurried down the stairs. - -"Hang it, Dick, they're Frenchmen!" cried the Squire, his fighting blood -roused. "We must clear the rascals out." - -On reaching the ground he dispatched Sam to tell Tonkin that the -Frenchmen were now going in the other direction, and hurried on with the -others, intending to join the fishers at the Dower House. He arrived in -time to see Tonkin's men fire a volley at the Frenchmen at the windows. -Little damage was done; Delarousse did not return the fire. He had -achieved the object of his raid, and had no desire to enter into useless -hostilities. Having taken stock of the enemy, he withdrew his men into -the house, which was already filling with pungent smoke. - -Tonkin halted his men for a moment in order to recover breath. It -looked as if he would have to take the house by storm, a difficult task -in the face of odds. But he was a man of bulldog courage, if no -tactician. Smarting with the indignity he had suffered, and without -stopping to think that Delarousse might have no designs except against -Trevanion, he ordered his men to reload, and prepared to lead them to -the attack. - -Delarousse, however, had taken advantage of the momentary lull to -withdraw his men through a long window in the wall of the house facing -the village. The result was that when Tonkin, after so much delay as was -necessary for his men to regain their breath and prime their muskets, -led them at the charge up to the house and broke through the door, he -found the house deserted, and the enemy in full retreat down the hill. -He rushed after them, eager to overtake them before they reached the -village. Some of his men had noticed that the house was on fire, but in -their excitement none stayed to extinguish the flames, nor even to warn -or assist the person who was still ringing the bell. - -By this time the Squire, with Dick and Penwarden, skirting the grounds -of the house, had joined Tonkin's party, and was hurrying with them down -the hill. The Frenchmen had more than a hundred yards start, and on the -descent proved to be as fleet of foot as their pursuers. On reaching -the first of the houses, Delarousse was met by the rest of his cordon, -who, now that the matter had come to a fight, saw that they could employ -themselves more usefully than in keeping guard. Now the Frenchmen -turned at bay, and checked the pursuit with a scattered volley. - -"Empty your muskets, then charge the ruffians!" shouted the Squire, -taking command as of right. - -The Cornishmen responded with a cheer. A shower of slugs flew through -the air, but the Frenchmen having scattered, and many of them being -protected by the angles of houses on the winding road, only one or two -were hit. There was no time for either party to reload. The pursuers -dashed forward, wielding cutlasses, and their muskets as clubs. The -pursued stood to meet the charge; there were a few moments of -hand-to-hand conflict; Tonkin's burly figure was conspicuous in the -thickest of the fray, wielding his musket like a flail; but the numbers -of the Frenchmen prevailed, and the Squire recalled the men, to re-form -them and charge again. From this point there was a straggling fight -down the hill to the neighbourhood of the inn. The Squire, with Dick, -Penwarden, and Tonkin close about him, led a series of rushes against -the retreating enemy, whose numbers were always sufficient to give them -check. - -On coming to the inn, which was within a short distance of the jetty, -Delarousse saw with alarm that his escape had been cut off. This was -not due to any prevision on Tonkin's part. He had been too eager to -follow up the Frenchmen to consider ultimate contingencies. But his -defect as a tactician was supplied by a man whom no one had hitherto -suspected of any capacity in that direction, and who enjoyed henceforth, -to the day of his death, a very exalted reputation in Polkerran on the -strength of this one achievement. - -Pennycomequick, the cobbler, perceiving that the Frenchmen on the lugger -were apparently stunned, hastily got together a little party of men and -boys, boarded the vessel, clapped the Frenchmen under hatches, and then -punted out some distance from the jetty, towing the boats that had lain -drawn up on the little beach. No one as yet knew that the Frenchmen had -not sailed all the way from Roscoff in the lugger; the _Aimable Vertu_ -in the offing was concealed by the mist that still shrouded the sea. -Finding himself thus cut off from communication with his vessel, -Delarousse, who had released the men trussed up by Tonkin, with ready -resource flung himself into the inn, and ordered his company to reload -and occupy the windows. The Squire, now as keen as when he had been a -young lieutenant, saw instantly that, the superiority in force being -with the Frenchmen, the possession of the inn gave them an additional -advantage which would render an attack hazardous to the last degree. He -called a halt, to consider the next move. - -At this moment the clatter of a horse's hoofs was heard from round the -corner leading to the hill, and Mr. Carlyon rode down. - -"What's all this, Trevanion?" he cried. - -"A pack of rascally Frenchmen have raided the place, Vicar," answered -the Squire, "and are now holding the inn." - -"Bless my life! What impudent scoundrels!" - -He dismounted, nimbly for a man of his years. - -"Give me a gun," he cried. "Here, you--I forget your name--get on my -horse and ride to Truro as fast as you can and bring all the able-bodied -men and any old soldiers you can find there. You, Benjamin Pound, go -round to Doubledick's stables, take a horse, ride to Portharvan, and ask -Sir Bevil from me to call out the yeomanry." - -"Please, yer reverence, I can't ride a hoss," said the young fisher -addressed. - -"Can't ride! You must, or find someone who can. Off with you, or you -shan't come to my dinner to-morrow. Bless my soul! Raiding on the day -before Christmas! Can't we turn 'em out, Trevanion?" - -"Impossible, Vicar, unless we're prepared to lose half our men. And -then we'd fail. One man behind a wall is equal to four outside." - -"What did Doubledick mean by letting the villains into the inn? How did -they come here? I don't see any vessel." - -Tonkin was explaining the circumstances when, down the stairs beside the -inn wall, came Doubledick, pale, dishevelled, and covered with dust. -Becoming alarmed for his safety when the inn was invaded by the -Frenchmen, he had made his way out by a secret passage leading up the -slope into a house abutting on the stairway. He came up to the group -silently and unobserved, and listened to Tonkin's explanations and the -further account given by the Squire of the attack on the Towers and the -subsequent pursuit and capture of John Trevanion. Then he pressed -forward to the Vicar's side. - -"Ah! yer reverence," he said with unction, "'tis a judgment, 'tis -indeed. It do cut me to the heart to say so, but Maister John be the -wicked cause of this affliction." - -"What do you mean, Doubledick?" asked the Vicar, with a sidelong glance -at the Squire. - -"Do 'ee mind, sir, that night a while ago when the sojers wer ridin' -about country arter a runaway prisoner? Well, I own 'a was for a little -small time in my inn; I'd never seed un afore, and didn' know he wer a -runaway till 'twas too late to gie un up." (Doubledick, it will be -observed, was not over-scrupulous as to his facts.) "While he was here, -Maister John came down from Dower House and seed un, and they hollered -at each other in the French lingo till my ears wer drummin'. Ah! 'twas -then I first had my mispicions o' Maister John." - -"Cut your story short, man," said Mr. Carlyon impatiently. - -"Well, then, yer reverence, when I went over to France, the Frenchy -telled me as how Maister John, Robinson by name, wer his partner for ten -year, and robbed him right and left. Ah! he was a clever rogue, too, -keepin' in the background so as our Polkerran men shouldn' see un when -they wented over to--to sell fish. And Delarousse swore to me, 'a did, -that he'd take vengeance on him, and now he be come to do it, sure -enough. If I may make so bold, I'd say let the Frenchy take Maister -John and leave us in peace. I don't want to see my inn riddled wi' -shots and crumbled about my ears." - -"Iss, and so say I," cried Tonkin. "Delarousse telled me the self-same -story, but I didn' believe un; no, I couldn' believe as Maister John -were sech a 'nation rogue. I must believe it, now Doubledick hev telled -us all. Let un go, sir, and be-jowned to un." - -Fierce cries of approval broke from the crowd, but the Squire held up -his hand for silence. - -"Let me have a word, neighbours," he said. "We're Cornishmen, every man -of us, and good subjects of King George. We can't allow a French -raiding party to arrest a man on English soil, whatever his character -may be. 'Tis flat treason; what do you say, Vicar?" - -"I agree with you. As a magistrate, neighbours, I say we must do our -duty." - -"I won't go agen Squire and pa'son," cried Tonkin. "I stand up for King -Jarge." - -"King Jarge for ever!" shouted the crowd. - -"Well, then," said the Vicar, "we'll hold our ground here until the -yeomanry come up, and then we'll storm the inn. God save the King!" - -At this moment Dick pushed his way through the crowd. - -"The privateer is under weigh, sir," he cried, "and standing in for the -harbour." - -All eyes were turned towards the sea. The _Aimable Vertu_, which had -been lying off the headland, almost concealed by the mist, was steering -for the fairway, evidently with the intention of coming to the -assistance of the landing-party. - -"Where's Mr. Mildmay?" cried the Squire. "'Tis for him to capture that -rascally privateer." - -Doubledick looked conscious; Tonkin and his fishers exchanged glances, -and thought of the cargo in the hold of the _Isaac and Jacob_. - -"We can do it, sir," cried Dick suddenly. "She must pass beneath that -big rock at the head of the Beal. It doesn't stand steady, and a good -push would hurl it over into the fairway. Let the vessel come in, and -then block up the channel; she'd be caught then." - -"A capital notion," said the Vicar. "Off with you, Dick; take two or -three men with you. Have a care not to throw yourself over too." - -Dick hurried off with a few of the younger men. When they arrived at the -landward end of the Beal, the privateer was slowly threading her course -through the fairway towards the jetty, a man in the chains sounding -busily. She crept in, and had come within a hundred yards of the jetty -when Dick and his companions reached the boulder. They heard the rattle -of her anchor; she swung broadside to the village, and the spectators on -shore saw a formidable row of guns grinning from her portholes. Dick -and his companions set their shoulders to the rock. - -The door of the inn meanwhile had opened, and Delarousse appeared, -holding aloft a musket, to which a white cloth was attached as a flag of -truce. - -"I vill speak viz you," he said, pointing to the Squire, whom he -recognised. - -"Shall I parley with the rascal?" asked the Squire of Mr. Carlyon. - -"Yes. We wish to avoid bloodshed, but it must be unconditional -surrender, Trevanion." - -The Squire stepped towards the inn, meeting Delarousse half-way. - -"You speak French, monsieur?" said the latter courteously. - -"Not a word, sir," replied the Squire. - -"Ah! C'est dommage! I speak English, bad, monsieur. I make a -meestake: I demand pardon. I not know ze house vas to you; pardon ze -meestake, monsieur." - -"We'll say no more about that, sir," said the Squire. "I am willing to -believe you had no wish to attack me. But this is an act of war, sir. -You must at once set your prisoner free, and surrender, every one of -you." - -"Ah, no, monsieur," returned the Frenchman with a smile. "I haf to say -your demand is ridicule. I make vun sign: bah! ze shot from my vessel -zey strike ze village all to pieces. Voyez! Ze boats come now for me. -You stop me? No." - -The Squire turned and looked in the direction of Delarousse's -outstretched hand. Two boats had been lowered from the deck of the -privateer, and, filled with men armed to the teeth, were now pulling for -the jetty. It was clear that under the vessel's broadside no attempt to -check this fresh invasion could be successful. - -"You see?" continued the Frenchman, who had watched the expression on -the Squire's face. "I not quarrel viz ze people here; mon Dieu, no! -Zey are my friends; viz zem I haf excellent affairs, zey profit us both. -Ze man zat injure me, I haf him. Vat avantage of resistance? None. Zen -I depart: all is finish vizout--vizout combat sanguinaire." - -"Your proposal----" began the Squire, but at this moment a dull splash -was heard from the direction of the Beal. Dick and his assistants had -displaced the rock, which rolled over the edge, bounded on to the ledge -whence Dick had made his dive, and then plunged almost into the middle -of the fairway. Even at that distance a few feet of it could be seen -projecting above the surface. - -"Sacr nom d'un chien!" cried Delarousse, startled out of his -equanimity. "Vat is zis?" - -"Some of my men have blocked up the fairway with a large rock," replied -the Squire. "It is now impossible for your vessel to clear the -harbour." - -"But zis is perfidy, monsieur!" cried the furious Frenchman. "Ve speak -as parlementaires; zere is arrest of hostilities; ma foi! zis is ze -perfidy of English." - -"Not at all, sir. The men had already gone to do their work; I could -not stop them. You see your position, sir. I advise you to consult -with your men and surrender at discretion." - -They parted. Delarousse, livid with anger, returned to the inn; the -Squire rejoined his party. - -"We have the rascals," said Mr. Carlyon gleefully. - -"I axe yer pardon, sir," said Tonkin, "but don't 'ee think we'd better -let the Frenchies go in peace arter all? They guns 'ud knock the -village to dust, and there's the women and childer to think of." - -"Ah! that's true," said the Vicar, and taking Mr. Trevanion aside, he -began to discuss the matter with him. While they were still earnestly -talking, there was a shout. They broke apart, and turning, saw that -Delarousse had solved the problem in his own way. - -The inn fronted the jetty, but on its southward side a narrow lane ran -between the blind walls of the pilchard fishers' salting-houses. The -further end of this was nearer by a few yards to the sea. Rendered -desperate, the Frenchman saw in the conversation between the two -gentlemen an opportunity for making a dash. He ordered four of his men -to throw open a low window giving on the lane, and to rush John -Trevanion as quickly as possible down to the jetty, while he maintained -his position with the rest at the front windows. Then, as soon as he -was informed that the four men had arrived at the end of the lane, he -gave the word for all to follow. Before the besiegers were aware of -this sudden movement, the Frenchmen had gained a start of more than -fifty yards. - -"After them, my men!" cried the Squire, when he saw them rushing from -behind the wall of the salting-house towards the jetty. - -The whole party poured in pursuit. But by the time they reached the -shoreward end of the jetty, John Trevanion had been lowered into the -first of the privateer's boats. The second had towed back a number of -the craft which Pennycomequick had removed from the shore, the lugger -itself, however, with the cobbler and his helpers aboard, still lying in -the harbour on the inner side of the reef. Into these boats Delarousse -and his men leapt, and pulled off swiftly to the privateer. They had no -sooner left the jetty than a puff of smoke issued from one of the -vessel's portholes; there was a roar, and a round shot crashed into the -planking, smashing several yards of it, and sending up splinters almost -into the eyes of the Squire. - -"'Tis no good, Trevanion," cried the Vicar. "We shall all be slaughtered -if we line up and fire at them. They've got your cousin, and we can't -help it." - -"But they can't get out of the fairway, and there's no water on the -reef," said the Squire. "If only Mildmay were here!" - -He was soon to see that he had not reckoned with the seamanship of Jean -Delarousse. The first of the boats pulled at full speed towards the -fairway, receiving from the deck of the privateer a sounding-line as she -passed. From the second boat Delarousse climbed to the deck of his -vessel. The pilot crew, having sounded and measured the width of the -channel between the fairway and the cliff, signed to their captain that -he might proceed. It seemed to Dick impossible that the vessel should -win through, and he watched with unstinted admiration the Frenchman's -skilful seamanship. Delarousse ordered the anchor to be tripped, and -the vessel moved slowly towards the fairway, close-hauled on the -starboard tack. When she reached the rock, she seemed to graze the -cliff as she passed into the narrow channel; but with Delarousse himself -at the helm she passed safely through. Then, there being a fair wind on -her starboard quarter, Delarousse hauled up his courses, mainsail and -foresail, and threw his foreyard aback. The check on the ship's way -gave him time to take aboard the boat, which had been moored to the -rock, the rest of his crew having already clambered up the side from the -other boats. These were then cast adrift; the foreyard filled, and the -_Aimable Vertu_ stood out to sea. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD - - The Price of Treachery - - -One stride of our magic boots takes us from Polkerran to the creek, five -miles away, where another little drama was being enacted. - -Doubledick's information to Mr. Polwhele was that the _Isaac and Jacob_ -might be expected to arrive at the creek from Roscoff about five o'clock -in the morning. Some little time before that hour, therefore, the -riding-officer took up his position in a hollow a hundred yards beyond -the stream. In order that no suspicion might be engendered in the -village, he had not brought his usual assistants, but was accompanied by -a posse of excisemen from Newquay, and a half-troop of dragoons from -Plymouth. At the same time Mr. Mildmay's cutter anchored in a sheltered -cove northwards, having sailed in precisely the opposite direction on -the previous night, in order to deceive the smugglers. - -Mr. Polwhele had not long posted himself when some thirty strapping -fellows, fishers and farm-hands for the most part, marched down the -sloping ground south of the creek, and congregated at a spot where the -bank was a foot or two above the water, a convenient place for the -debarkation of the lugger's cargo. The murmur of their voices could be -heard by the hidden preventive men across the stream, and Mr. Polwhele -chuckled at the thought of the fine haul he was about to make. The -excisemen with him were old hands, and knew how to keep silence, and the -dragoons, although they hated this revenue work, were too well -disciplined to hazard the failure of the ambuscade. Their horses had -been left tethered half a mile away. - -The minutes passed; five o'clock came, and both parties were on the -alert for any sound from seaward. The wind blew from the north-east, so -that it was not at all surprising that the lugger should be late. But -when six o'clock came they began to be restless. It was tiring and -comfortless, waiting in the misty gloom of a raw December morning. The -sky was pitch dark. Neither party could see the other. The murmurs of -the tub-carriers became louder, and the dragoons muttered and grumbled -under their breath. - -The night was yielding, the outlines of the country were becoming -distinguishable, and yet the lugger did not come. Mr. Polwhele began to -wonder whether he had been fooled, and inwardly promised Doubledick a -bad quarter of an hour if this long vigil in cold and darkness proved -vain. Jimmy Nancarrow, in charge of the tub-carriers, had misgivings of -a chase and capture on the sea. Now that dawn was breaking, he went to -the top of the cliff and looked out into the mist, but never a sign of -the lugger did he see. As he descended to rejoin his men, something -caught his eye among the bare trees in a hollow on the opposite bank. -He crouched behind a gorse bush, and watched for some minutes; then, -instead of continuing on his direct course downward, he crept away at an -angle, taking advantage of every depression and furze-patch that -afforded cover, and so came to his company again. He told them what he -had seen. Consternation seized them; they became suddenly silent, then -whispered anxiously among themselves. - -There could be little doubt that they had been spied by the preventives. -What was to be done? On the one hand they could not depart, leaving -Tonkin unwarned, to fall into the hands of the revenue officers. On the -other hand, they were in no mood or condition to relish a brush with -dragoons, and it was certainly a dragoon's forage-cap that Nancarrow had -descried. The best course seemed to be to wait; perhaps the revenue -officers would grow weary first. - -Another hour passed. Then the tub-carriers saw the nose of the revenue -cutter appear round the corner of the cliff. The game was up. No run -could be made: the lugger would not put in while the cutter was in -sight; and Nancarrow and his men in sullen rage left their posts and set -off to trudge homeward. - -In a moment Mr. Polwhele was hailed by the lieutenant from the cutter. - -"Ahoy there, Mr. Polwhele!" he shouted. - -The riding-officer left his place of concealment, and moved to the edge -of the cliff, within speaking distance of Mr. Mildmay. - -"Tricked again!" he said, angrily. "My word! Doubledick shall suffer -for this." - -At that moment an unusual sound made them both start. It was like the -distant thud of some object falling on the ground. - -"A gun! Bless my life, Polwhele, what's this?" cried the lieutenant. - -"Goodness knows! A ship in distress, maybe. 'Tis no use waiting here -any longer, so I'll ride back and see." - -"I'll come round in the cutter as quickly as I can. She must have run -on the rocks in the mist. The wind wouldn't cast her ashore--I'll come -round in the cutter." - -Mr. Polwhele hastened back to his men. They, too, had heard the shot. - -"Come, my men, that's a big gun," said the riding-officer. "Smugglers -be hanged! Maybe there's rescue work to do. Soldiers, get your horses; -we'll dash to the village and do our duty. You others, march after us; -there may be work for you, yet." - -The men were thankful for the opportunity of movement, and the prospect -of breakfast. The dragoons raced to their steeds, mounted, and were -soon galloping with Mr. Polwhele towards the village. In a few minutes -they overtook the disconsolate tub-carriers. - -"Aha, you black-faced rascals!" cried Mr. Polwhele as he galloped by, -adding jocularly: "Stir your stumps and come and fight Boney." - -"Not if I knows it," muttered Nancarrow, and forthwith struck inland, -followed by the farm-hands. The fishers, being of sterner stuff, and -taking Mr. Polwhele seriously, hastened their step, thinking of their -wives and children in the village, perhaps at the mercy of the Corsican -Ogre. - -Mr. Polwhele and the dragoons had got half-way to Polkerran when they -were met by the Vicar's messenger to Sir Bevil, and reined up. - -"Pa'son sent me to fetch Sir Bevil and yeomanry, sir," said the man. -"The French hev landed." - -"Good heavens! Is it Boney himself?" cried the riding-officer. - -"No, it be Maister Delarousse from Rusco: he've come and catched Maister -John, and hev shet hisself in the inn." - -"Delarousse, begad! Well, my men, there's a thousand pounds offered for -the capture of that rascally Frenchman. Ride on, then; we'll have the -villain!" - -They galloped on, sparks flying from beneath the horses' hoofs. When -they came to the crest of the high ground overlooking the Towers, they -saw smoke and flame rising from the Dower House, and spurred the faster. -In another minute they spied three figures making their way towards the -Towers. The middle one of the three was a plump, red-faced woman in a -print dress, her bonnet askew, her ribbons flying. On the left she was -supported by a sturdy, thick-set lad, on the right by a slim and comely -maid. Each clasped the woman about the waist, their arms crossing, and -thus assisted her slowly over the ground. The dragoons kissed their -hands gallantly to the maid as they flashed by. - -"All safe at the Towers, Sam?" shouted Mr. Polwhele. - -But Sam at that moment was too self-conscious and abashed to reply. - -Meanwhile the whole population of Polkerran was gathered on the shore of -the harbour, watching the privateer fade away into the distance, and -discussing the extraordinary events of the past hour. Doubledick and -Tonkin were the centre of an excited throng, to whom they had to relate -over again the tale of John Trevanion's iniquities. The Squire and Mr. -Carlyon had withdrawn to the inn-parlour, where they sat conversing over -their pipes and glasses of rum shrub. Some of the children had climbed -the hill to witness the Dower House blazing. Nobody thought of making -an attempt to save the place, which indeed would have been impossible. - -"Well," said Petherick, in the midst of the crowd, "'tis the Lord's -doin', and marvellous in our eyes. But now I axe 'ee, Zacky, where be -yer boy Jake?" - -"What d'ye mean, constable?" asked the fisher. - -"Ah! the neighbours hev been too stirred up in their minds to tell 'ee. -No one hain't seed Jake since Wednesday night, and 'tis the question we -all do axe, whether he be in the land o' the livin' or not." - -"Dear name! Do 'ee tell me?" cried Tonkin. "Bean't he with the -carriers?" - -"Seemingly not," said one of the women. "I seed yer missis cryin' her -eyes out yesterday, neighbour Zacky." - -"Maybe he's took away for a sojer or sailor," suggested Doubledick. "He -wented up-along to pluck mistletoe, so 'tis said, and maybe was pounced -on by some rovin' sergeant on dark lonesome moor." - -At this moment a cheer was heard from the direction of the hill, and -then the ringing clatter of horses' hoofs. A boy ran up. - -"Riding-officer and sojers be comin' down hill," he cried. - -Tonkin darted a glance around. The horsemen were approaching at a -walking pace down the steepest part of the descent. It suddenly flashed -upon him that his lugger had a cargo of contraband on board, which it -behoved him to secure before the riding-officer could lay hands on it. -For the moment his anxiety for Jake was eclipsed. - -"Lunnan Cove an hour after sundown," he whispered to Doubledick, then -slipped away, and ran at headlong speed along the jetty. Four of the -fishermen at the same moment set off with him, but instead of going on -the jetty, they hastened at the double along the beach, following its -curve towards the southern end of the reef. - -All this time the lugger had lain within the reef. Pennycomequick, proud -of his achievement, was waiting until, the excitement on shore having -subsided, he could run her in and draw all eyes to himself. - -On reaching the end of the jetty, Tonkin, one of the very few fishermen -who could swim, dived into the water and swam towards his vessel. -Pennycomequick flung him a rope. He heaved himself on board, secured -one of the smaller boats which the Frenchmen had set adrift, and made it -fast by the painter to the stern of the lugger. Then he hauled up the -anchor, and hoisted sail, apparently with the intention of running in to -the jetty. All his movements were deliberate. - -At this moment Mr. Polwhele reached the inn. A hundred voices shouted -that the Frenchman had got away; then catching sight of the lugger, with -a sudden inspiration he galloped across to the jetty, calling on the -dragoons to follow him. - -"Hi, Tonkin!" he shouted, "I want to have a look at your cargo, my man." - -But Tonkin, as if he had not heard the riding-officer's voice, suddenly -put up the helm and stood away towards the reef. It was ebb tide: the -rugged line of rocks was exposed; and as the lugger came within a few -feet of it, a number of men could be seen jumping from rock to rock, -sometimes wading in the pools between them, in the direction of the -vessel. They were too far away for their features or their gait to be -distinguished, but any one counting them would have found that they were -not four, but five. Tonkin sprang into the boat, rowed to the reef and -took the men off, then returned to the lugger. All the men clambered on -board, the boat was made fast, and the vessel sailed across the bay, but -in a few minutes suddenly brought up again. Once more Tonkin entered -the small boat, this time accompanied by another man. He landed him on -the reef, rowed back to the lugger, and while this threaded the fairway -between the fallen rock and the cliff, the man returned to the shore and -disappeared. - -Mr. Polwhele bit his lips with chagrin, observing a snigger on the faces -of the crowd. Then he rode back to the inn, dismounted, and entered, to -learn the details of the recent events from the Squire, and to give in -his turn particulars of his futile errand at the creek. - -A few minutes later Sir Bevil Portharvan rode down at the head of a -troop of yeomanry. He, too, entered the inn, and Doubledick enjoyed a -brief moment of importance when, at Mr. Carlyon's request, he explained -the relations between Delarousse and John Trevanion. Sir Bevil's ruddy -cheeks turned pale with rage and mortification. - -"Thank God!" he murmured. - -"'Tis indeed a mercy," said the Vicar. "I sympathise with you with all -my heart, Sir Bevil." - -"The scoundrel!" cried the baronet. "Trevanion, I beg your pardon. I -have listened to that villain, and had hard thoughts of you. Good -heavens! he was to have married my daughter." - -"Poor girl!" said the Squire. "I knew my cousin, Sir Bevil. I should -have warned you, only----" - -"Only I was a fool, Trevanion. Your warning would have fallen on deaf -ears; my mind was poisoned against you. Forgive me." - -The two men shook hands, and soon afterwards left the inn with Mr. -Carlyon, the riding-officer remaining behind. - -"Doubledick," he said, when alone with the inn-keeper, "you had better -get away. I've got Jake Tonkin locked up in my house--caught him spying -on you the other night. I can't keep him much longer, and as soon as he -is free your life won't be worth a snap, if I know his father." - -The innkeeper shivered. - -"For mercy sake, sir, hold him until to-morrer mornin'! I'll go away -this very night. Hold him, sir, and I'll tell 'ee wheer Zacky do mean -to run the cargo." - -"A traitor to the last!" cried Mr. Polwhele. "'Tis my duty to the King -to listen to you. Well?" - -"'Tis at Lunnan Cove, sir, an hour after sun-down." - -"Ha! That fellow who ran along the reef is making the arrangements, no -doubt. Well, I'll hold the boy till daylight to-morrow, but not an -instant longer. 'Tis illegal, and they may _habeas corpus_ me. So take -my warning. What about your wife?" - -"She must bide here a little until I hev found a home for her. Zacky -won't hurt a woman. 'Tis a terrible thing to leave the place I've dwelt -in for thirty year." - -"You've only yourself to blame. I wish you no harm, but take my advice: -live straight for the rest of your days. I shan't see you again." - -He left the inn, and rode up the hill to look for the arrival of the -cutter. The Dower House was still blazing, watched by an immense crowd -of villagers, dragoons, yeomanry, and folk from the neighbouring farms, -who had flocked in when they saw the glare. There was at present no -sign of the cutter, and Mr. Polwhele, tired out by his night's vigil, -rode back to his own house, to hoist on his flagstaff a signal to Mr. -Mildmay, and then to have a meal and rest. - -Unlocking the door of the room in which Jake Tonkin had been confined, -he was amazed and alarmed to see that it was no longer occupied. One of -the iron bars across the window had been wrenched away after patient -work in loosening the sockets, and the prisoner had dropped sixteen feet -to the ground. Mr. Polwhele called up his housekeeper, whom he had -forbidden to disclose Jake's whereabouts on pain of dismissal. - -"You knew nothing of this, Mary?" he asked. - -"No, indeed, sir. I neither heard un nor seed un." - -"Well, say nothing about it. I want you to take a note for me at once -to Doubledick at the inn. Put on your bonnet." - -By the time the woman was ready, Mr. Polwhele had scribbled a brief -note. "J. has escaped: don't wait." - -"Be sure and give it to Doubledick himself," he said. - -"Iss, I woll, sir," said the woman. - -An hour afterwards Mr. Mildmay came up to the house. - -"This is the worst slap in the face we have ever had, Polwhele," he -said. "Why on earth didn't you collar Tonkin?" - -"Why didn't you?" retorted the riding-officer angrily. "The cutter is -for chasing luggers, not my horse." - -"Don't fly out at me. We are both in the same hole. The only pleasant -feature in the whole miserable business is that Trevanion will never -freight another cargo." - -"What do you suppose Delarousse will do with him?" - -"Skin him, I should think. What a pair of numskulls we have been about -that plausible scoundrel!" - -"A good riddance to the Squire, too," said the riding-officer. "But the -property is still his, I suppose." - -"Without doubt. The Dower House will be a heap of ashes, but the land -and the mine are still John Trevanion's, for all they were bought with -money villainously come by. However, the miners haven't brought up -enough metal to buy their candles, and as there is no one to pay their -wages, they'll close down again, certainly. By the way, you still have -young Jake, I suppose?" - -"No, confound it all! He escaped this morning. I fancy he must have -been among those fellows who got along the reef to the lugger." - -"Whew! Doubledick had better make himself scarce, then." - -"Yes; I have sent Mary down with a note for him. I had promised him to -keep Jake till to-morrow morning, in return for a piece of information." - -"What! a run after all?" - -"Yes, Tonkin intends to run at Lunnan Cove to-night. We'll not let him -slip this time." - -"By George, no! I shall enjoy my Christmas better if we've dished that -bold fellow. I'll go back to the cutter and turn in for a spell. -You'll arrange with the dragoons?" - -"I will. They're not in the sweetest of tempers, I assure you, and no -wonder. But I told them to go and get a sleep at the inn, and made 'em -swear to keep sober. Mrs. Doubledick won't give them too much to drink, -however; I threatened her with pains and penalties if she did." - -"Have a thimbleful before you go, Mildmay. We'll drink to success at -Lunnan Cove." - -Mr. Polwhele's housekeeper set out with the firm intention of carrying -the note straight to Doubledick. But the sight of the blazing mansion -was too much for her resolution; so magnificent a spectacle had never -been seen at Polkerran before. When she reached the bridge, instead of -turning to the left towards the inn, she went straight along the road, -intending to watch the fire at close quarters for a little while, and -call on Doubledick on the way back. She had put the note into her -pocket. - -On arriving near the Dower House, she met several acquaintances among -the crowd, and walked with them round to the north side of the blaze, to -avoid the smoke and sparks blown by the north-east wind. The wind had -been increasing in force since the early morning, and blew the women's -skirts about as they stood with their backs to it. - -"Mind yer bonnet, my dear," said one of them to the housekeeper. "Ye -wouldn't like to see it blowed into the bonfire, that I'm sure of." - -"Bonnet-strings be poor useless things in a wind like this," said -another. "I'll tie my handkercher over my head, and I reckon ye'd -better do the same, my dear." - -"Iss, I think," said the housekeeper, drawing her handkerchief from her -pocket. - -With it came a fluttering scrap of paper. She clutched at it, but a -gust of wind caught it, and swept it along into the midst of the glowing -building. - -"Drat it all!" she cried with vexation. - -"'Tis to be hoped 'twas not vallyble, my dear," said one of her friends. - -"If 'tis a love-letter," said another, "and ye can't hold the man to his -promise, 'twill be a gashly misfortune, to be sure, though maybe he's a -poor slack-twisted feller as ye'll be glad to be rid of." - -"No, 'tis not that," said the housekeeper. - -"Well, ye needn't werrit, if 'tis a bill for yer maister's goods. Bills -come over again, 'nation take 'em." - -But the housekeeper gave nothing to the probings of neighbourly -curiosity. Afraid to meet her master lest he should question her, she -remained for several hours in the village, taking care not to return -home until she learnt from a small boy that Mr. Polwhele had been seen -riding inland towards Redruth among the dragoons. - -Doubledick was on tenter-hooks all that day. His customers noticed how -pale he was, and commiserated him on being "took bad" the day before -Christmas. He jumped at the entrance of every new-comer. A great part -of the day he spent in the seclusion of his cellar, gathering together a -few valuables, which he placed along with his hoarded money in two stout -bags. As evening drew on he became more and more restless and -irritable, and gave short answers to his customers, wishing with all his -heart that he could close his door. He dared not leave the village in -daylight, for so many people were about, discussing the incidents of the -morning, that he could hardly have escaped without being seen by some -one. Never in all his smuggling ventures did he long for darkness as he -longed for it to-day. - -About six o'clock a lad ran into the inn with the news that a flare had -been seen towards Lunnan Cove. It was the time when Tonkin had arranged -to make the run, and Doubledick took the flare as a signal from the -riding-officer to Mr. Mildmay on the cutter. The customers poured out -of the inn, in anticipation of more excitement before they retired to -rest. - - -Meanwhile there had been interesting doings at the Towers. When the -Squire, with Tonkin's party, pursued the Frenchmen down the hill, Sam -Pollex slipped away and ran with all his might to the Dower House, where -the alarm bell was clanging, while smoke poured from the lower windows. -He dashed into the house, found the cook in hysterics in the kitchen, -and receiving no answer from her when he demanded where Maidy Susan was, -hunted through all the floors until at last he discovered her in an -attic, tugging frantically at the bell-rope. - -"Oh, maidy," he said, "come wi' me, or you'll be smothered in the -burnin' fiery furnace. Yer maister be took; come, maidy, please." - -He removed the rope from the girl's hands, put his arm about her, and -led her quickly down the stairs. - -"Where be Cook?" she cried, gasping, half suffocated by the rolling -smoke. - -"In kitchen, hollerin' and screamin'," replied Sam. - -"Oh! poor thing, we can't leave her. Come, Sam, quick." - -They ran into the kitchen, and while Susan tried to calm the frenzied -woman, Sam took down her bonnet from its peg, and set it, hind part -before, on her head. Then they lifted her, and led her out into the -open air. - -"Wherever shall we go?" said Susan. "I declare, I've left all my things -behind; I must go back for them." - -"Never in life!" said Sam. "I can't hold this great big female up -wi'out 'ee. You must come home-along wi' me. Mistress will take 'ee -in: she do hev a kind heart." - -Thus it happened that when Dick reached home in company with the Vicar, -Sam met him at the door with a face like the rising sun, and whispered: - -"She've come, Maister Dick!" - -"Who has come?" asked Dick. - -"Maidy Susan, to be sure. Mistress hev right-down took to her, I do -believe. Cook be here, too, and Feyther do look tarrible low in the -sperits, 'cos she told un he'd no more idee than a chiel o' three how to -stir up a figgy pudden." - -When Dick joined his parents, he found them discussing the future of the -two women with Mr. Carlyon. - -"We can't afford to keep them, you know, Vicar," said Mrs. Trevanion. -"The girl seems a pleasant, handy young thing, and I should like her -about the house much better than young Sam; but----" - -"Exactly," said the Vicar. "Well now, 'tis Christmas Eve. Shall we -forget all our troubles, and get our souls in tune for to-morrow? One -thing makes for peace, and that is the disappearance of John Trevanion, -to whom I trace all the unneighbourly feeling between the village and -you." - -Thus the matter was left. After the Vicar had drunk a dish of tea, he -walked back in Dick's company to the Parsonage, his horse having not yet -been returned to him. - -When Mr. Polwhele and the dragoons were seen riding in the direction of -Redruth, they were really proceeding to a sheltered spot on the coast -whence they could watch for the flare which was to signal the approach -of the _Isaac and Jacob_ to Lunnan Cove. Mr. Mildmay's cutter was -lurking behind a headland not far away. As soon as the blue light was -seen, the riding-officer galloped to the spot, and saw, a little -distance out at sea, a dark shape, which from its size he knew to be the -lugger. Igniting another blue light, he was surprised to find that the -vessel was making no effort to escape, nor was there the bustle on board -that might have been expected. There were no tub-carriers in sight; no -doubt, thought he, they had scattered on seeing the flare. He reined up -on the beach, and waited for the cutter to appear. - -In a few minutes he heard Mr. Mildmay hail the lugger, and by the aid of -another light he saw the cutter run alongside, and a rummaging crew -spring aboard the _Isaac and Jacob_, without opposition. Lamps were lit -on deck, and the figures of the lieutenant's men could be seen -descending into the hold. Immediately afterwards there was a burst of -rough laughter, mingled with a volley of curses; the sailors emerged -from the hatchway one by one, and Mr. Mildmay's quarter-deck voice was -heard abusing something or somebody. Then he and his men returned to -the cutter, which headed for the shore, while the lugger set her sails -and stood out towards the harbour. - -"Fooled again, Polwhele!" cried the lieutenant, when he came within -hailing distance. "The hold is empty, and Jake Tonkin, young Pendry, -Pennycomequick, and half a dozen more are grinning their heads off." - -"Confusion seize 'em!" exclaimed Mr. Polwhele. "I see it! That rascal -has betrayed us, in the hope of redeeming himself with Tonkin. Well, we -deserve it for joining in with such a scoundrel. Depend upon it, they've -made their run somewhere else, and are laughing in their sleeves." - -The crestfallen officer dismissed the dragoons, who were chuckling at -his discomfiture, and rode home. - - -When Jake Tonkin escaped from Mr. Polwhele's house, he took the shortest -cut over the cliffs to the harbour, and reached the shore just as the -four men were running to gain the lugger by way of the reef. He joined -them, and on meeting his father told him in a few words about -Doubledick's treachery. Tonkin immediately sent a man back to -countermand the order to await him at Lunnan Cove, and to arrange -secretly with the tub-carriers to assemble at the spot previously -chosen, the creek five miles to the north. He had then run out to sea, -and, taking advantage of the mist, made a circuit that brought him -astern of the cutter, which was then returning to the harbour. He sunk -his cargo near the mouth of the creek, stepped with one man into the -small boat he had taken in tow, and sent the rest out to sea again in -the lugger, instructing them to make for Lunnan Cove at the appointed -time. - -Consequently, at the moment when the officers were condoling with each -other, Tonkin and his man were rowing into the creek, towards a large -body of tub-carriers gathered on the shore. The boat moved very slowly, -and a light thrown on the scene would have revealed, attached to its -stern, a rope on which the first of a line of tubs was bobbing up and -down. When it came within a few yards of the waiting men, half a dozen -of them waded out and drew it high on the beach. The rope was then -hauled in, scarcely a word being spoken, and in less than ten minutes -thirty men, each carrying two tubs slung across his shoulders, were -trudging to their appointed destinations. - -Tonkin was alone. As soon as the men had disappeared, he removed a plug -from the bottom of the boat, and pushed it towards the middle of the -stream, where it sank in eight feet of water. Then he set off with long -strides towards the village. His business was accomplished: now he -could deal with Doubledick. - -A few minutes after the flare had been announced in the inn, Doubledick, -left alone for a moment, let himself down into the cellar. Not even his -wife knew of his design. He slipped on a pair of goloshes, took up two -heavy and cumbersome sacks, slung them over his shoulders, and hurried -through the secret passage, which opened half-way up the narrow-stepped -lane. The night was very dark; there was a blind wall on each side of -the lane; and no one saw the laden man as he crept stealthily up the -steps. Soon he came to a similar passage at right angles to the other, -leading down to the bank of the stream. He turned into this, went more -quickly to the bottom, and then trudged along among the rushes in the -direction of the bridge. - -Coming to that point, he did not ascend by the steps that led to the -road, but passed under the arches and continued his way along the -stream. When he had walked about a quarter of a mile, he paused for a -minute or two to take breath, then laboriously climbed up the steep bank -with the assistance of bushes and saplings, and came panting to the top. -He was now within a few yards of the path that led past the Parsonage -across the moor, and joined the Truro road after a winding course of -nearly a mile. At this hour of the evening he had no doubt that the -Vicar would be in his study, and his small household engaged in -preparations for the morrow. - -Doubledick had gone only a short distance, however, along the path, when -he caught sight of a figure coming in the other direction. Instantly he -stepped on to the grass on the left, and picked his way as carefully as -he could in the darkness over the rough ground and among the furze -bushes. He dared not turn his head. The merest glimpse of a pedestrian -was enough to set him quaking; nor had he the courage now to make his -way back to the path. Having met one person he might meet another. In -his state of panic-fear he saw in every dark bush a man lying in wait -for him, and the thought of tramping for miles over this desolate moor -filled him with terror. There was another way to Truro, by the -high-road running past the Towers to the cross-road from Newquay. In a -few minutes, therefore, he turned again to the left, and struck across -the uneven ground towards a point about midway between the Dower House -and the Towers. Dark as the night was, he would at least see the road -and fare more easily upon it. Passers were rare at this hour, and he -hoped, if he should chance to meet any one, to catch sight of him in -time to slip aside on to the dark moorland. - -As he came to the road, he threw a glance to the left, where the ruins -of the Dower House were smouldering, sparks now and then flying -southward on the wind. The sight awoke no reflections, regrets, -remorse, in his soul. He was obsessed by anxiety for his own safety. - -Dick, having accompanied Mr. Carlyon to the Parsonage, remained there -for an hour or two, talking over the strange events of the day, and then -started homeward along the path that would bring him to the bridge. He -noticed a man, bowed beneath a load, turn aside on to the moor, and -chuckled at the thought that perhaps the smugglers had made their run -after all, and this was one of the tub-carriers conveying his precious -load to an expectant farmer. Well, it was no business of his. He went -on until he came to the road, turned to the right, sniffing as the wind -brought pungent smoke to his nostrils, and when he came opposite to the -Dower House, which the spectators had now deserted, halted for a few -moments to contemplate the empty shell, momentarily lit up as a gust -stirred the embers. It was little more than three months since John -Trevanion entered into possession. How swiftly retribution had -overtaken him for the ill that he had done! In the short space of an -hour his prosperity had vanished like the smoke from his burning house, -and he was gone to pay the penalty, Dick could not doubt, for the fraud -and trickery of years. - -Turning away from the smoking ruins, Dick pursued his homeward way. A -few minutes later he was surprised to see, stepping into the road from -the unfenced moorland, the same figure as he had seen twenty minutes -before going in the contrary direction. The man had come from the -village; why then had he chosen so roundabout a route? His curiosity -thoroughly aroused, Dick hurried on after the lumbering figure, -expecting to overtake it before it reached the Towers. He was struck by -the strange fact that while his own footsteps rang on the hard surface -of the road, he heard nothing of the movements of the man in front, -though the wind was blowing towards him. Fast as he walked, the -distance between them did not appear to lessen. He was convinced now -that the man was a smuggler, hurrying to avoid observation. He -slackened his pace; it was not worth while chasing the man, even to -discover his identity. To-morrow was Christmas; he was going to sell -his burden, so that he might have the wherewithal to make merry on the -festive day. - -The man had just passed the gate leading to the Towers. In less than a -minute Dick would turn into the drive and lose sight of him. But -suddenly there was a dull thud behind, and a glare momentarily lit up -the sky. A portion of the masonry of the Dower House had fallen into -the smouldering mass below, and stirred a fitful flame. Immediately -afterwards he heard a hoarse cry in front, then a sound of scrambling, -of snapping twigs, of heavy footsteps in the field on the other side of -the hedge in the direction of St. Cuby's Well. Dick knew that there was -a gap a few yards beyond the gate; he raced on, forced his way through, -and sprinted after the retreating footsteps. Coming on to higher -ground, he was able to see, in the dim diffused light thrown by the -flickering flames behind, two figures, separated by a short interval, -rushing towards the well. One minute they were visible; the next, where -the ground dipped, they disappeared into pitchy darkness. - -Dick saw that the second figure was steadily gaining on the first. -Leaving the zigzag course that had been traced by the smugglers, and was -now followed by the fugitive, the pursuer ran in a more direct line for -the well. The former, perceiving with the instinct of a hunted animal -that he was being headed off, and could not reach the haven of the -ruined chapel, towards which he was hurrying, without encountering the -other, suddenly swerved to the left in the direction of the cliff. He -was followed instantly by the second man, who now seemed to leap after -him like a wild animal after its prey. In a few moments, just as they -came to the brink of the cliff, the two men closed. Running towards -them at headlong speed, Dick heard a furious cry, a scream of terror, -and saw one of the men lifted from his feet above the head of the other. -But before the captor could summon his strength for the effort of -hurling the captive over the edge of the cliff, Dick flung himself -forward, caught the victim's feet, and tugged him violently back. A -savage oath broke from the other man's lips. He staggered backward, and -attempting to recover his footing, let his burden drop with a dull thud -and a jingling crash to the ground. - -"Tonkin!" cried Dick, "what are you doing?" - -"Out of my way!" shouted the man, throwing himself upon the prostrate -figure, from which there came a piteous squeal for mercy. - -Dick tried to drag the smuggler from his victim, but he might as readily -have moved an oak. - -"Tonkin, I say!" he cried in agitation, "for God's sake get up. Would -you commit murder, like the murderer at the well? Think! Calm -yourself! 'Tis Christmas Eve." - -A terrible scream rent the air. Dick caught Tonkin by the collar and -exerted all his strength to pull him from the fallen body. Finding this -useless, he flung himself on the ground beside him, and tried to loosen -his grip on the man's throat. He was in despair, when he heard a shout -near at hand, and the next moment Penwarden rushed to the spot, carrying -a lantern. - -"'Tis you, Zacky Tonkin!" he cried. "Get on your feet, or I don't care -who the man is, I'll arrest 'ee in the King's name." - -The light of the lantern fell on the distorted face beneath him, and for -the first time Dick saw that the victim was Doubledick. - -"Think of yer wife and boy," said Penwarden. "Shall they lose 'ee for -such as he?" - -Tonkin's first frenzy of rage had spent itself. He slowly rose to his -feet, leaving the innkeeper gasping, half-throttled. - -There was silence for a space. Dick and Penwarden were held spellbound -by the expression upon Tonkin's strong, rugged face. He stood like a -statue, gazing down upon the huddled figure of Doubledick. Then he -turned. - -"You see that man!" he said, in a voice surcharged with emotion. "He -was my friend. I trusted him. He and I hev worked together this many -year, fair and foul, winter and summer. And now I know him for what he -is, a spy, an informer, that takes money for betrayin' his true mates. -Ay, and when things came to nought, he said 'twas my own son that split -on us. Look 'ee see! He carr's his wages wi' un, afeard o' the face of -an honest man. Worm that he is, let him crawl his way to everlastin' -bonfire; but no price o' blood shall he take along, nor no one else -shall touch it for evermore." - -He stooped, wrenched the bags from the rope, which snapped in his mighty -hands like thread, and, lifting each high above his head, hurled it far -out into the sea. Then, turning on his heel, he strode away, and was -swallowed up in the black night. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH - - Peace and Goodwill - - -"A merry Christmas!" cried Dick, going into his parents' bedroom early -in the morning. - -"Thank'ee, my boy," said the Squire. "'Twill be the last Christmas we -shall spend within these walls, so we will be as merry as we can.... -Bless my life! Who is that singing?" - -Through the open door came the sound of a clear young voice: - - "I saw three ships come sailin' in - On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; - I saw three ships come sailin' in - On Christmas Day in the mornin'." - - -"'Tis Susan, sir, no doubt," replied Dick. - -"Dear me, I had forgotten the maid. Well, 'tis a sweet voice. She is -merry enough, poor soul." - -"A very nice girl," said Mrs. Trevanion. "Listen!" - - "And what was in those ships all three, - On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day? - And what was in those ships----" - - -The singing was interrupted by a rippling peal of laughter. - -"Oh, Sam, you'll be the death o' me!" said Maidy Susan. "If you could -only see the face of 'ee." - -"What be purticler about the face o' me?" asked Sam. - -"Oh, I can't tell 'ee, only it do make me smile. What was ye thinkin' -of?" - -"Why, I was wishin' one o' they ships was Maister's--his ship come home, -as folks do say." - -"Silly boy! 'Twas thousands o' years ago: - - "And what was in those ships all three, - On Christmas Day in the mornin'?" - - -"Well, I never heerd that psalm afore. Troll it over to Pendry afore -church; he've got a wonderful ear, and if ye sing it twice he'll play it -on his fiddle bang through wi'out stoppin'. Maybe Pa'son will command -us to sing it instead of 'Aaron's Beard' or 'Now Isr'el say.'" - -"I can't go to church, Sam. I must stay and help Cook." - -"No; be-jowned if 'ee do. Old Feyther be man enough to help Cook, wi' -sech a little small pudden and all. If we'd only knowed ye were comin' -we'd ha' made it bigger, cost what it might. But you shall have my -share, Maidy, so don't be cast down in yer soul." - -"Bless the boy! Do 'ee think I can't live wi'out pudden?" - -"Well, then, if that be yer mind, I'll eat the pudden, and you hev two -servings o' pig--but not too much apple sauce, Maidy." - -"Good now! You do talk and talk, and there's the boots to clean and the -cloth to lay. We'll never be done. Be off with 'ee." - -The voices ceased. - -"A very nice girl," repeated Mrs. Trevanion with a sigh. "I wish we -could keep her. She would have a good influence on Sam, who is inclined -to be idle." - -Dick smiled. - -"When my ship comes home, my dear," said the Squire. "Upon my word, -'tis cheering to hear a song in the morning, and the sun shining, too. -I think the fire yesterday has burnt some of my melancholy away." - -After breakfast they walked over to the church. The people assembled in -the churchyard bobbed and curtsied as the party from the Towers passed -up the path, and wished them a merry Christmas, a sign of renewed -friendliness which made the Squire glow with pleasure. There was a -large congregation, and everybody expected that the Vicar would preach a -sermon bearing on the events of the previous day. He had indeed looked -out two old discourses, one on the text, "The wages of sin is death," -the other on "The ways of transgressors are hard"; but he replaced them -in his drawer, and selected a third, on the verse, "Peace on earth, -goodwill towards men." - -"I won't spoil the day for them," he said to himself; "but they shall -not get off; they shall have something warming next Sunday." The worthy -man did not foresee that next Sunday the church would be half empty, the -people having concluded that he had found the iniquities of John -Trevanion an unprofitable theme. - -After church the young folks trooped into the barn, where a Christmas -dinner had been spread for them, and the men flocked down to the -village, to spend an hour while their wives prepared the meal. For the -first time in the history of the parish they passed by the open door of -the Five Pilchards and made their way to the Three Jolly Mariners, to -the delight of the innkeeper and the amazement of its few _habitus_. - -In the afternoon someone suggested that they should row out to the -fairway to see the rock which Dick had thrown down. The oldsters, after -their Christmas dinner, were disinclined to move; but Jake Tonkin, Ike -Pendry, and others of the younger generation hailed the opportunity of -stretching their legs, and a procession of boats rowed out to the spot. -The sun, by this time creeping to the west, lit up the face of the cliff -with a ruddy gleam, and a young miner, perched on the top of the rock, -called the attention of the others to the appearance of curious streaks -on the rugged surface of the promontory, where the falling rock had -struck off fragments as it bounded down. - -"They look uncommon like silver," said he. - -"'Tis the deceivin' sun," said Jake Tonkin. "Theer bean't neither silver -nor tin worth delvin' for hereabouts." - -"Maybe, but I be goin' to see," said the miner. "Gie me that boat-hook, -my sonny." - -He got into a boat, and was rowed to the base of the cliff, whence he -climbed with careful step. The others watched him with more interest in -his feat than in the object of it. On reaching one of the longest of -the streaks he hacked at the rock with the hook, then suddenly looked -round, and cried-- - -"Daze me, my sonnies, if it bean't as good silver tin ore as ever I -seed. There's riches here, take my word for't." - -"Be-jowned if I bean't fust to tell Squire," cried Jake Tonkin, -instantly pulling his boat round and making for the shore. The others -followed him, deaf to the entreaties of the miner to come back and take -him off. Half-a-dozen boats raced madly to the beach; a score of youths -sprang out, dashed through the village, up the hill, and along the high -road. One, thinking to gain an advantage over the rest, tried to leap -one of John Trevanion's fences, and fell headlong to the ground, his -competitors shouting with laughter, none attempting to emulate him. - -Jabez Mail, the son of Simon, arrived first at the Towers, but Ike -Pendry, only a yard behind, caught him by the tail of his Sunday coat, -and while the two were wrestling, Jake Tonkin slipped past them and -rushed into the house without knocking. Remembering the situation of -the Squire's room from his last visit, he ran straight to it, followed -by a dozen others, some entering with him, others crowding at the door. - -Within the room sat the Squire and Dick, with the Vicar, Mr. Mildmay, -and Mr. Polwhele, smoking before a huge log fire. They had started up -at the sound of heavy boots clattering along the passage, and stood in -amazement as the young fishers, red and blown with running, clumped in. - -"What do you mean by this?" exclaimed the Squire testily. "D'you think -this is an inn?" - -Jake, the foremost, was at once overcome by his habitual sheepishness, -and stood as though glued to the floor, twisting his hat between his -hands, and grinning vacantly. Ike Pendry thrust him aside. - -"Please, sir, I be come----" he began. - -"Scrounch 'ee, I was fust!" cried Jake, suddenly recovering his speech, -and sticking his elbow into Ike's ribs. - -"Now, now," said Mr. Carlyon severely, "this is very unmannerly -behaviour. What do you mean by it?" - -"Please, yer reverence," said Ike, "theer be great and noble riches -down-along at Beal. We be come with all our legs to tell Squire." - -"I was fust," added Jake. - -"You're a liard," said young Mail, thrusting his way to the front. "I -was fust, only Ike Pendry catched me by the tail o' my coat, which he -couldn' ha' done if 'twere a common day." - -"Well, then, Jabez," said the Vicar, "as you seem to have best command -of your breath, perhaps you will tell us the meaning of these antics." - -"Iss, fay, that I woll," said the lad. "We pulled out to the Beal, to -see wi' our own eyes the rock as Maister Dick tumbled down, and Tim -Solly, the miner, says, says he, 'Be-jowned, my sonnies, if it bean't -the noblest silver tin as ever I seed.' 'Twas the rock, yer reverence, -and genelum all, had strook away the ground as covered it, and theer -'tis, bidin' to be dug out." - -The Squire's face, as he listened to this, flushed and paled by turns. - -"This is most extraordinary," said the Vicar. "I think we had better -all go down to the Beal and see for ourselves." - -"We will," said Mr. Polwhele. "Come along, Squire." - -"'Tis pure fancy," murmured the Squire. "The ore would have been -discovered long ago if it existed. My old mine comes within a few yards -of the Beal." - -"We can but see," said Mr. Mildmay. "Let us go at once, before the sun -is down." - -They hurried forth, the messengers following, Sam being now among them. -As they went, the crowd was increased by many more of the villagers, who -had poured out of their houses when they heard of the stampede. In a -few minutes they reached the Beal, at the spot where the fallen rock had -stood. - -"Hi!" shouted a voice from below; "up or down, I don't care which it be, -but I can't bide here all the cold night." - -"Don't 'ee werrit, my son," said Tonkin, who had joined the throng. -"Fling up a mossel o' that shinin' rock they tell about." - -"Mind yer head, then, my dear, or 'twill hurt 'ee." - -Up came a jagged knob of rock, which Tonkin deftly caught and handed to -the Squire. A breathless silence fell on the crowd as he turned it over -in his trembling hands. He passed it to Mr. Polwhele, and he in turn to -the foreman of Trevanion's mine, who stood by. - -"'Tis tin ore, gentlemen, without doubt," he said, "and, I think, very -rich in metal. You will do well, sir, to bring an assayer to test it." - -His words were received with a joyous shout. Caps were flung into the -air; a hundred lusty throats roared cheers for the Squire. Mr. Carlyon -grasped his old friend's hand. - -"'Hold fast the rock by the western sea!'" he said. "Wonderful! -Wonderful!" - -"Let us keep our heads," said the Squire. "It may be a false hope." - -"Hi!" shouted the miner. "When be I a-comin' up-along?" - -"Never, my son," cried Tonkin. "We can't heave 'ee up wi'out doin' a -deal o' damage to yer mortal frame. Bide quiet, and we'll fetch 'ee in -a boat." - -"I'll never disbelieve in witches again," said the Vicar. "Dick! Where -is the boy? 'Twas an inspiration--upon my word it was." - -Dick was not to be found. He was running like a deer to tell his mother -the great news. Sam followed, hopelessly outstripped, eager to pour the -story into the ears of Maidy Susan. The Squire and his friends returned -more slowly to the house, and the people, giving him a parting cheer, -hurried to the village. - -When a mixed crowd of fishers, farmers, and miners entered the taproom -of the Three Jolly Mariners, they found Joe Penwarden comfortably -settled in the place nearest the fire. As an excise-man, he had never -frequented the smugglers' haunt at the Five Pilchards, but occasionally -dropped in for a glass at the other inn. Observing Tonkin, Pendry, and -a dozen more free-traders among the newcomers, he shook the ashes out of -his church-warden, gulped down his grog, and rose to go. It was against -the rules of the service to consort with smugglers, known or suspected. - -"Bide where ye be, Maister," said Tonkin, heartily. "'Tis peace and -goodwill to-day, and though some may hate 'ee like a toad o' common -days, we'll treat 'ee like a true Christian to-day; what do 'ee say, -neighbours all?" - -"Ay, Maister," said Pendry, "set 'ee down and hark to the noble history -we've got to tell 'ee. 'Tis rum-hot all round--eh, souls?" - -They pressed Penwarden into his chair, and, all speaking together, -poured into his ears the story of the great discovery. - -"Well," he said presently, "'tis the noblest Christmas box as ever man -got in this weary world." - -"Iss, sure," said Petherick, adding in his ecclesiastical manner, "'Tis -'My soul doth magnify' for Squire and parish too, I don't care who the -man is." - -"True," said Penwarden, "and little small fellers like we must gie them -above the credit o't. Theer be doin's in high parts as we cannot make -head or tail of. Squire's cousin comes here, a right-down villain, -a-deceivin' high and low from Sir Bevil himself down to small fry like -'ee." - -"That no man can deny," said Tonkin. - -"And yet," pursued Penwarden, enjoying his unaccustomed _rle_ as -oracle,--"and yet, if he hadn' a-come, theer'd 'a been no Frenchy poking -his nose in Polkerran, and no call for Maister Dick to shift a stone -that has held to the same moorings maybe since the beginnin' o' the -world. Ay, the Almighty do say a word sometimes to us miserable worms." - -The old man's solemnity caused a hush to fall on the assembly. For some -moments no one spoke. The room filled with clouds of smoke. Then -Penwarden took his pipe from his mouth, and, in a different tone, said: -"It minds me o' Lord Admiral Rodney." - -"What do mind 'ee of him, Maister?" asked Simon Mail, whose arm was in a -sling. - -"Why, a high person speakin' to a low. Did 'ee never hear how the Lord -Admiral once upon a time spoke special to me?" - -"Never in life, Maister," said Mail. "Spet out the story for the good -of us all." - -"Well, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe. Theer was I, takin' a spell ashore, and -cruisin' about: ah! I had a good figurehead in them gay young days. -Daze me if Lord Admiral Rodney didn' run athwart my course, convoying -two spankin' fine craft in the shape of females. The sight took the -wind out o' my sails, I assure 'ee, and I fell becalmed full in the -fairway, as ye med say. 'Get out o' my way, you cross-eyed son of a -sea-cook,' says the Lord Admiral, and the two handsome females laughed -like waves dancin' in the sun. 'Twas a wonderful honour for a great -man-o'-war like Lord Admiral Rodney to speak to a humble and lowly -feller like me." - -"'Twas a gashly scornful name to call 'ee, I b'lieve," said -Pennycomequick, the village wet-blanket. - -"Ah! but you should ha' heerd what he called the swabbers aboard," -replied Penwarden, lighting another pipe. - - -The result of the assayer's tests was more satisfactory than the most -sanguine had dared to anticipate. The ore was particularly rich in -metal, and the lode appeared to extend through the lower part of the -Beal seaward. A careful examination of the ground explained the reason -why the discovery had not been made earlier. Between the old mine and -the new lode extended several yards of granite, by what is known in -geology as a "fault." - -When the assayer declared that in all probability the tin-bearing -stratum stretched for thousands of yards under the sea, the question to -be debated was whether the Squire should sell the land, or attempt to -work it himself. There was little doubt as to what his decision would -be. His long-vanished ideas of restoring the fortunes of his family -returned with double force, and it scarcely needed the persuasiveness of -Mr. Carlyon and Dick to fix his determination. The ground having been -thoroughly surveyed, his new lawyer in Truro had no difficulty in -negotiating a loan which furnished him with enough capital to start -working. Plant was soon on the spot, miners were engaged, and within a -few months the yield was sufficient to pay the interest on the loan, a -portion of the capital sum, and a contribution towards the increased -expenditure at the Towers. Now that the tide had turned towards -prosperity, the Squire put in hand the repairs long needed there, and -Mrs. Trevanion decided to retain Cook and Maidy Susan in her employment. - -The question of Dick's future came up. Mr. Carlyon urged that he should -continue his studies and go to Oxford; but Dick's inclination was for a -more strenuously active life. He worked for a time as a common miner in -order to learn the details of the trade, visited other mines to widen -his knowledge, and ultimately became his father's manager, in which -capacity he showed a genius for organisation and the control of men. - -Sam Pollex, basking in the continual sunshine of Maidy Susan's smile, -became the Squire's gardener, and was very proud of the results of his -handiwork. He grew a few inches, and by the time he was twenty stood a -little higher than Susan's shoulder. Convinced that he would grow no -more, he asked her to marry him, pointing out that though she was older -in years, he was older in knowledge: that she looked younger than she -was, and he older. They made a match of it, Susan's wedding dress being -fashioned out of a blue silk recovered from the cave. - -A month or two after the day of the great discovery, the Collector at -Plymouth paid a visit to Polkerran, and decided that Penwarden was too -old for his post. This gave deep offence to the old man. "Too old, be -I?" said he; "we'll see about that." The Squire offered him the post of -overseer at his new mine, which he accepted. His indignation at the -slight put upon him in the King's name scarcely diminished with the -lapse of time, and a village tradition asserts that, during the next ten -years, the smuggler who caused the most trouble and annoyance to the -revenue officers was Joe Penwarden, once exciseman. But no one who knew -the old man's strong sense of duty, and had heard him speak of his -service under Admiral Rodney, could ever believe that the actions of his -later life so far belied his principles. - -About six months after John Trevanion's disappearance, a billposter came -from Truro and posted notices on the fences of the desolate grounds of -the Dower House, and Petherick, as village crier, rang his bell and -proclaimed the approaching sale of "all that messuage and tenement," et -cetera. It was already known, through the resumption of business -relations between Tonkin and Delarousse, that the latter had thrown -Trevanion into prison, and lodged a claim against him for the -restitution of large sums of money which he had obtained by a systematic -course of fraud. When the day of the sale came, it was remarked that -none of the neighbouring land-owners put in an appearance except Squire -Trevanion. Sir Bevil Portharvan had, in fact, personally persuaded his -friends to absent themselves, and leave the bidding to the Squire. As -is generally the case with forced sales, the bids were low, and the -estate was knocked down to Mr. Trevanion of the Towers, at a -ridiculously small figure. The proceeds of the sale did not suffice to -clear John Trevanion, who remained in prison until his death of fever a -year later. The Squire told Mr. Carlyon that as soon as Dick set about -seeking a wife, he would rebuild the Dower House. But Dick did not -marry until after his father's death, sixteen years later, and the site -of the Dower House was then a picturesque ruin. - -Doubledick was never again seen in Polkerran, nor was anything directly -heard of him by his former associates. The inn lost all its customers, -who transferred their favours to the Three Jolly Mariners. In three -months, Mrs. Doubledick was on the brink of ruin, and one day she -mounted the carrier's cart, with a few bundles, and departed, no one -knew whither. - -Some few years afterwards, the landlord of a low public-house in the -precinct of Whitefriars, London--a haunt of thieves, coiners, and other -bad characters--was discovered in an alley behind the house, dead, with -a bullet-wound in his temple. He went by the name of Brown, and was -believed to be a West-countryman. It was rumoured that his murderer was -one of a gang whom he had betrayed to the police. No one came forward to -claim relationship with him, and he was buried by the parish. - -For many years rare visitors to the village wondered at a dilapidated -building that stood near the jetty, its windows broken, its door -blistered by the sun, the fragment of a signboard creaking on a rusty -pole whenever the wind blew in from the sea--a mournful symbol of -neglect and decay. If any stranger was curious enough to inquire into -the history of this unpicturesque ruin, he would always find a small boy -ready to conduct him to the house of one of the Tonkins, who related, -with the exactitude of personal knowledge, the lamentable story of -Doubledick the informer. - - - - - BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO. LD., PRINTERS, LONDON AND TONBRIDGE. - - - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - STORIES BY HERBERT STRANG - - UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME - - -"The best of living writers for boys."--_Manchester Guardian_. - -"The majority of writers of boys' books are content to provide their -young friends with mere reading. Herbert Strang offers them -literature."--_Glasgow Herald_. - - -HUMPHREY BOLD: His Chances and Mischances by Land and Sea. A Story of -the Time of Benbow - -"Mr. Strang's work is astonishingly vivid and alive, and he imparts his -varied and wide knowledge with the easy mastery of an -artist."--_Publishers' Circular_. - - -ROB THE RANGER: a Story of the Fight for Canada. - -"A stirring story of the Fight for Canada, bringing into relief the -romantic side of the great struggle, and showing the author's keen -observation, rapid and lucid narration, and clever construction at their -best."--_Educational Times_. - - -ONE OF CLIVE'S HEROES: a Story of the Fight for India. - -"An absorbing story ... The narrative not only thrills, but also weaves -skilfully out of fact and fiction a clear impression of our fierce -struggle for India."--_Athenum_. - - -PALM TREE ISLAND: a Story of the South Seas. - -"For desperate daring and resourceful ingenuity Harry Brent and Billy -Bobbin will be hard to beat, and many will be the boy who finds this -story of their trip to the South Seas full of fascination and -interest."--_Army and Navy Gazette_. - - - *PRICE SIX SHILLINGS EACH* - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF DICK TREVANION -*** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39800 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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-
-.. meta::
- :PG.Id: 39800
- :PG.Title: The Adventures of Dick Trevanion
- :PG.Released: 2013-06-01
- :PG.Rights: Public Domain
- :PG.Producer: Al Haines
- :DC.Creator: Herbert Strang
- :MARCREL.ill: W. Rainey
- :DC.Title: The Adventures of Dick Trevanion
- A Story of Eighteen Hundred and Four
- :DC.Language: en
- :DC.Created: 1911
- :coverpage: images/img-cover.jpg
-
-================================
-THE ADVENTURES OF DICK TREVANION
-================================
-
-.. clearpage::
-
-.. pgheader::
-
-.. container:: coverpage
-
- .. vspace:: 3
-
- .. _`Cover`:
-
- .. figure:: images/img-cover.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: Cover
-
- Cover
-
- .. vspace:: 4
-
-.. container:: frontispiece
-
- .. _`"THERE LOOMED OUT OF THE MIST A THREE-MASTED VESSEL"`:
-
- .. figure:: images/img-front.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: "THERE LOOMED OUT OF THE MIST A THREE-MASTED VESSEL." (*See page* 175.)
-
- "THERE LOOMED OUT OF THE MIST A THREE-MASTED VESSEL." (*See page* `175`_.)
-
- .. vspace:: 4
-
-.. container:: titlepage center white-space-pre-line
-
- .. class:: x-large
-
- THE ADVENTURES
- OF
- DICK TREVANION
-
- .. class:: large
-
- *A STORY OF EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND FOUR*
-
- .. vspace:: 2
-
- .. class:: medium
-
- BY
- HERBERT STRANG
-
- .. VSPACE:: 3
-
- .. CLASS:: small
-
- *ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I.*
-
- .. vspace:: 3
-
- .. class:: medium
-
- LONDON
- HENRY FROWDE
- HODDER & STOUGHTON
- 1911
-
- .. vspace:: 4
-
-.. container:: verso center white-space-pre-line
-
- .. class:: small
-
- BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO., LD., PRINTERS,
- LONDON AND TONBRIDGE.
-
- .. vspace:: 4
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CONTENTS
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE FIRST
- `THE VILLAGE AND THE TOWERS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE SECOND
- `JOHN TREVANION RETURNS HOME`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE THIRD
- `THE BLOW FALLS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE FOURTH
- `THE CAVE OF SEALS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE FIFTH
- `ST. CUBY'S WELL`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE SIXTH
- `PENWARDEN DOES HIS DUTY`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE SEVENTH
- `THE BREACH WIDENS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE EIGHTH
- `A LIGHT ON THE MOOR`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE NINTH
- `DOUBLEDICK'S MIDNIGHT GUESTS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE TENTH
- `THE FIRE BELL AT THE TOWERS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH
- `SIR BEVIL INTERVENES`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE TWELFTH
- `PENWARDEN DISAPPEARS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH
- `CROSS-CURRENTS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH
- `DOUBLEDICK ON DUTY`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH
- `ACROSS THE PIT`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH
- `A PACKET FOR RUSCO`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH
- `PETHERICK MAKES A DISCOVERY`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH
- `A HIGH DIVE`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH
- `A BARGAIN WITH THE REVENUE`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH
- `THE LAST DEAL`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST
- `THE ATTACK ON THE TOWERS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND
- `JOHN TREVANION IN THE TOILS`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD
- `THE PRICE OF TREACHERY`_
-
-.. vspace:: 1
-
-.. class:: noindent white-space-pre-line
-
-CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH
- `PEACE AND GOODWILL`_
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. class:: center large
-
-LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent
-
-`"THERE LOOMED OUT OF THE MIST A THREE-MASTED
-VESSEL"`_ . . . . . . *Frontispiece, see page* `175`_
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent
-
-`"'HALT, IN THE KING'S NAME!' CRIED MR. MILDMAY"`_
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent
-
-`"'STAND!' CRIED DICK, DASHING FORWARD. 'LEAVE HIM,
-OR WE'LL FIRE'"`_
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent
-
-`"AS THE SEAL PLUNGED INTO THE SEA, SAM BROUGHT
-HIS HAMMER DOWN"`_
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent
-
-`"THERE WAS NO ONE TO HEAR THE SHORT DIALOGUE THAT
-ENSUED AT THE HEAD OF THE WELL"`_
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent
-
-`"DICK RUSHED LIKE A WHIRLWIND ON THE MAN"`_
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent
-
-`"PETHERICK'S HEAD APPEARED THROUGH THE HATCH"`_
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: noindent
-
-`"DELAROUSSE RUSHED HEADLONG TOWARDS THE APPROACHING GROUP"`_
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`The Village and the Towers`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE FIRST
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- The Village and the Towers
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The village of Polkerran lies snugly in a hollow
-between cliffs facing the Atlantic, at the head of a
-little bay that forms a natural harbour. The grey
-stone cottages rise from the sea-level in tiers, as
-in an amphitheatre, huddled together, with the
-narrowest and most tortuous of lanes between them.
-Through the midst a stream flows from the high
-ground behind, in summer a mere brook, in winter
-a swollen torrent that colours the sea far out with
-the soil it carries down. The bay is shaped like a
-horseshoe; at low tide its mouth is closed by a reef
-except at the northern end, where there is always a
-narrow fairway between the reef and the sharp point
-of land known as the Beal. Northward of this is
-another little inlet called Trevanion Bay, whence the
-coast winds north-east, a line of rugged, precipitous,
-and overhanging cliffs, unbroken until you come to
-St. Cuby's Cove, where they reach a height of three
-hundred feet, and bulge out over the sea like a
-penthouse roof.
-
-One August evening, in the year 1804, a wide
-tubby boat lay in twelve feet of water, just outside
-the line of breakers beneath the cliffs, about a mile
-and a half from the village. The sun had been
-down some two hours, but there was enough of
-twilight to show to any one out at sea—the boat
-being invisible from the land—that it contained two
-lads, one a tall, slight, but muscular youth of
-seventeen or thereabouts, the other a thicker, sturdier
-boy, who looked older, but was, in fact, a year or
-more younger than his companion.
-
-"Well, Maister Dick," said the younger boy, "I
-reckon we'd better go home-along; it do seem as if
-the water be too clear to-night."
-
-"They're not on the feed, Sam, that's certain,"
-replied Dick Trevanion. "But I don't like going
-empty-handed. I'm thinking of supper."
-
-"It do be queer, sure enough. 'Tis a hot night,
-and they mostly comes in close when 'tis hot, and
-the biggest comes the closest. I 'spect what us do
-want is a bit of a tumble, to stir up the bottom and
-muddy the water."
-
-Dick Trevanion had come out at sunset with his
-companion Sam Pollex to fish for salmon bass, which
-at this time of year were usually plentiful along the
-coast. For two hours they had had no luck. Every
-now and then a ripple and spirt on the smooth
-surface showed that fish were sporting beneath; but
-though they changed the bait, trying squid, pilchard,
-spider-crab in turn; varied the length of line and
-the weight of the lead; trailed the bait where they
-last saw the surface disturbed—though they tried
-every device known to them to lure the fish, they
-had not as yet been rewarded with a single bite. It
-was exasperating. Dick knew that the larder at
-home was bare, and had set his heart on carrying
-back two or three fish for supper and next morning's
-breakfast.
-
-"It will be high-water in half-an-hour," he said.
-"We'll wait till then, and no longer."
-
-Baiting his hook with cuttle-fish, he got Sam to
-row slowly up the shore towards a spot where the
-sea broke gently over a yard or two of half-submerged
-rocks. The air was very still; there was no sound
-save the light rustle of the waves washing the foot
-of the cliff. As the sky darkened and the last faint
-radiance vanished from the west, the stars appeared
-and the shade beneath the cliff became deeper. Sam
-rowed up and down for some minutes, Dick hauling
-in his line once or twice to see that the hook was not
-fouled with sea-weed; but still there was no sign of
-fish.
-
-All at once, when he was on the point of giving
-up, he felt a slight tug at the line, which began
-immediately to slip through his fingers.
-
-"At last!" he whispered, jumping to his feet
-so hastily as to set the boat rocking.
-
-He held the line loosely until a dozen yards had
-run out, then tightened his grasp with a jerk.
-Meanwhile Sam had thrown the anchor overboard.
-
-"He's a whopper," said Dick, letting his line run
-again. "See; there he goes!"
-
-He pointed to a slight phosphorescent glow on
-the water about twenty yards away. The line was
-running out fast. It was only a hundred yards long,
-and he must check the rush of the fish, or he would
-lose line and all. Grasping the twine with both
-hands, he exerted a steady strain, at one moment
-being almost jerked out of the boat by the violent
-struggles of the fish. He set his feet against the
-gunwale and pulled again. With a suddenness that
-threw him backwards the tension relaxed.
-
-"He's gone, Sam! He's torn away the hook," he cried.
-
-"Scrounch un for a rebel!" said Sam indignantly.
-"Why couldn't he bide quiet!"
-
-Dick wound up his line rapidly, feeling no resistance
-until he had recovered about thirty yards of it.
-Then once more it began to slip away.
-
-"He's not gone yet, Sam, after all. I'll have
-him, sure as I'm alive."
-
-Steadily he worked the fish in. For a few
-moments he would draw in the line without resistance;
-then there was a jerk; it swerved to right, to
-left; and he could merely hold his own in the
-desperate struggle. But gradually, fight as the fish
-might, it was drawn nearer and nearer to the boat.
-At the broken water it spent its last energies;
-phosphorescent flashes showed where it was dashing
-to and fro in the vain effort to regain its liberty.
-Then, its strength exhausted, it suffered itself to be
-dragged slowly towards the boat.
-
-Sam was eagerly on the watch, bending over the
-gunwale to seize the fish as soon as it came alongside.
-Suddenly he flung out his hands, only to draw them
-back with a cry. He had pricked them against the
-fish's sharp dorsal fin. Once more he stooped, and
-as Dick hauled hard on the line, Sam got his arms
-beneath the fish, and with a mighty heave cast it into
-the bottom, where it struggled for a moment and
-then lay still.
-
-"A beauty, sure enough," said Sam.
-
-"Worth waiting for," remarked Dick. "'Tis
-getting late, and Mother will have given me up, so
-we'll go now. He's big enough to give us two meals
-at least."
-
-They bent down to disengage the hook and wind
-up the line. So intent had they been on the capture
-of the bass that neither had noticed, until that
-moment, a smack about three-quarters of a mile out
-at sea, sailing rapidly across the bay towards
-St. Cuby's Cove. The moon was rising, faintly
-illuminating the vessel, but casting a deep shadow on the
-water immediately beneath the cliff, so that the boys
-were invisible from the smack. Familiar as they
-were with all the small craft belonging to Polkerran,
-they knew at the first glance, in spite of the dim
-light, that the smack was a stranger.
-
-"She's not Cornish," said Dick, taking a long
-look at her.
-
-"Nor even English," added Sam. "Maybe a
-Frenchman from Rusco, though 'tis early for the
-running to begin."
-
-"They won't run a cargo at the Cove, surely.
-The path up the cliff is too steep, and Joe
-Penwarden's cottage too near. I think she's a stranger
-that doesn't know the coast."
-
-They watched the smack until she rounded the
-headland between them and the Cove, and then
-began to row in the opposite direction. They had
-just reached the end of the promontory bounding
-Trevanion Bay on the north, and had swung round
-landward, when, their faces now being toward the
-open sea, they saw something that caused them to
-pause in mid-stroke. Perhaps a mile in the offing
-like a phantom barque in the quivering radiance of
-the moonlight, lay a large three-masted vessel with
-sails aback. Through the still air came the sound
-of creaking tackle, and the boys, resting on their
-oars, saw a boat lowered, and then another, which
-pulled off in the same direction as the smack.
-
-"This be some jiggery, Maister Dick," said Sam.
-"Do 'ee think, now, it be Boney come spying for a
-place to land?"
-
-Those were the days when the imminence of a
-French invasion kept the people of the southern
-counties in a constant state of alarm.
-
-"Boney wouldn't come to this coast," replied
-Dick. "He wouldn't risk his flat boats round the
-Lizard. No; he'll make some lonely quiet spot on
-the south coast; Boney won't trouble us."
-
-"Well, daze me if I can make head or tail o't,"
-said Sam.
-
-"Pull in a bit, so that we can see without being
-seen."
-
-From the shadowed headland they watched in
-silence. The boats had scarcely gone a third of a
-mile across the bay when a shrill whistle cleft the
-air. They at once put about, returned to the larger
-vessel, and were hoisted in, whereupon the ship made
-sail, and in the course of ten or fifteen minutes
-disappeared into the darkness.
-
-"There be queer things a-doing, I b'lieve," said
-Sam, while the vessel was still in sight.
-
-"Maybe," rejoined Dick, "but we don't know.
-Don't speak a word of it till I give you leave, Sam.
-'Tis a matter for Mr. Mildmay if any one."
-
-"Zackly. I can keep a still tongue with any
-man; and now seems to I we'd best go home-along."
-
-He dipped the oars, and pulled, not towards the
-Beal, beyond which lay the village, but towards the
-head of Trevanion Bay. It was now high-water.
-Below the cliff only a narrow stretch of white sand
-was visible. Within ten yards of this beach Sam
-shipped oars, and the boat was carried along until its
-nose stuck in the sand. Both the boys then sprang
-out, and dragged their craft up to the base of the
-cliff beyond high-water mark.
-
-"'Tis lucky tide be high," said Sam, wiping his
-brow with the back of his hand, "for 'tis a hot night,
-and old boat be desp'rate heavy."
-
-"True, she's both heavy and old," said Dick, as
-he secured her to a post driven deep into the sand.
-"She's a good deal older than you or I, Sam."
-
-"Ay, true, and Feyther have give her more knocks
-than he've give me. You can see his marks on her,
-but you can't see 'em on me—hee! hee!"
-
-Dick laughed. Many a time had the planks been
-repaired by old Reuben Pollex, the signs of whose
-rough and ready handiwork were easily discoverable.
-
-Carrying his tackle, Dick ordered Sam to bring
-the bass, and led the way along a steep path that
-zigzagged up the face of the cliff, being soon hidden
-from the sea by knobs and corners of rock. It was
-a toilsome climb; the cliff was two hundred feet
-high, but the windings made the path three times as
-long. When they reached the top, Sam found it
-necessary once more to wipe his brow; then followed
-his young master across a stretch of coarse bent
-towards a large building, mistily lit by the
-moonbeams, about a hundred yards distant.
-
-The Towers, at one time a manor house of no
-little importance, was now in the stage of decrepitude.
-It had been for centuries in the possession of the
-Trevanions, who, in the time of King Charles I., had
-been a family of great wealth and influence, owning
-estates, it was said, in three counties. But the squire
-of that time had sold part of his property to provide
-money for the King, whose cause he espoused with
-unselfish loyalty, and from that time the family
-fortunes had gradually declined, partly through the
-recklessness of certain of the owners, partly through
-sheer ill-luck. For many years wealth had been
-drawn from tin and copper mines beneath the surface,
-parts of whose apparatus, in the shape of ruined
-sheds, scaffoldings, pipes, conduits, broken chains,
-strewed the ground in desolate abandonment. In
-the early manhood of the present squire, Dick's
-father, the lodes had shown signs of exhaustion, and
-Mr. Trevanion, wishing to keep the mines going as
-much for the sake of the miners as for his own
-interest, had spent large sums on opening up new
-workings, which proved unprofitable. He had
-mortgaged acre after acre in this fierce struggle with
-misfortune, having more than his share of the
-doggedness of his race; but all his efforts were
-fruitless; the mines were closed and the men
-dismissed; and the Squire himself at last had no
-property unencumbered except the land on which the
-Towers stood, and the barren cliff between the house
-and the end of the promontory, almost worthless
-save for the little grazing it afforded.
-
-To this he had clung with grim tenacity. He
-was often hard put to it to pay the interest on his
-mortgages as it became due; his little household,
-consisting now only of himself, his wife and son, and
-the two Pollexes, often had barely enough to eat;
-many a time he was tempted to raise money on the
-little remnant of his property; but for long years,
-as often as the temptation came, he had resisted it.
-Though he would not admit the fact, even to
-himself, superstition had a good deal to do with his
-determination. He scoffed at the country folks'
-belief in omens and witches, and professed to think
-nothing of an old motto which had attached to his
-family for near a hundred and fifty years. In the
-reign of Charles II., when the Trevanions owned
-estates not only in Cornwall, but the adjoining
-counties, the spendthrift whose extravagance had
-been a partial cause of their ruin had, at some crisis
-in his affairs, consulted a wise woman who lived
-alone in a little cottage on the moor. He brought
-nothing from his interview with her but the couplet:
-
- | Trevanion, whate'er thy fortune be,
- | Hold fast the rock by the western sea.
-
-Like his forefathers, Roger Trevanion derided the
-witch's counsel, but, like them, too, he had "held
-fast" until, a year before the opening of our story,
-he had been forced to relax his grip. Now every
-rood of the land, to the uttermost extremity of the
-Beal, was in the hands of mortgagees, and the
-dread of foreclosure weighed on the Squire like a
-nightmare.
-
-The Towers had been allowed to fall into decay.
-Only one wing was now inhabited; the remainder
-was ruinous, and for the most part roofless. In the
-south wing lived the Squire, now past fifty years of
-age, his wife, a few years younger, and Dick, their
-only son. Their sole attendants were Reuben
-Pollex, a widower, who had grown up from boyhood
-with the Squire, and steadily refused to leave
-him, and his boy Sam. These two did all the
-household work, grew vegetables, bred poultry and
-pigs, the sale of which, together with the small sums
-obtained by letting to neighbouring farmers the
-grazing rights of the cliff, was all that kept the
-family from abject poverty. Dick himself was, to a
-large extent, the family provider. With Sam's help
-he snared rabbits, shot wild fowl, and fished along
-the coast. His bronzed skin and hard flesh bespoke
-an active life in the open air, and as he went about
-in his jersey, rough breeches, and long boots, he
-would scarcely have been distinguishable from the
-fisher lads of the village but for a certain springiness
-of gait and a look of refinement and thoughtfulness.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Dick and his companion hastened towards the
-south wing, where an unusually bright light in one
-of the lower rooms proclaimed that the Squire had
-company. While Sam took the fish, which turned
-out to be a fine fourteen-pounder, into the kitchen,
-Dick changed his boots, washed his hands, and
-entered the living-room. His father sat at the head
-of the table, his mother at the foot; between them
-was a man of about the Squire's age, dressed in a blue
-coat with brass buttons, with "seaman" written on
-every inch of him. The table was covered with a
-spotless but much-darned cloth; the only viands
-were a loaf of bread and half a cheese. A large
-brown jug contained ale brewed in the family
-brew-house by old Pollex.
-
-"Why, Dick, how late you are!" said his
-mother. "We are just going to begin supper."
-
-"Better put it off for a few minutes, Mother.
-I've brought home a fine bass. How d'ye do,
-Mr. Mildmay?"
-
-"Ah, Dick, glad to see you, my boy! Good
-fishing to-night, eh?"
-
-"One catch after two hours, sir," replied Dick.
-"The weather's too fine, I suppose."
-
-"Shall we wait, Mr. Mildmay?" asked his hostess.
-
-"As you please, ma'am."
-
-Mr. Mildmay, a naval lieutenant, now in
-command of a revenue cutter, knew very well by the
-expression of the lady's face that the postponement
-of the meal was welcome to her. He was an old
-friend of the Squire's—a messmate indeed, for
-Mr. Trevanion had served for a few years in the Navy;
-and his acquaintance with the penury of the household
-had neither diminished his friendship nor
-damped the cordiality of the Squire's welcome. In
-these days there were few visitors to the Towers, and
-those who came knew what they had to expect in the
-way of entertainment. Such as might have looked
-merely for the satisfaction of the inner man had
-long since ceased to call. Mr. Mildmay could have
-supped contentedly on bread and cheese. The
-meagreness of the fare would have troubled
-Mrs. Trevanion the most, and the look upon her face
-told Dick how welcome was his addition to it.
-
-Dick went into the kitchen to see how Sam was
-getting on, and soon returned with a portion of the
-fish broiled and garnished with herbs.
-
-"As fine a bit of fish as I've tasted," said
-Mr. Mildmay, "and well cooked, upon my word."
-
-"I am glad you like it," said Mrs. Trevanion,
-giving Dick privately an approving smile.
-
-"You'll soon be hard at work, I suppose, sir,"
-said Dick to the lieutenant.
-
-"Yes, no doubt I shall have a merry winter.
-But I wish the Commissioners would make better
-arrangements on land. What can I do, with miles
-of coast to keep an eye on? One riding-officer and
-a few old excisemen here and there! I can't be
-everywhere."
-
-"Why don't they, sir?" asked Dick.
-
-"Because every man of muscle is snapped up by
-the press-gang or the recruiters. Upon my word, I
-wish Boney would come, if he is coming. When he
-has had his walloping there'll be a little time to
-attend to our proper concerns. As it is, with this
-eternal war going on, the free-traders play ducks
-and drakes with law and ordinances."
-
-The Squire said nothing. His attitude to
-smuggling was one of neutrality. His training in
-the Navy made him in general adverse to the
-contraband trade; but there was a time, not very
-long since, when the owners of the Towers were
-actively engaged in it, or at least accessory to it, and
-the landowners along the coast regarded it with
-sympathy, open or secret. Indeed, it is probable
-that the cask of brandy in Mr. Trevanion's own
-cellar had never paid duty to the Crown, and old
-Reuben Pollex, who loved his "dish of tay," would
-certainly not have been able to enjoy it in that time
-of high prices unless he had known a little back room
-in Polkerran where it was easy to slip in and out
-secretly, and without the knowledge of the exciseman.
-
-"The smugglers are getting bolder and bolder,
-confound 'em," Mr. Mildmay went on. "With the
-land force so weak, what's the result? If I'm called
-to a spot, ten to one by a trick, I must leave the rest
-of the coast unguarded. As you know, the only man
-permanently in this neighbourhood is old Penwarden,
-who is zealous enough, but not so active as a younger
-man would be."
-
-"No, poor man," said Mrs. Trevanion. "He
-has often said to me that he fears the Government
-will replace him. He will cling to his duty as long
-as he can for the sake of his old sister. You know
-he supports her, in Truro, Mr. Mildmay."
-
-"I know it, and I'm not the man to put him out
-of a job, though one of these days a Commissioner
-of Customs will make his appearance, and then I'll
-get a wigging."
-
-All this while Dick had been considering whether
-he ought to tell the lieutenant about the strange
-vessels he had seen. He knew that smuggling was
-the only matter on which there was a certain
-constraint between his father and Mr. Mildmay. It
-was tacitly understood between them that the Squire
-would not round on the smugglers. On the other
-hand, the revenue officer knew that anything he told
-the Squire would be perfectly safe with him. He
-therefore discussed the subject quite openly with
-his old messmate, though, like a wise general, he
-never spoke about any plans that he had in view.
-
-Dick made up his mind to say nothing. The
-lieutenant's cutter was lying in the little harbour,
-and if he mentioned what he had seen, Mr. Mildmay
-would certainly hurry away and sail in chase of the
-stranger. What the Squire would not do, his son
-could not. But he had scarcely come to this
-decision when matters took an unexpected turn.
-
-"By the way, Squire," said the lieutenant, "I've
-just heard from Plymouth that the *Aimable
-Vertu*—precious fine name for a rascally privateer—is
-showing herself very active in the Channel. She made
-two captures last week, and was sighted two days
-ago off Falmouth, where a barque only just managed
-to escape her. She's said to be a vessel of
-extraordinary speed. The Government would give a
-good deal to catch her and hang her captain, that
-daredevil Frenchman, Delarousse; but it's with
-privateers as it is with smugglers: we can't be
-everywhere at once, and while we're fighting the
-French on the high seas, I suppose our home waters
-must be left to the enemy."
-
-This led to an exchange of reminiscences of
-privateer-hunting during the American war, when
-both were young in the service. Meanwhile Dick
-felt uncomfortable. What if the larger vessel he
-had lately seen was this very privateer, the *Aimable
-Vertu*? In that case it was no question of
-smuggling, but of piracy. He felt that he ought
-at least to mention the matter, yet hesitated to speak
-without consulting his father. By-and-by there
-came an opportunity of speaking to him privately.
-While Mr. Mildmay was conversing with
-Mrs. Trevanion, Dick slipped to the Squire's side and
-told him in a sentence or two what he had seen.
-
-"Mildmay," cried the Squire, "hark to this.
-Dick tells me that an hour or more ago he saw a
-strange three-master in the bay. She lowered a
-couple of boats, but recalled 'em, and sailed away
-westward. D'ye think she's the privateer?"
-
-"Dash my bones, Dick," cried the lieutenant,
-starting up, "why on earth didn't you speak
-before? Oh! I see—I see; I won't reproach you;
-but I'll be as mad as a hatter if 'tis the rascal and
-she gets away. Good night to you all; you'll
-excuse me, Mrs. Trevanion. Oh, you young dog!"
-
-He shook his fist at Dick, and hurried from the room.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`John Trevanion Returns Home`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE SECOND
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- John Trevanion Returns Home
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-About half-an-hour before Mr. Mildmay left the
-Squire's supper-table so hurriedly, a man laboured
-up the last few feet of the winding path leading
-from the beach of St. Cuby's Cove to the cliff-top,
-which he gained at a point rather more than
-half-a-mile from the spot where Dick and Sam had
-previously ascended. He was a tall man, his build
-and figure indicating a capacity for lithe and rapid
-movement, so that the heaviness of his gait was
-probably due solely to the size and weight of the
-leathern trunk he carried. Like Sam Pollex, he
-paused for a moment on reaching the top to recover
-his breath and mop his brow; then, shouldering his
-trunk, he struck into a narrow footpath that led over
-the cliff. It branched into two after a few yards, the
-right-hand branch going direct to the Towers, the
-left-hand running away from the sea to join a rough,
-ill-made road which led past the gate of the Towers
-to the village.
-
-On reaching the fork the pedestrian did not
-hesitate, as a stranger might have done, but took the
-left-hand path. After proceeding a few steps along
-it, however, he made a sudden half-turn, and stopped,
-looking across the open ground towards the Towers,
-where one room on the ground floor made a patch
-of light against the dark background of sky and sea.
-The man stood but a moment, then resumed his
-march along the path in the same direction as before.
-A smile wreathed his lips, and he muttered to
-himself. He went on at a smart pace over the level
-ground, turned to the right when he came to the
-road, passed the Towers' gates, which he observed
-were broken, and walked for another quarter of a
-mile before he again halted. Then he set his burden
-down by the roadside, sat upon it, and wiped his
-heated face, where the smile had been replaced by a
-frown.
-
-"I daresay I'm a fool," he muttered in a growling
-undertone. "Why did I chafe and gall myself with
-carrying this plaguey trunk? However, maybe
-'tis best."
-
-While he was still resting, he heard footsteps upon
-his right hand, and looked round quickly. The moon
-was up, and he saw a young fisherman rolling along
-a path that ran into the road a few paces distant.
-
-"Ahoy, there!" cried the traveller in a deep and
-mellow voice.
-
-The fisherman, who had not as yet perceived him,
-came to a sudden stop as the silence of the night
-was broken thus unexpectedly and so near at hand;
-then, catching sight of the figure on the trunk, he
-slipped off the path on to the grass and began to
-run.
-
-"Ahoy, there! What ails you?" cried the man.
-"D'you want to earn a groat?"
-
-Reassured, apparently, at the mention of so
-material a thing as a groat, the fisherman turned and
-came slowly towards the speaker.
-
-"Did you think I was a ghost?" the stranger
-went on with a laugh. "I want you to carry this
-trunk to the village, and I'll give you a groat for
-your pains."
-
-"I'll do it, maister," replied the fisher, shouldering
-the trunk. "But ye give me a fright, that ye did."
-
-"Why, you never saw a ghost with a brown face,
-and a black hat, and a blue coat, not to speak of
-brown breeches and long boots, did you?"
-
-"I won't say I did, but the neighbours do say
-there be ghosteses up-along by St. Cuby's Well.
-Maybe yer a furriner, maister?"
-
-"No, no; I'm good Cornish like yourself,"
-replied the man, who knew that to Cornishmen all
-who lived beyond the borders of the duchy were
-accounted foreigners.
-
-"Well, I can see plain ye be a high person, and
-jown me if I know why ye carry yer own bag and
-traipse afoot, instead o' coming a-horseback, or in a
-po'chay."
-
-The traveller shot a glance at the lad. He saw a
-rugged profile, a brow on which thought had carved
-no furrows, a half-open mouth: the physiognomy
-of a simple countryman. Then, after a scarcely
-perceptible pause, he said:
-
-"Well, I hate close folks who make a secret of
-everything, so I'll tell you. I got a lift in a
-travelling wagon from Newquay, but the wretch that drove
-it was bound for Truro, and point-blank refused to
-bring me farther than the cross-roads a couple of
-miles back. So now you know, my man, and I
-daresay you could tell a stranger what I've told you."
-
-"Sure and sartin. You be come from Newquay
-in a wagon, and when ye got to cross-roads driver
-said he'd be jowned if he'd carr' 'ee a step furder."
-
-"You have it pat; and now step out; 'tis getting
-latish."
-
-They proceeded along the silent road at a good
-pace toward the village, the traveller dropping a
-remark now and then from which the fisherman
-understood that he was not a complete stranger to
-the district. Just as they reached a spot where the
-road dipped somewhat steeply, there were sounds of
-rapid footsteps behind them, and in a few moments
-two men came up, one Mr. Mildmay, the revenue
-officer, the other an old weather-beaten fellow in
-seaman's clothes. He wore a black shade over his
-right eye, and the unnaturally short distance between
-his nose and the tip of his chin showed that he had
-lost his teeth. This was Joe Penwarden, the veteran
-exciseman who had been mentioned at Squire
-Trevanion's supper-table. On leaving the Towers,
-Mr. Mildmay had gone first to the right, and fetched
-Penwarden from his little cottage on the cliff,
-and then retraced his steps through the Squire's
-grounds. Had he been a few minutes earlier,
-he could hardly have failed to see the pedestrian
-trudging with his trunk on his shoulder along
-the path that ran a score of yards from Penwarden's
-cottage.
-
-"Halt, in the King's name!" cried Mr. Mildmay,
-as he overtook the two men who had preceded him
-along the road.
-
-.. _`"'HALT, IN THE KING'S NAME!' CRIED MR. MILDMAY"`:
-
-.. figure:: images/img-026.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: "'HALT, IN THE KING'S NAME!' CRIED MR. MILDMAY"
-
- "'HALT, IN THE KING'S NAME!' CRIED MR. MILDMAY"
-
-"I'll halt if 'ee bid me in the King's name," said
-the fisher, recognising the revenue officer, whom he,
-like the population of Polkerran generally, held in
-detestation mingled with unwilling respect, "but I
-bean't doin' nowt agen the law, I tell 'ee, carr'in' a
-genel'um's traps for a groat."
-
-"A gentleman, is it?" said Mr. Mildmay, turning
-to the traveller. "I must ask you to tell me your
-business."
-
-"And you shall have an answer. I come from
-Newquay, and am going to seek a night's lodging
-at the Five Pilchards, if you have no objection,
-captain."
-
-Mr. Mildmay looked suspiciously at the speaker,
-whose accent was that of an educated man. He was
-not the type of person to meet afoot with his trunk
-on the high road. Old Penwarden's single eye also
-was fixed on the stranger's swarthy, bearded face.
-
-"No more objection, my dear sir, than you will
-have to my taking a look at the inside of that trunk
-of yours. In the King's name!"
-
-"With all the pleasure in life. Amos, or
-whatever your name is, set down the trunk for the
-inspection of this exceedingly zealous officer of His
-Majesty's."
-
-The trunk was opened, and Penwarden turned
-over its contents, Mr. Mildmay looking on. He
-found articles of apparel, a sword, some bundles of
-papers, a bag of money, a large leather-bound book,
-a brace of pistols, and sundry insignificant articles,
-none of which was chargeable with duty.
-
-"Thank you, sir," said Mr. Mildmay, when the
-inspection was concluded. "I am sorry to have
-detained you, but in these times——"
-
-"Quite so, captain," interrupted the other. "In
-these times one cannot be too particular. I bid
-you good-night, and better luck at your next
-examination."
-
-Mr. Mildmay hurried on with Penwarden, and
-was soon lost to sight.
-
-"Who's that popinjay?" said the traveller, when
-the lieutenant was out of hearing.
-
-"That be Maister Mildmay, the preventive officer,
-and a dratted furriner," replied the fisher. "He've
-been in these parts two years now, and a meddlesome
-feller he be too. Hee! hee! He got nowt
-for his pains this time, maister, and if there's one
-thing I do like to see, 'tis the preventives fooled.
-Hee! hee!"
-
-"Old Penwarden looks the same as ever, except
-for the shade over his eye."
-
-"Do 'ee know him, maister?"
-
-"I used to, years ago."
-
-"Iss, old Joe be a decent good soul of his trade,
-and we was vexed, trewly, when 'a got his eye put
-out in a fight by Lunnan Cove. But there, he
-shouldn' meddle with honest free-traders.
-Lawk-a-massy! I be speakin' free."
-
-"Oh, you're quite safe with me. I'm a bit of a
-free-trader myself, in my way."
-
-They went on, and in a few minutes came to an
-inn at the lower end of the village near the beach.
-This was the Five Pilchards. The village boasted
-another inn, a hundred yards away, called the Three
-Jolly Mariners; but it belied its name, being
-frequented mainly by farm labourers.
-
-The traveller paid and dismissed the fisher, and
-rapped at the closed door. It was opened by the
-innkeeper himself, a podgy, red-nosed, blear-eyed
-fellow, with an underhung lip, and a chin like a
-dewlap. A small candle-lamp hung above in the
-doorway, showing a dim yellow ray upon the
-smiling face of the visitor. The innkeeper started
-back.
-
-"I startled you, eh?" said the visitor. "Yes, it
-is I myself—John Trevanion come home again.
-I am getting on in years, Doubledick, and I felt
-I should like to die among my friends."
-
-"Ha, ha! Ho, ho!" laughed the innkeeper.
-"'Tis Maister John, for sure, come home with his
-little jokes. Come along in, maister, come in; daze
-me if I bean't as pleased as pigs to see 'ee."
-
-"Take me to a room, Doubledick, and get some
-clean sheets, will you? And send me up something
-passable to eat and drink; I'll sup alone."
-
-"Iss, sure. I'll give 'ee the best I've got in the
-house. What do 'ee say, now, to collops and fried
-taties, or a nice bit o' bass, or a dish o' pickled
-pilchurs, and some real old—you know what, Maister
-John? Hee, hee!"
-
-"Whatever you like, Doubledick, only be quick
-about it."
-
-The innkeeper led his visitor along a passage past
-the open door of the bar-parlour. John Trevanion
-glanced in as he went by. A number of rough
-fishermen in various garments sat drinking on settles
-along the wall. The most noticeable among them
-was a man of vast breadth, brawny and muscular, his
-strong features tanned copper-colour by years of
-sea-faring, his thick hair and beard the hue of ebony.
-The sleeves of his scarlet jersey were turned up,
-revealing brown and hairy forearms that would
-have befitted a Hercules.
-
-"Tonkin is still flourishing, I see," said Trevanion
-in an undertone to the innkeeper as he passed.
-
-"Iss, Zacky Tonkin be as great a man as ever he
-wer, and a tarrible plague o' life to the preventives.
-Mr. Curgenven—ye mind of him, Maister
-John?—died two year back, and they sent a furrin feller,
-Mildmay by name, to look arter us mortals—hee! hee!
-He be a good feller at his job, a sight better
-than Curgenven, who loved an easy life, as 'ee could
-remember; but Zacky do know how to deal wi' un,
-he do so. Oh, 'tis a rare deceivin' game he plays
-wi' un. He's up-along and down-along, and this
-Mildmay feller atraipsin' arter un, by sea and land,
-'tis all one to Zacky. Here's yer room, Maister
-John. Do 'ee set yerself down and I'll bring 'ee
-up a supper fit for a lord in no time."
-
-He looked at his visitor doubtfully for a moment.
-
-"I'd axe 'ee one thing," he said. "Be I to let
-'em know down below as you be in house?"
-
-"To be sure, Doubledick, there's nothing to
-conceal. You might remember to say that I've come
-from London—no, hang me, I am forgetting; from
-Newquay directly, from London ultimately. You
-understand?"
-
-"Iss, I understand. No matter where 'ee come
-from, if 'twere from old Nick hisself, they'll be glad
-to see 'ee, that they will."
-
-John Trevanion kept to his room until the
-morning. At nine o'clock he left the inn and made
-his way through the village by back lanes, to escape
-the notice of such fishermen as might remember
-him, and proceeded at a quick pace along the road
-to the Towers. He was dressed this morning in a
-black hat turned up at one side with a rosette, a
-bottle-green frock coat, white kerseymere breeches,
-and long boots. "He looks summat older and
-nearer graveyard, as must we all," remarked
-Doubledick to a crony as he watched him depart,
-"but he's a fine figure of a man still."
-
-Arriving at the Towers, John Trevanion lifted the
-latch of the door leading to the inhabited portion,
-and entered with the freedom of one of the family.
-The Squire was at breakfast with his wife and son.
-
-"Come in," he shouted, in answer to a tap on the
-door, and rose from his chair as the well-dressed
-visitor entered, thinking, as might have been
-gathered from his manner, that it was one of the
-few friends who had the freedom of the house.
-But at a second glance his demeanour altered.
-
-"You have made a mistake, I think," he said
-stiffly, resting both hands on the table. His fine
-face was flushed, and Dick, looking on in wonderment,
-noticed that the riband that bound his queue
-of grey hair was quivering.
-
-"Surely, Cousin Roger, you'll let bygones be
-bygones," said John Trevanion suavely. "'Tis
-now—I don't know how many years ago."
-
-"When I last saw you, sir, I bade you never
-enter my door again. I do not call back my words,
-and see no reason to do so. You will oblige me by
-relieving me of your presence."
-
-The words came sternly from his trembling lips.
-Dick felt himself go hot and cold.
-
-"Is there no word repentance in your dictionary,
-Roger Trevanion?" said his cousin bitterly.
-"You're a good Christian, I suppose—go to church
-and say the Commandments, 'love your neighbour,'
-and all that; but you'll harden your heart against
-one of your own kin that had the ill-luck to offend
-you——"
-
-"Stop!" thundered the Squire. "The offence
-to me I make nothing of; you have shamed your
-name and put yourself beyond the pale of honest
-men. 'Ill-luck,' you call it! 'Twas no
-ill-luck—though we Trevanions have enough of that, God
-knows!—but the act and nature of a scoundrel. I
-am ashamed you bear my name. I disown you.
-Take yourself out of my sight."
-
-His wife laid a gentle hand on his arm.
-
-"A pretty welcome, on my soul, for a man who
-has lived down the faults of his youth," said John
-Trevanion. "I tell you, Roger Trevanion, I will
-not put up with such usage—I will not! I don't
-want your forgiveness; a fig for your friendship!
-But I demand decent treatment from you, and——"
-
-"By the Lord that made me," cried the Squire,
-"if you do not instantly remove yourself from this
-house I will have you thrown out. Do you hear
-me, sir?"
-
-John Trevanion's eyes glittered as he returned
-his cousin's wrathful look. He half opened his
-mouth, closed it with a snap; then an inscrutable
-smile stole upon his face. He shrugged, turned on
-his heel, and went silently from the room.
-
-The Squire sank into his chair. The flush had
-vanished from his face, leaving it ashy pale. His
-hands trembled with excess of indignation.
-
-"My dear, calm yourself," said his wife soothingly.
-"He is gone."
-
-He made no reply. Dick sat silent, every nerve
-tingling with excitement. In a minute his father
-rose, leaving his coffee half finished, and strode
-heavily from the room.
-
-"Mother, what does it mean?" asked Dick
-breathlessly. "Was that cousin John?"
-
-"Yes, my dear. Do not name him to your
-father. I will go to him; I fear he will be ill.
-Finish your breakfast, Dick, and go to the Parsonage.
-You had better stay there all day; Mr. Carlyon will
-give you some dinner."
-
-She followed her husband, leaving Dick to his
-breakfast and his wondering thoughts. He faintly
-remembered his cousin John Trevanion, who ten
-years before had lived in the now empty Dower
-House, between the Towers and the village, as his
-father had done before him. John Trevanion had
-then been a gay, careless, happy-go-lucky young
-man of thirty, who lived on the Squire's bounty,
-riding his horse among the county yeomanry,
-hunting with his neighbours, roistering it with the
-most rakish young blades of the adjacent manors,
-joining in daredevil escapades with the smugglers.
-His antics and riotings became a byword in the
-country-side, and Dick remembered how, when a
-young boy, he had witnessed several violent scenes
-between his father and John after some particularly
-outrageous exploit. Old Pollex had told him that
-the Squire had threatened many times that unless
-John reformed he would no longer be allowed to
-occupy the Dower House, and had forgiven him
-over and over again. At last a day came when John
-disappeared. Dick had never learnt the true reason;
-the Squire never mentioned his cousin; Pollex,
-when questioned, shook his head and pursed up his
-lips, and said that John Trevanion was a villain;
-and Dick had formed the conclusion from stray
-hints that the ne'er-do-well cousin had been driven
-out of the country by some criminal act. For ten
-years he had not been heard of, and he had wholly
-slipped from Dick's thoughts.
-
-Having finished his breakfast, Dick took his cap
-and set off for his two-mile walk to the Parsonage,
-where he went daily to receive lessons in classics and
-literature from Mr. Carlyon, the vicar. He had
-never been to school, his father's resources being
-incapable of bearing the expense. A few years
-before this time the Squire had been seriously
-disturbed about his son's education. He was himself
-a sufficiently competent tutor in mathematics, but
-what classics he ever had had wholly left him, and
-he was miserable in the thought that the boy was
-growing up without the elements of the education of
-a gentleman. At this point the vicar stepped in
-with a proposal. He was a liberal-minded, genial
-man, a fellow of his college, a student of his county's
-antiquities, and in his 'varsity days had been a notable
-athlete. Now, though well on in years, he would
-often, on a Sunday afternoon after church, lend his
-countenance to wrestling bouts and games of baseball
-among the village youths. He rode to hounds, and
-judged at coursing matches, these and similar
-avocations probably accounting for the fact that a history
-of the parish, which he had commenced twenty years
-before, was still unfinished. One day he suggested
-to the Squire that he should give Dick lessons in
-Latin and Greek, to keep himself from rusting, as the
-worthy man delicately put it, but really to make good
-the deficiency due to his friend's straitened means.
-Mr. Trevanion gladly accepted the offer, and Dick
-had now been for five years under the parson's capable
-tuition.
-
-When Dick returned home in the evening he
-was met by Sam Pollex in a state of considerable
-excitement.
-
-"I say, Maister Dick," he said, "this be a fine
-mossel o' news. Yer cousin John—a rare bad 'un
-he be—have come home-along."
-
-"I know," replied Dick. "I've seen him."
-
-"Have 'ee, for sure? I hain't seed un, but I
-heerd tell on un in village. Ike Pendry were goin'
-along road last night when up comes my genel'um
-and axed un to carr' his bundle for a groat. He
-wer traipsin' along from St. Cuby's Cove way, about
-an hour, it do seem, arter we come up from fishin'."
-
-"Where had he come from?"
-
-"Newquay, 'a said; but 'tis my belief he come out
-o' the smack we seed, and clomb the cliff, same as we."
-
-"That's nonsense. He wouldn't come in a
-smack, and if he did he wouldn't land at the Cove.
-He has made no secret of his return, and there's no
-reason why he shouldn't land at the jetty."
-
-"Ah, well, things be as they be; but I reckon he
-come in the smack, all the same."
-
-"What is he doing in the village?"
-
-"He bean't there no longer. This arternoon he
-packed up his traps and rid off on one of Doubledick's
-hosses to Trura. Feyther seed un go. 'A
-called to un as he rid by. 'Hoy, Reuben!' says
-he, ''tis a cold country, this!' That just 'mazed
-Feyther, 'cos it was a frizzlin' day. 'Spect he've been
-in furrin parts, wheer what's bilin' to we is nawthin'
-but chill-off to they. So 'tis, to be sure."
-
-At this piece of news Dick felt much relieved.
-He hoped that Polkerran had seen the last of John
-Trevanion. But it turned out that the return of the
-native was only the first scene in a series of strange
-happenings that were to be long remembered in the
-village, and were vitally to affect the fortunes of the
-family at the Towers.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`The Blow Falls`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE THIRD
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- The Blow Falls
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-For some days after the event just related, life
-at Polkerran and the neighbourhood flowed on its
-customary sluggish tide. The fishermen were idle,
-waiting for pilchards to appear off the coast. The
-harvest had been gathered in from the fields. There
-was little for the village folk to do except to gossip.
-Men gathered in knots on the jetty and at the
-inn-doors, chatting about the return of John Trevanion,
-the strange vessels that had been seen, and the
-revenue cutter's failure to catch them, the
-appearance of a ghost at St. Cuby's Well, the prospects
-of the fishing season, the chances of making good
-"runs," and besting Mr. Mildmay and the
-excisemen. At the Towers there was nothing to show
-that anything had happened to disturb the placid
-surface of existence, except that the Squire was more
-silent than usual, and went about with a pale face
-and a preoccupied and troubled look.
-
-One afternoon, after the lapse of about a week,
-Dick, leaving the Parsonage after his daily lessons,
-was surprised to see his father approaching across
-the glebe. The Squire was on foot: his last horse
-had been sold long ago.
-
-"Ha, Dick!" he said, as he met his son, "you
-have finished with Greeks and Romans for the day,
-then. I have come for a word with the parson.
-Shall be home to supper."
-
-Dick went on, and his father entered the house.
-
-"Ah, Trevanion, I am glad to see you," said
-Mr. Carlyon, cordially, his keen eyes not failing to
-note a certain gravity in his old friend's expression.
-
-"I want your advice, Carlyon," said Mr. Trevanion
-abruptly.
-
-"And you shall have the best I can give, as you
-know well. Come into the garden and smoke a
-pipe with me. Good, honest tobacco, even if 'tis
-contraband—and I can't swear to that—will do no
-harm to you or me."
-
-When they were seated side by side in wide
-wicker chairs beneath the shade of an elm-tree, the
-Squire drew from his pocket a folded paper which
-had been sealed at the edges.
-
-"Read that," he said, handing it to the vicar.
-
-Mr. Carlyon carefully rubbed his spectacles, set
-them on his nose with deliberation, and slowly
-opened the paper.
-
-"H'm! God bless my soul! Poor old
-Trevanion!" he murmured, as he read, unconscious
-that his words were audible. "This is bad
-news, Trevanion," he said, aloud, looking over the
-rims of his spectacles with grave concern.
-
-"It is. It is the very worst," said the Squire,
-gloomily. "It is the end of things for me."
-
-"No, no; don't say that. Every cloud has a
-silver lining."
-
-"A musty proverb, Carlyon. You don't see the
-silver lining in a thunderstorm, and it doesn't keep
-your skin dry. This spells ruin, ruin irretrievable."
-
-The parson pressed his lips together, and read the
-document again. It was a brief intimation from a
-Truro attorney of his client's intention to foreclose
-on the mortgages he held upon certain parcels of
-land, if the sums advanced on them were not repaid
-within a month from that date.
-
-"This is not your own man?" said the parson.
-
-"No. I never heard of him before."
-
-"What is the extent of the obligation?"
-
-"Two thousand pounds. I can't muster as many
-shillings. I am in arrear with the interest. Within
-a month we shall be in the poor-house—a noble end
-for Trevanion of the Towers!"
-
-"Tut, tut! You take too black a view of things.
-'I have been young, and now am old; yet have I
-not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging
-bread.'"
-
-"But I have, and so have you, Carlyon. I see
-things as they are. 'Tis no surprise to me; these
-many months I have felt the blow might fall at
-any moment; but the condemned man hopes to the
-last for a reprieve, and I have gone from day to day,
-like a weakling and simpleton, refusing to face the
-facts. Not that I could have done anything; I am
-bankrupt; there's no way out of it."
-
-"Who holds the mortgages?"
-
-"Sir Bevil Portharvan. I have nothing to say
-against him. He has been very patient. A man of
-business would have foreclosed long ago, though he
-would have got little by it, for the mines are worked
-out, the Towers is a ruin, and the land will grow
-next to nothing but thistles and burdock. 'Twas
-to be."
-
-"But he can't take the Towers from you. Do
-you not hold fast to that?"
-
-"I did till a year ago, but there's a small bond on
-that now—a paltry hundred pounds; I could raise
-no more on it and the cliff. Sir Bevil does not hold
-that, however; 'tis my own lawyer."
-
-The parson sawed the air with his hand, a trick of
-his when perplexed.
-
-"Well, old friend," he said, "I am sorry for
-you, from the bottom of my heart. If I had the
-money, I would gladly lend it you, but 'passing
-rich on forty pound a year,' you know——"
-
-"I know well. 'Tis not for that I come to you.
-Give me your advice. What can I do? I must
-leave the Towers; what can I do for a livelihood?
-Like the man in the Book, 'I cannot dig; to beg I
-am ashamed.' What a miserable fool I was to throw
-up the sea when I came into the property! And
-yet I don't know. Look at Mildmay; a year or
-two younger, 'tis true, but still a lieutenant, and
-thought fit for nothing better than to chase luggers
-and circumvent the trade. I've no interest with the
-Admiralty; they've enough to do to provide for the
-seamen invalided from the wars. What can an old
-fool past fifty do to earn his salt? Years ago I had
-my dreams of paying off the burdens and reviving
-the Trevanion fortunes; but they have long since
-vanished into thin air; the task needed a better
-head than mine. And what little chance I might
-have had was doomed by the misdeeds of that
-scoundrel cousin of mine——"
-
-"I heard that he reappeared the other day. I
-hoped it was not true."
-
-"'Twas true. He had the boldness, the effrontery,
-to come to me with his 'let bygones be bygones,'
-and sneering at my Christianity. You know the facts,
-Carlyon. You know how, but that I impoverished
-myself, he would to this day be in the hulks or
-slaving in the plantations. I was too tender, I was
-indeed. I ought to have let the law take its course,
-and put my pride in my pocket. 'Twas a weakness,
-I own it; and now 'tis time to take my payment."
-
-"No, my good friend, you did right to keep your
-name unstained. But I wonder, indeed I do, that
-John Trevanion has dared to show his face here
-again."
-
-"Oh, 'tis no wonder," said the Squire bitterly.
-"No one knew of his crime but three, you and I
-and John Hammond; only Hammond had proof of
-it, and he is dead. My worthless cousin learnt of
-his death, I warrant you; the Devil has quick
-couriers for such as he; and he comes back, relying
-on my weakness and your holiness. But I'll speak
-no more of him; he is gone, and I hope I shall
-never see him again. There's my boy Dick: what
-is to become of him? He is seventeen; he ought
-to be making his way in the world. I can't put him
-to a profession; I keep him at home drudging for
-us; and but for your kindness, Carlyon, he would
-be as ignorant and raw as the meanest farm-hind.
-'Tis not right; 'tis cruelty to the lad; and he will
-live to curse the day he was born a Trevanion."
-
-"Come, come, this is not like you, Squire," said
-Mr. Carlyon warmly. "The lad is doing very well.
-He lives an open, honest life, and a useful one.
-What if his hands are horny? He makes good
-progress with his books, too, and will be fit in a year
-or two to win a sizarship at Oxford, and he will do
-well there, take orders, or maybe become secretary
-to some great person. You need fear nothing for
-Dick. No; 'tis for yourself and your good wife we
-must think. And now let us put our heads together.
-What say you to visiting Sir Bevil, and seeking
-further grace? I will myself undertake the office."
-
-"Never!" cried the Squire firmly. "I will
-have no man supplicating and beseeching on my
-behalf. No; let what must come, come; never
-will I whine and grovel for mercy."
-
-"You are an obstinate old fool, Roger Trevanion,"
-said the parson, laying a friendly hand on the other's
-arm. "But I own I sympathise with your feeling.
-Well, then, my counsel is—and you may scorn it—do
-nothing."
-
-"Nothing!"
-
-"Simply wait. The foreclosure must come, I see
-that; but the other mortgagee has not moved; you
-will still have a roof above you; you make no
-profit of the mortgaged lands, and so will be not a
-whit worse off than you are now, save in the one
-point of pride. That pride of yours has been your
-snare, Trevanion."
-
-"Well I know it!"
-
-"I don't preach, except on Sundays, but I believe
-in my heart that this trouble will turn out for your
-good. Hold fast your rock, old friend; 'twas
-sound advice, even though it came from a witch.
-No man can give you better, and I am superstitious
-enough to believe that while you follow it the
-Trevanions will not come to beggary."
-
-The two friends sat talking for some time longer.
-When the Squire rose to go away, he said—
-
-"I thank you, Carlyon. You have done me
-good. I see nothing but darkness ahead, but I'll
-take your advice; I'll stick to the ship, and keep
-my colours flying, and who knows?—perhaps I shall
-weather it out after all."
-
-They shook hands and parted, and the parson
-returned to his study to read over an ode of Horace
-in readiness for Dick's lesson next day.
-
-After his conversation with Mr. Carlyon the Squire
-recovered his wonted serenity. So cheerful was
-he when he told his wife and son what was going to
-happen, that they refrained from giving utterance in
-his presence to their own feelings on the matter, for
-fear of bringing back his gloom. He rode over one
-day in the carrier's cart to Truro to pay the interest on
-the Towers mortgage with the proceeds of a fine
-litter of pigs, and showed his lawyer the letter he had
-received from his professional brother.
-
-"An excellent practitioner, sharp as a needle,"
-said the lawyer. "He came to me a while ago
-wanting to purchase the little bond I myself hold;
-but I refused him point-blank, and went so far as to
-express my surprise at Sir Bevil. He grinned at me,
-Mr. Trevanion—yes, grinned at me in the most
-unseemly way. 'Twas not Sir Bevil's doing: that
-is one comfort."
-
-"Who bought up the bonds, then?"
-
-"That I cannot tell you: I do not know. No
-doubt a stranger, who has more money than
-judgment. I am sorry for this; I am indeed; and
-if there were any chance of getting metal out of the
-earth I could have transferred your mortgages with
-the greatest ease. As it is—but there, I won't talk
-of it. As for my own little bond on the Towers,
-that may remain till Doomsday so far as I am
-concerned. It would cut me to the heart to see the old
-place in the hands of any one but a Trevanion."
-
-"You're a good fellow, Trevenick," said the Squire,
-"and I'm grateful to you."
-
-"Not at all, not at all, my dear sir. I am
-perfectly satisfied with my investment."
-
-And the Squire returned home more cheerful than
-ever, convinced that lawyers were not all as dry as
-their parchments.
-
-The allotted month sped away. One afternoon,
-when Dick was at the parson's, Sam Pollex ran at
-headlong speed up the road from the village, dashed
-into the house, and forgetting his manners, burst
-into the Squire's room without knocking or wiping
-his boots, as he had been strictly enjoined always
-to do.
-
-"If 'ee please, sir," he panted, "there be a wagon
-full of females pulled up at the door o' the Dower
-House yonder."
-
-"Indeed!" said the Squire. "Have you never
-seen females before, Sam?"
-
-"Iss I have, sometimes, in the village; but these
-be furriners, sir."
-
-"Well, maybe they'll buy your eggs, and that'll
-save you three-quarters of your walk to the village."
-
-Sam went out, looking very much puzzled. What
-had brought foreign females to his master's house,
-he wondered? Within half an hour he was back
-again, this time a little less eager, though equally
-excited. He rapped on the door, and being bidden
-to enter, said, less breathlessly than before:
-
-"If 'ee please, sir, I seed a man on a hoss ride up
-to Dower House, and he went inside, sir, and 'twas
-Maister John."
-
-"Who? John who?" The questions came
-like pistol-shots.
-
-"His other name be Trevanion, it do seem," said
-the boy.
-
-The Squire got up in great agitation.
-
-"Are you sure, boy?" he asked.
-
-"No, sir, I bean't sure, 'cos I never seed un
-afore; but I axed Tom Penny, who was standing
-by, who 'twas, and he said, 'Why, ninny-watch,
-doan't 'ee know yer own maister's born cousin?
-'Tis the same fine genel'um that give Ike Pendry a
-groat for carr'n his portmantel.'"
-
-Then something happened that scared Sam out of
-his wits and sent him scampering to the kitchen for
-his father.
-
-"Feyther, Feyther," he cried, "come quick!
-Squire's took bad. 'A went all gashly white and
-wambled about, sighin' and groanin' that terrible!
-He's dyin', I b'lieve."
-
-Old Reuben was lame, but he caught up a jug of
-water and hobbled with it as fast as he could to the
-Squire's room, sending Sam to fetch the mistress.
-He found the Squire seated in his chair, with a stony
-look upon his ashen face.
-
-"What ails thee, maister?" cried the terrified
-servant.
-
-"Nothing, nothing, Reuben," replied Mr. Trevanion.
-"Don't be afraid, and don't alarm your
-mistress."
-
-Here Mrs. Trevanion came hastily in, Sam
-hanging behind as if afraid to approach too near.
-
-"I am sorry they called you, my dear," said the
-Squire. "There is nothing wrong. Leave us,
-Reuben."
-
-The old man hobbled away. Mrs. Trevanion
-stood by her husband's chair.
-
-"I was overcome for a moment, but it has passed,"
-said the Squire. "John Trevanion is the master of
-my lands."
-
-"It cannot be, Roger!"
-
-"It is, it is. Sam saw a party of servants drive
-to the Dower House, and John himself ride up a
-while after."
-
-"But, Roger, I do not understand."
-
-"'Tis very simple. He has bought up the
-mortgages from Sir Bevil's attorney—'twas hard to
-believe that the foreclosure was Sir Bevil's
-doing—and has come to mock me and flout me at my own
-doors; ay, and to drive me away, if he can!"
-
-"A penniless man, Roger! You told me he left
-here a beggar."
-
-"Yes, a beggar, and worse—a thousand times
-worse. But that was ten years ago, and in ten
-years beggars may become rich, and scoundrels may
-tread down many an honest man. But he shall not
-tread me down. He may own my land, and fence
-me in, and do what he will; but the Towers is
-mine, and by heaven I will hold it!"
-
-Discretion was one of Mrs. Trevanion's qualities.
-Being relieved to find that Sam's alarming report of
-the Squire's illness was exaggerated, if not wholly
-imaginary, she sought with her wonted tact to divert
-her husband's thoughts into a calmer channel, and
-soon had him interested in purely domestic matters.
-
-The re-opening of the Dower House was already
-the all-engrossing topic of conversation among the
-old wives and young wives, fishers, farmers, tradesmen,
-loafers and small fry of Polkerran and the
-neighbourhood. The "wagon-full of females" of
-Sam's kindling eye turned out to be one plump
-woman of forty and one slim maid of half that age,
-the cook and housemaid whom John Trevanion had
-engaged, as afterwards appeared, in a Devonshire
-village. On the same day two heavy wagons, each
-drawn by four enormous horses, arrived from Truro
-with furniture, kitchen utensils, and other things
-needed in setting up house, and on the next appeared
-a couple of riding-horses in charge of a lively young
-groom.
-
-These important events were retailed and freely
-commented on in the tap-room of the Five
-Pilchards.
-
-"We shall see brave doings up at the old house,
-neighbours," said Doubledick, the innkeeper, to the
-group of fishermen idling there. "Maister John
-is a fine feller, that he be. He were allers the chap
-for a randy, and 'twill be a rare change for we to
-have some one as will have feastings and merry-makings
-arter the miserable cold time we've had wi'
-Squire."
-
-"'A must have a heap o' gold and silver in his
-purse to pay for all they fine-lookin' things we seed
-goin' in," said one of the men. "Wheer 'd he
-get it all from, can 'ee tell us that, neighbour
-Doubledick?"
-
-"I might if I put my mind to it," said Doubledick
-sententiously. "But it don't matter a mossel
-wheer it do come from; there 'tis, and we shall
-have the good o't. The lord-lieutenant 'll make un
-a magistrate, if I know the ways o' providence, and
-I do know summat about 'em, neighbours all; and
-if any of 'ee are brought up afore un for a innocent
-bit o' free-tradin', he'll not be the man to stretch the
-law against 'ee, not he."
-
-"'Tis a terrible affliction for Squire, to be sure,"
-said another. "There be no loving-kindness 'twixt
-'em, if all's true as folks tell, and a dog can't abide
-seein' another run off with his bone, that bein' my
-simple way of speech."
-
-"Squire be goin' down, that's the truth o't," said
-Doubledick. "Well, some goes up and some goes
-down, and all gets level in churchyard."
-
-Sam Pollex lost no time in making acquaintance
-with the new household. On the day after their
-arrival he carried a basket of eggs to the back-door
-of the Dower House, and blushed to the roots of his
-hair when it was opened by a pretty Devonshire lass,
-who smiled sweetly on him, asked him the price,
-and said she would speak to Cook.
-
-"She will take them," said the girl on her return,
-"and bids me say you must come to-morrow and
-she'll let 'ee know if any is addled. What be the
-name of 'ee, boy?"
-
-"Sam Pollex, ma'am," said Sam sheepishly.
-
-"And where do 'ee live?"
-
-"Up at Towers, yonder."
-
-"Well I never! Bean't that where Maister's
-cousin the Squire lives?"
-
-"Iss, him and me lives there, and the mistress,
-and Feyther, and Maister Dick."
-
-"Only think of it, now! Squire selling eggs
-like a common dairyman!"
-
-"Squire don't sell 'em; 'tis me, and I take
-Mistress the money. Sometimes it come to two or
-three shilling a week, but the hens don't lay in
-winter, and then I sell sides o' pork and chitterlings."
-
-"Well, run away now, boy—Sam Pollex, did you
-say? What a funny name! And mind you don't
-lose the money."
-
-Sam went away all aglow with admiration of the
-sweet looks of the maid-servant, and told
-Mrs. Trevanion how kindly she had spoken to him.
-He was seized with a terrible depression of spirits
-when he left his mistress's presence.
-
-"Never go there again to sell eggs, or anything
-else, Sam," she said firmly. "Your master will be
-very angry with you if he hears of it. Here is the
-money. Take it to your father, and mind you never
-do such a thing again."
-
-Sam, with a rueful face, told Dick what had
-happened.
-
-"I should think not, indeed," said Dick indignantly.
-"If I catch you going inside the gates of the Dower
-House grounds again I'll break your head, young
-Sam; you remember it."
-
-For several days the Squire scarcely left the house.
-Then he happened to meet John Trevanion riding
-along the road. The supplanter swept off his hat
-with a mocking salutation, but the Squire passed him
-without a sign of recognition.
-
-A day or two later Sir Bevil Portharvan, owner of
-an estate some miles distant, rode over to the
-Towers.
-
-"Ah, Trevanion," he said to the Squire, "how
-d'ye do? 'Tis only yesterday I heard that your
-cousin was the purchaser of the bonds I held. It
-must be a great comfort to you that the property has
-not gone out of the family."
-
-"Let me tell you, once for all, Sir Bevil," cried
-the Squire, his cheeks red with anger, "that the
-owner of the Dower House is a stranger to me. I will
-not speak to him, nor look at him, and I don't care
-who knows it."
-
-"Dear me, I am sorry," said the astonished visitor.
-"I had no idea of it, or, believe me, Trevanion, I
-would never——"
-
-"Enough, Sir Bevil. I have no grudge against
-you. You have been very long-suffering; I thank
-you for it; but I would have given you my property
-rather than it should fall into the hands of its present
-owner. I say no more."
-
-And Sir Bevil told his friends that old Trevanion
-was growing very crusty, and it was a pity to see
-such paltry envy in a man of his years.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`The Cave of Seals`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE FOURTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- The Cave of Seals
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Some few days afterwards, Mr. Mildmay, visiting
-the Towers once more, chanced to mention that as
-he passed St. Cuby's Cove in his cutter he had seen
-a couple of seals disporting themselves in the shallow
-water under the cliff. The conversation passed at
-once to other matters, but next morning Dick told
-Sam what the lieutenant had said, and suggested
-that they should go seal-hunting. Sam was nothing
-loth, and promised to accompany his young master
-as soon as he had fed the poultry and cleaned out
-the sties.
-
-Seals were not often seen on the coast; indeed,
-Dick had only once before heard of their appearance,
-so that the proposed expedition had all the charm of
-novelty. While waiting for Sam, he went to the
-kitchen, where Reuben Pollex was washing the
-dishes, and asked him if he could tell him how to
-tackle a seal.
-
-"That's more than I can do, Maister Dick," said
-the old man. "I never caught nawthin' but fish and
-rabbits, and maybe a stoat now and again; never
-seed a seal in my life."
-
-"They're valuable, Reuben," said Dick. "The
-skins are worth a good deal. They are made into
-coats and tippets and such things for ladies, you
-know."
-
-"The mistress wants a new coat, so 'twould come
-handy, and I wish 'ee luck. I've heerd tell that the
-critters sometimes hide in the cave yonder, though
-as no man, 's far 's I know, ever did see 'em there, it
-may be only guesswork."
-
-The cave mentioned was at the head of St. Cuby's
-Cove. Its entrance was exposed only at low tide,
-and Dick had more than once visited it at such
-times, exploring its recesses by the light of a torch
-or one of the house lanterns. He had never made
-any interesting discovery there, and had for some
-years ceased to visit it.
-
-"Didn't you tell me once that there is an entrance
-to the cave from the land side, Reuben?" he asked.
-
-"Ay, folks used to say so when I was a boy, but
-I don't know as there be any truth in it. Once
-upon a time, long afore my day, there was a mine
-thereabouts, and maybe one of the adits ran down
-to the cave; but 'tis sixty year or more since the
-mine give out—in yer grandfer's time—and not a
-soul have been down in the workings ever since, 's
-far 's I know."
-
-Here Sam appeared and announced that he was
-ready. The two lads, provided with a gun, a cutlass,
-a lantern, and a few candle-ends, proceeded to the
-spot on the beach of Trevanion Bay where their boat
-was moored, launched her, and rowed round the
-promontory to St. Cuby's Cove. The tide was
-running out, and as the interval during which the
-cave was free from water was very short, Dick and
-his companion worked the boat through the entrance
-with their hands as soon as there was room for them
-to pass between the roof and the surface of the sea.
-
-The opening was at first a narrow tunnel in the
-cliff, but after some yards it began to widen gradually,
-and at length enlarged itself into a spacious vault, in
-which there was a continuous murmur, such as is
-heard on putting a shell to one's ear. By the time
-the boys reached it the tide had completely left the
-cave, and the boat stranded on a sandy beach, littered
-with rocks of all shapes and sizes, which had apparently
-fallen at various times from the roof. They lit
-their lantern, whose yellow rays fell on jagged
-granite walls, glistening shells, and slimy seaweed
-covering the rocks on the floor. Here and there
-were small pools which the tide never left dry, and
-where the light of the lantern revealed innumerable
-little marine creatures darting this way and that with
-extraordinary rapidity.
-
-The boys made the boat fast by looping the
-painter round a jagged boulder. They moved
-warily, for the seal was a beast unknown to either of
-them, though Dick, in his total ignorance of these
-creatures of the deep, hardly expected to find them
-in the cave now that the sea had receded. Presently,
-however, they heard above the hollow murmur
-another sound, like the feeble bleat of a very young
-lamb. They peered about, moving the lantern to
-and fro, and at length discovered, lying on a rocky
-ledge at the inmost end of the cave, two small
-cream-coloured objects, scarcely more than a foot
-long, whose soft eyes blinked in the light, and from
-whose mouths issued plaintive cries of alarm.
-
-"Bean't they proper little mites!" said Sam,
-putting out his hand to touch them.
-
-"Don't do that!" cried Dick hastily; "the old
-ones may be about, and if they're like other beasts,
-they'll attack us if they think we'll hurt their
-young."
-
-"Shan't we take 'em, then?" asked Sam.
-
-"Of course not; they're too young."
-
-"And shan't we look for the old uns?"
-
-"No; the young ones would die if we killed the
-parents. We must come again later on, when they're
-old enough to take care of themselves. But our
-day shan't be wasted. We'll see if we can find the
-other entrance to the cave."
-
-"What other entrance?"
-
-"Your father says 'tis thought that at one time
-there was a way in from an adit above."
-
-"I can't believe it. The free-traders would have
-found it long afore this if so 'twere."
-
-"I don't know. The adit wouldn't be an easy
-passage for them with their bales and kegs. But
-don't let us waste time; the tide will be running
-back soon."
-
-They followed the irregular circuit of the cave,
-thrusting the lantern into every recess and hollow,
-holding it high and low, but discovering nothing
-except the same rugged and apparently impenetrable
-wall.
-
-"There bean't no opening," said Sam at length.
-"'Twas fiddle-faddle to say there be."
-
-"Perhaps it is high above us, out of reach,"
-suggested Dick.
-
-"Where's the sense o' that?" replied Sam,
-disappointed of the anticipated sport. "What mortal
-good would it be to any soul alive to make an
-opening where 'ee'd break yer neck if you come
-to it?"
-
-Dick did not answer, craning his neck to scan the
-heights above him. The light of the lantern failed
-to penetrate the overarching gloom. The roof of
-the cave was invisible, and the walls appeared to rise
-perpendicularly, with projections here and there that
-looked, in the spectral glimmer, like the grotesque
-gargoyles on a church-tower.
-
-"I'd like to climb up there," said Dick at length.
-
-"Lawk-a-massy, you'd break yer neck for sure.
-'Tis a 'mazing hard job to climb the cliff arter gulls'
-eggs, but this be death and burial."
-
-"We could do it with a ladder."
-
-"Our ladder bean't long enough by half; the
-only ladders long enough be they in church-tower,
-and they be too heavy to lug here, and sexton
-wouldn't let us take 'em. Scrounch it all, Maister
-Dick, I do think 'ee be muddled in yer head to think
-o' sech daring doings. See now, tide's comin' in, and
-we don't want to be drownded."
-
-"That's the most sensible thing you've said for a
-while, Sam. We'll go now, but I won't give it up.
-We'll get a ladder, or make one, and come back
-another day. I'm determined to find out if there
-really is an opening."
-
-"Well, Feyther says most heads do have a magget
-in 'em, like turmits, and this be yours; 'tis
-indeed."
-
-They loosed the boat, and paddled out as they
-had come, Dick resolving, in spite of his follower's
-damping attitude, to return before long, and make a
-thorough exploration of the place.
-
-Later in the day, as he walked home from the
-Parsonage, he was struck with an idea of a
-contrivance for serving his purpose. He consulted old
-Reuben about it when he got home, and Sam, on
-returning from an errand in the village, found his
-father and Dick hard at work in an outhouse,
-splicing short lengths of rope, and fixing them at
-regular intervals between two thin but strong poles
-about six feet long.
-
-"What be doin', Feyther?" asked Sam.
-
-"Use yer eyes, sonny, and put a name to 't
-yerself," replied Reuben.
-
-"Well, if I was to speak my thought, I'd say 'ee
-was makin' a ladder that 'ud let a man down as soon
-as he put a foot on it."
-
-"Then 'tis for you to make it stronger, my son,
-babe and sucklin' as 'ee be. T'ud be a sin to let so
-much cleverness run to seed. Strip off yer coat and
-lay into it, and keep yer tongue quiet, for if 'ee set
-all the organs of yer body goin' at once, you'll die
-young."
-
-This implied rebuke had the effect of making Sam
-enter zealously into the work, and before supper
-two light ladders were finished, each six feet long,
-which, together with a short ladder of the ordinary
-kind that Reuben used in his duties about the
-premises, provided Dick with a total length of
-eighteen or twenty feet. His notion was to carry
-these separate pieces down to the cave, and then
-lash them together to form one continuous whole.
-
-He fixed on the following afternoon for his second
-visit to the cave. The morning turned out very
-wet, the rain pouring down in quite unusual
-volume; but the sky cleared after dinner, and the
-two boys set off, timing themselves as before to
-reach the cave when the ebbing tide left the entrance
-free. Again the baby seals were alone, and much as
-Dick would have liked a tussle with their parents,
-his sporting bent was for the time subordinate to his
-wish to find the supposed landward entrance to the
-cave.
-
-The ladder perfectly answered its purpose, but it
-was disappointing to find that it was by no means
-long enough. Even when Dick, the taller of the
-two, stood on the topmost rung, Sam holding the
-ladder steady at the bottom, he saw that the walls
-still stretched for several feet above him. But the
-roof was now in sight, an irregular arch, consisting
-of knobs, wedges, and inverted pyramids of rock,
-and Dick felt the tantalising certainty that the
-opening, if opening there was, could not be far away.
-
-They went all round the cave, setting the ladder
-up at frequent intervals, Dick exploring every foot
-of the jagged wall with the aid of his lantern. There
-were plenty of recesses and depressions, ranging
-from a finger's breadth to the length of his arm;
-but he did not find one where he was unable to
-touch the back of it with his outstretched hand.
-It was clear that the opening, if it existed, must be
-above his head.
-
-"We shall have to make another length of ladder,
-and come back again," he said to Sam. "I won't
-give it up."
-
-He was standing high on the ladder as he spoke,
-dangling the lantern by a ring at the top. The
-words were scarcely out of his mouth when there
-was a tremendous crash, which shook the place, and
-so much startled him that, in an instinctive
-movement to cling on to something, he let the lantern
-fall. It lighted fairly on the top of Sam's head,
-bounced off, and dropped with a thud to the sandy
-floor, where the candle was instantly extinguished.
-
-"Are you hurt, Sam?" cried Dick, anxiously.
-
-"Rabbit it all!" roared Sam, in high indignation.
-"Do 'ee think my head be wood then? Bean't
-I got feelings like any other common man? My
-skull have got a furrow in it a yard long, and I may
-rub it till I'm dead, I'll never straighten it out
-again."
-
-"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it, Sam. Light
-the candle again, will you, so that we can see what
-has happened."
-
-Sam growled and grunted as he struck a light
-from his tinder-box. The rekindled candle revealed
-a strange catastrophe. A huge mass of the wall and
-roof of the cavern had collapsed, owing perhaps to the
-heavy rains in the morning, and the débris was lying
-in a heap against the opening of the tunnel leading
-to the exterior.
-
-"If this bean't a pretty kettle of fish, never call me
-Sam again," said the boy in consternation. "'Tis
-closed up; we be shet in."
-
-Dick climbed down the ladder, and crossed the
-floor of the cave to see the extent of the mischief.
-It was as Sam had said. Their exit was barred by a
-mass of rock and loose soil that must weigh several
-tons.
-
-"Quick, Sam!" cried Dick, "we must work
-hard to clear it away. The tide will be on the turn,
-and we don't want to be imprisoned here all night."
-
-They began to work with all haste, but soon
-found that the task would be a long one. The
-smaller pieces of rock were easily cast aside; but
-there were many large masses which, besides being
-heavy and cumbersome themselves, were very
-difficult to move by reason of the earth in which
-they were imbedded. The boys had made but little
-progress when the sea began to creep in.
-
-"We'll be drownded alive!" said Sam, now in a
-state of terror.
-
-"Work, then. Shove your hardest, Sam; we'll
-do it yet."
-
-They tugged and hauled and pushed with fierce
-energy, and by employing their united strength upon
-the largest masses, they succeeded in clearing a path
-wide enough to allow room for the boat. By this
-time the water was almost up to their knees, and
-they heard the boat graze the rocks as it floated on
-the incoming tide. Loosing the painter, they pushed
-the craft through the tunnel, only to find, when they
-approached the seaward opening, that but a small
-segment of the sky was visible, the gap being too
-shallow to afford a passage.
-
-"We are trapped, Sam; there's no denying it,"
-said Dick quietly. "But don't be alarmed. I
-don't suppose the water reaches the roof of the cave
-even at high tide, so that we can float in the boat
-quite safely. It only means a few hours' imprisonment."
-
-"If I've got to be jailed, I'd rather be in village
-lock-up; 'tis dry at any rate. Can't we swim out,
-Maister Dick?"
-
-"Of course we can, but I doubt whether we had
-better do it. There's a dozen yards or more under
-water first, and then a good half-mile outside before
-we can land. We should get pretty well knocked
-about on the rocks if there's any swell on the sea.
-We had much better stay here."
-
-Sam gloomily assented to this course. They got
-into the boat, and sat there for some time watching
-it rise gradually as the tide grew higher.
-
-"Hang me for a jackass!" cried Dick suddenly.
-
-"What have 'ee been and done?" asked Sam
-with concern.
-
-"Why, we haven't got gun, cutlass, or any other
-weapon."
-
-"'A b'lieve not," said Sam, "but we couldn't
-keep out the tide with un if we had forty guns and
-fifty cutlasses."
-
-"The seals! They'll come back with the tide,
-and be in a terrible rage with us, thinking we're
-after their babies."
-
-"Be-jowned if I thought of it! 'Twas a true
-word; you do be a great jackass, sure enough."
-
-"Mind what you say, Sam, or I'll throw you out."
-
-"'Twas your word, not mine. I wouldn't go so
-far as that. Ninnyhammer is the worst I'd call 'ee.
-But I told 'ee how 'twould be, with yer head
-itchin' with this magget of openin's and ladders and
-all that."
-
-"Be ready to use the boat-hook, or the anchor, if
-the seals attack us. I'll use one of the oars."
-
-"I don't believe we'll have to fight at all," cried
-Sam. "Look 'ee! There be they two young
-seals swimmin' out to find the old uns. They
-bean't so young as you thought if they can swim
-like that, and we med as well have took 'em
-yesterday as not."
-
-"Well, 'tis too late now. They're gone."
-
-"To get their supper, I reckon. I be mortal
-hungry, Maister Dick, arter all that work. Have
-'ee got a morsel of bread in yer pocket?"
-
-"Not a bit."
-
-"Not a apple or codling?"
-
-"Not one."
-
-"I could eat a turmit or a raw tater. But don't
-name 'em to me, or I shall feel very bad for thinkin'
-of 'em. Best thing is to go to sleep when yer
-hungry, 'cos you don't feel it then."
-
-"Well, sleep. I'll wake you if anything happens."
-
-The boy curled himself up in the bottom of the
-boat, and soon filled the cavern with his snores.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`St. Cuby's Well`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE FIFTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- St. Cuby's Well
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-To see another eat when oneself is hungry, or
-sleep when oneself is wakeful, is surely very trying
-to the temper, except to those happily-constituted
-individuals who are incapable of envy. Dick
-Trevanion was as generous-hearted a boy as you
-could wish; but as the time went by, unmarked by
-anything but the slow rise of the boat and the quick
-dwindling of the candle in the lantern, he looked
-at Sam's open mouth with impatience, listened to his
-untuneful solo with dislike, and felt a deplorable
-desire to kick him. He had no watch, and bethought
-himself that it might be as well, when he got home,
-to test the duration of a candle, so that if he were
-ever in such a predicament again he might at least
-have a clock of King Alfred's sort. Every now and
-then he snuffed the coarse wick, and when the tallow
-had sunk almost to the socket, he substituted another
-candle-end that he happened to have in his pocket.
-Beyond this he had nothing to employ him.
-
-But by-and-by, as the roof of the vault came
-nearer to him with the gradual lifting of the boat,
-an idea struck him. Why not use the boat as a
-raised platform for the ladder, and so contrive to
-examine an additional ten or twelve feet of the
-walls? The ladder!—it was floating on the surface
-of the water, heaving simultaneously with the boat
-as the tide gently rippled in.
-
-"Wake up, Sam!" he called.
-
-Sam snored on.
-
-"Wake up!" cried Dick again, leaning over and
-pinching the sleeper's nose.
-
-Sam struck out with his fist, as any honest English
-boy would have done, without opening his eyes.
-But at a third call he roused himself, sat up, and
-rubbing those heavy organs vigorously, sighed like a
-furnace, and then said sleepily:
-
-"Why, where be I?"
-
-"In dreamland, I should think," replied Dick,
-laughing. "Wake up! I want you to hold the
-ladder against the wall while I climb again."
-
-"In twelve feet o' water! Not me; I bean't
-growed enough for that. 'Tis work for a giant."
-
-"Not on the ground, of course; in the boat, I
-mean."
-
-Sam looked dubious.
-
-"Won't it wamble? And if you tumble you'll
-sink us."
-
-"Well, we can try. Take hold of the end of the
-ladder floating by you, and I'll paddle close to the
-wall."
-
-On lifting the ladder, they found that its top
-came within a few feet of the roof. But when Dick
-began to climb, he descended in a hurry, for the
-ladder being of necessity set up at an angle, every
-upward step drove the boat from the wall towards
-the middle of the cave.
-
-"Be-jowned if we can do it!" cried Sam. "That
-there openin' will be the death o' me."
-
-Dick was at a loss. There was no way of keeping
-the boat in a fixed position. Even if he dropped
-the anchor and it held in the sandy bottom, the boat
-would still have a range of movement that altogether
-prohibited the success of his plan. He looked
-gloomily at Sam; it was vexatious to be baulked
-when achievement was so near. Sam, with his
-hands on the sides of the ladder, was gazing up its
-length, his eyes gradually converging as they
-travelled higher, until they seemed almost to be
-looking at each other. All at once they reverted to
-their natural position, and he cried:
-
-"I've got a noble thought, I do b'lieve."
-
-"What's that?"
-
-"Why, 'tis as easy as anything. See that place,
-Maister Dick, up aloft there, where the wall goes in
-summat?"
-
-"Well, what then?"
-
-"I'll show 'ee. You'd never ha' thought of it,
-'cos you was lookin' down instead o' lookin' up."
-
-He drew down the ladder until its whole length
-lay along one side of the boat.
-
-"Look 'ee here," he said. "We'll take the
-anchor, and fix it upright in middle of the ladder,
-lash it to the top rung, do 'ee see?" He suited the
-action to the word. "There! Now 'tis a hook, or
-a clutch, or whatever name you like to gie un.
-We'll lift un again till it hooks on that ledge; then
-it will hang free, and you can climb as easy as
-climbing trees."
-
-"A capital notion, Sam," cried Dick.
-
-"I said it was, purticler for a poor mazy stunpoll
-of a feller like me."
-
-"You're a genius if it works out. The thing is
-to try it."
-
-Raising the ladder to its former position, they
-moved it along the face of the wall until one fluke
-of the anchor held firmly to the ledge of rock, as
-they proved by exerting a considerable downward
-strain.
-
-"This is splendid," said Dick. "Now to go up."
-
-"Ah, don't 'ee take the lantern with 'ee this time.
-I don't want no more cracks on the nob, and if it
-fell again, 't 'ud get soused in the water, and then
-we'd be in darkness."
-
-"You're right. I'll take the candle out and stick
-it in my hat as the miners do. I must have a light,
-of course."
-
-"I reckon you must, if you be goin' to find that
-openin'," said Sam, sceptical to the last.
-
-Dick stuck the lighted candle into the band of his
-hat, stepped out of the boat, and began to climb,
-Sam watching his progress and offering bits of
-cautionary counsel. In a few seconds, when Dick's
-head projected above the anchor, he saw that the
-ledge of rock, extending for some distance on both
-sides, was the floor of a roughly rectangular fissure,
-which penetrated the earth much as the tunnel below
-penetrated the cliff. It ran upwards. The smoky
-light from the candle did not reach far, but Dick,
-peering over the ledge, was unable to see any solid
-background to the fissure.
-
-"I've found the opening!" he said.
-
-"What do 'ee say?" called Sam. "Yer voice
-sounds all a mumble and a rumble."
-
-Clinging firmly to the ledge with both hands,
-Dick lowered his head and repeated the words.
-
-"Now yer satisfied, then," said Sam. "Better
-come down afore the candle goes out."
-
-"No. I'm going on."
-
-"But chok' it all, you won't leave me all alone!
-I'm not afeard, not I; but if there be three or
-four seals a-comin' home by-and-by, I can't fight
-'em all."
-
-"You must come up too when I've looked a
-little farther."
-
-"But you can't climb on to the ledge without
-summat to hold to. Maister Dick, think of yer
-feyther and mother, and what I'm to say if 'ee falls
-and breaks yer neck, and I take 'ee home a gashly
-corp."
-
-"Don't talk rubbish. I shan't fall if you don't
-worry me. I'm not going to sit for hours longer in
-the boat till the tide goes down, so hold your tongue
-till I am safe aloft."
-
-Leaning well forward, he carefully lifted his foot
-to the next rung, then to the next, watching the
-anchor to see that it was not displaced by his
-movements. Then he got one knee on the rocky shelf,
-stretched his arms in front of him, and with a sudden
-movement heaved his body on to the ledge and fell
-flat, his feet projecting into space. He crawled
-along on hands and knees until his boots disappeared
-from Sam's view, and stood up within the dark
-entrance of the fissure.
-
-"I'm up, Sam," he called, his voice reverberating
-hollowly in the vault.
-
-"Then I be comin' too," cried the boy.
-
-"Not yet. You must wait a little until I see
-where the opening leads to. I'll come back for you
-presently."
-
-He turned his face to the opening and went in.
-Dim as the light was, he recognised almost at once
-that he was at the end of a mine adit. Within a few
-paces the fissure narrowed to a dwarf tunnel, through
-which a tiny stream trickled, disappearing, not over
-the ledge into the cave, but into a fissure in the
-wall of rock. There was space for only two persons
-to pass abreast, and as Dick proceeded, he had
-to bend his head to avoid striking the roof. He
-was about to explore further, when he remembered
-that the candle in his hat could not last more than
-a few minutes, and to advance in the dark would be
-foolhardy. He had no more candles, and supposed
-that Sam had none, so that it seemed as if he must
-postpone further exploration. But returning to the
-ledge, he saw a light in the cave.
-
-"You've got some more candle-ends, then?" he cried.
-
-"One, that I've just fished up out of my pocket
-along with a bit of string, some bait, a bit o' pudden
-that I'd forgot—can't eat it now, hungry as I be, 'cos
-'tis all tallowed—and a green penny."
-
-"I want the candle, Sam; mine's going out. Can
-you pitch it up?"
-
-"I can, but it 'ud only fall back into the water
-and go to the bottom."
-
-"Wait. I've a bit of string in my pocket. I'll
-let it down; tie the candle on."
-
-"I must do it, I suppose. Iss, you shall have it,
-and I'll be left in the dark, but I'm not
-afeard—not very."
-
-In a minute Dick had the fresh candle in his
-hat-band, and once more entered the tunnel.
-
-It was very damp, and Dick guessed from the
-trickling stream at his feet that the adit had been
-designed, when the mine was in operation, to drain
-the upper workings. How long ago this was he
-had no idea. It must have been long before old
-Reuben's time, or the man would have had more
-definite knowledge than he actually possessed, and
-the existence of the opening would have been known
-as a fact instead of being a mere fragment of village
-tradition.
-
-Dick went on. In some parts the tunnel was
-almost impassable with earth and rocks that had
-fallen in. Step as cautiously as he might, every
-now and then the rattle of loose earth displaced
-by his movements caused a cold shiver to run
-down his back. What if there should be a fall
-behind him which would cut off his retreat to
-the cave? The tunnel ought to lead to an opening
-to the air above, but the way might be blocked,
-and the possibility of being entombed was daunting.
-But having come so far Dick was unwilling to give
-in. The peril might be purely imaginary. Plucking
-up his courage, he hastened his steps, and after
-a few minutes came to an enlargement of the tunnel.
-To his left a second gallery ran downward at a
-sharp angle with that in which he was; no doubt
-this also led to some point of the shore. Still
-advancing, he saw, with some surprise, that the passage
-was strutted in places, and much freer from
-obstructions than the portion he had already traversed.
-About a hundred yards beyond the transverse gallery,
-however, his progress was suddenly checked: the
-whole width of the tunnel was filled with a mass of
-rocks, stones, and loose earth. A few seconds'
-examination sufficed to show the impossibility of
-proceeding farther in this direction; accordingly
-he retraced his steps and, a few yards away, came
-to another passage, to find, however, after twenty
-or thirty paces, that he was again brought to a
-stop.
-
-This time the obstruction was of a different nature.
-It was a rough door made of stout wooden beams,
-closed with a heavy bar resting in sockets. He
-lifted the bar and pulled the creaking door, which
-came towards him for an inch or two, and then
-stuck. To open it fully he had to remove from the
-floor a number of planks and beams, which appeared
-to be the parts of a broken windlass. Having got
-the door open and passed through, he found himself
-in a square chamber that smelt very damp and close,
-though, on looking upwards, he could see no roof.
-He concluded that he was at the bottom of a deep
-shaft. But it had not the look of a mine shaft,
-which, so far as Dick's experience went, was always
-timbered. The walls here were cased with stone,
-moss-grown and damp.
-
-Near the doorway he caught sight of a staple of
-rusty iron let into the wall; a little above this, a
-second of the same kind; and at the same interval
-above the second, a third. Looking up the wall, he
-perceived that similar staples projected from the
-stonework as far up as the flickering light of his
-candle revealed. Their shape, and the intervals
-between them, indicated that they were steps by
-which the wall could be climbed. And then it
-flashed upon him suddenly that he was in an ancient
-well, known as St. Cuby's Well, though who
-St. Cuby was nobody knew except, perhaps,
-Mr. Carlyon, deeply learned in the antiquities of his
-county. The upper end of the well-shaft opened
-on the cliff, about a quarter-mile from the cottage of
-old Joe Penwarden, the exciseman. It was covered by
-the ivy-grown ruins of a small oratory, whither in
-times long past the faithful had come to have their
-children baptised in the water of the holy well, to
-drink of it for the cure of their diseases, and to offer
-up vows and repeat prayers before the sacred cross.
-
-Strange as it may seem, Dick's first impulse, when
-the identity of his whereabouts flashed upon him,
-was to dash through the doorway and scamper with
-all imaginable speed back to the cave. He was not
-more superstitious than other boys of his age; but
-in those days, before old beliefs and fancies had
-undergone the cold douche of science, people were
-credulous of omens and spells, blessings and curses,
-beneficent influences and the evil eye. From
-St. Cuby's Well the aroma of sanctity had long since
-departed; according to village tradition, a murder of
-peculiar horror had once been committed there; and
-now it was shunned as a plague spot. No pilgrims
-came to kneel beneath the sacred roof; no children
-ever played hide and seek among its picturesque
-ruins; everybody, from the Squire downwards,
-avoided it, and at night not a man would have
-ventured within a hundred yards of its unhallowed
-precincts. Stories were rife of apparitions seen
-there; it was these ghosts of which Ike Pendry had
-spoken to John Trevanion on the night when he
-had overtaken the trudging pedestrian on the high
-road.
-
-Dick, of course, had no belief in ghosts, and
-regarded the stories with as much intellectual
-contempt as his father gave to the witch's couplet.
-But his imagination was subject to impressions which
-his reason scorned; and in the gloom of the
-well-shaft, which the yellow rays of his candle rendered
-more awful than complete darkness could have been,
-these vague conceptions of murder, sacrilege, and
-midnight hauntings possessed his mind so completely
-as at first to overwhelm his common-sense. But he
-resolutely crushed down these figments of his
-imagination, told himself that such evil traditions
-might probably be traced to no more real origin than
-the failure of the spring of water, and decided to go
-back for his companion and put an end to their
-captivity by climbing up the iron steps to the surface
-of the cliff.
-
-"Oh, I am glad to see 'ee," cried Sam, as his
-young master's head appeared at the brink of the
-ledge. "I bean't afeard, not I, but 'twas 'nation
-dark, and I felt a queer wamblin' in the inside o'
-me, 'cos I'm tarrible hungry, I reckon."
-
-"Well, come along. I've found the way out.
-The opening leads to St. Cuby's Well, and we can
-climb to the top in no time."
-
-"St. Cuby's Well! Dash my bones if I go
-within a mile o't. Dead men's bones, and sperits
-o' darkness—no, never will I do it."
-
-"Stuff and nonsense!" cried Dick, as stoutly as
-if he had never felt the least tremor on his own
-account. "I've seen no bones, and the spirits
-haven't laid a hand on me. Those silly tales only
-frighten children."
-
-"And females. Ah, 'tis a pity the mistress won't
-let me take eggs and things to the Dower House.
-What I could tell to that nice young female wi' the
-hole in her rosy cheeks! How they'd go yaller
-and white when she heerd my tale of blood, and
-ghosteses in night-gowns, and all the other things o'
-darkness! Ah, 'twas to be, I s'pose: she'll hear it
-from some one else, and I shan't get the credit
-of it."
-
-"No; she'll hear that you were too much of a
-baby to face 'em, and she'll despise you, instead of
-thinking well of you as she does now."
-
-"Don't say it, Maister Dick," cried the boy.
-"Scrounch me if I lose my fame in that miserable
-way. I'll come, if you'll stand by me, and hold my
-hand if we hears a noise, and use your finest
-language to the sperits if they meddle wi' us. I've
-heerd tell that the Lord's prayer said back'ards will
-tarrify 'em out of their wits, but I reckon yer head's
-full of ancient heathen words that go straightfor'ard,
-and won't put 'ee to such a tarrible tax as turnin'
-religion topsy-turvy."
-
-This was said as Sam climbed with deliberate care
-up the ladder. He gained the ledge more easily
-than Dick had done, having the help of Dick's hand.
-
-"Can we get there afore candle's out?" he said
-anxiously, when they stood side by side.
-
-"If we make haste," replied Dick, taking off his
-hat and looking at the inch-and-a-half of candle left,
-and the mass of tallow that lay on the brim like a
-small lake of lava. "We can fetch the boat at
-low-tide to-morrow."
-
-They hurried on, and, Dick knowing the way,
-reached the shaft in much quicker time than when he
-had come alone. Sam got behind him at the doorway,
-peering under his armpits with wide eyes, and
-taking much comfort when he saw nothing but mossy
-walls.
-
-"I'm downright shamed o' folks that believe in
-such gammut," he said, valiantly following Dick
-into the chamber.
-
-"Well, now we'll climb up. It must be after
-sunset, or we should see a glimmer of light at the
-top. I'll go first."
-
-"No, I'd better go first," said Sam hastily,
-looking round with something of his former air of
-timorous expectation. "You see, if you go first, the
-brim of yer hat will shet out all the light, and I'll miss
-my footing and be nawthin' but scattered members.
-But if I go first, do 'ee see, and you come close
-behind me—but not close enough to set my stockings
-afire—the light will be ekal betwixt us two. Do 'ee
-see my manin', Maister Dick?"
-
-"Quite plain. I don't mind. We'll try one or
-two of the staples first, to make sure they are firm in
-the stonework, and then you can mount, and as
-your hind foot leaves one step, my fore hand will
-clutch it."
-
-The staples stood the test of pulling, first by Dick,
-then by Sam, who also tried them, on the plea that
-he had more muscle. Then Sam began to climb,
-followed closely by Dick. After an ascent of perhaps
-a hundred feet, the former declared that he felt a
-whiff of fresh air, and immediately afterwards the
-candle flame was blown out. Looking up past
-Sam's fore-shortened body, Dick saw one star in the
-clear dark vault of the sky, and in a few seconds
-they were both standing on the ground beside the
-well-head, cooled by the breeze that blew through
-the ruined walls of the chapel from the sea. The
-roof had gone long ago; grass grew on the floor,
-and ivy twined itself in and out of the mullioned
-windows.
-
-"There!" said Dick. "We are safe, you see.
-All that talk of ghosts is pure balderdash."
-
-The darkness and the weird associations of the
-spot combined to make him set his tone of voice to
-a murmur. At that moment there fell upon the
-ears of the boys, as they stood side by side to
-recover breath after their climb, a low sound from
-somewhere beyond the walls, but not far away. It
-was like that of a person speaking in hollow,
-mournful accents. Sam caught Dick by the arm; Dick
-heard his teeth chatter.
-
-"'Tis he!" whispered the trembling boy. "'Tis
-the ghost! Oh! let me hide myself afore he see I."
-
-Dick did not reply. He was, it must be confessed,
-sufficiently startled. The sound ceased; but in a
-moment or two it recommenced, now being somewhat
-louder. Dick was in two minds, now thinking
-that he would run, now wondering whether he had
-not better stay. The slow droning still approached,
-and at last he caught articulate words:
-
-"A-deary me! A-deary me! The world's
-a-cold, a bitter place for——"
-
-The next words were indistinguishable.
-
-"Hark to him!" whispered Sam. "He be in
-mortal pain, and I do feel that leery all down the
-small o' my back."
-
-Dick sniffed, and sniffed again. Then he said:
-
-"Ghosts don't smoke, Sam—at any rate, not
-tobacco. I'm going to see."
-
-"How do 'ee know?" whispered Sam, still
-holding him by the arm. "I won't be so much
-afeard of him if he do be smoking bacca, but it
-may be summat else. It do smell rayther strong for
-a livin' man."
-
-He followed Dick as he groped his way over
-fragments of masonry and through close-woven
-masses of ivy and weeds, until they came into the
-open. The night was very dark. The first thing
-they saw, at a distance of about twelve yards, was a
-small red glow, which brightened and faded at
-intervals. Drawing nearer to it cautiously, they
-perceived at the moments of greatest brightness that
-it lit up for an instant a grizzled chin, a sunken
-mouth, a quite ordinary nose, a ruddy face with
-a black patch over one eye, and a black hat over all.
-
-"'Tis old Joe Penwarden," said Dick, in a tone
-that expressed surprise, relief, and a shame-faced
-consciousness.
-
-"So 'tis, I do believe," cried Sam. "Be-jowned
-if 'a didn't ought to be locked up for playing such
-gashly tricks on poor souls."
-
-"Avast there! Stand, in the King's name!"
-cried the old man, hearing their voices.
-
-"So we will, so we will," said Sam. "Don't 'ee
-be afeard, maister; we bean't ghosteses, but just
-common mortals like yerself."
-
-"Oh! 'tis you, Maister Dick," said Penwarden,
-as the boys came up to him. "'Pon my life, I
-was skeered for about a second and a half, never
-expectin' to see mortal men in this old haunt. What
-be 'ee doin' at this time o' night, in such a place,
-too?"
-
-"What time is it, Joe?" asked Dick.
-
-"Time all young things like lambs and birds and
-boys were abed and asleep. 'Tis past ten."
-
-"Lawk-a-massy, if I didn't think it by the terrible
-emptiness in my inside," cried Sam, feelingly.
-"Come home-along, Maister Dick; I be mortal
-afeard as Feyther will send me to bed wi'out any
-supper."
-
-"Wait a bit," replied Dick. "Where do you
-think we've been, Joe?"
-
-"Not night-fishing, for ye've got no tackle. Nor
-rabbitin', for ye've got no snares. Ah, well! Ye
-med as well tell me first as last, for I be no good at
-guessin'."
-
-"We've come up St. Cuby's Well."
-
-"Come up, you say; but you must go down
-afore ye come up. I wouldn't like to say I don't
-believe 'ee."
-
-"That would be very unfriendly. The truth is,
-Joe, we were down in the cave and got shut in by
-the tide, and to pass the time away we climbed up
-over a ledge and found ourselves in an old adit, and
-went along it till we came to the well-shaft. There
-are iron steps in the wall, and up we came."
-
-"Well, if that bean't the queerest thing I've heerd
-for many a day. Who would ever ha' thowt it!"
-
-"Didn't you know there were steps down the well side?
-
-"Never heerd tell o' sech a thing."
-
-"But haven't you seen it for yourself? I was
-thinking that, perhaps, you being here now, you
-knew all about it, and the idea did cross me that you
-might be the ghost people talk about, though to be
-sure you don't look like one."
-
-"Bless 'ee, I've never set foot inside they walls.
-Sometimes of a night I come ramblin' round to
-smoke a peaceful pipe and meditate on the days o'
-my youth afore I turn in, but as for goin'
-inside—no, I've never thowt o't."
-
-"Was 'ee afeard you med see the ghost, maister?"
-asked Sam, rejoicing to think that he had a fellow in
-timorousness.
-
-"Well, no. A ghost is a sperit, they say, and I
-reckon I've got enough muscle in my aged arm to
-fend off a thing as has got no body."
-
-"Still, you was talkin' to yerself as if ye was in
-great pain and sorrer. 'A-deary me,' 'ee said; I
-heard 'ee twice; and then 'the world's a-cold,'—and
-I s'pose 'ee felt the need o' takin' a comfortin'
-pull at yer pipe, for I heerd no more."
-
-"It do show how young small chickerels like 'ee
-may be mistaken. Whenever I talk like that I be
-feelin' warmish and contented; remember that,
-young Sam, and don't traipse about spreadin' false
-reports about me. Moreover, don't 'ee tell nothing
-of yer climbing up the well, for 'a don't want the
-village rampin' round, spoilin' my peacefulness.
-St. Cuby's ghost hev his uses, and long may he walk."
-
-"Very well, Joe," said Dick, "we'll say nothing
-about it. There have been no runs yet, I suppose?"
-
-"No; 'tis early days for that. 'Tis true as
-Mr. Mildmay was called off Morvah way to-day.
-Maybe they'll try a run there to-night. But it
-won't be long afore we have trouble here, I reckon,
-for the pilchurs are late this year, and when they're
-late, smugglin' is early, 'cos the men get tired o'
-doin' nothing."
-
-"Well, we had better be going. I usually tell
-Mother when I expect to be late, fishing or what not,
-and she'll wonder what has become of me. Are you
-coming our way, Joe?"
-
-"Not yet, sir. I've a bit more meditation to get
-through first."
-
-"What do you meditate about?" asked Dick.
-
-"About my days o' youth, when I was a nimble
-young feller and served the King afloat. Ah! they
-were days, they were. Lord Admiral Nelson be a fine
-little chap, but nothing to the admiral I served with."
-
-"Who was that?"
-
-"Lord Admiral Rodney. Never shall I forget
-the time he spoke to me: yes, lord as he was, he
-did so. It do warm me of a cold night to think of
-it. Not every simple mariner could say he'd been
-spoke to ashore by sech a high person as a admiral."
-
-"What did the lord high admiral say to 'ee?"
-asked Sam, much impressed.
-
-"Well, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe, and the admiral
-was walking with two handsome females, showing
-'em Drake's Island; Drake was another mariner,
-you must know, as lived about a thousand year ago,
-seemingly. Well, I turned round to look at the great
-man, and that moment he changed his course, put
-up his helm, ye may say, and ran across my bows.
-'Get out o' the way, you cross-eyed son of a
-sea-cook!' says he to me. Ah! never shall I forget it,
-nor the tinkly laugh o' they fine females. 'Twas
-a great honour to be spoke to special by Lord
-Admiral Rodney, a fine feller of a man."
-
-"I don't wonder it keeps you warm," said Dick,
-laughing. "Good-night, Joe."
-
-"Good-night to you, sir. And young Sam, mind
-'ee o' what I said."
-
-"Make yourself easy, maister," returned Sam.
-"Oh, dear, what a thing it 'ud be to tell the maidy at
-the Dower House if on'y Squire warn't so cruel!"
-
-"What are you mumblin' about?"
-
-"Nawthin', Maister Penwarden. I were on'y
-thinkin' to myself what a lot o' folk 'ud be mazed if
-they knowed what sorrerful things ye do say when
-yer happy."
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`Penwarden does his Duty`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE SIXTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Penwarden does his Duty
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Late as it was, neither Dick nor Sam was fated to
-get any sleep for hours. They walked rapidly
-without speaking across the cliff towards the Towers,
-being in fact so tired and hungry that the thoughts
-of both were fixed on supper and bed. There was
-no path on this part of the cliff, except a faint track
-which daylight would have revealed, where the
-grass had been slightly worn by Joe Penwarden
-in his marchings to and fro. Ordinary pedestrians
-always avoided the windings of the shore, taking the
-high road farther inland.
-
-The boys had come within a hundred yards of
-Penwarden's cottage, when Sam all at once took Dick
-by the sleeve, saying:
-
-"Look, Maister Dick, there be some one at old
-Joe's door."
-
-It was too dark to see clearly, but Dick could
-just distinguish, now that it was pointed out to him,
-a dark form close against the whitewashed cottage
-on the side facing the sea.
-
-"It's very odd at this time of night," he said.
-"We had better go and tell the man, whoever he is,
-where he can find Joe."
-
-They hurried on, but had not gone more than
-half-way to the cottage when the figure moved
-from the door, and walked quickly in the direction
-of the Towers. There was a footpath at the back
-of the garden, over which the villagers had an
-immemorial right of way, though it was really the
-Squire's private property.
-
-Dick was on the point of calling out when Sam
-checked him.
-
-"That be Jake Tonkin," he said, quietly: "I
-know un by his bow legs. What med he want wi'
-old Joe, now?"
-
-Jake was the son of Isaac Tonkin, the expertest
-fisher, the boldest seaman, and the most cunning and
-resourceful smuggler in the village. Isaac was a
-rough, quick-tempered fellow, violent when roused,
-but honest according to his lights; and Dick had a
-certain admiration for him, as every boy must have
-for a strong man who excels in bold and daring
-deeds. Once or twice he had gone fishing in
-Tonkin's smack, and had learnt a good deal from
-the man's blunt speech and craftsmanlike actions.
-
-It was perfectly well known in the neighbourhood
-that Tonkin was the ringleader of the smugglers,
-but owing to his wariness and craft, and to the
-supineness of the revenue officer who had preceded
-Mr. Mildmay, nothing had ever been openly proved
-against him, and he had never been caught in the
-act. In the previous winter he had narrowly escaped
-a conflict with Mr. Mildmay, then in his first year
-of duty at this part of the coast; and it was common
-talk in the village that he resented the intrusion, as
-he regarded it, of so zealous an officer, and had
-promised to give the revenue men a very hot time
-if they interfered with him. It was he whose
-presence John Trevanion had remarked as he passed
-the open door of the tap-room in Doubledick's inn.
-
-Dick was as much surprised as Sam to find that
-Penwarden's visitor was Tonkin's son. There was
-naturally no love lost between the exciseman and the
-free-traders, who had, however, looked upon him
-with a sort of contemptuous tolerance until
-Mr. Mildmay came. The old man had been harmless
-enough in the days of Mr. Curgenven; not that he
-was remiss in his duty, but that his efforts had been
-rendered nugatory by his superior's apathy. The
-advent of Mr. Mildmay acted as a stimulus;
-Penwarden was in truth fearful of being thought too old
-for his work, and seemed to set himself deliberately
-to prove the contrary to the officer. More than
-once in the previous winter he had prevented a run
-by his timely warnings; and though the checks were
-only temporary, the smugglers were annoyed with
-him for the difficulties he threw in their way. It
-was therefore strange that young Tonkin should
-have gone to visit, so late at night, a man from
-whom the smugglers in general held severely aloof.
-Suddenly Dick remembered what Penwarden had
-said about Mr. Mildmay having been summoned to
-Morvah, twenty-five miles or more down the coast.
-It was a favourite device of the smugglers, by aid
-of confederates, to decoy the officers to distant parts
-when they were intending to make a run, and
-Dick could not help wondering whether they were
-putting it in practice on the present occasion. But
-it did not explain Jake Tonkin's visit, and Dick was
-now sufficiently interested to think no more of his
-fatigue and hunger in his desire to ascertain what
-was afoot. He knew that it was no business of his;
-the Squire had carefully abstained from taking sides
-in the perennial quarrel between the smugglers and
-the revenue men, and had indeed resigned his
-magistracy, partly because of his reduced
-circumstances, but quite as much in order to avoid any
-official action as a county justice. Dick did not
-intend to break this neutrality; he was simply
-curious and athirst for excitement.
-
-But he reflected that he could hardly satisfy his
-curiosity without spying on Jake Tonkin, and this
-was out of the question. He would have ruefully
-done nothing more had he not seen that the lad,
-instead of keeping to the path that ran directly to
-the village, struck off to the left along a track that
-led nowhere but to the Dower House. This raised
-his curiosity to a still higher pitch. What had
-Tonkin to do with John Trevanion? Knowing that
-his father and John were on bad terms, and having
-seen many little indications that the latter was bent on
-annoying his cousin, it was natural that he should
-wonder whether the interests of the Squire were in
-any way affected by the apparent connection between
-John and the smugglers. After a little hesitation,
-he sent Sam into the Towers, to reassure his
-parents and then go to bed, and went on himself
-after the waddling figure of Jake Tonkin, now
-almost out of sight.
-
-Walking quickly, he was in time to see Jake
-enter an outhouse at the rear of the mansion. The
-door closed behind him, and Dick, taking a look
-round, and seeing no one, ran swiftly to the building
-and peeped through the window. The room was
-lighted by a single candle, whose rays fell on the
-forms of a dozen men seated on chairs, stools, pails,
-and the table. All had their faces blackened, and
-he failed to discover among them the large and
-massive form, almost impossible to disguise, of
-Jake's father.
-
-"He be fast asleep," he heard Jake say, evidently
-in answer to a question. "I knocked once, a little
-un; then twice, rayther louder; then I tried the
-door: 'twas locked. I didn't hear un snore, but
-maybe he sleeps quiet."
-
-"Hee! hee! 'a will sleep quieter in the grave,"
-said a voice, which Dick had no difficulty in
-recognising as that of Doubledick, the innkeeper,
-whose conversation was always partial to death and
-the churchyard and similar cheerful subjects.
-
-"Mildmay would fly in a passion if he knew old
-Joe were asleep," said a man whose voice Dick could
-not identify.
-
-"Ay, and so would riding-officer," added a third.
-He referred to the official so denominated, whose
-duty it was to work on shore hand in hand with
-Mr. Mildmay on the sea, and who was in effect in charge
-of the coast for ten or fifteen miles, acting under the
-Custom House officer at St. Ives.
-
-"Oh, 't'ud only be a little small passion," said
-Doubledick, "'cos the summer bean't over, and not
-a man of 'em will look for us to begin afore pilchur
-fishin' be past."
-
-"Body o' me, hain't we 'ticed Mildmay away to
-stop a run?"
-
-"Nay, sonny, 'twas tidings of a French privateer
-that baited him. 'Tis a proper dark night, and if
-the wind holds, Zacky will be here a little arter
-midnight. And the manin' o' that is twenty pound in our
-pockets, a noble fust lesson to say 'magnify' arter."
-
-Dick sighed inwardly; what a boon twenty pounds
-would be to his father's impoverished treasury!
-Like all the gentlemen of the county, the Squire was
-willing to purchase smuggled goods; it seemed to
-Dick that there was not a great distinction between
-the purchaser and the smuggler; and yet he knew
-that his father would be horrified at the idea of
-enriching himself in that way. From what he had
-overheard it was clear that a run, the first of the
-season, was to be attempted that night, and since this
-did not concern the Squire, he was about to return
-home, when he heard the click of a lock, followed by
-footsteps from the house, and slipped round the
-angle of the building just in time to escape the eyes
-of John Trevanion.
-
-The owner of the Dower House joined the
-smugglers, and Dick heard his loud and hearty
-greeting.
-
-"Well, my friends, is all clear? No scent for
-the hounds, eh?"
-
-"Not so much as would cover a penny-piece,"
-cried Doubledick. "Hee! hee! Old Joe's abed."
-
-"I'm glad of it. Mind you, you must not bring
-the tubs here if there's any interruption. It would
-never do for the county to know that I'm a
-freighter."
-
-"Trust we for that, yer honour; we know you
-must keep up yer high place, and 'tis generous of
-'ee to lend us yer cellars."
-
-"Well, Doubledick, here's the key. I shall be
-abed, of course; I know nothing about your doings,
-and I can trust you to work quietly and not wake
-the servants."
-
-"Iss, fay, yer honour," said a man: "ye can
-trust Billy Doubledick, to be sure. He be a very
-clever feller: I say it to his face."
-
-"Good night, then. I wish you well."
-
-Dick heard his cousin return to the house and
-lock the door. So John Trevanion was a freighter:
-one who bought contraband goods in a foreign
-port, paid the expenses of shipment and carrying,
-and received the profits. This was food for
-reflection. A word to Mr. Mildmay or Mr. Polwhele,
-the riding-officer, would lead to John Trevanion's
-arrest. The fate of smugglers caught in the act was
-five years' service in a man-of-war, or a long term of
-imprisonment; aiders and abettors also were subject
-to heavy penalties; and Dick would have liked to
-rid the neighbourhood of the man who had caused
-his father such distress. But he could not play the
-shabby part of informer, and for the first time in his
-life he wished heartily that the smugglers might be
-caught, and their connection with Trevanion
-discovered; hitherto his sympathies had been entirely
-on their side.
-
-Since there was nothing to be gained by remaining
-longer at the outhouse, he went quietly away and
-walked back towards the Towers. But he was so
-much interested in his strange discovery that he
-felt it would be impossible to sleep until he knew
-whether the run proved successful. On reaching
-home, therefore, he went first to his mother's room
-to bid her good-night, then to the dining-room to
-get some supper, and shortly after eleven o'clock
-stole out again. He had never seen a smuggling
-run, and the likelihood that this one would be
-entirely undisturbed promised a peaceful view,
-without any risk of running into danger, of which he
-knew that his parents would disapprove.
-
-He had not learnt where the run was to be, but
-guessed, if the tubs were to be carried to the cellars
-of the Dower House, that the head of Trevanion
-Bay would be the chosen spot. It was the most
-convenient place near to the Dower House, except
-the little harbour itself, which was not likely to be
-selected. He made his way, therefore, along the
-narrow headland known as the Beal, which formed
-the southern boundary of the bay. Near the end
-of the headland, overlooking the narrow passage
-between it and the reef, by which vessels could enter
-the harbour at low tide, was the favourite playground
-of his early boyhood. It was a hollow in the cliff,
-screened from observation seaward by a huge boulder
-somewhat insecurely poised. Only a few years had
-passed since Sam and he used to play there at
-fighting the French. There they had their toy citadel,
-from which they bombarded Boney's squadrons
-attempting an invasion. From it, too, they could
-see on to the decks of vessels passing in and out
-of the harbour at low tide, and hugging the cliff to
-avoid the reef. They played also at smuggling,
-and it is noteworthy that they were always the
-successful smugglers, and never the baulked and
-discomfited preventive men. It was a lonely spot,
-and they had it quite to themselves except for the
-gulls.
-
-When, as they grew older, they no longer took
-the same childish delight in playing French and
-English, they turned the place into a storehouse for
-fishing gear. In a remote corner of the nook, they
-scooped out the earth to form a deep recess, lined
-this with wood, and kept there a reserve supply of
-hooks, tackle, rope, a spare anchor and sculls, two
-fowling-pieces, and other articles, by this means
-often saving themselves a journey back to the
-Towers. Lonely as the spot was, they often
-quaked with apprehension lest their secret should
-be discovered, especially during the pilchard season.
-At that time the huer, whose duty it was to keep
-watch, and indicate by flourishing a bush, for the
-benefit of the fishers below, the direction in which
-the shoals of fish were swimming, was accustomed
-to take his stand on the headland. But he naturally
-chose the highest point, and had no reason to seek
-the lower level of the cave, where he could neither
-see nor be seen so well. The boys were always
-careful to avoid the neighbourhood of their
-storehouse when the huer was about, and there being
-nothing to draw any one else to the spot, the secret
-had remained undiscovered.
-
-It was towards this place that Dick proceeded on
-leaving the Towers. But when he arrived there, he
-found at once that if the smugglers' cargo was to be
-run in the bay it would be impossible to see
-anything of it. The night was particularly dark; only
-such moonless nights were chosen by the smugglers
-for their operations; and even the grey cliffs were
-almost invisible from where he stood. He determined,
-therefore, to return along the headland, and
-make his way down the face of the cliff by the path
-whereby he had ascended with Sam on the night of
-their bass fishing. There were recesses at the foot,
-in one of which he could easily conceal himself and
-watch all that went on. And as there was no time
-to lose, if he was to be in hiding before the smugglers
-arrived, he walked rapidly, and climbed down the
-steep path at a pace that would have been dangerous
-to any one who was not well acquainted with it.
-
-He was unaware that a figure was following him.
-There was no sound of footsteps to attract his
-attention: he did not look back, and if he had done so
-he could hardly have seen the form that steadily
-kept pace with him at the distance of sixty or seventy
-yards. The second figure descended the path with
-the same surefooted ease, paused at the foot till
-Dick was out of sight, and then stole after him and
-ensconced himself in a hollow of the cliff only about
-three yards from that in which Dick had stationed
-himself. These hiding-places were some twenty
-yards from the bottom of the path.
-
-Neither of the two silent watchers suspected that,
-on the cliff above them, a third figure was approaching
-the path by which they had descended, but from
-the opposite direction. Old Penwarden, so far from
-being snugly asleep, as Jake Tonkin rashly concluded,
-had never been more wide-awake in his life. The
-summoning of Mr. Mildmay to a distance, the
-lateness of the pilchard season, and the darkness of
-the night, combined to make him suspicious, and he
-had resolved to patrol the cliff from St. Cuby's Well
-to the Beal, to satisfy himself that the smugglers
-were not already at their tricks. Having smoked
-through his pipe at the Well, he returned to his
-cottage, took the telescope, the brace of pistols, the
-ammunition, the cutlass, and the blue light for
-giving an alarm which were his regular equipment,
-and began to march slowly and quietly up and down.
-
-About ten minutes after the lads had taken up
-their positions, they heard a stone come rattling
-down the path twenty yards to the left. A few
-seconds after, they were just able to discern a dark
-figure emerge on to the beach. This was followed
-by another, and a third, and soon the whole beach
-was alive with dusky shapes. The tide was ebbing,
-but a stiff breeze sent long rollers dashing over the
-sand, their roar and rustle smothering the low voices
-of the men as they talked fitfully together.
-
-The watchers saw one of the men drive an iron
-post firmly into the sand and attach to it the end of
-a rope. The other end was fastened to a similar
-post in the earth at the top of the cliff. By this
-means a rail was formed, to give assistance to the
-carriers as they climbed up with their burdens.
-
-A little later there came from seaward a faint
-creak, scarcely distinguishable among the other
-sounds. The watchers pricked up their ears. Even
-at low tide there was enough water beneath the
-cliffs to enable a vessel to run in very close, and the
-hidden spectators guessed that a lugger was drawing
-in: at present they could not see it. The shore
-men were all low down on the beach. In a few
-minutes the men could be heard splashing in the
-water as they waded out to the vessel. Then the
-lugger itself appeared, a dark shape on the surface.
-
-Soon the men could be seen returning in a long
-line, each one apparently twice as big as before.
-Each bore two tubs, one in front, one behind, slung
-over his shoulders by ropes which had been fitted
-before they left the lugger.
-
-Several of the men had deposited their burdens
-on the beach, and were going back for more, when
-there was a noise of scrambling on the path. Work
-ceased instantly. A figure ran a few yards towards
-the sea, and spoke to a large man who appeared to
-be directing the operations. His words were just
-audible to the watchers.
-
-"Old Joe be comin' along cliff-top, Feyther."
-
-"But they told me you said 'a was asleep."
-
-"So 'a was, but 'a must ha' waked up. He be
-comin', sure enough."
-
-"You must be a cussed stunpoll, then, to come
-slitherin' down cliff like that, makin' a rattle to wake
-the dead. Well, no matter. We can deal wi' old
-Joe, if so be as he's alone."
-
-"Iss, he be alone. I pulled up the post and
-brought the rope down-along."
-
-"You've some sense in yer skull, then. Now you,
-Pendred, and you, Simon Mail, go up cliff and keep
-a watch. Stand yerselves in that narrow part
-three-quarters of the way up, and if the old meddler comes,
-seize un, and choke un, but don't do un a hurt
-unless he shows fight. We don't want no crowner's quest."
-
-The two men selected to waylay the exciseman set
-off to climb the cliff, and the work of running the
-cargo was resumed.
-
-Dick was in a quandary. He had no interest in
-doing preventive work, and there were many reasons
-why he should refrain from interfering. But old
-Penwarden was a friend of his, and a mettlesome
-old fellow, who would certainly not allow himself to
-be seized without a struggle. Moreover, being
-armed, as he doubtless was, he would have a
-temporary advantage over the smugglers, who,
-expecting no opposition, would probably have no
-weapons with them but their knives. But it might
-well be that in the struggle the smugglers, driven to
-desperation, would make short work of rushing upon
-him and flinging him over the cliff; or if the
-struggle were prolonged, they could summon help
-from below, overpower him, and truss him up. In
-either case the old man would be in considerable
-danger, for the smugglers, when their passions were
-aroused, would not be over-scrupulous.
-
-These considerations flashed through Dick's mind
-in a second. He could not let Penwarden run into
-danger unwarned; yet how was the warning to be
-given? There was but one way. A few yards to
-the right of the spot where he stood it was possible
-to scale the cliff. The ascent was much longer and
-more arduous than the regular path, and there was
-the risk that he would not be in time. Unless he
-gained the cliff-top before Penwarden had passed,
-he would be too late. There was not a moment to spare.
-
-Dropping down on hands and knees behind a
-boulder that intercepted the view seaward, he
-crawled as fast as he could towards a slight indentation
-of the cliff beyond which he would be invisible
-to the smugglers, and where the ascent began. He
-was followed within a few moments by the second
-watcher. Just as he was beginning to climb he
-heard a low whisper behind him.
-
-"I be comin' too, Maister Dick."
-
-"You here, Sam? What do you mean by this?"
-
-"Don't 'ee talk, now. I'll tell 'ee when we get
-to top."
-
-They scrambled up the face of the cliff as actively
-as goats, clutching at stunted bushes and tufts of
-coarse grass, dodging awkward corners, fearful lest
-the stones and loose earth they disturbed should
-strike upon the boulders below and reveal their
-presence to the smugglers. Both were active lads
-with good wind, and their progress was no doubt
-more rapid, foot for foot, than that of the smugglers
-on the path a hundred yards to the right, encumbered
-as they were with their heavy sea-boots. But this
-advantage in speed was counterbalanced by the
-greater length of their course, though this in its turn
-was compensated by the fact that, unless Penwarden
-had already passed, they would be a hundred yards
-nearer to him when they reached the top.
-
-In six minutes from the start, panting with their
-exertions, they heaved themselves over the brink of
-the cliff and stood erect. Twenty yards to their
-right, Penwarden was in the act of raising his
-telescope to spy over the waters of the bay. With
-trembling limbs they ran towards him, Dick giving
-him warning of their presence by a low clear whisper.
-The old exciseman shut up his telescope with a snap,
-and turned.
-
-"'Tis you, Maister Dick!" he said.
-
-"Yes. Some one saw you. Two men are waiting
-for you on the path. I can't tell you their
-names. You'll be knocked over if you try to go down."
-
-"That's the way o't, is it? We'll see about that.
-Thank'ee for the warning. You didn't tell me they
-be running a cargo, but I know it. I'll dash their
-tricks."
-
-"But, Joe—"
-
-"Don't stop me," said Penwarden, shaking off
-Dick's detaining arm. "'Tis my duty to stop this
-run, Mr. Mildmay being haled off on a wild-goose
-chase, and do it I will. But get 'ee home-along, sir,
-you are best out o' this, though if 'ee were a bit
-older, dash my bones if I wouldn't call on 'ee to help
-in the King's name."
-
-Without more ado, he took from his pocket the
-blue light, struck a spark from his tinder-box, and in
-a moment the cliff-top for many yards around was
-illuminated by the brilliant sputtering flame. It was
-intended to warn the lieutenant of the revenue cutter,
-if he were within sight, and to draw from their
-cottages in the village the tidesmen, as they were
-called, whose duty it was, on the alarm being given,
-to hasten to the exciseman's assistance. These men
-were cobblers, tinkers, and other small tradesmen,
-for the most part Methodists, who were ready to
-brave the hostility of the smugglers for the sake of
-good pay and a bounty for every hogshead seized.
-
-Dick was aghast. Things were turning out even
-worse than he expected. The light would enrage
-the smugglers, and they would be in no mood to
-handle the old man gently. Penwarden was already
-hurrying towards the path. It seemed to Dick sheer
-madness for one man, and a man no longer young,
-to attempt to deal with a score of rough and
-determined smugglers. He was rushing headlong upon
-destruction. All care for what might be the
-consequences to himself vanished from Dick's mind; he
-could not leave the exciseman to his fate. But what
-could he do to help him, without weapon of any
-kind? He suddenly bethought him of the fowling-pieces
-laid up in the little nook on the Beal.
-
-"Come, Sam," he said, and started to run at full
-speed to fetch them. They passed Penwarden like
-a flash; there might just be time to return before he
-encountered the ambushed men. The blue light
-was now extinguished, and sea and land were covered
-with the former darkness.
-
-Much fleeter of foot than Sam, Dick outstripped
-him in a few seconds, and ran on alone to the little
-cave. He seized the fowling-pieces, and discovered
-that there was no ammunition; nevertheless, he
-raced back with them; they might serve to over-awe
-the smugglers, or in the last resort be used
-as clubs.
-
-He had only just rejoined Sam when they heard
-a rough voice call out a command to halt, and
-Penwarden's answer.
-
-"Stand aside, in the King's name."
-
-Clearly the dauntless old man had arrived at the
-spot where the smugglers were in wait for him.
-The boys dashed forward, came to the head of the
-path, and ran recklessly down, Dick hoping that
-they might still be in time to prevent mischief. But
-before they reached the scene of the scuffle, they
-heard the noise of some heavy body crashing down
-the cliff, and then the roar of a pistol. Immediately
-afterwards they caught sight of two figures hurrying
-down the path.
-
-"They've killed un dead!" muttered Sam.
-
-With his heart in his mouth, Dick ran down the
-path, slipping, recovering himself, and running
-again. Sam was close behind. About half-way
-down a body lay huddled on a projecting ledge,
-which had broken its fall and prevented it from
-crashing to the base of the cliff. Dick stooped over
-it, expecting to see Penwarden shot to the heart.
-To his intense relief he heard a groan, and turning
-the man over, he was just able to perceive that his
-face was blackened. Joe, then, had escaped, and
-was one of the two who had gone down the path
-and were now out of sight.
-
-The two boys hurried on. There was a great
-hubbub below them; having been discovered, the
-smugglers no longer troubled to preserve silence;
-and Dick, hearing their angry shouts and curses,
-feared that Penwarden's quixotic action in
-attempting to tackle them single-handed would prove his
-destruction. He took the rest of the path in
-reckless leaps, and, when he reached the beach, saw that
-the old exciseman had posted himself beside a row
-of tubs which he had seized in the King's name.
-
-In the confusion Dick's arrival was unobserved.
-The smugglers were thronging up the beach with
-threatening cries. Penwarden's pistol flashed, but
-next moment a heavy missile, hurled by one of the
-men, struck him on the head, and he fell.
-
-"Throw un into the sea," shouted a rough voice.
-
-Half-a-dozen men rushed towards the prostrate
-man and began to drag him towards the water.
-
-"Stand!" cried Dick, dashing forward. "Loose
-him, or we'll fire."
-
-.. _`"'STAND!' CRIED DICK, DASHING FORWARD. 'LEAVE HIM, OR WE'LL FIRE'"`:
-
-.. figure:: images/img-094.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: "'STAND!' CRIED DICK, DASHING FORWARD. 'LEAVE HIM, OR WE'LL FIRE.'"
-
- "'STAND!' CRIED DICK, DASHING FORWARD. 'LEAVE HIM, OR WE'LL FIRE.'"
-
-A sudden silence fell upon the scene. The men
-who held Penwarden's arms stood aside; the others
-edged away, taken aback by this unexpected
-intervention; there had not been time for the tidesmen
-to arrive from the village. Dick and Sam stood
-over the exciseman, pointing their useless muskets at
-the crowd. For a moment there was absolute
-stillness; then one of the men murmured:
-
-"'Tis young Maister Trevanion."
-
-"Yes," cried Dick, "and I warn you that if any
-of you lays a hand on the old man again I will
-report you all to Sir Bevil. I know you, for all
-your black faces. There's Doubledick, and Tonkin,
-and——"
-
-"Iss, 'tis I, and I don't care who knows it,"
-interrupted Tonkin, pushing forward. "What
-'nation call ha' you got to meddle, cuss you!"
-
-"I don't meddle with your trade; it's nothing to
-me; but I won't see an old fellow killed by a pack
-of ruffians."
-
-Tonkin cursed again, but some one drew him
-back and spoke to him in low tones. The fact that
-the interruption had come from the Squire's son was
-more daunting than the lads' muskets, which had no
-terror for armed men accustomed to contend with
-equal numbers. But the name of Trevanion, in spite
-of the fallen fortunes of the house, was still a moral
-power in the country-side, and, further, if any harm
-befell the Squire's heir, they could not escape a
-heavy retribution.
-
-After a few moments' colloquy, a man came
-forward.
-
-"Hark 'ee, sir," he said, and Dick recognised his
-voice as Doubledick's, in spite of an attempt to
-disguise it. "We take it hard as you've meddled
-wi' honest free-traders as never did 'ee no harm.
-As for old Joe, 'twas only a bit of fun—hee! hee!—he
-bean't for drownin'. What I says I says for all,
-and that is, we'll let 'ee take un away if you do give
-us yer sacred word not to gie our names to Sir Bevil
-or Mr. Mildmay,—them as you knows."
-
-"I don't want to play informer," replied Dick.
-"I agree to that."
-
-"Not a word to a soul?"
-
-"No. I've said so."
-
-"That's fair spoke," said the man, turning to
-the rest.
-
-A murmur of approval broke from them. Dick
-at once lifted Penwarden, with Sam's help, from the
-pool of water in which he was lying. It was difficult
-to keep him on his feet, for he was as yet only
-partially conscious. Without either assistance or
-interference from the smugglers they led him slowly
-to the foot of the path, and, one on each side of him,
-began to carry, rather than walk, him up the cliff.
-One of the smugglers dogged them throughout the
-toilsome ascent. When they came to the place
-where the man had fallen, after a shrewd thrust from
-Penwarden's cutlass, they found that he had
-disappeared, having no doubt made his way homeward.
-
-"Thank 'ee for this, Maister Dick," murmured
-Penwarden when they paused to rest at the cliff-top.
-"I'll have the law of those tidesmen for not comin'
-when they was called."
-
-"No doubt they didn't see your light. And look
-here, Joe, I promised not to split on the men, so I
-want you to promise too."
-
-"Daze me if I could split if I tried. I didn't see
-one of 'em plain, nor hear their voices, and I got
-this crack on the head afore I could tell one from
-t'other."
-
-"Do it hurt much, maister?" asked Sam.
-
-"More'n you'd care about, young Sam. But 'tis
-nawthin' at all to the cracks and wounds we got when
-we served wi' Lord Admiral Rodney. Have I telled
-'ee what 'a said to me purticler one day on Plymouth
-Hoe?"
-
-"Yes, yes," said Dick, quickly. "The sooner
-you are in bed the better."
-
-They took him slowly to his cottage, where
-Dick put him to bed, gave him some brandy, and
-bathed his wounded head.
-
-"You'll stop with him to-night, Sam," he said.
-"Don't leave him until Gammer Oliver comes in
-the morning."
-
-"What'll 'ee say to Feyther, Maister Dick? I'm
-afeard he'll be in a terrible rage wi' poor me."
-
-"I'll make that right. Now, lock the door when
-I've gone, and give Mr. Penwarden anything he
-wants during the night. I'll come over in the
-morning."
-
-It was nearly two o'clock before Dick got to bed,
-and day was breaking before he slept. Meanwhile
-the smugglers finished their work unmolested, and
-before morning eighty tubs of good French spirits
-lay in the capacious cellars beneath the Dower House.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`The Breach Widens`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE SEVENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- The Breach Widens
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Next morning John Trevanion, fresh and ruddy,
-dressed in white breeches and a blue coat with
-shining buttons, rode gaily down to the Five
-Pilchards and summoned Doubledick to the door.
-
-"Well, you did the business, I see," he said
-jovially. "A small beginning: I wish my cellars
-held more."
-
-"Iss, fay, a little small haul, to be sure; little
-and good. Hee! hee! But, Maister Trevanion,
-I've summat plaguey awk'ard to tell 'ee."
-
-"What's that?" said Trevanion, with an uneasy
-look.
-
-"Why, drown me if old Joe didn' come upon us,
-and, worse than that, when we'd cracked him on the
-head, who should come bouncing down-along but
-Squire's boy and young Sam Pollex, vowin' and
-swearin' they'd shoot us through the gizzard if we
-laid a finger on the old man."
-
-"The deuce they did! and you knocked them on
-the head, of course?"
-
-The look of uneasiness passed from Trevanion's face.
-
-"Well, no, not 'zackly. 'Twas Squire's son, you
-see."
-
-"What of that? You should have cracked their
-numskulls together and sent 'em home howling.
-Afraid of two boys! What did you do, may I ask?"
-
-"Crackin' skulls is all very fine, but we didn'
-want a crowner's 'quest on young Squire. No, no,
-we don't want hangman's necklace chokin' the
-breath out of us. We let 'em take old Joe home-along,
-arter they'd give their Bible word to be mum
-as gravestones."
-
-"Then you were a pack of fools. Don't you see
-the monkeys were spying on you? 'Twas they
-brought Joe, without a doubt, though I'd like to
-know how they got wind of the business."
-
-"Well, if I didn' think it! ... Here's Zacky
-Tonkin. Maister Trevanion was sayin' as they two
-brats spied on us, Zacky."
-
-"Not they, 'a b'lieve," said Tonkin, who had
-come up. "Young Squire said he'd no mind to
-meddle wi' the business, but was only a bit tender
-over old Joe."
-
-"And you believe that!" said Trevanion, angrily
-flicking his riding-whip. "Make no mistake, the
-Squire has turned on you. I happen to know that
-Mildmay has been twice to the Towers of late; the
-Squire's as poor as a church mouse, and informer's
-pay will be riches to him."
-
-"Squire turn informer!" cried Tonkin. "I
-can't believe it."
-
-"I can, though," said Doubledick. "When a
-man's as low down in the world as Squire, he'll do a
-deal o' dirtiness to fill his purse, 'a b'lieve."
-
-"Of course he will," said Trevanion. "You
-don't know the world, Tonkin. Depend upon it, a
-good many golden guineas will find their way to the
-Towers before a week's out."
-
-Tonkin was an honest fellow, save in so far as the
-King's revenue was concerned, and had that simplicity
-of soul which is incredulous of trickery in others.
-He was not proof against the cunning suggestions of
-Trevanion. Naturally short-tempered and violent,
-he smote the flank of Trevanion's horse a blow that
-set it prancing, and cried with a savage oath:—
-
-"Then I'll make 'em pay for 't, as sure as my
-name be Zack Tonkin. I will so."
-
-"Hee! hee! That 'a will," said Doubledick,
-rubbing his hands. "They golden guineas 'll be a
-bad egg, to be sure."
-
-Trevanion smiled. He had laid the train; he
-could trust his minions to fire it.
-
-"Well, we'll speak no more of that," he said.
-"I'm riding to Truro: can you tell what for?"
-
-"Not for more furnichy?" said Tonkin.
-
-"Goin' a-courtin', hee! hee!" smirked Doubledick.
-
-"No, no; I shan't trouble the parson yet awhile.
-I'm going to open the mines again, my men."
-
-"Then I'm sorry for 'ee," said Tonkin bluntly.
-"Mines were worked out long ago."
-
-"Maybe, maybe not. I'm going to try. I shall
-begin in quite a small way. I shan't fling my money
-into the earth as my cousin did. But I mean to try
-my luck, and within a week or two I shall have a
-few men at work."
-
-"'Twill be good for the parish," said Doubledick.
-"The miners are drouthy souls, and have a proper
-taste for good sperits. Ay, sure, 'twill do us all
-good."
-
-"You won't give up the trade, sir?" enquired
-Tonkin.
-
-"Not I. The Polkerran men will do more than
-ever before. A fig for your Mildmays and
-Polwheles—Polwhele is still riding-officer, isn't he? My
-wits against them any day. We'll double our trade
-with Roscoff this winter."
-
-"If Delarousse bean't nabbed," said Tonkin.
-"His game of privateerin' will souse him in hot
-water one o' these days."
-
-"Oh! we can do without Delarousse. There's a
-man in Roscoff, no friend of his, who will deal with
-us better than he."
-
-"It do maze me, Maister Trevanion," said Doubledick,
-"that arter bein' away all these years ye know
-so much about the trade."
-
-"I keep my eyes open, that's all," replied
-Trevanion, with a laugh. "Well, I must be off.
-You can tell the neighbours about the mines. I'm
-glad to do something for the old village."
-
-He rode away, giving smiling greetings to the
-people, men and women, whom he passed on the
-road.
-
-"A fine feller!" said Doubledick, enthusiastically.
-"'Twill be heyday in village, Zacky; stirring life,
-and not so much of a tomb as 'tis since Squire
-became a pauper."
-
-"But I'm sorry he do want us to break with
-Delarousse. He be a good trader, for a Frenchman.
-Howsomever, if there be a better, all the better for
-we, to be sure."
-
-The men parted, to retail to their friends and
-neighbours the pleasing news of the great things
-John Trevanion was about to do for the village.
-
-Roscoff, the place mentioned in the course of
-their conversation, was a little port in Brittany which
-had become the chief seat of the contraband trade
-with the south-west of England since a restrictive
-Act of Parliament had put a stop to it in the Channel
-Islands. The French Government had made it a
-free port to smugglers, and in a few years it had
-grown from a tiny fishing village to a thriving town.
-There were three classes of people engaged in the
-contraband trade. The freighters consigned or
-received the goods, and paid the expenses of their
-shipment. The boatmen conveyed them from
-port to port, always on moonless nights, and usually
-when a strong wind was blowing. The tub-carriers
-bore them to their destination. The boatmen
-received a fixed sum for each trip, the tub-carriers
-for each cargo run, and frequently in addition a
-portion of the goods, or a small share in the
-proceeds.
-
-Until John Trevanion reappeared in Polkerran,
-Isaac Tonkin had been the principal freighter of the
-village, and was the owner and master of the lugger
-which plied between it and Roscoff. His dealings
-were chiefly with a certain Jean Delarousse, a
-ship-owner of Roscoff, who was notorious also as a daring
-seaman, and in his privateer vessel preyed on English
-shipping in the Channel between Poole and the
-Lizard. Delarousse had never come to Polkerran,
-but he was well known to Tonkin and the crew of
-his lugger, the Isaac and Jacob. Tonkin having
-little capital, the cargoes run at Polkerran were
-usually small, and were disposed of solely among
-the innkeepers, farmers, and gentry of the
-neighbourhood. Now that Trevanion had come home, the
-Polkerran folk expected great developments in
-the trade, and looked forward to an exciting and
-profitable winter. Apart from the monetary gain,
-the risks of smuggling exercised a fascination upon
-those engaged in it, providing the only excitement in
-their otherwise dull and monotonous lives. The
-fraud on the revenue weighed very lightly on their
-consciences. In their view they were entitled to the
-full value of the goods for which they had honestly
-paid, and the Government officials were thieves and
-tyrants. To best the Customs and Excise was both
-a business and a sport.
-
-It was not long before the consequences of Dick's
-intervention on behalf of Joe Penwarden made
-themselves felt. Hitherto the smugglers had recognised
-the Trevanions of the Towers as rather for them
-than against them, but now, actuated by John
-Trevanion's malicious suggestion, they looked on
-them in a different light. For the first time a
-Trevanion had ranged himself on the side of the
-representatives of the law, and Tonkin, resenting
-what he regarded as defection, soon began to show
-that in threatening vengeance he meant to be as good
-as his word.
-
-One morning Dick, going down with Sam to
-inspect the night lines he had set in the waters of
-Trevanion Bay, discovered with surprise and
-annoyance that they had been cut. A day or two
-afterwards they found their boat, which they had
-drawn up as usual above high-water mark, bumping
-among the rocks half a mile up the coast. They did
-not report these occurrences, hoping that they were
-nothing but a mark of temporary ill-feeling and would
-soon cease. But when for the third time their lines
-were tampered with, Dick became seriously concerned.
-The fish they caught were a very important part of
-the provisions for the household. What was not
-required at once was salted and dried for
-consumption when fishing was over for the season. Without
-these constant supplies they would have to draw
-more largely on their pigs and poultry, which they
-were accustomed to sell. Dick was unwilling to
-impart his troubles to any one, and for several nights
-he and Sam kept watch, hoping that if the culprits
-were caught in the act, the fear of exposure would
-put a stop to their mischief. On three nights
-nothing happened: and yet, on the first night when
-they left the lines unguarded, the same fate befell
-them.
-
-"This is more than I can bear," cried Dick, in the
-morning. "I shall tell Petherick."
-
-Petherick was the village constable, who filled also
-the offices of sexton, bell-ringer, and beadle in the
-parish church.
-
-"Bless 'ee, you'll waste yer breath," said Sam.
-"Old Petherick be a crony o' Tonkin, and wouldn'
-lift a finger against him, without it were murder or
-arson: and then he'd have to get the sojers to help
-him. Why, 'tis said he've let 'em keep the tubs in
-church-tower sometimes when the preventives have
-been smellin' too close."
-
-"Well, we must put a stop to it somehow. I'll
-tell Joe, and see what he has to say."
-
-Later in the day he went into the village to buy
-some new fishing tackle at a general-shop, where the
-folk could buy tea, sugar, cheese, needles, thread,
-letter-paper, bootlaces—in short, every small article
-they needed. On his return, he heard a hubbub
-proceeding from the village green, where wrestling-bouts,
-games of quoits, dog-fights, and other sports
-took place. In the midst was a duck-pond. Bending
-his steps thither to see what was going on, he
-beheld Sam with his back against a tree, sturdily
-defending himself with fists and feet against a crowd
-of the village lads, among whom the hulking form
-of Jake Tonkin was conspicuous.
-
-"Heave un in duck-pond," he heard Jake cry.
-
-"You'd better!" he shouted, rushing forward to
-assist his companion.
-
-The crowd fell back as he forced his way through
-it, bowling one fellow over like a ninepin, and
-driving another out of his path with a shove that
-nearly sent him into the pond. It is probable that
-his energy, and the prestige attached to him as the
-Squire's son, would have put an end to the affair;
-but it chanced that John Trevanion rode by at this
-moment, and reining up his horse, contrived in
-some subtle manner to indicate that his sympathy
-was with the larger party. Only this could explain
-the sudden change in their attitude. They closed
-round Dick and Sam with derisive yells.
-
-"Gie un both a duckin'," shouted one, and they
-made a sudden concerted rush, trying to seize the
-two boys.
-
-Dick, never having been to school, had never had
-occasion or opportunity to learn the noble art; but
-his muscles were in good condition, and the obvious
-necessity was to make full use of them. Standing
-beside Sam against the tree, he hit out against any
-head, trunk, or shoulder that came within reach,
-Sam making good play as before with feet as well as
-arms. One young fisher retired with a crimson
-nose, another with a bump over one eye, a third
-shouting that his leg was broken. All the time
-John Trevanion sat his horse, smiling, and flinging
-out now and then an encouraging word, which might
-have been intended for either side, but was
-appropriated by Tonkin's crew.
-
-Courage and the best will in the world cannot
-prevail over a triple excess of numbers. The fisher-lads
-were still six when their wounded comrades had
-retired to the rear. Led by Jake Tonkin they
-hurled themselves upon the two defenders. For a
-few minutes there was a brisk scrimmage; many
-good blows were given and exchanged; then Dick
-and Sam fell, to be immediately pounced on by the
-victors, who caught them by legs and arms and
-began to drag them down to the pond.
-
-They were within a yard of the brink when a
-loud voice thundered a command to halt, and a
-riding-whip cracked and curled its thong round the
-legs and backs of the aggressors. With howls of
-pain they released their victims and fled across the
-green. Rising, bruised and muddy, from the ground,
-the two boys saw Mr. Polwhele, the riding-officer,
-close by on horseback, his face flushed and stern-set
-with anger.
-
-"You look on and do nothing!" he said indignantly
-to John Trevanion.
-
-"My dear sir, why should I interfere? Boys
-must fight, let them fight it out."
-
-"Three to one—is that your idea of fair play?"
-
-Trevanion shrugged.
-
-"Hadn't you better reserve your whip for
-stimulating your tidesmen, Mr. Polwhele? They
-need a little spiriting, if what I hear is true."
-
-And with that as a parting shot Trevanion rode away.
-
-"What was the origin of this?" asked Mr. Polwhele.
-"I'm sorry to see it, Master Trevanion."
-
-"'Twas like this, sir," said Sam, rubbing his head
-and legs alternately. "I comed upon they chaps,
-and Jake Tonkin says to me, 'Catched any fish
-lately, young Sam?' Says I, ''Tis easier to cut
-lines, to be sure,' says I, and then they set on me,
-and they'd ha' melled and mashed me if Maister
-Dick hadn't come up."
-
-"Have they been cutting your lines, then?"
-
-Dick saw no help for it but to acquaint the
-riding-officer with the petty persecution he had lately
-suffered, and the cause of it, which hitherto
-Mr. Polwhele had not known.
-
-"'Tis rascally, 'pon my soul it is," said the
-officer, "and I'm sorry Penwarden has brought it
-on ye. Not but 'twas your own doing, Master
-Dick; you'd better have kept out of it, though I
-own 'twas a good deed to old Joe. I'm on my
-way to see Sir Bevil, and I'll tell him as a
-magistrate, and he'll engage to commit any ruffian that
-molests ye."
-
-"Not on my account, if you please, Mr. Polwhele,"
-said Dick earnestly. "There's bad blood between
-the Towers and the village as it is, and 'twill be ten
-times worse if Sir Bevil comes into it."
-
-"Maybe you're in the right. Well, I'll see you
-safe home, and if I may advise ye, keep out of the
-way o' the village folk. You're not friends with
-Mr. Trevanion seemingly. Is he backing the
-smugglers, d'ye know?"
-
-"I can't say anything about that. My father has
-nothing to do with him."
-
-"Well, well, these family quarrels are common
-enough. Come along beside me."
-
-Nothing could have been more unfortunate than
-the intervention of the riding-officer. Purely
-accidental as it was, the villagers regarded it as another
-proof of the new alliance between the Towers and
-the enemy. John Trevanion did not fail to
-describe to the elder Tonkin, the next time he met
-him, how savagely Mr. Polwhele had laid his whip
-upon Jake, and the irate smuggler swore that if he
-encountered the riding-officer he would make him
-pay for it.
-
-That evening Dick consulted Joe Penwarden on
-the situation, as he had intended. Joe was much
-distressed to think that he was the cause of the
-bitterness with which the village folk now regarded
-the family at the Towers.
-
-"I don't know what you can do," said he. "But
-let things bide; maybe they'll see by long and late
-they've misread 'ee."
-
-"But we can't have our fishing spoilt time after
-time, Joe."
-
-"'Tis a pretty stoor, be dazed to it!" said Joe,
-angrily. "And all for a wambling old carcase like
-me! Ah! I warn't allus like as I be now. When
-Lord Admiral Rodney spoke to me on Plymouth
-Hoe I was as limber a young feller as you'd see in
-Devon or Cornwall. He was goin' along with two
-handsome females——but there, I think I've telled
-'ee. What I say is, why did Maister John come
-home, cuss him? There was none o' this afore."
-
-"I don't think that's fair, Joe. They'd have run
-a cargo all the same, if he were at the ends of the
-earth; and I couldn't have done differently."
-
-"Ye may say so, but I hold to it, whatever ye say.
-He's ill-wished 'ee, that's the truth, and a pity it
-is he ever showed his face here."
-
-Two evenings later, when Dick was struggling
-with a piece of Latin prose for Mr. Carlyon, there
-was a knock at the outer door, and Reuben admitted
-Penwarden, with Jake Tonkin firmly in his clutch.
-
-"Axe Squire if I can have speech with him,
-Reuby," he said.
-
-Mr. Trevanion came out into the hall.
-
-"Well, what's this, Joe?" he asked.
-
-"I catched this young reptile a-meddlin' wi'
-Maister Dick's lines, Squire," said Penwarden, "so
-I brought him up to be dealt with according to law."
-
-"Meddling with his lines, indeed!" cried the
-Squire in surprise. "Why should he do that?
-What have you to say for yourself, rascal?"
-
-Jake had nothing to say for himself, but stood
-with a sullen glower upon his face.
-
-"'Tis not the first time either, Squire, and I be
-mazed as you didn' know it," Penwarden continued.
-
-"I knew nothing about it. Dick," he called into
-the room, "come here."
-
-Dick obeyed reluctantly.
-
-"Penwarden tells me," said his father, "that your
-lines have been tampered with. Is that true?"
-
-"Yes, sir."
-
-"How often?"
-
-"Three or four times within a week or so."
-
-"Why did you not tell me?"
-
-"I didn't want to bother you, sir."
-
-"But this is new; it shows a hostile spirit——.
-Well, I'll say no more now. As for you, you
-young scoundrel, I'm not a justice, or I'd commit
-you. You shall take your choice; a sound flogging,
-or haled before Sir Bevil: that will mean three
-months in Truro jail. Which is it to be?"
-
-"I don't want to see Sir Bevil," said Jake,
-sullenly.
-
-"Strip off your coat, then. Reuben, bring my whip."
-
-Dick went away: he could not remain to see the
-lad thrashed.
-
-"Now, Reuben, half a dozen lashes," said the
-Squire when his man returned. "No; I'll do it
-myself. Stoop!"
-
-Dick pressed his fingers into his ears when at the
-third or fourth stroke Jake began to howl. The
-Squire gave him full measure; then bade him
-begone, and take care not to offend again, declaring
-that he should not get off so easily next time.
-
-"Now, Dick," he said, returning to the room,
-"what is the meaning of all this?"
-
-Thereupon Dick made a clean breast of it, telling
-all that had happened since the rescue of Penwarden.
-The Squire's face clouded as he listened to the
-story.
-
-"John Trevanion is at the bottom of this," he
-cried, thumping the table. "They would never
-believe I was against them unless their minds had
-been poisoned. I will see Tonkin to-morrow and
-get at the truth." Then, with one of the swift
-changes of mood characteristic of him, he added:
-"No, I won't do it. I won't gratify that cur; he
-shall never think I care a snap for him. Tell me
-if anything of the kind happens again, and I will
-myself go over to see Sir Bevil. On my life, the
-toad shall smart if he is proved to be stirring folk
-against me."
-
-Every succeeding incident in this series did but
-confirm the village folk in their conviction that the
-Squire was now their declared enemy, and in staunch
-alliance with the revenue officers.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`A Light on the Moor`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE EIGHTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A Light on the Moor
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Next day everybody in Polkerran knew of Jake
-Tonkin's thrashing. It was discussed by the men in
-tap-rooms, on the jetty, in barns and piggeries, in
-mills and cobblers' work-rooms. Fishwives chattered
-about it on their doorsteps and at their windows.
-Boys meeting their playmates asked if they had heard
-that Jake Tonkin had been walloped by Squire, and
-Jake, as the victim of two assaults of this nature in
-succession, was looked upon as something of a hero.
-Public opinion was dead against the Squire, and was
-perhaps only the stronger because it was in the
-wrong.
-
-It was clear that John Trevanion intended to
-make himself as unpleasant as possible to his relative.
-In the afternoon a number of men were seen mounting
-the steep road from the village to the cliff,
-drawing trolleys laden with short narrow planks of
-wood. On reaching the green level they proceeded
-to erect fences on the ground that had formerly been
-the Squire's, and was now John Trevanion's. By the
-end of the next day a large portion of the land was
-enclosed, the effect of these operations being that the
-inmates of the Towers were cramped in their movements
-out of doors, being restricted to the high road
-and the various rights of way, which even the landlord
-could not close against them.
-
-Sam Pollex hoped that the Squire would retaliate.
-The Beal, from which the huer was accustomed to
-show his signals to the pilchard fishers, was still
-Mr. Trevanion's property, and he could, if he chose, fence
-it round in the same way. But there was nothing
-petty in the Squire's nature. He was not the man
-to take a mean revenge on his neighbours, so that
-when a fisher reported one evening that he had seen
-sharks and grampuses some distance out at sea, a sure
-sign that the pilchards were coming, the villagers
-went to bed without any fear that access would be
-forbidden to the usual haunt.
-
-Just before dawn next morning, Nathan Pendry,
-father of John Trevanion's portmanteau carrier, the
-most experienced fisher in the village, took his stand
-at the extremity of the Beal, carrying his bush.
-Seaward, the sky was gloomy; in the east a pale orange
-and pink glow on the horizon announced the rising
-sun. The air was very still, only the slow ripples
-washing the sand at the foot of the cliff breaking the
-silence. In the fairway lay three boats, the largest
-of them a smack of eight tons burden, manned by
-six oarsmen, together with Tonkin and a fisher
-nearly as large as he. These men and the occupants
-of the other boats sat without speaking, their eyes
-fixed on the huer above. He stood motionless,
-gazing intently on the surface of the sea. Beyond
-the promontory the village was as yet asleep; one
-man stood solitary at the end of the jetty.
-
-Suddenly the huer bent forward, in an attitude of
-intense expectancy. A few minutes passed; then
-lifting himself he waved his bush aloft. His
-experienced eyes had detected a shadow in the water,
-moving across the bay in a direction parallel with the
-shore. Instantly the men in the first boat fell to
-their oars, and Tonkin, standing up in the stern,
-and making a trumpet of his hands, shouted,
-"Havar! havar!" towards the single figure on the
-jetty. This man repeated the cry; it was taken up
-in the village; and soon from every street and lane
-a crowd of men, women, and children poured up
-towards the cliffs, dressing themselves as they ran,
-and shouting, "Havar! havar! Yo-hoy, hoy, hoy!"
-
-Meanwhile the rowers were tugging at their oars
-with all their might, Ike Pendry, who was rowing
-bow, having his eyes fixed on his father, and
-directing the steersman in accordance with the movements
-of the bush. The ground behind the huer was now
-thronged with spectators, no longer shouting, but
-watching Pendry and the boatmen in tense silence.
-All at once the huer dropped his bush; the rowers
-shipped oars; and Tonkin and his mate grasped a
-long net, which had lain folded ready to their hands,
-and with a few deft movements shot it overboard.
-
-"Yo-hoy, yo-hoy!" broke from every throat.
-Then the crowd relapsed into silence, watching the
-further proceedings in the bay.
-
-The "seine net," as it was called, was a quarter of
-a mile long and sixteen fathoms broad at the middle.
-It was fastened on each side to two stout double
-ropes, and at each corner to four strong warps about
-fifty fathoms long. Corks were fixed to the upper
-edge, and leaden weights to the lower. When it
-was "shot," the corks buoyed up one end to the
-surface of the water, the leads sank the other
-perpendicularly to the bottom. The boat
-meanwhile was rowed round the shoal, following the
-directions of the huer, until, the two extremities
-being made fast, the fish were imprisoned in an
-oblong barrier of network. As Tonkin straightened
-his back after completing his part of the work,
-another shout rent the air, and the huer, his task
-also accomplished, broke through the dignified calm
-which had hitherto distinguished him, and waved his
-cap triumphantly.
-
-Now came the turn of the "tuck-boat," one of
-those that had remained as yet in the fairway. It
-was rowed within the area enclosed by the seine,
-and laid close to the seine-boat, to the bows of which
-one end of a smaller net, called the "tuck," was
-fastened by a rope. The boat then slowly made
-the inner circuit of the seine, the tuck being paid
-out and deftly hooked at intervals to the larger net.
-Meanwhile the men in the third boat beat the water
-with their oars, so as to scare the fish into the middle
-of the enclosure.
-
-Now came the most exciting moment of the day.
-The cliff-top all round the bay was dark with
-spectators. Small boys, eager to get in front, dodged
-and shoved among the legs and skirts of their
-elders. The village blacksmith was there; cobblers
-with bent backs and leather aprons; tinkers, tailors,
-wheelwrights, carpenters, ploughmen, dairymaids,
-old men with sticks and crutches, old women who
-could scarcely totter, mothers with babies in their
-arms: all were agog with excitement to see the final
-act. Sam Pollex was there, and when he caught
-sight of the parlourmaid of the Dower House he
-sidled up to her elbow, listened with delight to her
-exclamations of "My gracious!" "Look 'ee see,
-now!" "Lawk-a-massy me!" and by-and-by
-ventured to instruct her ignorance of the movements
-passing below.
-
-With the shouts of the boys were now mingled the
-deeper tones of the seiners as, ranged in a row in
-their boat, they began to haul on the tuck, calling
-"Yo, heave ho!" in time with their rhythmic
-movements. "Pull away, boys!" shouts the huer;
-"Yo-hoy!" scream the boys. "Up she comes!
-Look at 'em! Look at 'em!" The water eddies
-like a mill-race; in the midst is seen a heaving mass
-of gleaming scales; and from round the point come
-boats of all sizes, which range themselves in a circle
-about the shoal. Men lean over the sides, dip their
-baskets, lift them full of shining fish, empty them
-into the boats, and dip them again for more. Soon
-they stand ankle deep in pilchards, and when the
-boats sink to the gunwales, they are rowed away to
-the jetty, where men are waiting with shovels and
-barrows, ready to carry the fish to the salting-house.
-
-Dick Trevanion was among the spectators. He
-never missed the first haul of the season. But to-day
-he was acutely conscious of a change. Last year the
-villagers had greeted him with smiles and cheery
-words; to-day they lowered their eyes, passed him
-in silence, and edged away from him as he moved
-from place to place. He could not but feel bitterly
-his isolation. Why did they so misjudge him? He
-had not changed: he knew well that, in any ordinary
-contest between the smugglers and the revenue
-officers, his sympathy would have been with the
-former; friendly as he was with Mr. Mildmay, he
-would enjoy nothing better than that gentleman's
-discomfiture, if it were due to fair means and the
-villagers' wits. Yet, because he had intervened to
-prevent harm to an old man, he was now regarded
-by the villagers as their enemy, one who would
-descend to play the mean part of spy and informer.
-
-With gloomy face he turned away and walked
-back along the promontory. At the end he met
-Mr. Carlyon, who had just ridden up on his cob.
-The parson's ruddy face was suffused with cheerfulness;
-he knew by the jubilant shouts of the crowd
-that the catch was a good one, and rejoiced that his
-parishioners were winning from the deep their
-means of subsistence for the winter. He marked
-Dick's clouded face, and, guessing the occasion of
-it, he tried to cheer him.
-
-"Come, Dick," he said genially, "cheer up, my
-lad; this haul will put the folk in a good temper,
-and they will forget their grudge against you."
-
-"I hope they will, sir," replied Dick, "but there's
-one man who'll try to keep them in mind of it."
-
-"You mean your cousin?"
-
-"Yes."
-
-"But surely he'll not be such a cur. He's a
-scoundrel—there now, what am I saying? I'll
-tackle him, my boy. Why, bless my soul, he was
-in church on Sunday, and my text was 'Love your
-neighbour as yourself.' I'll ride there now, and
-get him to give me some breakfast—though I detest
-the fellow," he added in one of his unconscious asides.
-
-"He is away from home, I believe," said Dick.
-
-"Well, then, I'll put it off till another day, but
-tackle him I will. I've a bit of news, Dick. The
-carrier brought me some books last night; that's not
-the news, though. No. You have heard, maybe, of
-a Frenchman named Delarousse?"
-
-He looked slyly at Dick; everyone in Polkerran
-knew the name of the Frenchman with whom the
-smugglers had such close dealings.
-
-"As a natural enemy of our country I don't pity
-him," pursued the parson, "but as a—h'm—an
-honest free-trader I own I feel for him. His privateer
-was badly knocked about in the Channel by a revenue
-cruiser a week or two ago, and while she was being
-repaired, it appears that he tried to run a cargo at
-Polperro. As ill-luck would have it—dear me! I
-wonder if I ought to have said that," he added under
-his breath—"he ran into the arms of the revenue
-people; they seized his lugger and carried him to
-Plymouth, where he'll cool his heels for a time
-until they put him among the other French prisoners
-on Dartmoor."
-
-"Do they know it in the village yet, sir?"
-
-"Probably not; the carrier was going straight on
-to Newquay; he had nothing for us except my
-books. But you may be sure the folk will soon
-know all about it. The carrier had a glass of brandy
-with Petherick, and Petherick, as you know, is the
-biggest gossip in the parish. His brandy is better
-than mine, the dog! I must ask him where he
-gets it."
-
-Dick could not help smiling at the parson's
-unconscious self-revelation.
-
-"That's right; you're feeling better, I see," said
-Mr. Carlyon cheerily. "Now I'll go on and bespeak
-my basket. Pilchards of the first catch are the
-daintiest dish I know. 'Tis a holiday to-day, but I
-shall see you to-morrow. Good-bye."
-
-He rode on. Dick turned to watch him, and saw
-Sam Pollex walking beside the maid-servant of the
-Dower House. When Sam observed his young
-master he left the girl and came sheepishly towards
-him.
-
-"I've been tellin' to she the hows and whys of
-it, Maister Dick," said he.
-
-"Indeed."
-
-"Iss, I have. Bein' a furriner, she be 'mazin
-simple for such a well-growed female. She axed me
-why I never brought no more eggs."
-
-"And what did you say?"
-
-"Well, not likin' to hurt her feelings, I telled her
-our hens be uncommon idle lately, and she said she
-knows they do have fits that way sometimes.
-Maister John's gone to Lunnon, to buy things for
-his mine."
-
-"I wish he'd stay there."
-
-"Her name be Susan."
-
-"Quite a common name."
-
-"She's as nice a female as ever I've seed."
-
-The pilchard fishing was for several days so
-engrossing an occupation that the villagers had no
-time for fostering their grievance against the Towers.
-Dick and Sam, who had formerly been in the thick
-of it, sometimes as spectators merely, occasionally as
-participators, kept away, and spent the greater part of
-their time in fishing quietly some few miles up the
-coast. One day Dick reverted to the project of
-hunting seals, which he had temporarily abandoned, partly
-through the diversion afforded by the discovery of
-the well, partly because he did not care to kill the
-parent seals while their offspring were so young.
-Now, however, the prospect of sport, and the
-practical wish to obtain a sealskin for his mother, made
-him resolve to try his luck in the cave, and he
-laid his plans in consultation with the ever-ready
-Sam.
-
-He guessed that the seals left the cave at low
-tide to find food in the deep, and returned when the
-sea flowed in. Since the cave was at such times
-inaccessible from the sea, he decided that it must be
-approached from the well, of which neither he nor
-Sam had now any remaining dread. One evening
-they sallied towards it, carrying a well-made
-rope-ladder, a musket apiece, a large hammer, and several
-torches, which would give more light than the ancient
-candle-lantern they had formerly carried. To one
-end of the rope-ladder they had attached a series of
-stout meat-hooks borrowed from old Reuben: they
-could more confidently trust their safety to a number
-of teeth gripping the rock than to the single fluke of
-their small boat anchor. They had timed their start
-so that they would reach the cave just as the tide
-turned.
-
-It was a dull, murky evening, with a touch of
-autumn rawness in the air. Twilight had not quite
-merged into darkness when they arrived at the
-ruined chapel at the well-head. They looked
-warily around to make sure that their presence was
-not observed, then prepared to descend.
-
-"'Tis rayther fearsome," murmured Sam, as he
-looked into the black shaft. Now that he was on the
-spot, the tradition of ghostliness in which he had been
-brought up revived something of his former fears.
-
-"Nonsense," said Dick, "we have laid the ghost
-for ever, Sam. I will go down first. Don't follow
-until I come to the door. I will whistle for you.
-When you hear me, fling down the ladder and the
-hammer. At a second whistle, come yourself."
-
-Sticking a lighted candle-end into his hatband,
-and slinging the musket over his shoulder, he
-stepped backward into the well, and began the
-descent. He found the successive staples entirely
-by the sense of touch, the candle throwing a deep
-shadow below him. At first he felt a little nervous,
-but gathered confidence after a few steps, and made
-the latter part of the descent very quickly.
-
-Sam, waiting above, heard a whistle, curiously
-prolonged by its reverberations from the walls. He
-threw down the hammer, and gave an involuntary
-start when he heard it thud upon the bottom. The
-ladder followed, and the unkindled torches; then,
-without lighting a candle for his own hat, he stepped
-over the brink, muttering to himself:
-
-"S'pose I fall! But I won't. S'pose I do though.
-But Maister Dick didn't. S'pose *I* do. Well, if 'tis
-to be, 'tis, so I med as well go cheerful."
-
-In reality he descended more quickly than Dick
-had done. They gathered up their burdens, and
-made their way by the light of Dick's candle along
-the passage until they came to the ledge overlooking
-the cave.
-
-Here they stopped and peered over. The tide
-was rather lower than they had expected. Their
-eyes ranged the cave for a time without discovering
-any sign of the seals. Then Dick lit a torch, and
-holding it over the dark space beneath, he suddenly
-saw two orbs of light, like the eyes of a monstrous
-cat, in a far corner to the right of him. Moving
-along the ledge in that direction, he descried two
-seals, greyish in colour, and much larger than he
-had supposed them to be, lying on a rock, with the
-two young ones between them.
-
-"We will only kill one, Sam," he whispered,
-"and I hope 'twill be the father."
-
-The seals were apparently fascinated by the glare
-of the torch, for they made no movement, their eight
-eyes glowing like balls of fire. In order to obtain
-more light upon his task, Dick kindled two more
-torches, and stuck all three into crevices of rock in
-such a way that they illuminated the whole corner of
-the cave where the seals lay. But now the animals
-had caught sight of him, and as if instinctively
-realising that the intruder was an enemy, they
-scrambled with clumsy movements off the rocks
-into the water.
-
-"They be goin' out to sea, scrounch 'em!"
-whispered Sam, whose attitude to all prospective
-victims was an indignant surprise that they did not
-wait meekly for their doom.
-
-But the seals, after swimming a yard or two, took
-up their position behind a larger boulder, above
-which the tops of their sleek, massive heads could
-just be seen.
-
-"We shall have to go down to them, Sam," said Dick.
-
-"They be great big creatures," said Sam dubiously.
-"Wi' those terrible big flappers they could smite us
-flat as flounders."
-
-"You had better take the hammer in case I miss
-and they attack us. We must at any rate prevent
-one of them from getting away."
-
-They retreated to the further end of the ledge, to
-which the light of their torches scarcely reached, and
-carefully hooked the ladder to the jagged rock.
-Then in perfect silence they descended. The water
-only came to their knees. Wading through it with
-scarcely more noise than an otter might have made,
-they drew gradually nearer to the rock behind which
-the seals had sheltered. Here they found themselves
-baulked. The rock was close to the wall, and
-it was impossible to get a shot at the animals without
-circumventing it, which appeared to Dick a
-dangerous movement. The surprising quickness with
-which the seals had shuffled off their former perch
-showed that, if a shot failed, they might fling their
-heavy bodies upon the assailants before they could
-escape. He was considering what to do, when a
-movement among the seals forced him to act on the
-instant. The largest of the creatures heaved itself
-to the top of the rock, and lay there as if on the
-watch for the enemy, presenting the side of its head
-to Dick. He raised his musket, a firelock of ancient
-type, and fired. The reverberations in the hollow
-vault were broken in upon by a hoarse roar, and
-through the cloud of smoke the seal slid over the
-rock into the water, and came swimming towards the
-two boys. Dick seized Sam's musket, preparing to
-fire again; his first shot had only enraged the
-animal. But before he could raise the weapon, the
-seal threw itself out of the water, and he had just
-time to spring aside and evade its onset. As it
-passed, its flipper struck the musket from his grasp,
-and it fell with a splash into the water.
-
-Sam, for all his fear of ghosts, was brave enough
-before a real enemy. He was standing a yard or
-two in Dick's rear. As the seal plunged heavily
-into the sea, Sam brought the hammer down with
-all his force upon the creature's head. There was
-one tremendous convulsion of the water, then the
-seal's movements ceased and it sank to the bottom.
-
-.. _`"AS THE SEAL PLUNGED INTO THE SEA, SAM BROUGHT HIS HAMMER DOWN"`:
-
-.. figure:: images/img-123.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: "AS THE SEAL PLUNGED INTO THE SEA, SAM BROUGHT HIS HAMMER DOWN."
-
- "AS THE SEAL PLUNGED INTO THE SEA, SAM BROUGHT HIS HAMMER DOWN."
-
-Meanwhile, the other animals, scared by the noise,
-had flung themselves into the water, and were
-swimming towards the mouth of the tunnel.
-
-"Well done, young Sam!" said Dick. "You
-did that famously."
-
-"So I did, to be sure," replied Sam, "but I
-couldn' help it. You shot un, Maister Dick; see
-his blood."
-
-There was a red tinge upon the water.
-
-"How are we to get him up?" said Dick. "He's
-a monstrous big fellow."
-
-"We'll wait till tide is down and skin him here.
-Be his body good to eat?"
-
-"That I don't know; we can try. But the skin
-is the valuable part of him, and having that we may
-leave the rest."
-
-In two hours the receding tide had left the dead
-seal on the sand. The boys took out their knives,
-and, expert in such work, in another half-hour had
-removed the skin. Their torches were by this time
-burning low, so they clambered up to the ledge, and
-carried their implements and booty as quickly as
-possible through the adit to the foot of the well, and
-then up to the surface.
-
-Vastly pleased with the success of their expedition
-they set off towards home. The night was very
-dark, and a thin rain was falling, which increased as
-they proceeded, until it became a steady downpour.
-They were tired; their burdens, light enough when
-they started from home, now seemed to be pounds
-heavier; the rain beat full in their faces, finding out
-every crevice between their clothes and their skin;
-and the ground was rough, covered here with
-tussocks of grass that squelched under their tread,
-there with fragments of mining gear which threatened
-to trip them up. They trudged on in silence, feeling
-the loneliness and the inclemency of the weather
-the more keenly because it ensued upon the high
-excitement of their adventure.
-
-As they struck into the path leading by Penwarden's
-cottage, Sam suddenly declared that he saw
-a flicker of light to their left, some distance across
-the moor.
-
-"I can't see it," said Dick, scarcely looking in the
-direction indicated, "and it doesn't matter to us.
-I'm tired; this skin is heavy; I want to get home."
-
-"'Tis moving," said Sam a moment later.
-"Maybe 'tis Maister John comin' back from Lunnon."
-
-"He wouldn't come that way. I see it now; 'tis
-some belated traveller, no doubt."
-
-"But the light bean't on the road; 'tis too far away."
-
-"Never mind about the light," Dick replied,
-testily. "Come along."
-
-They soon came to one of John Trevanion's new
-fences, which compelled them to leave the path and
-seek the high road. In his moody frame of mind
-Dick resented this bitterly. They now perceived
-that the light, spread starwise by the rain, was much
-nearer to them, and presently heard the creaking of
-wheels and the dull thud of horses' hoofs on the
-turf. A minute after they had struck the road a
-closed travelling carriage, drawn by two horses,
-turned into it from a byway, scarcely more than a
-bridle path. On the right of the driver there was a
-single lamp. Catching sight of the two figures on
-the road, bending forward under their loads, the
-driver hailed them and pulled up his horses beside
-them.
-
-"Hi! can 'ee tell me if this be the right road for
-Polkerran?" he asked.
-
-"Iss, fay, right for'ard," answered Sam.
-
-"And where be the Five Pilchards?"
-
-"Down-along through village. Better mind the
-hill, if you be a furriner, 'cos 'tis 'nation steep and
-twisty."
-
-"So be they all, od rake it."
-
-Here another voice interposed, and a head showed
-itself dimly at the carriage window.
-
-"Vill you—ah! how say it!—vill you embark on
-ze—ze coach, and, if you please, show ze road?"
-
-"Drat it all, why will 'ee talk?" cried the driver.
-"Put yer head inside, for gospel sake. Come up
-beside me, friends, if you'll do a kindness, and say
-the word when I do come to the hill. I don't want
-to break hosses' knees nor my own neck."
-
-The boys, glad enough to get a lift, mounted
-beside the driver, with a tingling curiosity about the
-passenger inside who spoke in so strange an accent.
-It was not far to the Towers, and when they came
-to it Dick asked the driver to stop, and bade Sam get
-down and carry the sealskin and his share of the
-other burdens to the house.
-
-"You bean't a fisher?" said the driver to Dick as
-Sam was descending. There was a note of anxiety
-in his voice.
-
-"I fish, but I'm not what you would call a fisher."
-
-"I knowed it by your speech. Well, then, I
-won't trouble 'ee, sir, this mizzly night," said the man,
-with some eagerness.
-
-"No trouble at all. 'Tis not very far."
-
-"Well, 'twas to be," muttered the coachman.
-Dick thought it was an odd thing to say. Still more
-surprised was he when the driver leant over and
-extinguished the candle-flame with his fingers.
-"You see," he explained, "the gentleman inside is
-terrible bad, met with an accident, as 'a med say."
-
-"Bring him to our house, then," said Dick
-instantly; "my mother will be pleased to do
-something for him."
-
-"Not for gold and di'monds," replied the man
-quickly. "No, we go to Five Pilchards; 'tis a
-good enough inn, I've heerd tell."
-
-Dick said no more. He wondered who the
-stranger was, and what brought him to Polkerran,
-where visitors were rare. The carriage rumbled on
-slowly; every now and then the driver made the
-horses walk, though the road here was level. It
-seemed to Dick that his attitude and manner were
-those of a man intently listening.
-
-They came to the spot where a short drive led
-from the road to the Dower House, which could
-just be discerned, a black mass in the rain. "That
-villain has not returned, then," thought Dick, seeing
-no light in the house.
-
-At this moment there came upon their ears the
-clattering sound of several horses from the foot of
-the hill which they had nearly reached. The driver
-jerked his horses to a standstill, looked from side to
-side, and seeing the carriage-drive, to which there
-was no gate, wheeled the horses round and drove in,
-not on the hard road, but on the bordering grass.
-
-"This is a private road," said Dick, wondering.
-
-"'Twas my thought. These be ticklish times for
-travellers, and 'tis best not to meet strange riders in
-the dark. I'll bide till they be past, and then go on
-again."
-
-He drew up under the trees about forty yards
-along the drive, within a few yards of the house.
-Dick heard him breathing heavily. The clattering of
-hoofs drew nearer: the driver seemed to hold his
-breath; then, when the horsemen had passed the
-end of the drive at a fast trot, he heaved a sigh of
-relief. He waited until the sounds had died away
-in the distance, and wheeled the horses round. There
-was not room on the grass for the carriage to turn
-completely, and the wheels made a crunching sound
-on the pebbly road. The side of the carriage was
-still turned to the house when the door opened, and
-John Trevanion appeared on the threshold, holding
-a candle above his head, and peering into the dark.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`Doubledick's Midnight Guests`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE NINTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Doubledick's Midnight Guests
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-"Who's that?" cried Trevanion.
-
-Dick, being on the offside, was concealed by the
-driver's burly form, but he shrank back against the
-front of the carriage. He did not wish to meet his
-cousin's eyes at that moment, and began to wonder
-why he was on the box in the rain when he might
-have ridden inside.
-
-"Axin' yer pardon, sir," replied the coachman,
-"I be afeard I've took the wrong road. 'Tis 'nation
-dark, and my lamp has gone out."
-
-"What was that clattering of horses I heard?"
-
-"Ah, I can't tell 'ee that. I didn't see no one.
-Maybe 'twas riding-officer. I axe yer pardon for
-disturbin' ye, sir, this terrible bad night and all, and
-I'll drive on to village."
-
-"You're a stranger, aren't you? Have you got
-anybody in your carriage?"
-
-"Never a soul, sir. The truth is, I've lost my
-way, and shan't be sorry to get out o' this pesty
-rain."
-
-"'Tis heavier now. Well, good-night. You'll
-find a warm room in the inn at the foot of the hill,
-if the innkeeper hasn't raked out the fire and gone
-to bed. Good-night."
-
-He retreated with his guttering candle into the
-house and shut the door, the coachman driving back
-to the high road. Dick was mystified. Why had
-the man denied having a passenger? Why had he
-extinguished his light and turned out of the road on
-hearing horsemen? The driver said nothing, except
-to grumble under his breath at the weather, and Dick
-refrained from questioning him, thinking that some
-light might be thrown on the mystery when they
-reached the inn.
-
-The carriage had just wheeled into the road when
-Dick felt a touch on his right arm. He looked
-round: the passenger was leaning forward out of the
-window.
-
-"How is ze name of zat man—him zat hold ze
-light?" asked the stranger eagerly.
-
-Dick hesitated; then, seeing no reason for not
-answering, said: "That is Mr. John Trevanion."
-
-"Tre—vat say you, if you please?"
-
-"Trevanion."
-
-"Trevanion!" repeated the questioner, giving a
-strange intonation to the name. "Ah! Shank you."
-
-He withdrew his head into the carriage. Dick
-heard the driver mutter:
-
-"Why can't he clap a stopper on his tongue, the
-stunpoll!"
-
-He drove slowly down the steep winding hill.
-
-"There's the inn," said Dick presently.
-"Doubledick isn't abed, late as it is."
-
-A light shone through the red blind of the inn
-parlour. The door was open, and Doubledick stood
-in the doorway, illuminated by the light behind.
-In spite of the heavy rain several men, among whom
-Dick distinguished the elder Tonkin, were grouped
-about the door. They had heard the wheels of the
-oncoming carriage, and there were signs of
-excitement among them. As the vehicle drew up, Tonkin
-stepped forward, thrust his head in, uttered a
-smothered exclamation, then opened the door hastily.
-The eyes of all the men were fixed on the figure that
-emerged, so that Dick on the box was not noticed.
-A short, broad man, clad in a long overcoat, his
-cocked hat pulled low over his brow, descended
-from the carriage and went quickly into the inn, the
-men following him. The door was shut. Feeling
-that he was in a somewhat false position, Dick
-seized the opportunity to slip down from his seat
-and withdraw round the angle of the wall, where a
-flight of steps ascended between it and the wall of
-the opposite house. He heard Tonkin speaking to
-the driver; the carriage rumbled over the cobbles,
-not returning up the hill, but going through the
-village in the opposite direction. Immediately
-afterwards the inn door was reopened, the heavy boots
-of the fishers clumped along the street, and in a few
-moments nothing was to be heard except the
-pattering of the rain.
-
-Dick felt a little sore at having to trudge back
-afoot, without a word of thanks. He was drenched
-to the skin. Glancing behind as he began to climb
-the hill, he saw that the light had now disappeared
-from the inn-room. The whole village was in
-darkness. More than ever dispirited and mystified, he
-plodded along. Apparently the carriage had been
-expected. He could not help connecting it with the
-horsemen whom the driver had been so anxious to
-avoid, and, remembering the strange accent of the
-passenger, it suddenly flashed upon him that the
-man might be one of Boney's spies, whom he had
-unwittingly helped to escape pursuers. But on
-reflection this idea seemed untenable, because a spy
-was hardly likely to appear at this remote part of
-the coast, and he could not believe that the smugglers
-of Polkerran, like those of the south-eastern counties,
-had any treasonable communications with the French
-ogre.
-
-He was still pondering on the baffling occurrence
-when the sound of horses trotting again fell on his
-ear. In a few moments he had to stand aside to
-avoid being knocked down by the first of half-a-dozen
-horsemen, whom, dark as it was, he recognised
-by their headdress to be soldiers. Their uniforms
-were covered by their riding cloaks. He was seen
-as he shrank back: a rough voice called "Halt!"
-and the horsemen reined up.
-
-"Stand forth, in the King's name, and answer for
-your life," said the same voice.
-
-Dick went towards the foremost horseman.
-
-"Who are you?" he was asked.
-
-"My name is Trevanion," he replied.
-
-"Ah! Same as the gentleman up the hill," cried
-the soldier. "Now, tell us quick; have you seen
-a coach, wagon, or other four-wheeled piece of
-machinery hereabouts?"
-
-"Yes; a two-horsed carriage drove down to the
-inn yonder about twenty minutes ago."
-
-"What road did she come?"
-
-"This very road that you're on."
-
-"Confusion on it! Then how did we miss the
-thing? But there, no matter; we'll after it and
-catch the villain."
-
-Without more delay the sergeant and his men
-clattered off down the hill, relieving Dick of the
-necessity of giving explanations, which he felt might
-be somewhat awkward. Being now thoroughly
-excited, he forgot his fatigue and wetness, and ran
-after the dragoons to see what happened when they
-reached the inn. He was but a minute or two
-behind them. The village was still in complete
-darkness; the rain had ceased, and the moon showed
-her rim through a rift in the scudding clouds.
-
-The troopers were at the door of the inn, five
-still on horseback; the sixth had dismounted and
-was rapping on the door with the hilt of his sword.
-
-"Hang me, will he never open?" cried the man,
-when repeated blows drew no response.
-
-"Must be a rare sleeper, to be sure," said another.
-
-"I'll bust the lock with a shot from my carbine if
-he don't open soon," cried the angry sergeant.
-"This is some jiggery-pokery, sure as I'm alive."
-
-He thundered again on the door, calling upon the
-innkeeper with many imprecations to open in the
-King's name. At last there was the sound of a
-casement opening above. Looking up, the troopers
-saw first a blunderbuss, then an arm, and finally a
-head in a white nightcap.
-
-"Who be that a-bangin' and smitin' at an honest
-man's door, when he be abed and asleep?" demanded
-Doubledick's voice angrily.
-
-"'Tis for you to answer questions, not to axe
-'em," said the sergeant. "Now, speak like a true
-man, and hide nothing, or the King will have your
-miserable head. Did a carriage come down the hill
-a while ago?"
-
-"Oh, if ye be King's men I bean't afeard o' ye.
-A carriage? Why, to be sure 'a did, a half-hour ago,
-or maybe more."
-
-"And where is it now?"
-
-"There's a question to axe a poor simple soul
-wi' only two eyes. How be I to know that, captain,
-on a dark night like this?"
-
-"Be hanged to you! You know whether it stayed
-or went on, and you'd best speak up without any
-shilly-shally."
-
-"True. I do know that. The carriage went on,
-to be sure."
-
-"Which way? Speak up."
-
-"Well, I can't 'zackly say, but 'twarn't up the hill,
-so I reckon 'twas through village towards Redruth.
-Iss, I reckon 'twas that."
-
-"And the man inside?"
-
-"Daze me if ever I knowed of any man inside.
-Driver had lost his way, seemingly; 'a was like a
-squashed turmit in the rain: and when he'd took
-summat to comfort his innards, off-along he drove.
-Warn't here five minutes, no, nor yet four."
-
-"'Tis treason-felony and hangman's job if you're
-not speaking the truth," said the sergeant.
-"Confusion take him, we'll have to ride on. Look here,
-Tom; you stay here with Matthew and keep your
-eye on the door. The rest of us will ride on after the
-carriage, and come back to you if we catch our man."
-
-"What rascal of a deserter be you a-chasin' by
-night, captain?" cried Doubledick.
-
-"No deserter, but a prisoner that escaped from
-Plymouth. We've been after him all day and all
-night, and smite me if it don't seem he has given us
-the slip. Come on, men."
-
-The sergeant rode off with three of his men, the
-other two dismounting and taking up their stand at
-the door.
-
-"I reckon I can go back to my warm bed now,
-eh, sojers?" said Doubledick. "But ye're sappy
-wet, poor fellers, and tired too, to be sure, hikin'
-arter a runaway prisoner all day and all night. Bide
-a minute till I've pulled a few garments on my cold
-limbs, and I'll come down and give 'ee summat to
-warm yerselves."
-
-The nightcap disappeared, a candle was lighted,
-and in a few minutes Doubledick came to the door
-with two steaming beakers of hot brandy and water,
-which the troopers accepted gratefully.
-
-Dick, from the shadow of an alley, had seen and
-heard all that went on. The soldiers chatted with
-the innkeeper for a while; then he retired into the
-inn, shut the door, and put out the light.
-
-A minute or two afterwards Dick saw a figure
-stealing down the steps at the side of the inn, peep
-round the corner, and then retreat hastily. He
-supposed it was one of the men whom he had seen
-at the door previously, but was unable to distinguish
-his features, owing to the deep shadows thrown on
-the alley-steps by the moon. To avoid discovery
-himself, he shrank back against the blind wall. It
-must now, he thought, be nearly midnight; but,
-wet though he was, he determined not to leave
-the spot until he had seen how the matter ended.
-Having been behind the wall when the carriage
-drove away, he was not sure whether the passenger
-had re-entered it or not. The hurried manner in
-which the man had gone into the inn was not that
-of one who intended coming forth again. Doubledick
-had lied when he said that he knew nothing
-of the occupant of the carriage; yet why should
-he harbour an escaped prisoner, who was almost
-certainly a Frenchman? The mystery was deeper
-than ever.
-
-It was perhaps an hour later, and Dick was on the
-point of going home, when the silence of the night
-was again broken by the sharp ringing clatter of
-hoofs. The sergeant and his three men returned, a
-white mist rising from their horses' backs.
-
-"We caught the carriage," said the sergeant, as
-he rode up, "but 'twas empty as a sucked egg. The
-driver said he'd lost his way on the moor coming
-from Truro, and was going on home to Redruth.
-Have you seen anything?"
-
-"Not a thing," replied one of the troopers at the
-door.
-
-"Well, we must search the inn. What a miserable
-fool I was not to ask that young feller if there was
-any one in the carriage when he saw it!"
-
-Dick hesitated for a moment. Should he tell
-what he knew? A French prisoner was an enemy
-of his country; might it not be his duty to help the
-dragoons to capture him? But reflecting that the
-man might be nothing worse than a smuggler, in
-which case to inform against him would only embitter
-the inimical feeling of the villagers against him,
-besides being an ungracious act in itself, he decided
-to say nothing.
-
-After a long-continued knocking and the expenditure
-of much abusive language, Doubledick once
-more opened the door.
-
-"Ye'll gie me the rheumatiz and send me to my
-grave," he said with a whine. "What be ye rampin'
-men o' war wantin' now?"
-
-"We're going to search your inn for that there
-mounseer, my fine feller, and you'd best take it
-quiet, or you'll find yourself strapped to one of our
-hosses and carried with all your bones a-rattling
-afore the Colonel."
-
-"Search, if ye must. Name it all, why should I
-hinder 'ee! Turn the inn topsy-versy, ye'll find
-nothing but maybe a rat or a cockroach."
-
-The sergeant and two of the troopers entered.
-They searched the tap-room, the inn-parlour, kitchen,
-cellars, bedrooms, lofts; rummaged cupboards, empty
-barrels, a clock-case, the copper in the scullery, an
-overturned water butt in the backyard; all to no
-purpose.
-
-"He's not here, that's certain," said the sergeant
-at last, dashing the perspiration from his brow.
-"We must have overshot the villain somehow.
-Plague on it! We shall have to ride back to Truro
-and try to get on his tracks, or the Colonel will be
-in a rare passion."
-
-"I won't ask 'ee to stay, brave men," said Doubledick,
-"knowing what terrible rages noble officers do
-fly into. But a nibleykin o' real old stingo won't
-do 'ee no harm, and ye can drink confusion to
-Boney. Hee! hee!"
-
-All the soldiers accepted the liquor with alacrity,
-and the two who had already tasted its quality winked
-at each other, not acquainting their comrades with
-their previous pleasurable experience. Smacking
-their lips and declaring that the innkeeper was a real
-good-hearted fellow, they remounted and rode up
-the hill. Doubledick watched them until they were
-out of sight, a leer of triumph on his face. Dick
-heard him chuckle as he shut the door and shuffled
-up the stairs. The light was extinguished, and
-Dick, vexed with himself for remaining so long and
-so unprofitably, set off homeward in the track of
-the dragoons.
-
-A few minutes after he had left, a heavily-cloaked
-figure—the same that Dick had seen a while before—stole
-down the steps at the side of the inn, and,
-looking round cautiously, approached the door and
-rapped six times upon it, pausing a brief while after
-every second tap. Immediately after the sixth, the
-casement above opened, and Doubledick, looking
-out, said in a hoarse whisper:
-
-"Be that you, Zacky?"
-
-"No, 'tis I, John Trevanion. Come down and
-let me in, Doubledick."
-
-"Good sakes, I didn' know 'ee was to home,
-Maister John. Thought 'ee was still in Lunnon
-town. A pretty stoor there's been to-night. Bide
-a minute, sir."
-
-He lit his candle, descended, let Trevanion in,
-and barred the door behind him.
-
-"I never thought you were such a fool," said
-Trevanion, angrily eyeing the nightcapped and
-nightgowned innkeeper. "What on earth possessed
-you to harbour Delarousse?"
-
-"Chok' it all, why shouldn't I?" replied Doubledick
-truculently. "Bean't he a good friend of ourn?
-Who better?"
-
-"Confound you, he's a Frenchman, and a runaway
-prisoner. The soldiers will get on his track
-again, and your ridiculous folly will be the ruin of
-us all. You have no business to run such risks."
-
-In his anger Trevanion raised his voice.
-
-"Risks, do 'ee say? Jown me if you hain't run
-risks yerself, Maister John, and a deal bigger;
-hee! hee!"
-
-"Silence!" shouted Trevanion. "Don't provoke
-me, or upon my soul and body I'll——"
-
-The threat died on his lips, for at this moment a
-door opened at the further end of the passage in
-which they stood, and there appeared the short,
-rotund form of the passenger who had descended
-from the carriage some hours before. The overcoat
-and the cocked hat were gone; the Frenchman wore
-the rough fustian, marked with a broad arrow, in
-which the authorities arrayed prisoners. His eyes
-gleamed with the fire of hatred as he looked full at
-Trevanion, who on his part returned glare for glare,
-but whose countenance wore a strange expression,
-which Doubledick, watching him, could not fathom.
-
-"It is you," said the Frenchman, in his own
-tongue. "You, Robinson—or Trevanion, is it
-not so?"
-
-"You be known to each other, then?" said
-Doubledick. "Hee! hee! Why don't 'ee shake
-hands, like friends?"
-
-"Silence!" cried the Frenchman sternly. "You
-go," he added, addressing Doubledick in English.
-"I haf somezink to say to zis monsieur—Trevanion."
-
-He took the candle from the astonished inn-keeper's
-hand, and motioned to Trevanion to enter
-the parlour. Following him, he shut and bolted the
-door, leaving Doubledick in the dark passage. The
-innkeeper promptly knelt down and put his ear to
-the keyhole, but since he knew almost nothing of
-French, he understood little of the ensuing dialogue,
-which was conducted in that tongue.
-
-"You see I have found you,
-monsieur—Trevanion," said Delarousse. "You thought, no
-doubt, that you had escaped me when you landed
-that dark night. But you should not have come to
-Polkerran; that was a foolish step for one so clever
-to take. You would have been caught, but for a
-sudden alarm from the shore; yet it mattered little
-that I had to sail away then, for, as you see, I have
-found you—cheat, thief, scoundrel!"
-
-Trevanion did not flinch as the Frenchman hissed
-these words at him. He thrust his hand into the
-breast pocket of his cloak.
-
-"Aha!" laughed Delarousse. "You have a pistol?
-I have not. You would like to shoot me, but you
-dare not. I should like to shoot you, but I have
-no weapon, and, equally, if I had, I dare not. I will
-not hang for you: so you deal in this country with
-men that kill others, is it not so? But I tell you,
-Trevanion—that is a name I do not forget—I tell you
-that you shall not escape. It is not the time now,
-but there will come a day when you shall repent of
-having deceived and robbed the man who trusted
-you. Once more I tell you what you are: cheat,
-thief, scoundrel!"
-
-"Pretty words, monsieur," said Trevanion with a
-sneer. "You had better take warning. This
-country is not safe for Frenchmen. You have
-escaped from prison, by some piece of imbecile
-folly——"
-
-"Not so," interposed Delarousse. "It was by
-the skill of good friends, who are loyal to one that
-has done business loyally with them. They would
-have taken me to Roscoff in their lugger, and tried
-to dissuade me when I said that I should come here.
-But they helped me. One of them risked his neck
-to drive me here, and my true friends have guarded
-me. I came to assure myself that the man who
-called himself Robinson lives here in this village. I
-saw you from the carriage when you stood at your
-door; I learnt your real name, and now, once more
-I say it, I will wait my time, and you shall pay for
-your knavery."
-
-"I care nothing for your threats. You have been
-lucky to escape once; you will not escape a second
-time. Set foot on this shore again and the whole
-country will rise at you. Expect no mercy from me."
-
-"Mercy! From you! Mon Dieu, is it you
-that talk of mercy?"
-
-He broke off, and let out a gust of harsh,
-sardonic laughter. Then, thrusting himself forward,
-he cried:
-
-"Bah! I spit at you! When all men know
-you as I know you there will be no talk of mercy.
-Are you fool as well as villain? Go! Return to
-your fine house. Flourish on my money. It shall
-be for a season, and then!——"
-
-Trevanion bit his lip. His expression told of a
-struggle for self-control. He glared at the
-Frenchman for a few moments; then, with a hollow laugh,
-he moved towards the door.
-
-"Do your worst," he said, turning with his hand
-on the bolt. "I am in England; I defy you; and,
-by heaven! I promise you ten feet of English rope
-as a spy 'if you dare to show yourself here again."
-
-He drew back the bolt, causing Doubledick to
-scuttle like a rat along the passage. A mocking
-laugh followed Trevanion as he strode from the inn.
-
-Before there was the least hint of dawn in the
-sky, a man, unrecognisable in oilskins and
-sou'-wester, stole from the house next to the inn, where
-he had been concealed when the dragoons made
-their search, and walked rapidly to the jetty.
-Tonkin's lugger, the *Isaac and Jacob*, lay alongside.
-Delarousse stepped on board; the vessel cast off;
-and by the time that the mass of the villagers were
-awake, the guest, whose presence few had known,
-was several leagues nearer to the French shore.
-
-But the departure of the lugger had not been
-wholly unobserved. In the little white cottage on
-the cliff, Joe Penwarden had enjoyed a full night's
-sleep, as he usually did when the moon was up.
-The sound of horses on the high road did not reach
-him, and he was ignorant of the strange happenings
-in the village. But the moon was in its last quarter;
-the "darks" would soon return, and with them the
-activity of the smugglers might be expected to be
-resumed. The cargoes were sometimes brought
-from Roscoff in French luggers, sometimes in the
-*Isaac and Jacob*, and Penwarden was accustomed to
-watch the sailings of Tonkin's vessel. On this
-particular morning he woke early, and after he had
-kindled a fire, he rested his telescope on the
-window-sill to take a look round while the kettle was
-boiling. He soon spied the well-known lugger scudding
-along under full sail.
-
-"So you be at it again, Zacky," he murmured
-with a chuckle, as he shut the telescope. "Well,
-please God, I'll be ready for 'ee."
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`The Fire Bell at the Towers`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE TENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- The Fire Bell at the Towers
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Next day the escape of Jean Delarousse, smuggler
-and privateer, was the talk of the countryside. The
-dragoons had called at the Towers and roused the
-Squire from bed, supposing that he was a magistrate
-and would assist them. Then they rode for several
-miles across the moor until they came to Sir Bevil
-Portharvan's house. That gentleman promised to
-raise the hue and cry next day, and called up his
-servants to ask if any of them had seen a carriage
-cross the moor that evening. The groom declared
-that as he rode back from an errand in Truro he had
-seen a moving light some distance to the left,
-concluding that it probably proceeded from a belated
-carrier's cart on the way to Polkerran. On this the
-troopers galloped back, and seeing a light in the
-Dower House they called there and acquainted John
-Trevanion with their errand. He guessed at once
-that the fugitive had been in the carriage which had
-turned into his drive, and inwardly cursed his
-ill-luck in missing the opportunity of laying by the
-heels a man whose recapture would have rejoiced
-him; but having reasons of his own for not
-disclosing his knowledge of the man, he forbore to
-mention the earlier incident, and contented himself
-with wishing the pursuers success. When they had
-gone he cloaked himself and followed them down
-the hill, being but a few hundred yards behind Dick,
-whom he did not see in the darkness and the twists
-and turns of the road.
-
-There was not a man in the village but suspected
-that the Frenchman had got away on Tonkin's
-lugger; but not one of them would have said a
-word to betray him. Delarousse was not an enemy,
-but a friend with whom they had profitable dealings.
-When Sir Bevil rode down and questioned
-Doubledick and others, it was clear to him from their
-manner that they would give no information; and
-guessing, when he heard that Tonkin had sailed
-early that morning, that the Frenchman had gone
-with him, he was rather relieved than otherwise, for,
-like all the gentry around, he bought his liquor
-cheap, and was never depressed when the revenue
-officers were outwitted.
-
-Two days passed. Sam Pollex reported that there
-was a subdued air of excitement in the village.
-Mr. Polwhele, the riding-officer, was seen speaking to
-Penwarden, and the revenue cutter, which had been
-absent for some time, once more anchored in the
-little harbour. Mr. Mildmay did not come ashore:
-he seldom did so during the smuggling season; but
-one of his men trudged up the hill to Penwarden's
-cottage, and did not return. These facts made Dick
-tingle with excitement: but the Squire had
-forbidden him to go near the smugglers again, so that
-he was unable to keep watch for the run which he,
-like everyone else in Polkerran, expected to take
-place.
-
-On the third morning, when Dick was tramping
-over the cliff with his gun towards a cleft where he
-had heard that a pair of choughs had nested, he saw
-Penwarden smoking on the bench beside his cottage
-door.
-
-"Morning to 'ee, Maister Dick," he said.
-
-"Good morning, Joe. You look very spry,"
-replied Dick genially.
-
-"Well, and I feel spry, to be sure. Haven't 'ee
-heard?"
-
-"Heard what?"
-
-"Why, how we brought up the smugglers wi' a
-round turn last night."
-
-"Did you? Tell me about it, Joe. I wish I
-had seen it, but Father won't let me out of the house
-at night now."
-
-"Why for, maister?"
-
-"Because I got home very late the other night,
-and he's afraid I shall get my head broken, I think,
-now that the folks are so set against us."
-
-"'Tis a very wise commandment of the Squire.
-Well, I'll tell 'ee. Never was they so flambustered
-afore. When I seed *Isaac and Jacob* goin' off so
-merry t'other morning, I guessed she wouldn't come
-back empty, the wind favourin' and all. So what
-do I do but put on my considerin' cap——"
-
-"That means a pipe and a bowl of rum, doesn't
-it?" said Dick with a laugh.
-
-"I won't say but it do. Thinks I, now where
-will they try to run their cargo? Tonkin went off
-in a 'nation hurry, and the reason o't you know as
-well as I, but we won't speak o' that. There warn't
-time for him to fix up with the shoremen, leastways
-with many of 'em, afore he went, so thinks I, Zacky
-won't try to carry his kegs inland. What then?
-Why, she'd sink 'em somewheres off the coast, and
-let 'em lay till he gets a chance o' liftin' 'em. I've
-knowed a crop o' goods lay for a month afore they
-could be lifted."
-
-"Doesn't it spoil the spirits?" asked Dick.
-
-"It do, if the tubs lay too long. Then the spirits
-be stinkibus and fit for nothing. Howsomever,
-they'll sink 'em, thinks I, and what's to be the
-place? Well, I mind that ten year or more ago
-they dropped a big crop just beyond St. Cuby's
-Cove, and got 'em clean away in two nights, while
-Mr. Curgenven was playin' cat and mouse miles down
-the coast. Says I to myself, that's the very place."
-
-"But how did you know it ten years ago?"
-
-"By one or two things I noticed when I went
-a-rambling at foot of cliffs; trifles I could hardly tell
-'ee of. That's the very place, says I, so I has a little
-talk with Mr. Polwhele, and he made it known to
-Mr. Mildmay, and betwixt us we hitched up a pretty
-scheme to circumvent 'em. And I was right, and
-wrong too, as you'll see.
-
-"Well, we sent over to Plymouth for a half-troop
-of dragoons, and put them in Penruddock's empty
-farmhouse on the moor yonder. They came quiet
-last night, and not a soul knowed about 'em. You
-see, 'twas only my calcerlation as Tonkin wouldn't
-try a run, and 'twas best to be on the safe tack,
-as you may say. Wi' the dragoons on shore,
-and Mr. Mildmay at sea, we reckoned we'd spoil
-their game, whether 'twas sinkin' or runnin'. When
-'twas dark, we brought the sojers down to shore,
-and put 'em among the rocks on each side of where
-I thought 'twould happen. I had a sort o' suspicion
-that the smugglers had a hiding-place somewhere
-along shore thereabouts, though I'd never been able
-to find it."
-
-"What made you suspect that?"
-
-"Because we grappled for the sunk crop two days
-arter 'twas sunk, but 'twas gone; yet 'twas more
-than a week arterwards afore the stuff was carr'd
-into the country, so it must ha' been hid somewhere.
-Well, we had waited some hours, and the cutter had
-sailed away down the coast to put 'em off the scent,
-when just afore six bells we heard the creakin' o' the
-lugger's gear, and I knowed I was right. At the
-same time the fellers come creepin' round the cliff
-from the village. 'Twas to be a run arter all. Our plan
-was to let 'em get warm to work, and not pounce on
-'em till we'd seed where their hiding-place was.
-Mr. Mildmay meant to fetch about and come on 'em from
-seaward, while the sojers took 'em from landwards.
-
-"Drown it all, 'twas ruined—ruined, I say; but
-'twas not so bad as that neither—'twas almost ruined,
-by a sappy landlubber of a sojer. The unloadin'
-was goin' on as merry as you please when this soft
-stunpoll of a chap let out a sneeze fit to blow yer
-gaff off. 'Twas all up then; no good waiting for
-Mr. Mildmay; the smugglers' look-outs heard the
-tishum and gave the alarm. Mr. Polwhele blew his
-whistle for the attack, and we pounced out from our
-lairs, sojers and tidesmen, and dashed upon 'em from
-two sides at once.
-
-"Some of 'em dropped their tubs like hot taters,
-and slipped off in the darkness. But the rest stood
-their ground like men, and there was a tidy little
-tumble, pistols cracking, cutlasses flashing——"
-
-"How could they flash in the dark?" said Dick.
-
-"You could hear 'em if you couldn't see 'em, and
-I don't care who the man is, I call that flashin'.
-There was some pretty wounds dinted on both sides,
-but as 'ee med think, the sojers' swordplay was a
-trifle more learned than the free-traders', and arter
-some time we King's men got the better o't, and
-they couldn't stand against us no longer. But that
-sneeze: why couldn't the feller clap it under for five
-minutes more? We catched nine of the smugglers,
-and laid them tied hand and foot on the beach. But
-the rest got away, and drown it all, Tonkin was one
-of 'em. I knowed un by his size, and a sojer and I
-and some more had him betwixt us, but he let out
-with those sledge-hammer fists of his, spun a sojer
-this way and a tidesman that, and by long and short
-broke his moorings and swam out to the lugger. If
-that sneeze hadn't come so soon Mr. Mildmay would
-have been there with the cutter, and we should ha
-catched the whole crew. But 'twas not to be. By
-the time the cutter fetched up, the lugger was well
-out to sea, and we lost her. But we've got the nine
-men, who'll have to choose betwixt gaol and the
-King's service, and I've chalked the broad arrow on
-twenty-four tubs, which be now half-way to the
-King's store at St. Ives."
-
-"And did you discover the hiding-place?"
-
-"Chok' it all, we did not. Maybe there's no
-such thing. But 'twas a proper tit-for-tat for the
-knock they give me, and I reckon 'twill be some
-time afore they fly their colours again."
-
-"'Tis the biggest haul you've ever made, isn't
-it?" asked Dick.
-
-"We've got more tubs afore, but never so many
-men. I'm a deal more cheerful in my mind than I
-used to be. We are doing the King's work better
-in these parts than 'twas done in Mr. Curgenven's
-time, and I hope them above will remember it."
-
-Dick went on. He was pleased for the old man's
-sake that he was so well succeeding in his duty; but
-at the same time was full of misgiving as to the
-hatred his energy would breed among the village folk.
-
-When he returned later in the day from a vain
-quest for the choughs, Sam Pollex told him that the
-village was seething with rage, and everybody was
-asking what had become of Doubledick. He was
-not among the nine men who had been carted to
-Plymouth; search had been made for his dead body
-on the shore; it was known that he had been among
-the tub-carriers, but nobody had seen him since the
-fight.
-
-The mystery was solved at nightfall. The inn-keeper,
-dressed as a peaceable fisherman, trudged
-into the village with a fat goose on his back, and
-declared with a wink that he had been on a short visit
-to his friend Farmer Nancarrow, five miles distant.
-His cronies knew that Doubledick had adopted this
-course as a blind to the revenue officers if they made
-an inquisitive visit to his inn. However strong their
-suspicions, they could not proceed against him with
-any chance of success. They were in the same
-difficulty in regard to Tonkin, whom none could
-swear to, his face having been blackened. Nor
-could it be proved even that it was his lugger which
-had brought the cargo. When the *Isaac and Jacob*
-came into the harbour next day and was boarded by
-the revenue officers, it contained nothing but a few
-hundredweight of fish; and though grappling
-operations were conducted in St. Cuby's Cove, and
-for some distance on each side of it, no discovery of
-sunken tubs was made.
-
-It was a fact, often remarked on in after days by
-the Polkerran folk, that the only spectator on the
-jetty when Tonkin's lugger put in—exclusive of the
-revenue officers, a toothless old fisher, Ike Pendry's
-sweetheart, and a handful of children—was Mr. John
-Trevanion. He seemed to be in the top of good
-humour; joked with Mr. Mildmay, gave the old
-fisher a plug of tobacco, favoured Marty Bream with
-an admiring glance, and chucked the children under
-the chin. When the lieutenant's examination was
-concluded, and Tonkin came ashore, a free man, but
-under suspicion, Mr. Trevanion had a word for him
-too, asked to see his catch, and bought some of the
-finest of the fish. Then with a nod to Mr. Mildmay
-he strolled with easy gait up the hill.
-
-That Tonkin himself, an hour or two later, should
-carry his fish to the Dower House was natural
-enough, but it was not perhaps quite so natural that,
-having delivered them to Susan for transmission to
-the cook, he should have been asked to step into the
-house and taken to the master's own room. Nor
-was it likely, when he was let out at the front door
-by Mr. Trevanion an hour later, that the conversation
-which had passed between them in the interim
-had for its subject nothing but fish. Nobody in
-Polkerran knew of this visit, or some intelligent
-person might have suspected that it had a connection
-with a remarkable change that came about in the
-villagers' manner of regarding Monsieur Jean
-Delarousse. Hitherto they had looked upon him as
-a keen man of business, with whom it was as safe as
-it was honourable to have dealings of a free-trade
-nature. But from that day they cherished a sour
-distrust of him; they resolved to do business with
-him no longer, and to transfer their custom to
-another merchant of Roscoff, whose name is of no
-importance in this history. In this transference
-they followed the lead of Tonkin, blindly—all but
-Doubledick, who swam with the current, indeed, so
-far as outward appearances went; but in the privacy
-of his own cunning mind, buzzing still with the
-recollection of what he had heard through the
-keyhole of his parlour door, indulged in speculations of
-a very tantalising nature, and wondered what
-Maister John's little game was.
-
-Whether the relation of cause and effect existed
-between this meeting of Trevanion and Tonkin, and
-an event that took place a few hours later at the
-Towers, is a matter on which the reader may presently
-form his own conclusion.
-
-Dick had gone to bed a little earlier than usual, tired
-out after a long tramp over the moor in search of wild
-fowl. His room faced the sea, and he had left his
-window open, as his practice was except in stormy
-weather. In the dead of night he suddenly found
-himself awake, and wondered why, for he had not
-been dreaming, nor was he conscious of having heard
-a sound. But in a few seconds he was aware of an
-unusual smell, that appeared to be wafted through
-the window on the sea breeze. It was the smell of
-burning wood. He leapt out of bed, ran to the
-casement, and looked out over a row of outhouses
-that extended for some yards from the dwelling
-towards the cliff. One glance was sufficient. The
-tool-house at the furthermost end was on fire.
-
-Quickly pulling on his breeches, he ran to the
-adjoining room, occupied by Sam, hauled the snoring
-boy from his bed, shook him vigorously, and cried—
-
-"The tool-house is on fire! Run to the turret
-and pull the bell. Quick! The breeze is off the
-sea, and we shall have the whole place in a blaze."
-
-Then he rushed to Reuben's room on the lower
-floor, wakened the old man, and told him to fill every
-bucket he could find with water from the well. Lastly,
-he ran to his parents, breaking the news gently so as
-not to terrify his mother. By this time the alarm
-bell was clanging its quick strokes out into the night.
-
-Dick ran out of the house to the well-head near
-the dismantled stables, where Reuben already had
-two buckets filled and was still pumping vigorously.
-He caught up the buckets, hurried to the
-conflagration, and flung the water on the flames. But
-it was clear that they had got such a hold upon the
-shed that to extinguish them with water laboriously
-pumped from the well would be impossible. The
-wind was steadily carrying the fire toward the main
-building, and unless the blaze could be checked
-within a few minutes, the old place was doomed.
-
-To fetch more water would, Dick saw, be a waste
-of time. What could be done? Between the burning
-tool-shed and the dwelling-house was a long wooden
-structure that contained the brew-house and a shed
-in which Reuben kept vegetables, grain for the pigs,
-and other materials. Dick remembered that the
-brew-house, though substantially built, was worm-eaten,
-and, like the rest of the Towers, had not been
-repaired within memory. Acting on an idea which
-had suddenly struck him, he ran at full speed to the
-scullery, brought thence a rope and, returning, made
-his way with it through the smoke into the
-brew-house, and attached it firmly to one of the stout
-timbers supporting the roof.
-
-The Squire had now come upon the scene.
-
-"We must pull down the brew-house, Father,"
-cried Dick. "'Tis the only chance to prevent the
-flames from spreading."
-
-Together they hauled upon the rope. The
-timber did not give an inch. They summoned
-Reuben to assist them, but the oak, worm-eaten
-though it was, resisted their united efforts.
-
-"Once more! Pull all together," cried Dick in
-despair. The post did not move.
-
-"Ha, Squire!" shouted a voice behind, "I see
-what you are about. 'Tis a good notion. Give me
-a hold."
-
-"Polwhele, 'tis you. We'll be glad of your arm."
-
-"Did you ride, sir?" cried Dick eagerly.
-
-"I did," replied the riding-officer. "Egad! I
-see your meaning. My horse is hitched to the
-fence. I'll bring him in a second."
-
-He ran off, returning soon with his horse, which
-pranced and snorted when it came within the smoke
-and heat. Mr. Polwhele and Dick knotted the rope
-to the animal's collar, while the Squire covered its
-eyes with his coat. They turned its head away from
-the flames, and smote its flanks. It started forward,
-almost escaping from the grasp of Mr. Polwhele, who
-held it by the bridle. The post, already weakened
-by the previous straining, gave at last, and a portion
-of the roof fell in with a crash. The same operation
-was performed on a similar post in the opposite
-corner. This was brought down at the first pull,
-and all that remained of the brew-house was a heap
-of laths, beams, tiles, and broken utensils.
-
-They proceeded then to smother the ruins with
-water and earth, paying no heed to the blazing
-tool-house. After some twenty minutes the flames began
-to subside; they poured more water, as quickly as
-it could be drawn, on the glowing ruins, and had the
-satisfaction of seeing that the demolition of the
-brew-house had been effective. The fire spread no
-further; the Towers was saved.
-
-Panting and perspiring with their exertions, the
-four men stood for a while in silence, watching the
-gradual dwindling of the flames.
-
-"That bell may stop," cried Mr. Polwhele
-suddenly. "'Tis well pulled, whoever is doing it,
-but to little good, it seems. 'Pon my soul, I'm the
-only man that has come to its call."
-
-"Ah! You see how things are with me," said
-the Squire bitterly. "Not a soul cares whether the
-Towers burns to the ground, and I and mine in it.
-I remember, forty years ago, when the place took
-fire, the bell brought the whole village to our help.
-Now they'll lie abed and laugh to think I'm homeless."
-
-"'Tis a disgrace and a scandal," cried the
-riding-officer, "and I'll tell them so. The idiots, to
-suppose you would inform on them! I'll set that
-right, Squire; I blame myself for not doing it
-before, but I believed they would come to their
-senses."
-
-"You will waste your breath, Polwhele. Don't
-attempt it for me. I could tell you one way to
-dash their enmity, but that's impossible."
-
-"What is it?"
-
-"Send John Trevanion where he came from.
-'Tis he that is poisoning folks' minds against us;
-yes, 'tis he."
-
-At this point Dick returned from the house,
-whither he had been to stop the ringing of the bell.
-Sam came with him.
-
-"Now, young Sam," said his father wrathfully,
-"'twas you that started this blaze, I'll be bound, wi'
-yer mischief and jiggery. I'll leather 'ee, that I
-will."
-
-"Be choked if I did!" was Sam's indignant cry.
-"Why do 'ee say it, Feyther? You think because
-I break a dish now and again that I do all the
-mischief, but I don't care who the man is, I hain't
-been nigh tool-house or brew-house this mortal day."
-
-"Then who did it? Tell me that."
-
-"I can't tell what I don't know, but if I med put
-a meanin' to it, I'd say 'twas done by the same hands
-as cut our lines and set our boat adrift, be drowned
-to 'em."
-
-"By heaven, I see it!" cried the Squire, smiting
-one fist with the other. "'Tis part of the scheme,
-Polwhele. They will stick at nothing. Penwarden
-caught young Tonkin cutting Dick's lines, as you
-know, and I thrashed him. They avenge him by
-firing my house. I'll clap them in jail; unpopular
-as I am, the justices can't refuse to punish such a
-crime."
-
-"You've no proof, Squire," said Mr. Polwhele.
-"You can't arrest the whole village on suspicion.
-And now I think of it, if it is as you say, there is no
-need to suppose your cousin is at the bottom of
-it. You have no proof."
-
-The Squire was silent. Mr. Polwhele's view was
-no doubt that which would be taken by the majority
-of people. Mr. Trevanion was conscious of the
-weakness of his position, and regretted that in his
-impulsiveness and resentment he had spoken so
-freely. The only facts upon which his conviction of
-his cousin's venomous treachery depended were the
-purchase of the mortgages and the subsequent
-fencing-in of the acquired property, and neither
-singly nor in combination were these strong enough
-to justify his accusation before reasonable people.
-
-"Well, well," said the Squire at last, "I may be
-wrong. I say no more about it. But this
-persecution has gone far enough, and 'tis time it was
-stopped, though how to stop it I know no more
-than the dead."
-
-"I'll see what I can do, Squire. The Towers is
-saved, and glad I am of it. 'Tis to be hoped the
-wretches will try their tricks no more."
-
-He mounted and rode away, the Squire having
-warmly thanked him for his assistance. The four
-inmates of the Towers then returned to their beds.
-
-"You did well, Dick," said the Squire as they
-parted. "'Twas a good thought of yours to pull
-down the posts; without it we might have been
-burnt out. We'll hold fast to the old place a while
-longer, my lad."
-
-To his wife he related all that had happened, and
-mentioned what Mr. Polwhele had said about his
-suspicion of John Trevanion.
-
-"I've no proof, that's true; but in my heart I
-know it; time will show whether I'm right or
-wrong."
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`Sir Bevil Intervenes`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Sir Bevil Intervenes
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Soon after breakfast next morning Dick and Sam
-went down to the shore to launch their boat for a
-day's fishing. The post to which it was moored
-being close under the cliffs, they did not come in
-sight of it until they reached the foot of the winding
-path. Then Sam, who was walking ahead, uttered a cry.
-
-"What is it?" asked Dick, hurrying on.
-
-"Scrounch it all, look 'ee, Maister Dick!"
-
-The boat lay on the white sand, but it was a
-navigable vessel no longer. It had been sawn across
-in three places. The old craft, which had withstood
-for forty years the battering of innumerable waves
-and the more insidious attacks of time, and in which
-three generations of Trevanions had sailed upon the
-deep, would be launched no more. It would henceforth
-serve no useful end except as firewood.
-
-Dick felt first a pang of grief, then a surge of
-bitter rage. His enemies could not have chosen a
-more galling or vindictive means of wreaking their
-ill-will. They had dealt with the boat as the
-smugglers' craft were dealt with when captured by
-the revenue officers. Dick saw in their act a subtle
-indication of the thoroughness with which they
-identified him with the Government men. It said:
-"You have joined the revenue officers; very well,
-we treat you as they treat us." He had no doubt
-that the destruction of the boat and the firing of the
-tool-house were parts of one scheme.
-
-"The cowards!" he exclaimed, "to do behind
-our backs what they durst not do to our face."
-
-"'Tis a miserable, dirty deed," agreed Sam. "We
-must tell of it to the high powers."
-
-"Much good that will be!" cried Dick bitterly.
-"We can't tell who did it; Sir Bevil will only
-instruct Petherick, and he is too much of a fool ever
-to find out, if he wanted to, which is unlikely. We
-can do nothing, Sam."
-
-"How can we go fishing now?" said Sam
-gloomily. "'Tis takin' the bread out of our mouth,
-that's what it is. They mean us to starve, the
-wretches."
-
-The loss of the boat was indeed a serious blow to
-the family at the Towers. The principal source of
-their food supply was cut off. In the present state
-of war between them and the villagers it would be
-impossible to borrow a boat, and the only place from
-which the boys could now fish the sea was the head
-of the jetty, where they would come into awkward
-contact with the hostile fishermen.
-
-Dick examined the segments, with a lingering hope
-that even now old Reuben, who had so often
-patched and caulked the boat, might be able to repair
-it. But the destroyers had done their work only too
-well; he turned away without a word, and gloomily
-wended his way homeward.
-
-As he walked towards the house, he saw a horseman
-riding down the road towards the village. At
-a second glance he recognised him as Sir Bevil
-Portharvan. When he reached home his father
-told him that Mr. Polwhele had ridden over to
-Portharvan House very early, and informed Sir
-Bevil of the night's occurrence. That gentleman
-had never been on more than speaking terms with
-Squire Trevanion; it is not easy for a wealthy man
-to be cordial with one who has gone down in the
-world and yet retains his pride. Sir Bevil
-disapproved of the Squire's attitude to his cousin, which
-seemed to him the outcome of sheer envy. But he
-was sufficiently loyal to his class to be greatly
-incensed at the criminal action of which the riding
-officer told him, and he promised to exert his
-influence as a magistrate to prevent any further
-proceedings of the same kind.
-
-He rode to the Towers, learnt the particulars
-from the Squire's lips, and, having coldly expressed
-his sympathy, went on. As he came to the Dower
-House it occurred to him to see John Trevanion,
-whom he had met often of late, and ask him to use
-his efforts to put down the persecution. Trevanion's
-attitude was admirably correct. He acknowledged
-that he was on bad terms with the Squire; deplored
-the breach, which was not of his making; and
-promised to let it be known in the village that he
-disapproved of such violent measures as the people
-had recently taken. That was as much as he could
-do. Sir Bevil went away feeling that John Trevanion
-was an excellent fellow, and regarding his own errand
-even more in the light of a troublesome duty than
-he had done before.
-
-From the Dower House he went straight to the
-inn, which was the focus of the village life, and the
-place from which his views would radiate with every
-man who left it after drinking his ale, cider, or
-brandy. Reining up at the door, he called
-Doubledick forth.
-
-"Good mornin', yer honour," said the innkeeper,
-rubbing his hands deferentially as he obeyed the
-great man's command.
-
-"Look here, Doubledick," said Sir Bevil bluntly,
-"I've heard of what went on at the Towers last
-night. That sort of thing won't do, you know; it
-must be stopped, and you can tell your customers I
-say so. Free-trading is all very well, but arson is
-an ugly word and a hanging matter; and, egad! if
-any man is caught playing such low tricks, and
-brought before me, he'll get no mercy, I promise
-you. Make that clear, will you?"
-
-"Iss sure, Sir Bevil," replied the innkeeper.
-"'Twas a cruel deed, the Squire bein' so cast down
-and all. I'll tell the folks yer very words, sir, that
-I will."
-
-"That's right. I saw Mr. John Trevanion on
-the way down, and he agreed with me, so there will
-be an eye on the village nearer than mine."
-
-"Oh, if you seed Maister John, Sir Bevil, 'tis as
-good as seein' the Lord High Constable o' the county,
-I warrant 'ee. Folks think a deal o' Maister John,
-they do."
-
-A keener observer than Sir Bevil might have
-detected a spice of irony in Doubledick's remark.
-But the baronet was satisfied, and after yielding to
-the innkeeper's invitation to take a glass to help him
-on his homeward journey, he rode off with the
-comfortable sense of having done his duty.
-
-When Dick went to the Parsonage that afternoon
-for his usual lesson, he told Mr. Carlyon all that
-had happened. On the next Sunday the vicar
-preached an excellent sermon from the text, "Cursed
-be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark,"
-which the women listened to without understanding,
-the men going to sleep as usual.
-
-The loss of the boat caused something like
-consternation among the inmates of the Towers.
-The Squire could not afford to buy a new one; how
-was the necessary fishing to be carried on? This
-problem taxed the wits of Dick, who lay awake for
-two nights pondering and puzzling. Then the
-thought came to him, why not build a boat? He
-had never attempted such a ticklish piece of work,
-but he was pretty handy with tools, and the idea of
-setting his wits against the machinations of the
-enemy fixed his resolution.
-
-He remembered sorrowfully that with the burnt
-tool-house had perished his tools and the carpenter's
-bench at which he had been accustomed to work.
-But he could borrow the necessary implements from
-Petherick, the sexton, who did all the repairs required
-at the church and the Parsonage. There was no
-lack of timber in the planking of the ruined portion
-of the Towers. The most formidable obstacle was
-his absolute ignorance of the art of boat-building,
-but a means of overcoming that soon suggested
-itself.
-
-The Polkerran fishers obtained their boats from
-St. Ives, fifteen or sixteen miles away. A tramp of
-that distance was nothing to a healthy lad, so, early
-one morning, taking some bread and cheese in a
-wallet, and telling no one of his intention, Dick set
-off. It was a raw November day; the road was
-wet and muddy, and as Dick passed under the trees
-along the route his face and neck were bespattered
-by the drippings from their bare boughs. But he
-made light of such ordinary discomforts of winter;
-the swinging pace at which he walked set his blood
-coursing, and by the time he arrived at St. Ives his
-whole body was in a healthy glow. He entered an
-inn and moistened his dry fare with a glass of ale,
-then found his way to the principal boat-builder's
-yard, and stood looking on as the workmen sawed
-and planed and hammered. The builder had no
-secret to guard; his yard was open to any one who
-cared to visit it. He gave Dick a friendly greeting;
-the men threw a glance at him, and went on with
-their work and their gossip as unconcernedly as
-though he were not there.
-
-Having spent several hours thus, strolling through
-the town to warm himself while the men were at
-dinner, he set off in the afternoon on his long
-tramp homeward, going over in his head the details
-of the operations he had witnessed. Next day he
-appeared in the yard at the same time. The
-master-builder himself was absent, and there was a shade
-of surprise in the men's expression of face as they
-saw him enter; but, as before, they paid no attention
-to him, and showed neither interest nor curiosity.
-
-On the third day, however, when he again made
-his appearance, their rustic stolidity was penetrated
-at last.
-
-"Mornin' to 'ee, sonny," said the foreman builder,
-a cheerful-looking veteran of sixty; "you be as
-regular as church-clock, to be sure."
-
-Dick smiled and returned the man's greeting.
-
-"You will know a boat from keel to gunwale,"
-continued the foreman.
-
-"That's what I've come for," said Dick.
-
-"Well, now, think o' that!"
-
-"Didn't I tell 'ee so, gaffer?" remarked one of
-the men.
-
-"True, you did, and a clever seein' eye you have
-got, Ben."
-
-"And *I* said 'a was not a common poor man,"
-said another. "That's what *I* said, bean't it, Ben?"
-
-"Iss, fay, they was yer very words."
-
-"Well, sir," said the foreman, "seein' that these
-clever fellers have seed so far into ye, maybe
-you'll tell what's your hidden purpose in lookin'
-at we."
-
-"I'm learning how to build a boat," replied Dick.
-
-"Good now! You never thought o' that, Ben,
-clever as ye be, I warrant 'ee. Well, sonny—sir,
-I mean—I've been nigh fifty year larnin' to build a
-boat, and I bean't done larnin' yet."
-
-"That's bad news, because I want to build one in
-a week or two."
-
-"Well, I won't say but you can make some sort
-of a tub in the time, but 'twill be a wambly figure o'
-fun, and be very useful for givin' ye a sea-bath.
-Ha! ha!"
-
-"There's no harm in trying, though," said Dick,
-good-humouredly. "Perhaps if you'd let me try
-my hand I might pick up a notion or two."
-
-"I don't mind if I do. Just set they thwarts in
-the splines; that's a little small job, and we'll see
-how 'ee do set about it."
-
-Dick stripped off his coat, rolled up his sleeves,
-and proceeded to perform the task given him, the
-foreman watching him critically the while.
-
-"Not so bad," he said when the job was finished.
-"I won't say but Maister will cuss when he do see
-it, but 'tis not so bad for a young feller; what do
-'ee say, my sonnies?"
-
-The men left their work and inspected Dick's,
-twisting their necks, pressing their lips together, and
-showing other marks of solemn consideration. They
-pronounced the work pretty good, and declared they
-wouldn't have believed it.
-
-The foreman gave Dick other little jobs to do,
-and being more pleased with the lad's handiness
-than he had admitted, he took pains to instruct him.
-Dick learnt about ribs and splines; how to steam
-the ribs and give the necessary "flare"; the
-difficulty of getting the planking to "fly" to a true
-curve without "shramming"; and many other
-technical details which dashed his hope of being able
-to build a boat in a week.
-
-"Don't 'ee go and set up for a boat-builder,
-though," said the foreman pleasantly. "Maister
-will werrit if he do think the bread 'll be took out
-of his mouth."
-
-"No fear of that," replied Dick laughing. "I
-only want to build a boat for myself, to replace an
-old one I lost."
-
-"Well, I will say 'tis a right good notion to build
-one yerself instead o' buyin' one, though 'twouldn't
-do for we if everybody was so handy."
-
-Dick's journeys to and fro between Polkerran and
-St. Ives extended over ten days. His absences
-greatly puzzled Sam, but Dick gave no explanation
-until he felt that he had learned enough to make a
-start, and decided to visit the boat-builder's no more.
-He was not so foolish as to suppose that he had
-mastered the trade, but believed he knew enough to
-enable him to construct a boat that would serve his
-simple purpose. Then one morning he set Sam to
-collect a number of sound planks from the floors and
-wainscoting in the unused rooms at the Towers, and
-having borrowed from Petherick the tools necessary to
-supplement those that Reuben had, he began his task.
-
-Day by day for a fortnight the lads worked steadily,
-using the dilapidated stables for their workshop.
-Occasionally the Squire and Reuben stood by and
-criticised; old Penwarden, too, looked in and offered
-a more or less impracticable suggestion. Once when
-Dick was at a loss how to proceed, he trudged to
-St. Ives to consult the foreman.
-
-"What, Maister, has she sunk a'ready?" said the
-man with twinkling eyes, as Dick entered.
-
-He obtained the information he desired, and
-within a few days afterwards the boat was finished.
-Nobody at the Towers, except her makers, believed
-that she would float. How to get her down to the
-water was at first a baffling problem. She was too
-heavy and cumbersome to be carried down the cliff-path
-by the boys, and they would not seek assistance
-from the villagers. It was Mr. Carlyon that solved
-the difficulty. He suggested that the boat should
-be conveyed on a farmer's wagon to a dell about
-four miles northward, where a stream flowed into
-the sea. This was done early one morning, the
-farmer, a friend of the Vicar's, being bound to
-secrecy. They launched the boat on the stream,
-and Sam gave a whoop of delight on seeing that she
-rode fairly upright. With a couple of spare sculls
-from their nook on the Beal, they pulled her out to
-sea, and Dick was pardonably proud of his handiwork
-when she proved quite seaworthy, if somewhat
-lumbering.
-
-"She's not very pretty, but she's strong," he said
-to Sam, "and that is all we need trouble about."
-
-During the weeks in which Dick had been thus
-occupied, no further annoyance was suffered from
-the villagers. Sir Bevil's warning had apparently
-taken effect. Penwarden reported that two more
-serious checks had been given to the smugglers.
-Once they had been interrupted in the act of
-running a cargo at Lunnan Cove, some miles to the
-south, and a hundred tubs had been seized by
-Mr. Mildmay. A few days later, the cutter had gone in
-chase of a lugger in a stiff gale, and the seamanship
-of the smugglers being at least equal to that of the
-King's men, the quarry had escaped. But her crew,
-not daring to run the cargo while the revenue
-officers were on the alert, had sunk the tubs, which
-were always carried ready slung to meet such an
-emergency, in five fathoms of water beyond
-St. Cuby's Cove. In their hurry, however, the work
-was not done so carefully as usual, with the result
-that one of the tubs was chafed off the sinking rope,
-drifted about, and next morning was descried by
-Penwarden from the cliff. He informed Mr. Mildmay.
-The shallow water along the shore was
-systematically searched, and the whole cargo was
-hooked up by means of "creeps," as the grapnels
-were called. Rumour, reaching the Towers by way
-of the Parsonage, said that on both these occasions
-Tonkin was the freighter, so that his loss by the
-successive failures was probably not far short of
-£300.
-
-Tidings came, also, by the local carrier, of renewed
-activity on the part of the *Aimable Vertu* in the
-Channel. A revenue cruiser had fought an action
-with her off the Lizard, and was worsted, her
-commander being wounded, and the vessel only escaping
-by running in shore to shallow water, where the
-privateer could not follow. The authorities, already
-deeply incensed by the escape of Delarousse from
-Plymouth, were furious at this recurrence of his
-depredations, and had offered a high price for
-information of his movements, and a still higher reward to
-any officer who should capture him.
-
-For a few days Dick laid up his new boat, when
-fishing was done, in the mouth of the little stream
-on which he had launched it, tramping back with
-Sam over the four miles to the Towers. But this
-became irksome, and he tried to think of some means
-of keeping the craft nearer home without running
-the risk of its destruction by the smugglers. After
-a good deal of anxious consideration he hit upon the
-idea of building a shed for it on the beach at the foot
-of the cliff.
-
-"Jown me if I see the good o' 't," said Sam,
-when Dick explained his plan. "They'll break into
-the shed, or fire it, if they want to, and we'll lose our
-boat and our labour too."
-
-"But I've thought of a way of preventing that,
-Sam. They won't interfere with it in daylight: 'tis
-only the night we need fear. Well, we'll make 'em
-give us warning of any trick they play."
-
-"I don't see how, unless they be born fools."
-
-"They're not fools: far from it: but they might
-be a trifle sharper in the wits, perhaps. If it comes
-to scheming, I think we can beat 'em, Sam. We'll
-build the shed close under the house. Now listen.
-We'll make the door to open outwards, and tie a
-strand of sewing thread to the bottom, running it
-through hooks along the wall and out at the back of
-the shed. There we'll tie it to a fishing-line, and
-round a pulley up to the cliff-top, taking care to keep
-it off the rock by making it run through notches in
-sticks of wood. At the top we'll have another
-pulley, and at the foot of the house wall another,
-and so carry it into my bedroom. There we'll fasten
-it to a weight—a poker will do; which we'll sling up
-beside the window. We'll put a tea-tray underneath
-it, d' you see? so that if the shed door is pulled
-open the thread will break, the poker will fall, and
-make such a clatter that we are bound to hear it all
-over the house."
-
-Sam broke into laughter.
-
-"Ha! ha! it do mind me of the old 'ooman
-and little crooked sixpence," he cried. "Do 'ee mind,
-Maister Dick? 'Cat began to kill the rat, rat began
-to gnaw the rope,' and so on till th' old 'ooman got
-home at last. My life, 'tis a noble notion! What
-a headpiece you have got, to be sure! But,
-scrounch it all, won't they see the line?"
-
-"I don't think so. 'Tis so much the colour of
-the rock that it will escape notice."
-
-"True. But s'pose we do hear a clatter-bang.
-That won't stop 'em from hauling out the boat,
-and we couldn' get down the cliff in time to
-save her."
-
-"I'd thought of that. We'll fix up a booby-trap
-over the door."
-
-"Never heerd o't. What be a booby-trap?"
-
-"'Tis a thing that Mr. Carlyon told me of, a trick
-he used to play when he was a young fellow at
-college. You fix above the doorway something that
-will tumble down when the door is opened, and
-come plump on the head of any one entering. That
-will stagger them, and while they are recovering
-their wits we shall have time to run down. You
-may be sure they'll run away before we get to
-them, for if we recognize them they'll have Sir Bevil
-to reckon with."
-
-"Ha! ha!" laughed Sam. "That 'ud be a
-funny sight to see. We'll do it, Maister Dick, and
-'tis my wish I bean't too sleepy to tumble up when
-they tries their tricks."
-
-It was a full day's work, from daybreak to long
-past sunset, to erect the shed from materials carefully
-prepared beforehand. Dick felt the necessity of
-completing the apparatus before another day dawned,
-lest their proceedings should be spied from a passing
-boat and reported in the village before they were
-ready. He obtained permission from his father to
-remain out, telling him frankly what his purpose
-was, but without giving details, and toiled on, by the
-light of a screened lantern, until the whole
-contrivance wis finished. The booby-trap consisted of
-a pail nicely balanced on a bar running across the
-shed, and filled with water deeply coloured with
-indigo. It was connected by a thread with a loose
-board in the floor beneath, so that a trespasser
-stepping across the threshold would snap the thread,
-cause the pail to turn on its axis, and receive its
-contents on his head.
-
-"The parson used flour, he told me," said Dick,
-"but 'tis too good to waste on those rascals."
-
-"Ay, and a dousin' will make 'em cuss more,"
-said Sam. "Oh, 'twill grieve me tarrible if I be
-asleep!"
-
-Three days passed. Apparently the shed had not
-been discovered by the villagers. The boys tested
-their invention and found it successful. They took
-the boat out each morning, and restored it to its
-place when the day's fishing was done, fastening the
-door from the inside, connecting it with the booby-trap,
-and leaving the shed by a small door, just large
-enough to crawl through, at the back.
-
-On the third evening Mr. Carlyon came to the
-Towers to join the Trevanions in a game of whist,
-as he did frequently during the winter months. It
-was a still, clear night, with a touch of frost in the
-air; but the cold did not penetrate to the Squire's
-room, where a blazing wood fire threw a rosy radiance
-on the panelled walls, and woke smiling reflections
-in the glasses and decanters that stood on a table
-near that at which the party of four were absorbed
-in their game. The house was quiet; Reuben and
-Sam had retired to rest, for the Vicar would need no
-attendance when he mounted his cob to ride home.
-
-The Squire was in the act of shuffling the pack,
-when suddenly the silence of the house was shattered
-by a tremendous crash in one of the rooms above.
-Mrs. Trevanion pressed her hand to her side; the
-Squire missed his cast, and let the cards fall to the
-floor; Mr. Carlyon put down the glass which he had
-just raised to his lips, so hastily that the fluid spilled
-on the baize. Dick sprang up.
-
-"'Tis the alarm!" he cried. "They are at my shed!"
-
-He dashed out of the room, to meet Sam in shirt
-and breeches tumbling down the stairs. Dick seized
-a cutlass hanging on the wall, Sam the parson's
-riding-whip, and throwing open the door they sallied
-out into the night.
-
-"It dinged me out of a lovely dream," said Sam.
-"Dash my buttons, 'twas a noble noise."
-
-They scampered along the cliff to the zigzag path.
-Meanwhile the Squire hurriedly explained the matter
-to the astonished Vicar.
-
-"Bless my life, I must go too," cried Mr. Carlyon.
-"The impudence of the scoundrels! Is this the
-result of Sir Bevil's intervention? Come along,
-Squire; bring your pistols. Man of peace as I am,
-I will give you absolution if you wing one of those
-fellows!"
-
-The two hastened forth less than a minute after
-the boys. Both were active men, in spite of their
-years, and they scrambled down the path with no
-more stumbles than were excusable in elderly gentlemen
-a little short in the wind. Before they got to
-the bottom they saw a boat just pulling off from the
-shore, and the boys knee-deep in water, trying to
-give a parting salutation with their weapons to the
-disturbers of the peace. Sam had the satisfaction of
-hearing a bellow from the man in the stern of the
-boat as the whip-thong slashed his face; but Dick's
-cutlass was not long enough for effective use, and in
-a few seconds the marauders were out of reach.
-
-The four met on the beach and hastened up
-towards the shed. To their surprise the door was
-only half open.
-
-"They must have heard the noise," said Dick.
-"My window is open. I daresay they waited to see
-what it meant, and then heard us coming down, for
-when we got to the foot of the path they were
-beginning to shove the boat off."
-
-"The neatest contrivance I ever heard of. I
-congratulate you on your ingenuity," said the Vicar
-heartily. "But we may as well see that the villains
-have done no mischief."
-
-As he spoke he pulled the door fully open, and
-before Dick could check him, set his foot on the
-threshold. Instantly there was a splash; the
-worthy man gasped and spluttered, and came out
-with a spring, shaking his head like a dog emerging
-from a bath.
-
-"God bless my soul!" cried the Squire, looking
-with amazement at the dark shower pouring from his
-friend on to the sand. "What on earth is this?"
-
-"Ho! ho!" laughed Sam, prancing with delight,
-his veneration for the Church quite eclipsed by his
-joy at a fellow mortal's misadventure. "I ha' seed
-it arter all. Ho! ho!"
-
-Dick, overwhelmed with dismay, shook Sam by the
-arm and bade him be silent. What excuse, what
-reparation could he make to the venerable gentleman
-who had suffered so untoward an accident?
-
-"I didn't think—I tried to—I'm dreadfully sorry,
-sir," he stammered.
-
-"Ha! ha!" came the parson's rolling laugh.
-"'Pon my life, he's an apt pupil, Squire. The young
-dog! Ha! ha!"
-
-"Explain this—this—" began the Squire angrily.
-
-"This booby-trap, Squire," cried Mr. Carlyon.
-"'Tis I am the booby. I taught Dick, in a reckless
-burst of confidence, how we young rantipoles at
-Oxford used to deal with each other—and our tutors
-too, I'm bound to say. I wish I hadn't. But, you
-young rascal, I told you that we used flour: what
-is this horrible stuff?"
-
-"Only a solution of indigo, sir; it won't do you
-any harm," replied poor Dick.
-
-"Won't do me any harm? Only make me black
-and blue, eh? Ha! ha! I'm glad 'tis no worse.
-But 'tis a thousand pities those ruffians escaped
-the shower. Well, well, the rain falls on the just
-and the unjust, we're told, and——bless me, Squire,
-it takes me back forty years, when we had rigged up
-a trap for a freshman, and it toppled on the reverend
-head of the dean himself. Ha! ha!"
-
-"Ha! ha!" laughed the Squire, his vexation
-giving way to his sense of humour.
-
-"Ho! ho!" roared Sam. "Drown me if it
-bean't the——"
-
-"Shut up!" growled Dick. "Why must you
-laugh at the Vicar in that idiotic way?"
-
-"'Cos he laughs at hisself," said Sam, highly
-aggrieved. "I wouldn' laugh at him with his
-nightgown on in church, not I; but when he be
-just like a simple common man, daze me if I can
-keep it in."
-
-The two elders were now climbing the path.
-Dick stayed to retie the thread, though he did not
-expect that the marauders, after the alarm they had
-had, would make a second attempt that night.
-Having closed the door, he accompanied Sam up the
-cliff, greatly relieved when he heard, far above, the
-Vicar's hearty laugh, as he related to the Squire
-sundry other pranks and escapades of his younger days.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`Penwarden Disappears`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE TWELFTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Penwarden Disappears
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-As Dick hoped, the scare given to the enemy by
-his prompt sally from the Towers proved effectual;
-no further attempt was made to interfere with the
-boat. Rumours of the contrivance for giving an
-alarm spread among the villagers, and Mr. Carlyon,
-without revealing his own misadventure, took care
-to explain to Petherick, sexton, beadle, and constable,
-that the intruders would have suffered material
-damage if they had had the courage to enter the
-shed. Petherick duly reported this, as the parson
-intended, adding on his own account that the
-young monkeys had invented an instrument of
-torture for all who dared to molest them. The
-parson's housekeeper discussed with Petherick a
-strange stain upon her master's stock, and Petherick
-himself, despatched one day to the Truro perruquier
-with a parcel carefully tied, was amazed when the
-tradesman, opening it in his presence, revealed a
-wig, not iron grey, but mottled blue in colour.
-These matters were a topic of conversation in
-Polkerran for many a day, and there were some who
-offered explanations, and some who shook their
-heads and looked profoundly wise, but discreetly
-held their tongues. The truth was never known
-outside the Towers, Dick threatening Sam with
-excommunication if he breathed a word of it.
-
-One Wednesday, early in December, the boys set
-out a little before dawn to fish. The air was cold
-and misty; trickles of condensed moisture ran down
-their faces and necks, and little pools formed on the
-rims of their hats. The exercise of rowing warmed
-them, and the discomfort, always less to their
-seasoned skins than it would have been to a townsman
-and a landlubber, was forgotten altogether when
-the fish rose freely to their bait. They made a
-good catch after two hours' work, and turned to row
-back in order to carry the fish home in time for early
-breakfast.
-
-.. _`175`:
-
-They had come nearly a mile from shore, and
-were pulling hard, the wind blowing off the land
-against them, when all at once, some distance astern,
-there loomed out of the mist a three-masted vessel
-of considerable size.
-
-"Look, Sam," said Dick, "isn't that the same
-craft we saw following the smack that night?"
-
-"'Tis so," replied Sam; "the night Maister
-John come home-along. I said he landed from
-the smack, you mind; you said 'a didn't; and I
-don't care who the man is, but I know I be right."
-
-"Pull away, Sam. We don't want to be seen.
-It may be the French privateer we've heard about,
-and we ought to tell Mr. Mildmay or Penwarden."
-
-"True, and there's money if she's catched. Would
-they gie us a bit o't, think 'ee?"
-
-"I daresay. There! She has vanished into the
-mist again. Do you know if the cutter is in the
-harbour, Sam?"
-
-"She warn't yesterday. Maister Mildmay is busy
-down coast. I'd liever old Joe got the money
-than he."
-
-They saw no more of the vessel, even from the
-top of the cliff. Mr. Trevanion was interested in
-their news, and agreed that it should certainly be
-imparted to Penwarden or Mr. Polwhele,
-Mr. Mildmay being absent.
-
-Dick remembered that the old exciseman had
-probably been up all night. He sympathised with
-him in his arduous duty of watching all through
-the long hours of darkness, in fair or foul weather,
-frost or rain. At dawn of day Penwarden was
-accustomed to take a "watch below," as he called
-it, until noon, priding himself on requiring no more
-than four or five hours' sleep. At noon an old
-woman from the village came to get his dinner and
-tidy up, leaving when her work was done, his other
-meals being prepared by himself. Dick decided not
-to awaken Penwarden until he had had his sleep out,
-but to seek Mr. Polwhele, whose house stood on the
-cliff half-a-mile on the further side of the village.
-Dick went there by a roundabout way, to avoid
-meeting the fisher-people and their sour looks.
-The riding-officer was much surprised at the news
-he brought.
-
-"'Tis a risky thing on the part of Delarousse, if
-'tis indeed he," said Mr. Polwhele; "and why he
-should come here I can't tell, for Polkerran is not
-worth powder and shot."
-
-"Maybe to arrange for running a cargo," said Dick.
-
-"I don't think that, for 'tis whispered that the
-folks here do not deal with him any longer. I can't
-think 'tis he, but I will run up my signal to warn
-Mr. Mildmay, if he can see it through the mist.
-Thank 'ee for the news. Perhaps you will tell
-Penwarden, and ask him to keep an eye lifting."
-
-Dick promised to do so, and returned home.
-
-Shortly before twelve, the time when Penwarden
-was usually moving about again, Dick walked up to
-the cottage to inform him of the strange vessel. He
-knocked at the door, but there was no answer.
-Thinking that the old man was lying later than usual
-after a tiring night's duty, Dick felt loth to rouse
-him, and resolved to wait a while, walking up and
-down before the cottage, beating himself for warmth's
-sake. Now and then he stopped to listen at the
-door, but there was no sound from within, nor
-indeed without, except the booming of the surf,
-the whistle of the wind impinging on the cliff
-edge, and the screams of gulls which had not yet
-flown inland to seek their winter sustenance in the
-neighbourhood of farms. The mist cleared off, and
-not a sign of the vessel was to be seen on the
-horizon.
-
-"Old Gammer Oliver is late, too," thought Dick.
-"Perhaps Joe told her not to come at her usual time."
-
-He took a book from his pocket, and read it, still
-walking up and down. But he soon tired of this;
-the hour for the midday meal at the Towers was
-drawing on; and he would have returned but for
-his promise to Mr. Polwhele.
-
-"I ought to have hammered hard on the door at
-once," he said to himself. "Tired as he must be,
-he would not mind being disturbed in this case."
-
-He shut up his book, slipped it into his pocket,
-and strode briskly towards the cottage, about thirty
-paces distant. No smoke was rising from the
-chimney; nothing was audible but the wind rustling
-the leaves of a laurel bush, and causing the bare
-tendrils of last year's creeper to scratch against the
-wall. The sudden scream of a gull wheeling its
-flight above the roof made Dick start and look
-round uneasily. There was nothing living, on four
-feet or on two, in sight.
-
-He came to the door, and, hesitating no longer,
-rapped smartly upon it. Neither voice nor
-movement answered him. Again he knocked, with
-greater energy, calling the old man by name. The
-perfect silence when his knuckles ceased their tattoo
-alarmed him. Joe always locked the door when he
-left the cottage by day, and locked and bolted it
-when he retired at night. Still, it was a natural act
-to turn the handle, and Dick, when he did so,
-almost laughed, for the door opened, revealing the
-dark little passage, on one side of which was the
-bedroom, on the other the kitchen and sitting-room
-in one. Of course, the old fellow had gone out.
-
-But as Dick stood on the threshold and his eyes
-became accustomed to the dimness within, this
-comforting reflection gave way to surprise and
-apprehension. Half-way down the passage Penwarden's
-hat lay on the floor. Near it was a bundle
-of bulrushes which he had brought back from a
-voyage in his sea-going days; it usually stood
-against the wall beneath a portrait of Rodney.
-Beyond, the glass of a case enclosing a stuffed
-John-Dory was broken to splinters, which glinted from
-the stone floor. The passage presented a strange
-contrast to its usual neat and tidy appearance.
-
-"Joe!" Dick called.
-
-His voice reverberated; there was no other sound.
-He entered the passage and opened the door of the
-kitchen. It was empty; nothing was in disorder;
-a kettle stood on the hob; on the table lay a
-mug, a knife, and a plate holding a few crumbs of
-bread, witnesses to the old man's supper. Dick
-turned about, crossed the passage, and halted for a
-moment at the bedroom door, seized by the shaking
-thought that Joe had been taken ill in the night—was
-perhaps dead. He called, rapped, and, with
-quivering nerves, entered. The blind was down, so
-that he could scarcely see; but there was the bed,
-empty, the bedclothes disturbed. He pulled up
-the blind. The cold light of the winter sky flooded
-the room, and he saw things that filled him with
-alarm. A chair was overturned; fragments of a
-pipe and a tinder-box lay beside the bed; a thin
-hair rug was creased into the shape of billows; on
-one of the white deals was a dark red stain. The
-appearance of both room and passage pointed to a
-struggle. The stain was the fresh mark of blood.
-
-What had become of the old man? Dick felt the
-answer to his unspoken question. Excisemen had
-many enemies; sometimes they lost their lives, not
-merely in open fight with the smugglers, but by
-insidious attack. Mr. Mildmay had told of
-ambushes, midnight assaults, torture, brutal murders.
-Such incidents were almost unknown in the west
-country; the fair fame of Cornishmen had not been
-sullied as that of the men of Kent and Sussex had
-been. But what more likely than that the bitter
-ill-feeling rife in the village, which had lately vented
-itself against the inmates of the Towers, should now
-have sought a new victim in Penwarden? If the
-smugglers were prepared to go such lengths against
-the Trevanions, towards whom their hereditary
-loyalty had for generations been akin to the Scottish
-clansman's devotion to his chief, they would scarcely
-be disposed to spare a humble old seaman, to whom
-they attributed the heavy losses they had recently
-suffered.
-
-These thoughts ran through Dick's mind in a
-moment. That Penwarden had suffered violent
-handling he could not doubt. He must at once
-report the disappearance. He hurried from the
-room, closing the door, and in the passage met
-Gammer Oliver, as she was called, the old woman
-who came daily from the village.
-
-"Oh, Maister Trevanion!" she exclaimed, "you
-did give me a turn."
-
-"Mr. Penwarden is not here; something has
-happened to him. You don't know anything about him?"
-
-"Do 'ee say it? Lawk-a-deary, and me so late
-and all! My darter was took bad this morning,
-or——"
-
-"Do you know anything about him?" repeated Dick.
-
-"Not a mossel, sir. I hain't seed the gaffer since
-I gied un his dinner yesterday. Save us all! What
-a moil and muddle things be in!"
-
-"Yes, I don't know what has happened. Tidy
-up, and bring the door-key to the Towers. I am
-going now."
-
-He hastened home, and told the Squire what he
-had discovered, and what his suspicions were.
-Mr. Trevanion, often supine and sluggish in matters
-concerning himself, was energetic enough when he
-heard of wrong or injustice suffered by others.
-
-"This is scandalous!" he exclaimed. "Do you
-go at once and find Mr. Polwhele, Dick. I will
-hurry to the parson. Stay, I'll give Sam a note for
-Sir Bevil; we must raise a hue and cry after the
-old man. Where is Mildmay, I wonder?"
-
-"Mr. Polwhele was going to signal to him, sir,"
-said Dick.
-
-"That's right. He must watch the coast. I've
-heard of the wretches shipping off to France
-preventive men who make themselves troublesome.
-'Tis ten to one they will serve Penwarden so; that
-vessel you saw may have come for that purpose."
-
-Within a few minutes the three active members
-of the household had gone their several ways. Dick
-hastened for the second time to see the riding-officer.
-As he went he came to a resolution. The smugglers,
-it was clear, were determined on pursuing their
-policy of persecution. All who opposed them, or
-whom they supposed to be their opponents, would
-have to reckon with their remorseless animosity,
-which might express itself in open violence or deeds
-of stealth as necessity demanded. It was to be war,
-and, as events were shaping themselves, war between
-the village and the Towers. Well, the war should
-be fought out. The quarrel had been forced on the
-Trevanions; they had not willingly departed from
-their neutrality; but matters had now gone so far
-that to remain neutral was impossible, and Dick
-resolved to take once for all the side of the law.
-He anticipated some difficulty in bringing his father
-to adopt the same attitude; but at the present
-moment the Squire was so indignant with the
-smugglers that, even if he was not ready to throw
-himself into active opposition to them, he might not
-forbid Dick to do so. Feeling that at such a crisis
-all quiet work at his books was impossible, Dick
-determined to beg Mr. Carlyon to release him, and to
-devote himself heart and soul to the contest, whether
-of wits or weapons. The first object must be the
-rescue of Joe Penwarden.
-
-Mr. Polwhele was still at home.
-
-"This is a new thing, 'pon my life," he said,
-when Dick had told him his tidings. "Till now
-the villains have been only on the defensive; to
-take the offensive means there's a new spirit working
-in 'em. D'you think, now, that your father is
-right, and John Trevanion is the man behind?"
-
-"I don't want to say what I think, Mr. Polwhele,"
-replied Dick. "Whether he is or not,
-we must put a stop to it. I can't do much, but
-what I can do I will."
-
-"I'm glad to hear it. The curious thing is that
-John Trevanion has but lately been here. One of
-the fishers had told him of the strange vessel, and
-he came for the same purpose as you, to ask me to
-signal to Mr. Mildmay. He said it was scandalous
-that the Frenchman should be allowed to cruise
-at large."
-
-"Do you think she came to ship Penwarden
-away, sir? That is my father's idea."
-
-"'Tis a notion, now, but not likely, unless John
-Trevanion came here to throw me off the scent.
-You saw no small boat pulling to the ship, did you?"
-
-"No, sir."
-
-"Then I think the Squire is wrong. Now,
-seemingly, Mr. Mildmay has not seen my signal,
-but he must be somewhere off the coast. As soon
-as 'tis dark I will show a light with my telescope
-lantern; that will fetch him; and if you are ready
-to join hands with us, I will bring him to the
-Towers and we'll hold a council of war. Will the
-Squire agree to it?"
-
-"I don't know. I'll ask him, and if you'll meet
-me at six o'clock on the bridge yonder, I will tell
-you what he says."
-
-When the Squire returned from his visit to the
-Parsonage, Dick opened his mind to him. At first
-Mr. Trevanion shrank from definitely committing
-himself to the cause of the revenue officers, but when
-Dick pointed out that his position could scarcely be
-worse than it was, and that the Trevanion influence
-might still have some weight with the better-disposed
-among the village folk, he consented to the
-riding-officer's proposal.
-
-"The vicar is coming over this evening," he
-said. "We shall at any rate have all the wisdom of
-the parish."
-
-At half-past six there met in the Squire's room,
-Mr. Mildmay, the riding-officer, Mr. Carlyon, and
-Dick. They drew their chairs to the fire; the elder
-men lit their churchwarden pipes, and, with glasses
-of steaming toddy at their elbows, proceeded to
-discuss the situation.
-
-"I have a note from Sir Bevil," said the Squire.
-"He is sending to Truro for assistance. What shape
-that may take I don't know."
-
-"The shape of a constable or two, probably," said
-Mr. Polwhele, "and if they are no better than
-Petherick, they won't help us much."
-
-"Petherick shall cry the village to-morrow," said
-the Vicar. "Being a justice as well as parson, I have
-written out a proclamation, summoning all good and
-true men to give information that will lead to the
-discovery of Penwarden, dead or alive."
-
-"I don't believe they'd murder him," said
-Mr. Mildmay, "or they wouldn't take the trouble to
-spirit him away. A crack on the head would be a
-much simpler matter."
-
-"What do you suppose is their object in
-kidnapping him?" asked the Vicar.
-
-"Either to hold him while they run a specially
-valuable cargo, or to ship him to France and keep
-him permanently out of their way. A fool's trick;
-for he's bound to be replaced, though we'd find it
-hard to get a better man, old as he is."
-
-"And foolish in another way," added the
-riding-officer. "They ought to know that a deed of that
-kind will only stir up the rest of us. I wouldn't
-give much for their chances of running a cargo yet
-awhile."
-
-"Nor for shipping him," said Mr. Mildmay. "I'll
-swear they haven't done it yet. My boats were up
-and down the coast all last night. One of them spied
-that rascally privateer putting in towards St. Cuby's
-Cove in the mist this morning, but she sailed away,
-and though I gave chase, she got off. To-night
-we'll have the boats patrolling for miles; I defy 'em
-to slip through us."
-
-"When did they seize him, d'you suppose?"
-asked the Squire.
-
-"In the early morning, I think, Father," said Dick,
-"before it was light. The blood stain was quite
-fresh. They must have hidden him somewhere;
-they wouldn't carry him away in the daylight, in case
-some one saw them."
-
-"That wouldn't trouble them, bless you," said
-Mr. Mildmay. "All Polkerran and most of the
-folk around are hand-in-glove with them. They
-could count on the silence of everybody but a few
-ranters and psalm-singers, who would either be abed
-and asleep, or going about their business."
-
-"I don't agree with you, Mildmay," said the
-Squire. "They would have to pass this house on
-the way to the village, and they know very well
-that Dick and young Sam are early birds; they
-wouldn't risk meeting them. No; 'twas done in
-the dark, depend on it."
-
-"That might be if they took him to the village,
-but we don't know that," retorted Mr. Mildmay.
-"No doubt there are any number of underground
-cellars and secret passages in the village: 'twas in
-some such place that fellow Delarousse was hidden
-while the dragoons were searching the inn, you may
-be sure. But those are not the only possible
-hiding-places. What with nooks, caves, and adits
-in the abandoned mines, we might search for a
-month of Sundays and not find the poor fellow."
-
-"But they won't hold him long, surely," said Dick.
-"What a trouble it would be to guard him and feed
-him!"
-
-"True; they would expect to be able to ship him
-soon. If they are planning a run, and find we're
-too watchful for them, I'll be bound they'll let him
-loose before long, and we'll find him one fine
-morning back again."
-
-"Dick speaks of guarding and feeding," said
-Mr. Carlyon. "May not that give us a clue? It
-seems probable, as Mr. Mildmay suggests, that he is
-not in the village. If he is elsewhere, somebody
-must leave the village to carry food to him, and a
-vigilant watch would detect the fellow."
-
-"Bless my life, parson," said Mr. Polwhele, "you
-don't know these rascals. They're as wary as otters
-and as slippery as eels. I'll warrant they'd slip us
-in broad daylight, and as to the darkness of night,
-why, a regiment of soldiers wouldn't be large
-enough to net 'em."
-
-"Well, to be practical," said the Squire. "You,
-Vicar, as a justice, can give Mr. Polwhele a warrant
-of search. You may unearth him in the village, and
-I should begin with the inn; Doubledick's name
-suits him. With the coast closely watched by
-Mr. Mildmay's men, the kidnappers cannot ship
-him. Sir Bevil will raise the hue and cry in the
-neighbourhood inland, and 'tis such a serious matter
-that I doubt whether any of the yeomen would
-connive at it. The name of *habeas corpus* would
-scare them out of their wits. I'm inclined to think
-with Mr. Mildmay that the rascals will let him loose
-in a day or two when they see what a stir they have
-made; but of course we must not rely on that, but
-do our best to ferret him out."
-
-"Very well summed up, Squire," said the Vicar.
-"We cannot do more to-night; and, as 'tis not late,
-perhaps you and these gentlemen would favour me
-with a rubber. Polwhele trumped my trick last
-time," he added, under his breath.
-
-"With all my heart," cried the Squire. "Dick,
-bring the cards, and ask Reuben to fry some pilchards.
-All work and no play, Mr. Mildmay, you know——"
-
-The gentlemen were nothing loth to spend an
-hour or two in this way. They had supper at eight;
-the officers then left to attend to their nocturnal
-duties; and as Mr. Carlyon remained to play piquet
-with the Squire, Dick went to bed early, resolving
-to take some independent steps in the morning.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
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-.. _`Cross-Currents`:
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-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Cross-Currents
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Polkerran next day was the stage upon which a
-series of dramatic incidents were enacted, pure
-comedy to the spectators, but with a possible tragedy
-behind the scenes.
-
-At an early hour a mob of boys and girls, with a
-sprinkling of aged folk verging on second childhood,
-followed at the heels of Petherick, the constable, as
-he shambled through the streets, stopping at the
-corners to ring his bell, shout "Oyez! Oyez!"
-and mumble the formal words of Mr. Carlyon's
-proclamation. He pretended to read them from the
-sheet of double foolscap that he held at arm's length
-before him, but being perfectly illiterate, he in reality
-recited them by heart, the Vicar having devoted two
-solid hours since dawn in drumming them into the
-man's head. His duty thus religiously performed,
-Petherick repaired to the tap-room of the Five
-Pilchards, where he discoursed for a time on *habeas
-corpus, felo de se*, and other magical prescriptions,
-relieving his dryness so frequently with rum-hot
-that he was at length overcome with emotion, and
-mingled his liquor with his tears.
-
-Two hours later, Sir Bevil Portharvan rode down
-with Mr. John Trevanion, a brother magistrate, and
-a sheriff's officer from Truro, intending to harangue
-the populace and impress them with the majesty and
-terror of the law. But finding that no audience
-gathered about him except the young and old
-children aforesaid, a few pallid indoor workmen, and
-a number of women accompanied by squalling infants
-in arms—the able-bodied men being, curiously
-enough, otherwise engaged—he abandoned that
-part of the programme, and contented himself with
-solemnly superintending the affixing to the inn-door
-of a bill, headed with the royal arms, which he
-had ordered overnight to be printed in Truro.
-
-At noon came Mr. Mildmay, Mr. Polwhele, a
-posse of excisemen, and a soldier on furlough, who,
-with the authority of a warrant signed by the Vicar,
-proceeded to make a thorough search of the houses,
-beginning with the inn itself. They descended to
-the cellars, ascended to the lofts; rummaged in
-clothes presses; turned down beds; rapped at walls
-for hollow sounds indicating secret passages or
-receptacles; peeped into horse-troughs, cow-byres,
-and pigsties; poked in coppers and washtubs; in
-short, worked themselves into a fine perspiring heat
-and the village folk into an itching frenzy by the
-conscientious thoroughness of their inquisition.
-Some of the men who had been undiscoverable by
-Sir Bevil were now energetically employed, in
-advance of the search party, in removing bales, kegs,
-packets, and canisters, so that when Mr. Mildmay
-appeared at one end of a street, these interesting
-objects were collected at the other; and when this
-end in turn was visited, the barefooted carriers of
-the articles in question slipped back and replaced
-them in their former hiding-places.
-
-While Mr. Mildmay and his assistants, after three
-hours' unremitting toil, stood mopping their brows
-and venting their honest opinion of the Polkerran
-folk, John Trevanion rode down the hill. He
-reined up when he reached the group, and greeted
-the discomfited representatives of the law.
-
-"How d'ye do, gentlemen?" he cried. "Have
-you had any success?"
-
-"Confusion seize 'em, Mr. Trevanion!" replied
-the lieutenant. "We've not seen a sign of the old
-man, nor discovered a single cask or bundle of
-contraband. You'd think 'twas the most innocent,
-duty-paying village in the three kingdoms."
-
-"That's most unfortunate. As to the contraband—well,
-you know, we all like to get our goods as
-cheap as we may, I don't disguise it; but old
-Penwarden is another story. Have you no notion
-where he is?"
-
-"No more than you, Mr. Trevanion," said
-the riding-officer, throwing a keen glance on the
-horseman.
-
-"Then you must be blank indeed," said Trevanion
-with an easy laugh. "'Tis my belief there's a great
-deal too much fuss made about old Joe's disappearance.
-Surely nobody in Polkerran would wish to
-injure so ancient an institution. 'Tis a prank,
-depend upon it, and when the prankers have achieved
-their object—you and I can guess what that
-is—they'll let him loose as sound as a bell."
-
-Trevanion's debonair frankness disarmed Mr. Mildmay,
-to whom he was a comparative stranger.
-It seemed ridiculous that the Squire should harbour
-such unworthy suspicions of his cousin.
-
-"By the way," continued Trevanion, "I am glad
-I met you. I am having a few friends in on
-Saturday night—a bit of a randy; that's our name for it
-here—and I shall be delighted if you will join us.
-I haven't seen so much of you as I should like;
-this mine I'm starting has kept me busy."
-
-"I'm much obliged to you," said Mr. Mildmay,
-"but I fear——"
-
-"Oh, I know what you would say. But your
-cutter can spare you for an hour or two. Not for
-the world would I hinder your duties; to catch that
-villain Delarousse in particular would be worth a
-good deal to you; but 'tis dark early; the hour
-fixed is six; and I won't say a word if you must
-leave us before we are ripe."
-
-"Well, I will come. Thank you."
-
-"And you too, Mr. Polwhele? The service of
-your country can spare you for a little while?"
-
-"To be sure. I'll come too, Mr. Trevanion;
-'twill be like old times, indeed."
-
-The riding-officer's assent was much more hearty
-than Mr. Mildmay's, which was perhaps a little
-surprising in view of the suspicions he had confessed
-to on the previous day in speaking to Dick.
-
-"That's right," said Trevanion. "I shall be
-glad to welcome you. The hour is six—did I name
-it? I hope Penwarden will be found by that time;
-you'll feel easier, I dare say. Good-bye, then."
-
-When he had ridden away, Mr. Mildmay dismissed
-the underlings and went off to have a meal
-with the riding-officer.
-
-"That fellow's too free-and-easy to be the villain
-the Squire thinks him," said Mr. Mildmay, as they
-walked southward out of the village.
-
-Mr. Polwhele smiled.
-
-"I'm beginning to think he's the cleverest
-free-trader the duchy ever bred," he remarked.
-
-"My dear fellow!" expostulated the lieutenant.
-
-"I had my suspicions; this invitation has
-convinced me," replied Mr. Polwhele. "Bless my life,
-to think you are so simple, Mildmay! Don't you
-see the game? They've put Penwarden out of the
-way. What does that mean? A big run, as sure
-as I'm alive. But we two are obstacles; they blink
-at kidnapping us, but they do better. They invite
-us to a randy, and while we are making merry they
-slip inshore, run their cargo, liberate Penwarden, and
-laugh at us for a pair of jackasses."
-
-"That's nonsense, Polwhele. The cutter will be
-out, though I'm not on it. Besides, didn't he say
-we can leave when we like?"
-
-"Yes, with the belief that when he has us there,
-warmth, good liquor, and pleasant company will
-prove more attractive than hunting rascals in the
-cold."
-
-"Why did you accept, then?"
-
-"First, to look after you, Mildmay. Second, to
-keep my eyes open. Third, to make Trevanion
-think I don't suspect him, so that the smugglers
-may go forward with their plans. He is playing a
-deep game, I'm sure of it."
-
-"That's detestably unjust, Polwhele," said Mr.
-Mildmay, with some heat. "Give a dog a bad
-name, and——I tell you what. We will both leave
-at nine; not a minute later. That's several hours
-before any run took place that ever I heard of.
-Nine it shall be, and call me jackass if the shore's
-not as quiet all night as the churchyard."
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Meanwhile, what had Dick been doing?
-
-At the hour when Mr. Carlyon was driving the
-terms of his proclamation into Petherick's reluctant
-skull, Dick rose from bed, and taking the key of
-Penwarden's cottage, brought to the Towers by
-Gammer Oliver, went up the cliff to make a more
-thorough examination of the premises than he had
-made on the previous day. He wished that he had
-thought of doing so before, for there had not only
-been rain in the night which would help to obliterate
-any traces that the kidnappers might have left on the
-ground, but the neighbourhood had been visited
-by inquisitive boys, dairymaids, farm-hands, and
-idle folk from the village, who tramped round the
-cottage, gazed at the door, and peered in at the
-windows, leaving innumerable footprints on the soil.
-
-Dick was puzzled to think how Joe's captors
-had obtained entrance to the cottage. It was not
-by the front door, unless Penwarden had carelessly
-left it open; its timbers were sound and the lock
-unbroken; not by the chimney, which was too
-narrow to admit anything larger than a pigeon.
-They might have gone through the garden and
-forced the back door; though they would surely
-have tried to effect an entrance quietly, while the
-old man lay asleep.
-
-Arriving at the cottage, Dick unlocked the door,
-entered, and went through the passage to the back
-door, which opened on a tiny garden. The lock had
-not been tampered with. Penwarden was very
-proud of his garden, devoting many hours a day in
-the summer, when his duties were light, to the
-cultivation of peonies, fuchsias, nasturtiums, and
-other flowering plants, together with onions,
-artichokes, and vegetable marrows. The flowers were
-on one side of a narrow path, the vegetables on the
-other. There was a small gate in the rear fence.
-At this time of year the ground was bare, Penwarden
-finding nothing to do but a little rake and spade
-work.
-
-A glance at the path apprised Dick that the captive
-had been carried out this way. The pebbles were
-disturbed; parts of the boxwood borders were
-trampled down, and over the edge there were prints
-of heavy boots on the brown earth. Dick examined
-the kitchen window. The explanation was at once
-clear to him. There were deep scratches on the sill
-and the woodwork; the conclusion was irresistible;
-the kidnappers had climbed into the kitchen and
-gained the bedroom before Penwarden was aware of
-their presence. That they had carried their victim
-out by the back door seemed to show that at any
-rate they had taken him inland, and not down to the
-shore. How the front door came to be unlocked
-was a puzzling circumstance, since they had clearly
-neither entered nor come out that way.
-
-Dick went again to the back, and sought to trace
-the footsteps beyond the gate; but the grass there
-was so beaten down by the rain and the feet of the
-curious idlers, that the most careful investigation
-must prove fruitless. He returned into the cottage,
-to make a thorough search of the bedroom. Gammer
-Oliver had made the bed, straightened the rug, set
-the chair on its legs, and washed over the stained
-plank. It seemed probable that his instruction to
-her to tidy up had robbed him of any chance of
-making a discovery. But Dick resolved not to err
-again through over-haste, and, the small window
-admitting little light, he found a candle, lit it, and
-began to prowl methodically round the room. For
-some time his search met with no reward, but all at
-once, catching a glint of light reflected from some
-object on the floor in the angle between a
-grandfather's clock and the fireplace, he stooped, and
-picked up a large steel button, to which hung by the
-broken threads a torn scrap of blue cloth.
-
-Dick felt a thrill of excitement. Penwarden had
-not been carried away unresisting. He knew that
-already by the signs of struggle formerly observed.
-The severed button was an additional proof. No
-doubt it had been wrenched off in the fight—from
-whose coat? Not from Joe's; his buttons were the
-regulation brass buttons of the Government service.
-Many of the fishers had steel buttons on their winter
-coats, and one button was like another. But it
-occurred to Dick that the particular garment which
-had lost this button might not yet have been repaired,
-and he wondered whether the Vicar's search-warrant
-would justify Mr. Mildmay in demanding that all
-the blue coats in the village should be spread out on
-the beach for examination. The absurdity of the
-idea struck him at once. Of course the very
-garment that was wanted would not appear. But he
-thought of a better way—one that would arouse no
-suspicion, though it might prove impossible of
-execution. He would go down into the village and
-scrutinise the clothes of all the men he met. The
-owner of the lost button was probably one of the
-most active of the smugglers, and not an indoor
-man, so that there was some chance of meeting him
-in the street, on the beach, or on the jetty.
-
-He set off at once. On the way he met Sir Bevil
-and other horsemen riding from the Dower House,
-where John Trevanion had entertained them after
-the futile ceremony in the village. The fishers,
-who were not to be seen when Sir Bevil was burning
-to address them, now stood smoking at the corners,
-in front of the inn, on the jetty, and elsewhere.
-They appeared to be very much amused. Some of
-them scowled at Dick as he passed; others laughed
-and spat; one asked him with an oath what he
-was staring at. Dick was seldom in the village
-now, and the hostility of the folk's attitude might
-have made his heart sore had he not been hardened
-to it.
-
-He walked along as unconcernedly as he could,
-standing for a few moments to watch some fishers
-mending nets on the beach, and lingering until their
-movements brought the front of their coats into
-view. Some coats were brown, some blue; some
-had steel buttons, others bone. Not one was lacking.
-Presently he came to the jetty, where Isaac Tonkin,
-sitting on an upturned tub, was superintending some
-repairs to the seine-net in his lugger. He wore a
-blue coat, but his arms were folded, one hand
-holding his pipe to his mouth. He threw one
-glance at Dick, but made no movement, and
-thenceforth ignored him.
-
-Dick strolled up and down. Excitement utterly
-possessed him; to his fancy Tonkin was deliberately
-concealing two out of his four buttons. The two
-visible were of steel. What could he do to make
-the man unclasp? But it was not necessary to
-practise any wile. The simplest causes effected
-what he desired.
-
-"Feyther," called Jake Tonkin from the lugger,
-"fling us a quid o' yer bacca."
-
-"'Tis bad for young stummicks," said the father.
-"Howsomever, here 'ee be."
-
-His right arm fell as he sought his pocket: the
-front of his coat was revealed; one button was
-missing.
-
-It is probable that Dick, but for his long waiting
-and his excitement, would not have yielded to
-impulse. But as Tonkin threw the tobacco into the
-lugger, Dick stepped up to him, and, holding out
-the incriminating button, said:
-
-"This is yours, I believe."
-
-Tonkin stared at him for an instant, blew a cloud
-from his lips, and held out his hand for the button
-as if to examine it. In anticipatory triumph Dick
-handed it to him.
-
-"Did I hear 'ee say as this button do belong to
-me?" asked the man in a curiously quiet voice.
-
-"Yes, I did say so."
-
-"Well, drown me if I want it," and with a flick
-between his forefinger and thumb he sent it skimming
-through the air. It fell into the sea a dozen
-yards away.
-
-Dick's cheeks flamed with rage at his stupidity in
-allowing himself to be outwitted. He had had
-in his possession the sole piece of evidence against
-the kidnappers, and now it was lost on the sandy
-bottom of the harbour. Shaken out of his
-self-control, he said hotly:
-
-"'Twas you that kidnapped Penwarden. Don't
-think you will escape. There'll be an end to this
-villainy."
-
-"Go and inform, then, you cussed young slip of
-a rotted old tree. 'Tis not the first time, neither,
-you dirty young whelp."
-
-A burst of laughter from the lugger brought Dick
-to his sober senses. Disdaining to contradict the
-aspersion, he turned abruptly on his heel, tingling
-with fury at his own indiscretion. Jibes and jeers
-pursued him as he walked towards the homeward
-road; these stung him less than the knowledge that
-by his own folly he had thrown away a chance of
-helping Penwarden.
-
-Gloomy thoughts kept him company as he toiled
-up the hill. Nor was he cheered by the air of
-malignant triumph manifest on Doubledick's fat
-face, when, half-way up the hill, he met the
-inn-keeper waddling down. In imagination he heard
-the gleeful chuckles with which Doubledick would
-learn of his discomfiture. After the heroic resolution
-he had lately come to, it was a sorry thing to have
-been worsted in the first encounter.
-
-Walking more rapidly on the level road past the
-Dower House, at a cursory glance to the left he
-saw a short, thickset form scramble over the fence
-that bounded the premises, and hasten furtively in
-the direction of the Towers. The sight struck him
-with surprise and wrath at once, for the slinking
-figure was undoubtedly that of Sam Pollex. Being
-himself partially concealed by the hedge, he thought
-it probable that Sam had not seen him, so, hurrying
-along, he turned as soon as possible into the grounds
-of the Towers, and came face to face with Sam as the
-boy arrived at a little wicket-gate.
-
-"What do you mean by it?" he demanded
-angrily, holding the gate so that Sam could not pass
-through.
-
-Sam blushed and dropped his eyes, looking
-flustered and perturbed.
-
-"Were you not bidden never to go there again?"
-Dick continued. "Didn't I say I'd break your
-head for you if you disobeyed?"
-
-"Iss, you did so," said Sam ruefully. "Ah, well,
-you'm better do it and get it over."
-
-"What were you doing there?" said Dick, still
-holding the gate.
-
-Sam looked sidelong, shuffled his feet, then, as
-with a great effort, replied:
-
-"I didn' go to sell eggs, nor nawthin' o' that sort.
-If you must haul it out of a poor feller, I rambled
-there to——"
-
-"Well?"
-
-"To see maidy Susan; now I've said it."
-
-"Then you're a silly ass. She's years older than
-you. What does a maid of twenty want with a boy
-of sixteen?"
-
-"Twenty she is, and sixteen be I, but I've a deal
-more wisdom in my noddle than she, arter all. She's
-a simple soul about pilchurs, and night-lines, and
-buildin' boats, and all sorts o' famous things I've
-knowed since I wer table-high, and she do have a
-tarrible thirst for high knowledge. She've a clever
-little head-piece, too, for when I wer tellin' to she how
-pretty 'tis to see a otter divin' for fish, who should
-come up-along but Doubledick——"
-
-"Did he see you?" interrupted Dick.
-
-"I wer just agoin' to tell 'ee. No, 'a didn't see
-me, 'cos I slipped behind Maidy, she being well
-growed, and says I, 'That feller is my 'nation enemy,'
-says I, and afore I knowed wheer I wer, she whisked
-me into a little small cupboard place wi' coats and
-boots hangin' on the wall, and commanded me, in a
-feelin' whisper, to bide theer till she toled me out.
-Drown me if I didn' hear Doubledick go shailin'
-past wi' Maister John, and then there comed a
-rumblin' through the wall, and I knowed they two
-was a-talkin'."
-
-"Did you hear what they said?" asked Dick eagerly.
-
-"Iss, I did. I hadn' nawthin' better to do, so I
-put my ear to the wall. Iss, I heerd a thing or two."
-
-"Well, what did you hear? Anything about
-Penwarden?"
-
-Sam had gradually pushed open the gate, and was
-now walking beside Dick.
-
-"Not a word. I wer so flambustered in bein'
-poked in that hencoop of a place, and thinkin' what
-they'd do to me if so be they catched me, that 'twas
-all mixed up, and I couldn' tell A from B."
-
-"But think: you must have heard something
-clearly. You didn't lose all your wits, did you?"
-
-"Well, I did hear Maister John say wind was
-steady, and 'a hoped 't 'ud hold fair for business."
-
-"Yes: what then?"
-
-"Don't 'ee bustle me; then maybe I'll mind o'
-more. Iss, I mind Doubledick said, 'Hee! hee!'
-says he; 'if it do hold for another forty-eight hours,'
-says he;—and be-jowned if I could hear any more
-o' that piece of reckonin', my poor heart was
-a-strummin' so."
-
-"Confound your poor heart!" cried Dick. "Do
-pull yourself together. It may mean salvation to Joe."
-
-Sam scratched his head.
-
-"If you'd only been theer instead o' me!" he
-muttered. "Ah! 'Twas carriers. Iss: Maister
-John axed if 'twas settled about carriers. 'A round
-score,' says Doubledick, if 't wasn't two; 'good
-fellers all; no wamblin', slack-twisted cripple-toes
-for this job,' says he."
-
-"What job?"
-
-"That I can't say. But Zacky Tonkin was in it;
-iss; gie me a minute for rec'lection; iss. Doubledick
-says, 'Zacky be sour as a green apple.' 'Ha! ha!'
-laughs Maister John, ''a don't like playin'
-second fiddle,' says he, which is a passel o' nonsense,
-'cos Zacky never played on fiddle, fust, second, nor
-last either, all his born days, that I do know. ''Tis
-for 'ee to keep un quiet!' says Maister John.
-'He hev his uses, but hain't got a mossel of brains.
-You've got enough for two, Doubledick,' says he."
-
-Dick was becoming impatient. The conversation
-as reported was not very enlightening, and surely
-Doubledick had not visited the Dower House to
-discuss such trivialities. But Dick had learnt his
-lesson; he would not err again by being over-hasty;
-so he schooled himself to endure the slow trickle
-of information as it oozed from Sam's reluctant
-memory.
-
-"Didn't they name Penwarden at all?" he asked.
-
-"Never heerd un. The only other names I
-heerd wer Tom Pennycomequick and Jimmy
-Nancarrow."
-
-"Ah! what about them?"
-
-Sam reflected.
-
-"Tom Pennycomequick and Jimmy Nancarrow,"
-he repeated, as if the repetition would recall the
-connection. "Iss; I mind o't. Says Maister John,
-'Who be on guard to-day?'"
-
-"'On guard!' Not 'on the watch'?"
-
-"That's what 'a meant, seemingly, but 'a said 'on
-guard.' 'Tom Pennycomequick and Jimmy
-Nancarrow,' says Doubledick. There was summat
-about 'bogeys,' if I could only mind. Iss, fay; I've
-got un. 'Two,' says Maister John, 'what for?'
-'Hee! hee!' goes Doubledick; ''cos they was
-afeard to go alone,' says he. 'Afeard o' their own
-bogeys,' says Maister John, and then they both
-laughed so hearty that daze me if I didn't bust out
-too, and had to clap the tail of a coat in my jaws so
-they shouldn' hear. 'T'ud ha' been gashly if
-they found me, and drawed out o' me how maidy
-Susan had put me theer, and—well, you bean't
-a-hearkenin', so I'll say no more."
-
-In truth, Dick's ears were closed; his mind was
-rapidly piecing together the fragmentary items of
-information Sam had given him. They had now
-reached the Towers; Dick went straight to his
-bedroom, and sat with his elbow on the window-sill,
-looking out over the grey sullen sea, and striving to
-bind together these separate strands. The outcome
-of his meditation was as follows:
-
-Something important was to happen within forty-eight
-hours, and it depended on the weather. It
-was now midday on Friday; what was to be done
-would be done before midday on Sunday. There
-had been mention of carriers—that implied a
-smuggling run. Penwarden's name had not been
-mentioned, but two men had been said to be on
-guard. Over whom or what? Not over smuggled
-goods, for the run had not yet taken place. Not
-over the revenue officers, for the phrase would then
-have been "on the watch" or something similar.
-The word "guard" would naturally be used in
-connection with a prisoner; that prisoner must be
-Penwarden: where was he? The men on guard
-were afraid; no doubt the place chosen for his
-imprisonment was a lonely spot, not in the village,
-but somewhere remote from the scene of the
-impending operations, unless, indeed, it was intended
-to ship him to France in the lugger that brought the
-cargo. In that case he would probably be in some
-secure nook near the shore.
-
-Perplexed, Dick wondered whether he had at last
-discovered a clue. It was at least worth while to
-follow it up. The men whose names had been
-mentioned were well known to him. Pennycomequick
-was a cobbler, Nancarrow a farmer, whose
-holding was situated about three miles away on the
-moor. To make direct inquiries might awaken
-suspicion: how could he discover where they
-were? An idea struck him. No doubt their guard
-would be relieved. Trevanion had been surprised
-to learn that two were on duty; the task, then, was
-usually undertaken by one. Was it possible to find
-out if any one left the village secretly during the
-day?
-
-Suddenly a simple stratagem occurred to him.
-He took up an old, worn pair of boots, ran
-downstairs, and called Sam.
-
-"Take these down to Pennycomequick's, and
-tell him to sole them, and to put a good iron tip on
-the heels. If he is not there, ask when he will be
-back. Be sure not to forget that, and be as quick as
-you can."
-
-"Iss, I woll," said Sam, "for I do have a
-hankerin' arter dinner."
-
-He hurried away, and returned when Dick was
-half through his midday meal. Dick heard the boy
-clumping into the house, but did not go to him at
-once, being disinclined to enter into explanations
-with his parents at this stage. He left the table as
-soon as he could, and found Sam busy with
-dumpling and gravy in the kitchen.
-
-"Well, Sam?" he said.
-
-"Mistress commands me not to speak wi' my
-mouth full," mumbled the boy. "Now I can tell
-'ee," he went on after a few moments. "Pennycomequick
-bean't to home. He be gone to Trura
-to buy leather."
-
-"When will he be back?"
-
-"'Them above alone knows,' says the woman
-when I axed her. 'He said four, but what
-Pennycomequick says, and what he do, be as far
-apart as from here to nowhere.' If that be all you
-want to know, Maister Dick, I'll continny work on
-this noble pudden."
-
-Dick was satisfied. He returned to his room,
-and, about three o'clock, mounted to the roof of one
-of the towers from which the house took its name.
-With him he carried an excellent spy-glass which
-remained to the Squire from his seafaring days.
-From this lofty eyrie a view could be obtained for
-miles around. If the cobbler and the farmer were
-on guard together, it was likely that they would be
-relieved together, and they could hardly return, the
-one to the village, the other to his farm on the
-moor, without coming at some part of their journey
-within range of vision. Dick felt a momentary
-damping of the spirits when it occurred to him that
-Penwarden's place of concealment might be some
-nook below the cliffs. In that case the sentries
-would be changed by boat from the harbour, and he
-would see nothing of them. But even in that case
-the farmer must ascend the hill and cross the moor,
-and though he might be concealed at some portions
-of his road by trees and bushes, he must at length
-cross open country. Behind the parapet Dick could
-watch unseen, and he settled himself to wait in
-patience.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`Doubledick on Duty`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Doubledick on Duty
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-It was a chill, dreary afternoon. The sky weighed
-upon earth and sea like a canopy of lead. The
-wind moaned and sighed about the roof; the trees
-seemed to shiver in their nakedness. From over
-the cliff came the hollow murmur of the breakers.
-Northward Penwarden's cottage stood lonely and
-forlorn; eastward stretched the dark gloomy waste
-of moorland; southward the village huddled in its
-cleft as if for warmth, a few thin streamers of smoke
-flying inland on the wind. Nearer the Dower House
-a score of men were engaged in erecting sheds and
-machinery for Trevanion's miners, and the sound of
-their voices came in mournful cadence to Dick's ears.
-
-For some time there was scarcely a movement on
-the face of the country. Presently a carrier's cart
-rumbled down the road, stopping at the Dower
-House. Through his spy-glass Dick saw Susan's
-bright face smiling as she spoke to the carrier, who
-conveyed into the house boxes, baskets, and packets
-of various shapes and sizes. Dick remembered that
-on the morrow Trevanion was entertaining a party
-of friends to celebrate the reopening of the mines.
-He was miserably conscious of the contrast between
-his cousin's lot and his own. Why, he asked himself,
-had Fate dealt so hardly with the Trevanions of
-the Towers? The cart moved on, no doubt to the
-Five Pilchards, where the carrier would refresh
-himself before starting on his return journey to
-Truro. The workmen shouldered their tools and
-tramped after it, and when they had disappeared the
-land was left in its former immobility.
-
-At length, as the gloom was deepening with the
-dusk, Dick descried, some distance to his left, two
-figures moving slowly along, one towards him on
-the high road, the other away from him, crossing a
-ploughed field towards a footpath that led from the
-road, some distance behind, across the moor. The
-sky was so lowering that Dick could not at first,
-even through his glass, identify the men. The
-receding figure dwindled, and was by-and-by lost to
-sight; the advancing one increased, and became
-recognisable by its crookedness as that of
-Pennycomequick, the cobbler. But he bore no bundle of
-leather. He passed the Towers in the direction of
-the village, and soon he too had vanished.
-
-Dick could not doubt that the other man was the
-farmer, Jimmy Nancarrow. The path into which
-he had struck led to his farm. Where had they
-come from? Not far along the high road, otherwise
-the farmer would have left it when he reached the
-path, and have gone the easiest and shortest way
-home; unless, indeed, he had remained with the
-cobbler for company's sake. Dick smiled at this
-thought. Pennycomequick was the most crabbed
-and crossgrained man in the village; whereas
-Nancarrow was a hearty, jovial fellow, not the kind of
-man to walk an extra half-mile and tramp over a
-ploughed field for the pleasure of the cobbler's
-society. It seemed more probable that the men had
-come to the road together from some adjacent spot,
-and that the farmer had left it at once.
-
-Cold and hungry after his hour of watching,
-Dick was about to descend into the house when he
-caught sight of Tonkin's lugger beating up from
-northward against the south-west wind, and
-evidently making for the harbour. He gazed at her
-through his glass. Tonkin and three other men
-were aboard her. A large fishing-net was heaped on
-the deck. It was a strange coincidence that these
-movements on sea and land should have been
-contemporaneous. Dick went down the stairs to the
-living-room, then vacant, lay down in front of the
-fire, and ruminated on what he had seen, until the
-warmth sent him to sleep.
-
-When he awoke, his father was in the room.
-Dick considered whether he should speak about the
-clues which he believed he had discovered, and
-decided that, since nothing was as yet certain, he
-would keep silence until he had carried his investigation
-further. To search for the tracks of the two
-men, or to follow them up if found, would be
-impossible that evening; but this was to be his task
-as soon as there was clear daylight on the morrow.
-
-"Mr. Mildmay is going to the randy at the
-Dower House to-morrow, I hear," said the Squire.
-
-"Is he, sir?" replied Dick, surprised.
-
-"Yes; I heard it from Mr. Polwhele, who is
-going too."
-
-"Mr. Mildmay is almost a stranger, and 'tis
-rather a dull life for him between whiles; but
-Mr. Polwhele knew John Trevanion years ago, did he
-not, sir?"
-
-"Oh! he is going as watch-dog. He suspects
-that the invitation may be a trick to get them out of
-the way while the smugglers run a cargo, and got
-Mr. Mildmay to promise to leave promptly at nine.
-He accompanies him to see that he is not detained."
-
-"Nothing has been heard of old Joe, Father?"
-
-"Nothing at all. I incline to think that we
-shall soon see him again. With Mr. Polwhele on
-the alert, and Mr. Mildmay also, let us hope, there
-can be neither run nor shipment, and the rascals will
-tire of keeping guard on the old man."
-
-Again Dick was on the point of disclosing what
-he knew, but was restrained by the same feeling
-that suspicion must become certainty before any
-steps were taken.
-
-Next morning, waking before it was light, he
-rose and dressed, roused Sam, and set off with him
-to investigate the neighbourhood of the spot where
-he had first seen Nancarrow and Pennycomequick.
-The air was crisp and clear, with the first nip of
-frost, giving promise of a fine morning. There had
-been rain in the night, but a thin film of ice covered
-the ruts and pools, and the boys might have been
-tracked in the darkness by the slight crackling under
-their feet as the icy layer gave way.
-
-The night was yielding by the time they reached
-the high-road near the point where Nancarrow had
-left it. The farmer's tracks were easily discoverable
-in the ploughed field, for, having been filled up by
-rain, the prints of his large boots formed a series of
-white and regular patches in the frost-besprinkled
-ground. A covey of snipe rose into the air from
-the sedgy border of a pool at the side of the field, and
-Sam pointed out a fox with lowered brush slinking
-along after them beside a hedge of brambles.
-
-"We have other foxes to run to earth—two-legged
-foxes," said Dick, who had told Sam on the
-way the occasion and the object of their expedition.
-Sam had a quick eye for the tracks of birds and
-beasts, but when they had traced the farmer's
-footprints back to the road, even he was at a loss.
-The rain had washed the hard surface of the
-highway, and obliterated the tracks of footfarers.
-
-Finding their examination of the road likely to
-prove fruitless, they scrambled through the hedge on
-the left, and crossed into the rugged and uneven
-ground that lay between the road and Penwarden's
-cottage. There were no footprints on the path that
-ran past the cottage, nor on the coarse grass with
-which the earth was covered. Returning to the
-road, they walked for a quarter of a mile further,
-until they reached the footpath which, in the
-ordinary course of things, the farmer would have
-taken. They failed to light upon any more traces.
-
-"I'll work backwards along the other side under
-the hedge," said Dick. "Nancarrow must have
-crossed the road. You go back to where we saw
-his footprints, and I'll keep pace with you. No;
-we'll change parts; I can easily find the prints;
-your eyes are quicker than mine to discover new
-ones."
-
-"That's true," said Sam, gratified by this testimony
-to his powers. "Wend along, then, Maister
-Dick, and holla when you come to 'em."
-
-In a few minutes Dick called to Sam to halt.
-The latter bent towards the road, and scrutinised its
-hard surface minutely, for several yards in each
-direction beyond the point opposite to that where
-Dick stood.
-
-"Neither heel nor toe mark do I see," he said at
-length. "The road be washed clean."
-
-He stood erect and gazed about him in a puzzled
-way. All at once his eyes became fixed on one
-portion of the hedge. Stepping towards it, he stooped
-and peered among the stiff rime-encrusted leaves.
-
-"Hoy!" he called.
-
-"Hush!" said Dick, hastening towards him.
-"Speak low; there may be some one about. What
-have you found?"
-
-"Look' ee see," replied Sam in a mysterious
-whisper.
-
-Dick stooped; there was a patch of foliage less
-thick than the hedge around it; some of the leaves
-had apparently been shaken off, and here and there
-twigs were broken.
-
-"Some man, fox, or other creeping thing hev
-squeezed hisself through theer," said Sam. "We'll
-do the same."
-
-He thrust his body against the hedge, which
-yielded to his pressure, and without much effort he
-passed through to the other side.
-
-"Dear life!" he whispered, "here be the line o'
-fortune. Come through, Maister."
-
-Dick followed him. The softer earth on the
-seaward side of the hedge, more receptive than the
-highway, showed distinct traces of the passage of
-clumping boots. Some were recent; some appeared
-to be of slightly older date. Looking along the
-ground towards the sea, they saw that the grass was
-crushed over a width of two or three feet, though
-many more goings and comings were needed to
-make it a beaten path.
-
-This was a discovery indeed.
-
-"We will follow it up," said Dick.
-
-They set off side by side. Dick was surprised to
-find how frequently, and to all appearance erratically,
-the track wound to right and left. But after a few
-moments it became clear that the deviations were
-not accidental, but purposeful. The general surface
-of the ground was very uneven, here a bump, there
-a hollow; now a patch of gorse, then a stretch bare
-of all but grass. Of these features advantage had
-been taken by those whose passing had made the
-track. They had chosen, not the easiest route, but
-that on which they would be least visible from the
-direction of the village. Dick noticed that nowhere
-along the path were the towers of his home in sight,
-although a few yards to right or left they were
-completely in view. This explained how it was that
-Pennycomequick and Nancarrow, if they had come
-this way from the cliff to the road, had escaped his
-observation from the parapet.
-
-They had followed the track for perhaps half a
-mile when the ivy-clad ruins of the chapel above
-St. Cuby's Well came into view. Instantly recollections,
-suspicions, deductions linked themselves in Dick's
-mind. Penwarden had mentioned a hiding-place
-which the smugglers were believed to have on the
-shore, but which was seldom used, and had never
-been discovered. The old mine, with its abandoned
-workings, would form an ideal temporary store for
-contraband goods. But how was access to it
-obtained from the sea? Not by the entrance to the
-seal cave, for this was unsuitable in itself for a
-storehouse, and the work of hoisting the tubs up the
-wall and over the ledge would be very laborious.
-Dick remembered the transverse gallery which he
-had passed on his way through the adit to the well;
-probably the hiding-place would be found at the
-shoreward end of that, though it was strange that
-the pertinacity of the revenue officers had never
-discovered it. Another surprising circumstance was
-the choice of the well as the channel for the
-conveyance of goods between the shore and the country.
-The horror and dread in which it was held by the
-villagers had seemed genuine; yet, if his reasoning
-was correct, the fear of ghosts had not been so potent
-as to prevent the smugglers from entering it.
-Possibly there was another shaft connecting the
-hiding-place with the upper ground; but remembering
-the strutted adit he had traversed, Dick felt
-sure that the goods were brought to the surface by
-way of the well. The explanation of this puzzling
-fact did not occur to him till later.
-
-As they approached the well the boys proceeded
-with great caution.
-
-"I believe they have got Penwarden down there,"
-said Dick. "Somebody is guarding him; somebody
-may be watching in the chapel. If we are seen it
-will be awkward for us, and perhaps still more for
-old Joe."
-
-"Daze it all, we could run to the Towers and tell
-of all their wicked doings. But do 'ee think they
-bean't afeard o' the ghosteses?"
-
-"They don't appear to be."
-
-"Dash my simple soul, I see their manin', I do
-b'lieve. 'Afeard o' their own bogeys,' says Maister
-John. They do be the ghosteses their own selves.
-To think o' their deceivin' ways, tarrifyin' poor
-simple folks like you and me wi' their feignin'!"
-
-They spoke in whispers, peering ahead, listening
-for sounds. But there was nothing to alarm eyes or
-ears, and they came at length beneath the shade of
-the masonry, and stood on the brink of the well.
-Here there were clear traces of recent movements—traces
-which might have escaped them had they come
-unsuspectingly, but which were evident to their
-prepared perception. The herbage was slightly
-trodden; the topmost staple was not so thickly
-cased with rust as it had been at their last visit; and
-the mossy coating of the stonework at the edge was
-darkened at two places, about two feet apart, where
-the hands of men ascending would have rested for
-support.
-
-"We must go down and explore the adits," said Dick.
-
-"But we couldn't see a hand's length ahead of
-us," replied Sam, fumbling in his pocket. "No;
-there's no candle; have you got one?"
-
-"No. 'Tis a pity. We had better go back for
-breakfast and come again by-and-by. Just take a
-look round and see that nobody is about."
-
-Sam left the slight hollow in which the ruins were
-situated, and mounted to a spot whence the ground
-sloping up to Penwarden's cottage, and the whole
-expanse southward to the Towers, could be scanned.
-No one was in sight, but the boys considered it
-prudent to return by the road, as they had come,
-and made the best of their way back. The hour
-was still early; there were neither vehicles nor
-pedestrians visible; and they arrived at the Towers
-considerably excited by their discovery, and with a
-healthy appetite for breakfast.
-
-While they were still engaged in that meal, John
-Trevanion issued from the front door of the Dower
-House. He wore an old shooting-coat and leggings,
-and carried a fowling-piece slung over his shoulder.
-Leaving his own grounds, he skirted those of the
-Towers, gained the road, walked along it for some
-distance, then struck into the path leading past
-Penwarden's cottage in the direction of St. Cuby's
-Well. He sauntered easily along, and although he
-had apparently come out to shoot, he was not
-accompanied by a dog, nor did he proceed with
-that intent watchfulness which a sportsman usually
-displays.
-
-When he arrived on the crest of rising ground
-beyond which lay the well at the distance of a
-quarter-mile, he paused, and looked round in all directions,
-as a man might look who is either seeking game or
-admiring a landscape. Then he resumed his walk,
-but at a much brisker pace than before. On coming
-within a hundred yards of the ruins, he began with
-apparent carelessness to whistle a tune. In a few
-moments the mass of ivy hanging before a doorway
-parted, and a man appeared. Trevanion threw a
-swift glance behind him, then advanced, joined the
-man who was awaiting him, and vanished with him
-behind the ivy.
-
-"All well, Doubledick?" he asked.
-
-"Iss, well enough, though I shall say 'praise be'
-with a feelin' heart when 'tis all over."
-
-"*You*'re not afraid of bogeys, Doubledick?"
-
-"Not I. But 'tis lonesome, and never a soul to
-change a word with."
-
-"Jake Tonkin did not stay with you, then?"
-
-"No. 'A would hev if so be I'd axed un; but
-when his feyther landed me I seed they two chuckleheads
-afeard o' their own bogeys—hee! hee! 'tis
-your sayin', Maister John. I wouldn't lose my
-fame wi' the likes o' they, so when Jake axed should
-he bide, I answered un bold as brass, I assure 'ee.
-Not that I wouldn' ha' been glad o' company, for
-'tis a 'nation long time from four o'clock yesterday
-till midnight to-day."
-
-"It is, but 'twas right not to change guard too
-often. The less coming and going the better,
-even by sea. Pennycomequick and Nancarrow
-returned on the lugger, of course?"
-
-"Well, no. The sea was choppy, and the wind
-stiff agen 'em, so they come this way to save time
-and squeamishness."
-
-"Chuckleheads, as you say. I hope they were
-careful not to be seen."
-
-"Trust 'em for that. Nanky 'ud go straight to
-farm, and Penny's crooked frame 'ud make nobody
-mispicious."
-
-"Well, twelve hours will see the end of it. All
-is planned, and will go like clockwork. The officers
-are coming at six; they talk of leaving at nine, and
-I shall not hinder them."
-
-"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick.
-
-"Tonkin and his crew will do their part. They
-won't be back in time to lend a hand here, but we
-have enough without them. The wind holds; the
-cutter will not trouble us; and we can go to church
-to-morrow and sing 'Te Deum' with some satisfaction."
-
-"Ay, true, 'twill be summat noble to talk about
-to-morrer in churchyard among the tombs."
-
-"Well, I'll go and bag a brace of woodcock on
-the moor. I'll look in on Nancarrow, too; 'tis just
-as well to be sure he met nobody."
-
-Trevanion moved to the ancient doorway and
-pulled aside the screen of ivy. But he let it fall
-quickly and stepped back.
-
-"Look here, Doubledick," he said in a whisper.
-
-Doubledick went to his side, and peered out
-through the foliage. Two figures were approaching
-the spot, not by the track from the road, but across
-the higher ground. Each carried a fowling-piece.
-
-"Come out shooting, like me," whispered Trevanion.
-
-"They didn' see 'ee?" said Doubledick anxiously.
-
-"Not they. If they had seen me they wouldn't
-have followed. The last person young Dick would
-wish to meet would be his cousin."
-
-Themselves concealed behind the ivy, the two
-men could watch the new-comers without the risk of
-being seen. They expected the boys to pass by, as
-nine villagers out of ten would have done, and the
-expression on their faces changed when Dick and
-Sam came directly towards the ruins, and, what was
-still more surprising, straight towards the well.
-Anger was written on Trevanion's countenance, and
-alarm on Doubledick's. The boys stood for a
-moment at the brink of the well. Then Dick,
-telling Sam to follow him immediately, kindled the
-candle in his hatband, lowered himself over the
-edge, and began to descend.
-
-A muffled curse broke from Doubledick's lips.
-He reached for Trevanion's gun, but Trevanion,
-now smiling, withdrew it, and signed to the
-inn-keeper to be silent. They remained where they
-stood for a minute or two after Sam had disappeared,
-then went forward to the well and peered down into
-the depths. The shaft was in darkness. It was clear
-that the boys had entered the adit.
-
-There was no one to hear the short dialogue that
-ensued between the two men standing close together
-at the head of the well. Apparently it was of
-agreeable tenor, for both smiled, though hardly with
-amusement. Doubledick took from his pocket a
-strip of something soft and black, removed his hat,
-and tied to his face a mask of crape. Then, with
-no light to guide his footsteps, he made his way
-downward into the shaft as the boys had done.
-When he had entirely disappeared, Trevanion
-shouldered his gun, and sauntered towards the road.
-Crossing this, he tramped over the moor towards
-Nancarrow's farm. Rather more than an hour later
-he was overtaken on the Truro road by Mr. Carlyon,
-who was riding his cob towards the village.
-
-.. _`"THERE WAS NO ONE TO HEAR THE SHORT DIALOGUE THAT ENSUED AT THE HEAD OF THE WELL"`:
-
-.. figure:: images/img-217.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: "THERE WAS NO ONE TO HEAR THE SHORT DIALOGUE THAT ENSUED AT THE HEAD OF THE WELL."
-
- "THERE WAS NO ONE TO HEAR THE SHORT DIALOGUE THAT ENSUED AT THE HEAD OF THE WELL."
-
-"Fine birds, vicar," said Trevanion, holding up
-a brace of woodcock and a moor-hen. "They'll
-look smaller on my table a few hours hence."
-
-"Good morning, Mr. Trevanion," said the parson,
-and rode by.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`Across the Pit`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Across the Pit
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-All unconscious of what was happening behind
-them, the boys, on reaching the foot of the well,
-passed through the open doorway into the narrow
-passage.
-
-"These be rare doings," began Sam; but Dick
-silenced him.
-
-"Don't speak, Sam," he whispered. "We don't
-know who is here, or how near."
-
-They passed on their left the passage where Dick
-had been checked by the landfall on his first
-approach from the cave. Moving slowly and with
-great caution, stopping every now and then to listen,
-they uttered never a word until they arrived at the
-point where the transverse gallery struck off to the
-right. Here they halted. It was necessary to
-decide whether to go straight on, and come by-and-by
-to the seal cave, or to turn into the passage, which
-they had never as yet traversed. A moment sufficed
-for coming to a decision. The light from Dick's
-candle showed that this passage was strutted, like
-that along which they had already come.
-
-"This must be the way," whispered Dick, and
-low as was his tone, the words echoed and re-echoed
-strangely in the narrow gallery.
-
-They advanced, picking their way still more
-carefully than before, peering into the darkness ahead,
-occasionally turning to look behind them. The floor
-of the adit at first sloped slightly downwards, but at
-length appeared to become level. The air was close
-and stuffy. Sam, following his young master, and
-seeing the weird shadows cast on the walls by the
-smoking flame, was soon in a cold sweat, not so
-much of fear as of nervous anticipation. His dread
-of ghosts had disappeared with knowledge; but it
-was knowledge of a negative kind. He knew there
-were no ghosts, but his imagination conjured up
-nameless terrors. More than once he was tempted
-to retreat, but he was too apprehensive even to halt
-long enough to strike a light and kindle his own
-candle, and the sight of Dick's tall form moving
-steadily on in front of him helped him to pluck up
-courage.
-
-When they had been walking for a few minutes,
-Sam suddenly hurried forward and caught Dick by
-the arm.
-
-"I heerd summat!" he whispered hoarsely.
-
-Dick stopped. Far from comfortable himself, the
-touch of Sam's hand made him jump, and the
-thumping of his heart was almost audible. They
-listened intently; no sound struck upon their ears.
-
-"It must have been a falling stone," said Dick.
-
-"Suppose the roof fell on us, same as it did in the
-cave!" murmured Sam.
-
-"'Tis not likely. Don't get jumpy, Sam. Let
-us go on."
-
-Again they advanced; a few steps brought them
-to another adit branching to the right; but a glance
-at this revealing no struts, Dick decided not to
-change his course until he had thoroughly explored
-the passage in which he was. In a few minutes he
-came to another adit, this time on the left, and this
-also he passed by for the same reason, and because it
-was narrower than any of those he had hitherto seen.
-Now the floor seemed to ascend gradually, and
-shortly afterwards became much more uneven. At
-length he stopped short, and waited until Sam came up
-with him.
-
-"Look at this," he whispered.
-
-Sam looked, and saw a narrow plank bridge,
-about seventeen feet long, spanning a black, yawning
-chasm.
-
-"'Tis an old mine shaft," said Dick. "We must
-cross the bridge."
-
-"Will it bear us, think 'ee?" said Sam timorously.
-
-"It will, if it bears smugglers carrying tubs. We
-must try."
-
-Dick leant forward and probed the planks with
-the muzzle of his fowling-piece.
-
-"'Tis firm and steady," he said. "I will go
-first. Don't start until I get across. The candle
-will give you more light than it gives me."
-
-"I don't like to see 'ee do it," said Sam, almost
-whimpering. "If ye fall, 'twill be yer grave."
-
-But Dick had already set his foot on the bridge.
-He trod warily, moving almost by inches until he
-reached the middle. Then he quickened his pace,
-and covered the second half in three swift strides.
-
-"'Tis quite safe," he whispered, turning at the end.
-
-"Didn' it wamble?"
-
-"No."
-
-"Not a little teeny bit?"
-
-"Come, come, I am heavier than you."
-
-"Well, I woll."
-
-He moistened his lips, pressed his hat firmly on
-his head, then started forward and crossed the whole
-bridge at a run.
-
-"Here I be!" he panted. "Name it all! I'll
-never do it again."
-
-"Then I shall leave you behind. My word! 'tis
-close and stuffy here."
-
-They went on. In a minute or two the passage
-widened, and looking round, they discovered that
-they were in what appeared to be the entrance to a
-huge cavern. Still advancing, they were brought up
-within a few yards by a rough and irregular wall, not
-wholly of granite, like the wall of the seal cave, but
-partly of rock, partly of earth. There were small
-heaps of soil and stones of different sizes on the
-uneven floor, and the wall was not perpendicular,
-but inclined like the eaves of a house.
-
-Dick gazed about him in search of a further
-opening. There was none. The way was blocked,
-just as it had been in the offshoot of the passage
-from the seal cave to the well. The general appearance
-of the place indicated that at some time or other
-the upper earth had fallen in. To make sure that
-there was not even the smallest orifice in the wall,
-Dick moved close along it, carefully examining it by
-the light of his candle. When about half-way
-round, he stopped, and placed his hand on something
-that protruded from the wall, which was here earthen.
-But this projecting object was neither earth nor rock.
-In shape it was convex and regular. He passed his
-hand over it, brushing off some adhering particles of
-soil.
-
-"Why, Sam," he said wonderingly, "'tis part of a tub."
-
-"Do 'ee tell o't?" said Sam, moving his palm
-over the surface. "So 'tis, and be-dazed if there
-bean't a rope on it."
-
-He tugged at the rope, and fell backwards,
-almost upsetting Dick.
-
-"Rot it all!" he exclaimed.
-
-"'Tis rotted already," said Dick smiling. "It
-must have been there a long time."
-
-"Cansta pull un out, Maister?" said Sam.
-"Maybe there's summat inside, and I do be most
-tarrible dry."
-
-"We'll see; but you shan't drink neat spirit,
-Sam, so you needn't think it. Lend a hand here."
-
-Between them the boys soon succeeded in working
-the tub from the loose earth in which it was
-imbedded. It was a small barrel about fourteen
-inches in diameter, bound with wooden hoops,
-exactly similar to those which the smugglers were
-wont to use. The broken rope, or "sling stuff," as
-it was called, attached to it proved that it had once
-formed part of a run cargo. Sam shook it; there
-was no "glug" of liquor.
-
-"'Tis spiled, sure enough," he said, "but the
-hoops bean't broke."
-
-"Here's another, Sam," said Dick, who had been
-looking into the hole left by the removal of the tub.
-"I can't help thinking we have come to an old
-haunt of the smugglers; yes, I understand it now.
-You know there was a landslip hundreds of years
-ago, just beyond the cove. The earth must have
-fallen in on a cargo before it could be removed."
-
-"But why didn' they dig 'em out arterwards?
-And why be the tub as empty as a drum?"
-
-"Yes, 'tis strange they did not dig them out, but
-the emptiness is easy to understand. The spirit has
-run away."
-
-"Run away! How could it with the tub sound,
-not a hole in it? Besides, there bean't no smell,
-and I don't care who the man is, but if sperits run
-out, you can smell 'em anywhere."
-
-"I suppose——" began Dick, but his answer was
-suddenly cut short. From the direction of the passage
-through which they had come there fell upon their
-ears a dull rumbling sound, which reverberated for a
-few seconds, then died away into silence.
-
-The boys stood for a moment in silent bewilderment;
-then, with a foreboding of evil, Dick hastened
-back from the cavern along the gallery. In a
-minute the astounding cause of the noise was
-explained. The bridge by which they had crossed
-the shaft was gone. Only the jagged end of it
-jutted out from the further brink of the chasm. By
-the flickering light of the candle Dick thought he
-saw a figure moving backwards through the gallery
-on the opposite side. He shouted, his voice coming
-back to him in a hundred echoes. The figure
-disappeared, if indeed it were not an hallucination:
-Dick's state of horrified amazement might well
-predispose him to see visions. He stood on the
-brink, bathed in chill and clammy perspiration. He
-realised to the full the situation of himself and his
-companion. They were trapped in the gallery.
-Before them was a shaft perhaps hundreds of feet
-deep; behind, an impenetrable wall.
-
-"I said I'd never do it again, and I never will,"
-sobbed Sam.
-
-"Hoy! hoy!" shouted Dick.
-
-"Yo-hoy, hoy!" Sam repeated in his rougher tones.
-
-But there was no reply; only the mocking,
-receding echoes.
-
-Dick leant against the wall in dull stupefaction.
-He had said nothing to his parents about the
-expedition; he had expressly charged Sam not to
-speak of it to Reuben. His very caution had
-proved his undoing. So common was it for him to
-be all day away from home with Sam that their
-absence would scarcely be remarked until night, and
-then, even if it caused alarm, no one would dream
-of looking for them at the well, still less in one of
-the passages below. But if Dick's suspicions and
-inferences were well founded, at some time during
-the day or night there would be smugglers in one
-or other of the galleries, and they would surely
-come within sound of his voice, and not be so base
-as to refuse to help him. Then it struck him that
-perhaps such a cry might merely terrify them; that
-they might believe it to be the utterance of the
-disembodied spirits that were said to haunt the place.
-But no; as his first terrors subsided, and he regained
-his thinking power, a sudden light dawned upon
-him. The ghosts were the invention of the
-smugglers themselves! They had taken advantage
-of ancient tradition and floating rumour for their
-own purposes, encouraged the credulity of the many
-in order that the few might preserve the secret of
-their hiding-place. And then it flashed upon him
-that his presence near their jealously-guarded lair
-had been discovered, and that his return had been
-deliberately cut off, so that they might carry out
-undisturbed the important operation of which
-Trevanion and Doubledick had spoken. In that
-case his incarceration would be temporary, like
-Penwarden's. As soon as the run had been
-accomplished, he, like the old exciseman, would be
-liberated, and the smugglers would gloat over their
-triumphant strategy.
-
-"How many candles have you got?" he asked suddenly.
-
-Sam rummaged in his pocket, and produced five
-stumps varying in length.
-
-"They will last about twelve hours," said Dick.
-"There is no wind here to make them gutter."
-
-"But they won't make us a bridge," groaned Sam.
-
-"Listen to me," said Dick.
-
-Speaking calmly, he told Sam the conclusions to
-which he had come.
-
-"Now, Sam, you see what we have to do. It
-was about nine o'clock when we came down the
-well. It will be twelve hours or more before they
-attempt the run. We have twelve hours before us;
-we must get across the shaft and dish them—I don't
-know how, but we must do it."
-
-"How can we? Rake it all, we shall have no dinner!"
-
-"Don't talk like that," said Dick sternly. "We
-want all our wits and determination. 'Tis mere
-folly to think about dinner, or groan and moan
-because we are hungry. I tell you, young Sam, you
-must do your best to help, and be cheerful, or you
-and I will split."
-
-"Well, I'll keep my solemn thoughts to myself
-and spake out nothing but merry ones, if I can
-think 'em."
-
-Dick considered for a few moments; then he took
-from his pocket a knife and a long piece of string,
-knotted the latter about the haft, and stuck the blade
-into a lighted candle. This he lowered into the
-chasm, lying at full length to make the most of the
-string. But the flame revealed no bottom to the shaft.
-Even had they seen a floor it seemed impossible to
-get there, or, getting there, to be in any way profited.
-At one time, no doubt, there had been a means of
-ascending and descending the shaft; but the very
-existence of the bridge showed that the machinery
-had long since disappeared, and the passage-way by
-which they had made their entrance was the only exit.
-
-"We had better blow out the candle," said Dick.
-"We don't know how long we may be here, and
-you may be glad to eat it before we get out of this."
-
-"That I never could; but 'tis wisdom to save it,
-when we can't see anything nice to look at, and you
-can allers meditate better in the dark."
-
-They reclined against the wall of the gallery.
-For a time they were silent except for sighs that now
-and then escaped Sam's heaving breast. After one
-prolonged expiration Dick asked sharply what he
-was grunting about.
-
-"Don't 'ee laugh, now, if I tell o't," said Sam
-pleadingly. "My simple thought was, what would
-Maidy Susan say if she knowed o' this horrible
-place o' torment? 'There shall be weepin' and
-gnashin' o' teeth,' says pa'son; 'twill come to that
-afore long wi' me. There now, 'nation take it! I
-said I'd spake merry thoughts. Maybe you could
-put one into my mizzy-mazy head, Maister Dick."
-
-"I'll break it for you if you can't talk
-sense—— There! Did you hear that?"
-
-"'Twas like the whisk of a rabbit's scut among
-the furze. Hoy! Yo-hoy! Come and help two
-poor boys in misery."
-
-"Hoy! hoy!" shouted Dick.
-
-The echoes crossed and clashed, but there was no
-answer.
-
-Another period of silence. It seemed to last for
-hours. At length Dick relit the candle and once
-more scanned the shaft. Could he jump it? He
-measured it with his eye. He had never been to
-school; jumping as a sport was unknown to him.
-In the ordinary course of his outdoor adventures he
-had sometimes leapt across a stream or from rock to
-rock, but never a space so wide as this. Realising
-the impossibility of the feat, he blew out the candle
-and returned to his place beside Sam.
-
-"I seed yer thought," said the boy, "but Sir
-Bevil fox-hunting never took a gap like that. A
-hoss med do it, but not a two-legged body."
-
-Again there was silence. Presently Sam fell
-asleep, snoring vigorously. Dick pondered and
-puzzled; to him sleep was impossible. All at once
-he remembered the barrel he had found in the wall
-of the cave. A faint hope stirred within him. He
-wakened Sam, relit the candle, and hurried back
-through the passage.
-
-"What be goin' to do?" asked Sam.
-
-"To see how many tubs there are," he said.
-
-"If there be a million they bean't no good wi' all
-the sperits gone a-lost," said Sam. "Howsomever,
-'twill be summat to do to count 'em, and keep us
-from the squitchems."
-
-They regained the cave. Dick, bending so that
-the light of the candle shone full into the hole in
-the wall, began to scrape away with his knife the
-earth that partially concealed the second barrel. Not
-to be backward, Sam set to work in the same way
-a little to the right. The second tub was soon
-unearthed, then a third.
-
-"We must be careful not to disturb the earth
-above," said Dick, "or we shall have the rest
-covered up again. I believe there are a good
-number here."
-
-"All leery," said Sam with a sigh. "But I
-don't care who the man is, they bean't leerier nor I....
-There's my tongue runnin' to vittals again; I
-reckon 'tis because I hain't done growin'."
-
-After resting a while, they resumed their work.
-In course of time, they had a row of ten or twelve
-barrels standing against the wall.
-
-"I wish there was something else," said Dick.
-
-"What yer manin' be 'tis not for me to say," said
-Sam, "but my feelings be just the same. Why,
-dash my bones, here *be* summat else; a box,
-Maister; look at un."
-
-He drew forth a long flat box, which he shook as
-he had shaken the barrels.
-
-"Ah! 'tis full o' nothing, seemingly. If 'twas
-only tay, now, or bacca that we med chaw; but 'tis
-a'most as light as a feather."
-
-He prised up the lid of the box with his knife.
-The wood was thin, and crumbled away at the touch
-of the steel. There was something pink beneath,
-and the removal of the lid disclosed a quantity of
-silk, which, when it was unfolded, proved to be
-many yards in length.
-
-"Only think o't!" said Sam. "Don't it feel
-plum! Oh! what a noble garment 't'ud make for
-Maidy Susan!"
-
-"'Tis much too good for her," said Dick. "It
-would suit Mother better."
-
-"True, 'tis fit for queens and other high females,
-but the Mistress be gettin' a old ancient person, and
-'t'ud look more fitty on a nesh young frame. Ah
-me! it bean't no good for high or low, this side o'
-that dark fearsome hole in the ground."
-
-"Let us see if there are any more boxes," said
-Dick. "And let me tell you, Mother is only
-forty-five, so mind what you say, Sam."
-
-"Well, forty-five is more 'n double twenty, can
-'ee deny it? When I be forty-five, I shall be a old
-aged feller with a beard and a shiny sconce like
-Feyther, and he don't care a cuss what raiment he
-do wear."
-
-Further search brought to light several boxes like
-the first, containing silks of various hue, and laces
-which even to Dick's inexperience appeared valuable.
-The materials seemed to be in as good a condition
-as when they left Lyons or Nice, and without doubt
-represented a considerable sum of money. But to
-Dick, as he contemplated them, they suggested a
-more immediate and urgent use than the turning
-into money. The wood of the barrels appeared to
-be sound; it had been preserved from rotting by
-their spirituous contents. By breaking them up
-into their separate staves, he would have at his
-disposal enough timber to make a bridge. The
-staves were two feet long and about five inches
-broad; ten or twelve lengths would be required to
-span the gap, and allow sufficient grip. The
-"sling-stuff" round the barrels, as he had already proved,
-was too friable to be of any value for lashing, but
-the silk, torn into strips, might answer this purpose.
-
-"Take hold of the end of this," he said to Sam,
-handing him a length of the material, "and pull as
-hard as you can."
-
-The test proved that the silk was capable of
-enduring a heavy direct strain, and if this were so in
-the piece, it would be still stronger when wound
-many times about the wood.
-
-Dick explained his plan.
-
-"Drown it all!" cried Sam. "What a tarrible
-deed o' wickedness! Can 'ee abear to think o' this
-noble shinin' stuff tore to strents and lippets?"
-
-"'Tis a pity, of course, but 'tis more important
-that we should get over the gap than that any
-woman, matron or maid, should flaunt it in fine
-array. We'll set to work at once. Time must be
-getting on. The candle has nearly gone: that
-means three hours or so. Light another, Sam."
-
-Dick tore the silk carefully into even strips, while
-Sam knocked the ends off the tubs, and broke the
-staves apart. Every now and then the boy paused,
-heaving a deep sigh.
-
-"'Tis like a knife goin' through my soul every
-time I hear the hoosh ye do make," he said. "There,
-I says to myself, there goes the sleeve, and that's the
-petticoat, and there's this part and that I don't know
-the true name of. Ah well, Maidy Susan will never
-know from me, that's one comfort. She'd be cryin'
-her pretty eyes out, that 'a would, if she did see the
-deed o' destruction."
-
-When nine or ten barrels had been broken up,
-and the floor was strewn with strips of silk, pink,
-blue, green, and other colours, Dick began to
-arrange the materials for constructing the bridge.
-It was to be about twenty feet long, to allow for a
-sufficient overlapping at each end of the gap. When
-he came to consider the actual details of construction
-he saw that his first idea, a bridge to cross on foot,
-was not feasible. The staves were too narrow to
-afford a secure foothold, and if placed side by side,
-the risk of their breaking apart was very great. He
-resolved, therefore, to concentrate his energies on a
-single pole, formed by binding three layers of staves
-together, and by means of this, work his way across
-the gap hand over hand, his legs dangling in the
-shaft. It would be a ticklish feat; indeed, he was
-by no means confident of its possibility; but he had
-the strongest motives for making the attempt, as
-well as a native doggedness that forbade him to sit
-idle in the face of difficulty.
-
-The short staves had little curvature. He laid
-a number of them end to end to form a length of
-twenty-two feet, placing them alternately so that one
-had its convex, the other its concave, side to the
-ground, and with overlapping ends. These he
-bound very firmly together. Then he laid a second
-set on the first, in such a way that their joins
-occurred at different spots. Then he wound the
-strips of silk as tightly as possible round this double
-pole, carrying the windings several inches on each
-side of the joints. When four or five feet of the
-double pole were finished, he tested its rigidity by
-endeavouring to snap it across his knee; but
-though the thin wood bent slightly, the lashings
-held firmly, and he was well satisfied.
-
-"'Tis very good so far, Sam," he said; "now
-we must put on a third layer."
-
-"'Nation take it, we shall never be done," cried
-Sam, stretching his aching body. "I be mortal
-tired, and hungry!—there now, Maister Dick,
-spake yer mind like a simple honest feller, wi'out
-any tongue-twistin', and fine deceivin' language.
-Bean't 'ee most achin' hungry? Now, tell me true."
-
-"I own I am, but 'tis no good thinking of it."
-
-"No more do I want. You've said it. I reckon
-you be just as famished as I, if not more, only too
-proud to own it. Be-jowned if there be any sech
-lofty pride in me."
-
-They proceeded with the work, lashing the third
-layer firmly to the other two, and employing, for
-greater security, the flexible wooden hoops which
-had held the barrels together. At last the bridge
-was complete. It had been a long and laborious
-task: neither of the boys had any idea how many
-hours it had occupied; they had lighted successive
-candle-ends mechanically, without taking count of
-them. The close air of the cave was now impregnated
-with smoke and tallow fumes, and both longed
-for a breath of fresh air.
-
-All this time they had neither seen nor heard any
-person or thing. Indeed, they had been so fully
-occupied, as scarcely to bestow a thought on what
-might be going on beyond the gap. It did cross
-Dick's mind that the noise made by Sam in breaking
-the barrels might have been heard; but it was a
-considerable distance from the cave to the gap, and
-the passage between them was not straight. Nobody
-could have seen them at work; the sound, if it
-travelled beyond the gap, could only be a faint,
-indistinguishable murmur then; and the absence of
-a bridge was an effectual preventive of interference.
-It now remained to throw the suspension bridge
-across the gap. They carried it through the passage,
-stood it on one end, and lowered it over the opening,
-Sam holding the bottom end steady while Dick let
-the structure down by means of a silken rope.
-
-"'Tis too crazy a thing to bear a cat's weight," said
-Sam gloomily, when it rested in place.
-
-"I don't believe you. At any rate we can't make
-anything better. I'll go first, being the heavier. If
-I get safe across you can come after. Hold your
-end firmly as I go."
-
-"You don't want me to look at 'ee?"
-
-"Why not?"
-
-"Because—because—drown it all!" said the boy,
-dashing tears from his eyes. "Do 'ee think I could
-bear it if I seed 'ee drop into this everlastin' pit?"
-
-"You're a good fellow, young Sam; but I shan't
-drop, please God!"
-
-He took his boots off, so that he could get a
-firmer grip if he had to scramble up the opposite
-side. Then, while Sam lay flat on the ground
-across the end of the pole, Dick swung himself over
-the shaft, gripping the bridge with both hands
-extended above his head. He remained motionless
-for a few moments, testing the strength of his
-support; then, realising that the quicker he moved the
-better, since the strain both upon the pole and his own
-endurance would be less than if he went slowly, he
-began to advance hand over hand, but as smoothly
-as possible, towards the other side. As he approached
-the middle, he saw by the light of the candle in his
-hatband that the pole was sagging alarmingly, and
-he felt it sway with his every movement. The
-further end of it was no longer flat on the floor of
-the passage, but tilted up at an angle of 30 degrees.
-Dick shivered as he felt his support apparently slipping
-downwards into the shaft. But he did not pause,
-and in a moment he was relieved to find that the
-downward movement ceased.
-
-Arriving within a foot or two of the wall, he saw
-that he was some little distance below the level of
-the passage, and the free end of the pole, now almost
-perpendicular, was swaying terribly. How was he
-to get up? There was no projection from the side of
-the shaft which he could grasp, and it seemed that
-at any moment the pole might slip off into the gulf,
-carrying him with it. His arms were aching with
-the unaccustomed strain; not much longer could they
-sustain the weight of his body. Groping with his
-toes on the sheer face of the shaft, he managed to
-get a slight purchase with one foot. In another
-moment he obtained a little better grip with the
-other, though in so doing he had to spread-eagle
-himself. Now, with his double purchase on the
-wall, he was able to relieve the weight on his hands,
-and take breath for the final effort.
-
-The lessening of the strain on the pole reduced
-the angle of inclination of its free portion to the
-floor. Dick worked his way inch by inch along;
-then, drawing his body upwards, he swung his leg
-over the pole, gripping it firmly with his hands, and
-in a few moments was able to reach out and grasp
-the free portion above the brink and haul himself on
-to the floor.
-
-He flung himself face downward to rest, gasping
-a murmur of thankfulness. Sam at the other end,
-though he had at first closed his eyes, opened them
-almost immediately, unable to resist the fascination
-of that perilous crossing. He shuddered when he
-saw the pole bend and sway under Dick's weight,
-and pressed his lips hard together so that he should
-not cry out as the further end rose higher and higher
-from the level. When Dick had safely landed, Sam
-was too much overcome with emotion to utter a
-sound. He rubbed the chill moisture from his face
-and waited.
-
-Presently Dick got up, rekindled the candle, which
-had been extinguished when he threw himself down,
-and called across.
-
-"Now 'tis your turn, Sam. You will have an
-easier passage than I. Drive a couple of staves into
-the ground and lash the pole to them. I'll hold it
-firm on this side, so that it will not sway so much as
-when I crossed."
-
-"No; I can't do it; I'm all of a sweat," said Sam.
-
-"Come, come! you'll not give in, surely."
-
-"Iss, I woll, cheerful. Never could I sink my
-legs into that gashly hole. It do put me in mind of
-poor fellers dangling on the drop in Bodmin jail.
-No; there bean't meat enough in my inside to give
-me sperit for it, and here I'll bide—I don't care
-who the man is—till you finds a gangway."
-
-"But you'll be left in the dark. This is the last
-candle."
-
-"You won't make me afeard if you try. Here I
-be safe; not a soul can get to me across this hole;
-and dark or light, I bean't the man for sech a deed.
-I be truly sorry to leave 'ee, Maister Dick, but
-you'd rayther see me sound in all my members than
-here a bit, there a bit."
-
-"Very well. You've lost your nerve, that's clear.
-Shy over my boots, will you?"
-
-Sam lifted one and cast it; but he was apparently
-too much shaken to take good aim. The boot fell
-into the shaft.
-
-"See now! 'Tis plain!" he said forlornly.
-"My poor wambling arm! Even as yer boot fell,
-so——"
-
-"Hush!" cried Dick.
-
-There had been no sound of the boot striking on
-the bottom. After what seemed a long time—it was
-in fact no more than two or three seconds—from the
-depths came rumbling reverberations of a splash.
-The water must have been nearly two hundred
-feet below. Both the boys were silent as they
-thought of the terrible fate Dick would have met
-with if he had fallen.
-
-"Well, good-bye, Sam!" said Dick at last,
-rousing himself. "One boot is no good without the
-other, so you can keep it. I'll come back for you
-as soon as I can."
-
-"I wish 'ee well, Maister."
-
-He stood near the brink, with a piteous expression
-upon his rugged face, watching Dick's gradually
-receding form. When a bend in the passage hid
-his master and comrade from view, he leant against
-the wall, and buried his face in his hands.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`A Packet for Rusco`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A Packet for Rusco
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-During many hours Dick had been solely
-preoccupied with the problem how to recross the
-chasm. Penwarden, the smugglers, even the
-destroyer of the bridge, were all forgotten. But now
-all the circumstances of his recent misadventure
-returned with full force to his mind. A run was to
-be attempted. The smugglers' hiding-place, which
-the revenue officers had sought in vain, must be
-somewhere near at hand, and the person, whosoever
-it was, that had flung the bridge down the shaft—for
-its fall could not have been accidental—had done
-so with the intention of forestalling interference.
-
-Dick considered what he had better do. Should
-he make his way back to the well, in the hope of
-being able to climb it secretly and give warning to
-the officers? He reflected that it might be too late
-for that. Besides, his presence in these underground
-passages had been observed by some one early in
-the morning; that same person might still be lying
-in wait for him. As this idea occurred to him, he
-remembered that he had left his gun behind in the
-cave, and for an instant thought of returning for it;
-but a slight sound from the other direction made
-him hastily extinguish the candle, and advance
-cautiously along the passage; perhaps the
-bridge-destroyer was coming towards him.
-
-In pitch darkness he stole along, scarcely conscious
-of the sharp edges and rough projections of the stone
-floor on which he trod. In a few minutes he saw a
-faint glimmer of reflected light ahead, the source
-of which was hidden from him by a bend in the
-passage. On reaching the bend, he descried, moving
-across the end of the gallery along a transverse
-one, a procession of men with candles in their hats,
-hurrying, at short intervals apart, from the direction
-of the well. Clinging to the wall, confident that in
-the black darkness he was wholly invisible, he
-crept forward. By the time he came within a few
-yards of the transverse passage, this, too, was in
-darkness, the last of the line having passed by.
-
-He hastened to the corner, and peeped round to
-the right. The last man was entering the narrow
-tunnel, which he had noticed casually as he came by
-with Sam. The dimness of the flickering light, and
-the fact that the man's back was towards him,
-prevented him from forming any conclusion as to the
-identity of the individual. The light gradually
-dwindled, until the opening of the tunnel was quite
-indistinguishable.
-
-Waiting for a moment or two, to listen and look
-along the passage leading to the well, Dick ventured
-to creep stealthily in the same direction as the men,
-and to penetrate into the tunnel. He had advanced
-in this but a few yards, when he was made to beat a
-hasty retreat by a faint but growing light at the
-further end, and the sound of heavy footsteps
-approaching. As quickly as possible he tiptoed
-back in the darkness, and regained his former station
-in the side gallery, where he stood eagerly watching.
-In a few moments a man crossed from right to left.
-His face was blackened; before and behind him hung
-a tub, exactly similar to those which Sam had lately
-broken up. A second man followed at a short
-interval, loaded in the same way; then a third, and
-so on, until twenty-two had passed. They seemed
-by their dress to be for the most part farm-hands,
-but the light from their candles was too dim to
-reveal them clearly.
-
-The light diminished, the sound of footsteps died
-away, and Dick, emerging once more into the
-passage, saw the end of the procession on the way to
-the well. From the other direction there was no
-sound. Dick felt an overmastering curiosity to
-discover how the run was being worked, and whence
-the tubs were brought. He hastened to the tunnel,
-paused for a little at the entrance, straining his ears
-for the slightest sound of men returning, then
-went on.
-
-After a few steps he heard a slight creaking from
-some point ahead. A glance behind assuring him
-that there was no present danger in this direction,
-he was emboldened to proceed. There was a sudden
-bend in the tunnel; at the far end he saw a light;
-and, hugging the wall as closely as possible, he crept
-forward until the scene beyond was clearly in view.
-
-He found himself near the entrance to a small
-oblong chamber, perhaps twenty feet by sixteen, and
-scarcely eight feet high. The walls were shored up
-by thick balks of wood: the roof was supported
-by rough beams. The place was dimly illuminated
-by two lanterns standing on the top of a pile of
-barrels that reached within two feet of the roof. At
-the far end a man was working a windlass over a
-hole in the floor. Two barrels, slung on ropes,
-emerged from the depths, were unhooked by the
-man, and rolled against the wall on the other side of
-the chamber. A whiff of cold salt air struck
-gratefully on Dick's senses; the smugglers' mysterious
-hiding-place was clearly very near the sea.
-
-Dick was watching the man lower the hooks
-into the space beneath when he was startled by the
-sound of footsteps at no great distance behind him.
-Looking back, he saw a glimmer of light. Regress
-was barred; in a few moments he would be
-discovered unless he could find a new place of
-concealment. There was no time for hesitation. The
-back of the man at the windlass was towards him;
-the tackle creaked as more tubs ascended. In the
-corner of the chamber to the right was the stack
-of barrels on which the lanterns stood. There
-appeared to be just squeezing space between them
-and the wall. With his heart in his mouth Dick
-stole across to them on tiptoe, and had barely gained
-their shelter when the man released the tubs which
-had just ascended, and added them to those that
-were arranged along the opposite wall.
-
-As Dick was creeping between the barrels and the
-wall, his foot touched an obstacle, over which he
-almost stumbled. Fortunately, having no boots on,
-he made no sound. He stood still, panting, in
-desperate anxiety. In the urgency of the moment
-he had made for the first hiding-place that offered
-itself, without reflecting that the carriers were no doubt
-returning for these very barrels, and their removal
-must reveal him without a possibility of escape. A
-thrill shot through him as he felt a slight movement
-in the object at his feet, and he edged instinctively
-away from it, wondering what it could be. The
-light from the lanterns did not reach the floor;
-indeed, scarcely illuminated the space behind, they
-being closed in that direction.
-
-He heard the footsteps drawing nearer, and,
-peeping through a chink between two barrels, saw,
-not one, but the whole twenty-two carriers file into
-the chamber, which they nearly filled. He suspected
-that they had deposited their burdens at the foot of
-St. Cuby's Well, whence, in all probability, these
-were being hoisted to the surface by means of the
-windlass, which he remembered having seen near the
-door when he first approached it from the seal cave.
-
-The man at the windlass had raised only a few
-barrels during their absence, and these having been
-slung on the shoulders of the men who had first
-entered, they returned to the entrance of the tunnel,
-waiting for their comrades in turn to receive their
-loads.
-
-"Bean't this lot to go, Maister?" said one of the
-latter, jerking his head towards the stack behind
-which Dick was concealed. Dick shivered, and
-prepared to dash forth and force his way through
-the men grouped at the tunnel, in the hope that
-their surprise and alarm, and their being encumbered,
-would give him time at least to escape instant
-seizure. To his relief the man at the windlass
-replied sharply:
-
-"No, they bean't. They be for the higher powers;
-let 'em alone. And you come and hoist; I be tired."
-
-The voice was Doubledick's.
-
-While the tubs were being hoisted, and the waiting
-men talked quietly among themselves, Dick had
-leisure to turn his thoughts towards the object at his
-feet. It could hardly be an animal; otherwise it
-would long since have betrayed him. He gently
-moved a foot towards it, and touched it. Again he
-detected a slight movement. Passing his stockinged
-toes over a few inches of the obstruction, Dick
-gave a start as he recognised by the touch a man's
-boot. It did not move when he pressed it: clearly
-it was attached to a leg, the leg to a body—and the
-conviction flashed upon him that, bound and gagged
-at his feet, lay the lost Joe Penwarden. To assure
-himself he bent down quickly, and felt his way upward
-to the face. His hand encountered the shade over
-the old man's sightless eye: it was Joe indeed.
-
-Penwarden was lying on his back, and Dick very
-soon discovered that he was bound hand and foot to
-a plank, so tightly that only the slightest movement
-was possible. His mouth was heavily gagged, but
-there was no bandage over his single sound eye.
-Dick could not see him, and durst not speak even in
-the lowest whisper, so near was he to the smugglers.
-But if Penwarden was to be liberated he must be
-definitely assured in some way that a friend was at
-work who was himself in danger; otherwise, on being
-freed, he might make some sound or movement that
-would betray them both. Then it occurred to Dick
-that, while he was unable to see Penwarden's features,
-Penwarden had probably seen his, for the lanterns
-shed a faint illumination on the upper part of the
-space behind the barrels, to which his head almost
-reached. This suggested a means of giving the old
-man a warning. Raising himself to his full height
-he looked downwards and pressed his forefinger
-to his lips. The sign, if observed, would, he knew,
-be effectual.
-
-Once more he stooped. He drew his knife from
-his pocket, opened it without clicking, and silently
-cut the rope binding the prisoner's feet. Then,
-working upward, always with the same slow care, he
-severed in turn the ropes that strapped his knees and
-elbows to the plank, those binding his wrists, and
-finally the gag over his mouth. This last probably
-gave the old man the most discomfort, and might
-have been removed first, but the use of his limbs
-was of more urgent importance just now than his voice.
-
-By the time that this was done the last of the
-carriers had received his load, and the creaking or
-the windlass had ceased.
-
-"That's all," said Doubledick. "Now get 'ee
-up-along to well, and lend a hand in the hoisting."
-
-"Be we to wait for 'ee, Maister, when the tubs be
-all up?" asked a man.
-
-"No, no. You'll do best to carr' the tubs off as
-quick as may be. I'll go straight home-along.
-To-morrer mornin', after church, if ye like ye can
-come down-along to inn, where there'll be a
-nibleykin of rum-hot ready for every man of 'ee."
-
-The carriers tramped into the tunnel, and the
-sound of their footsteps died away.
-
-A voice came up into the chamber from below.
-
-"Iss," said Doubledick in reply. "Stand by
-while I let down the passel. Belike ye know
-enough English to understand that."
-
-Dick fancied that he heard a low chuckle from
-below, and a foreign voice say, "All right."
-
-Doubledick had already begun to clear away the
-barrels at the end of the stack nearest to the
-windlass. It was plain that what he had got to do was
-a secret between himself and the men below; the
-tub-carriers were ignorant of it. Dick moved
-silently to the other end of the stack, the place
-where he had entered, and gazed round to watch the
-innkeeper's proceedings. Even now, though there
-appeared to be no danger of detection, the upper
-part of his face remained covered with a mask. He
-had removed the lanterns, and placed them on the
-floor; several of the top row of barrels had been
-lifted down. His object, without doubt, was to
-drag Penwarden forth, and lower him by means of
-the windlass to the men waiting beneath. Dick felt
-sure that these were the French crew of the lugger
-that had brought the cargo, and that the "parcel"
-they were expecting was the old exciseman, whom
-they were to carry to France.
-
-The innkeeper's pre-occupation was Dick's opportunity.
-In another second or two the cutting of the
-prisoner's bonds must be discovered. As
-Doubledick was rolling a barrel towards the wall, Dick,
-moving silently on his almost bare feet, rushed like
-a whirlwind on the man. Doubledick at that
-moment made a half-turn, as if some instinct warned
-him of danger, but he was too late to prevent Dick
-from getting a suffocating grip round his neck.
-He gasped, groaned, struggled frantically to free
-himself. Both fell to the floor, knocking over one
-of the lanterns, and rolling perilously near the open
-trapdoor. Dick never let go his grip on the
-inn-keeper's throat, for it was necessary to prevent the
-men below from suspecting that anything was amiss.
-
-.. _`"DICK RUSHED LIKE A WHIRLWIND ON THE MAN"`:
-
-.. figure:: images/img-244.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: "DICK RUSHED LIKE A WHIRLWIND ON THE MAN."
-
- "DICK RUSHED LIKE A WHIRLWIND ON THE MAN."
-
-Meanwhile Penwarden had scrambled painfully
-to his feet, and limped towards the scene of the
-struggle. His limbs, cramped and numbed by his
-bonds, were as yet almost powerless. But seeing
-Doubledick's legs for an instant disentangled from
-those of his assailant, the old man suddenly threw
-himself across them, pinning Doubledick to the
-floor, and so putting an end to his struggles. Dick
-raised himself, keeping his hands on the man's
-throat. The heaving and writhing ceased.
-
-While Dick still held him down, Penwarden
-hobbled behind the barrels, carrying a lantern, found
-the gag that had been used on himself, and brought
-it back to turn it to account with Doubledick. His
-own hands were still too much numbed to tie an
-effective knot, but he held the gag between
-Doubledick's teeth while Dick made it fast.
-
-All this time there had come through the hole in
-the floor the murmur of voices. Without relaxing
-his grip, Dick leant over and peered down. He
-was just able to see that a boat lay beneath; the
-hole was vertically above the sea.
-
-"Ah, mon Dieu!" cried one of the boat's crew,
-perceiving Dick's head, "ven come ze—ze packet?"
-
-Dick withdrew.
-
-"Answer," he said to Penwarden.
-
-The old man tried to speak, but could give
-utterance only to a hoarse whisper. Whereupon
-Dick, in a voice intended to be an imitation of
-Doubledick's, replied:
-
-"In a minute."
-
-His imitation was so entirely unsuccessful that he
-durst not say more.
-
-The Frenchman's question had suggested a means
-of dealing with Doubledick. In attacking him, Dick
-had no definite plan in his mind for subsequent
-action. He was concerned only to prevent
-Penwarden from being lowered through the trapdoor.
-But now that Doubledick was in his power, it struck
-him that it would be simple justice to serve him as
-he had intended to serve Penwarden. He whispered
-the suggestion to the old man, who received it with
-a low chuckle.
-
-"But they fellers down below will know un," he
-murmured.
-
-"Will they? They are French; Doubledick has
-never been to France. They won't remove the gag,
-probably, until they are well out to sea, and if I
-know them, they won't put back and run the risk of
-meeting the cutter, even if they do discover their
-mistake."
-
-"Ze packet, ze packet!" came the impatient cry
-from below.
-
-No more time was lost. The cords that had
-bound Penwarden were useless, but there was plenty
-of sling-stuff on the tubs, and in a few seconds
-enough was slipped off for the purpose. Both Dick
-and the exciseman were used to handling rope, and
-though the latter's fingers were still somewhat
-numb, he was able to lend some feeble assistance to
-Dick in securing Doubledick to the plank. At the
-end of this there was a hook. They attached this
-to the rope over the windlass, and prepared to lower
-the innkeeper to the hands waiting below.
-
-At the last moment Penwarden slipped off the
-crepe mask that still covered Doubledick's face.
-
-"Look 'ee, Maister Dick," he said hoarsely.
-"You can swear to the feller, so can I. You be
-goin' to Rusco, you miserable sinner, and if so be you
-ever come back, I'll swear an information against 'ee
-for unlawful detainin' of one o' the King's lieges,
-and Maister Dick will kiss the Book and bear
-testimony. Good-bye to 'ee, and may the Lord ha'
-mercy on yer soul."
-
-They let the frenzied man down through the
-trapdoor, and heard guffaws of laughter from the
-Frenchmen as they received their expected packet.
-The boat pulled off towards a lugger that lay a
-few cables' lengths from the cliff. The prisoner was
-hauled up the side; the men climbed on board
-and hoisted the boat in; and in a few minutes the
-lugger disappeared into the darkness.
-
-It was not the time to enter upon explanations on
-either side. Penwarden was eager to follow up the
-tub-carriers, Dick to release Sam. When the
-exciseman heard of the boy's situation, he yielded
-with a sigh, and considered with Dick a means of
-bringing Sam across the shaft. They were not
-long in deciding that the best plan would be to make
-use of the quantities of rope at hand, and form a
-running tackle by which the boy might be drawn
-over. This was soon done, and taking one of the
-lanterns, they hastened back to the scene.
-
-"Hoy, Maister, be that thee?" cried Sam out of
-the darkness when he saw the approaching light.
-
-"Yes, and Mr. Penwarden is with me. We are
-coming to bring you away."
-
-"Praise and glory be! I did think I'd never see
-daylight again. Have 'ee got a true and proper
-bridge?"
-
-"You'll see. Run back to the cave and bring two
-staves and our guns."
-
-They waited at the brink of the shaft until Sam
-reappeared.
-
-"Now drive the staves into the floor," cried Dick.
-
-"I can't. It be hard stone."
-
-"Well then, go back to the cave again and bring
-some of those big pieces of rock on the floor."
-
-Sam went obediently. Instructed by Dick, he
-arranged a number of the rocks, four or five feet
-deep, to form a sort of platform.
-
-"Now knot this rope to the staves," said Dick,
-flinging it across. "Put it behind the rocks, and
-pile more rocks on top to hold it down."
-
-While this was being done, he made the other
-end of the double rope fast to a large boulder near
-the head of the shaft.
-
-"Now, Sam, all you have to do is to clasp the
-rope and let yourself down. We will do the rest."
-
-"Be it firm and steady?" asked the boy anxiously.
-
-Dick hauled on the rope; it was held firm by
-the rocks.
-
-"There, you see 'tis quite safe. All you want is
-a little courage; it will not take half a minute to
-get you across."
-
-"I'll send summat fust to prove it," said Sam.
-
-He withdrew a few paces into the passage, and
-returned, carrying a long, flat box. This he hitched
-to the rope.
-
-"Haul away, Maister Dick, and let me see wi'
-my own eyes."
-
-The box was drawn to the further side in a few
-moments.
-
-"Now are you satisfied?" asked Dick.
-
-"Iss, fay; and I've some more boxes that had
-better go fust."
-
-Four boxes and the two guns were hauled across
-before Sam consented to venture himself, and then
-only because he feared he could carry no more when
-he got to the other side.
-
-"'T'ud be a sin," he said, "to leave all these
-silks and satins behind."
-
-"How do you know the boxes contain silks and satins?"
-
-"'Cos I opened 'em and felt 'em in the dark.
-'Twas like strokin' a cat's back, wi'out no fear o'
-scratches. You'll be sure and not let me drop
-into the pit, Maister?"
-
-"Yes. Come along; I want my supper."
-
-"Be-jowned, and so do I. Here I come."
-
-He grasped the rope, let himself gently down,
-and was hauled to the other side.
-
-"Oh, Maister Penwarden," he cried as he landed,
-"I be 'nation glad to see 'ee safe and sound. Wheer
-have 'ee been all this time? You have gied us all
-a terrible deal o' trouble."
-
-Penwarden growled.
-
-"Never mind about that, Sam," said Dick. "Our
-trouble is well repaid, and we had better get home
-as soon as we can."
-
-"True. If you go first and turn the lantern so's
-it do gie me a light, I'll be able to carr' these boxes
-wi'out tumblin' and breakin' my head. So for
-home-along."
-
-On the homeward way Dick related his adventure.
-The old man said nothing until he heard of the
-discovery of lace and silks.
-
-"Ah!" said he, "and these boxes that young Sam
-be carr'in' on his head are filled with silks and laces,
-I s'pose."
-
-"Iss, fay," cried Sam exultantly, "and noble
-gowns and pinnies they will make, to be sure."
-
-"Well," said Penwarden, "then I seize 'em in
-the King's name."
-
-"Rake it all!" exclaimed Sam. "Did the King
-buy 'em? Did he bury 'em? Did he find 'em?
-No, the King be a good man, but 'a never did no
-free-tradin' in his life, I reckon, and we won't part
-with 'em, will we, Maister Dick?"
-
-"I know my duty," said Penwarden, "and seized
-they be. Resist at yer peril."
-
-"Daze me if I don't wish ye'd been carr'd to
-France," cried Sam. "Arter what we've been
-through for 'ee, too!"
-
-A wordy war ensued that lasted until they
-reached the door of the Towers, where the boxes
-were deposited for the night. It required a
-peremptory command from Mr. Polwhele next day
-to induce Penwarden to relinquish his claim on
-them, the old man then being more than ever
-convinced that the world was a strange mix-up.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`Petherick makes a Discovery`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Petherick makes a Discovery
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-About an hour before Doubledick was embarked
-for Roscoff, a group of men employed by Mr. Polwhele
-as his assistants stood on the bridge spanning
-the stream that flowed through the village. It was
-freezing, and they stamped and swung their arms to
-keep themselves warm.
-
-"'A said he would jine us by half-past nine
-o'clock," said one.
-
-"Well, church-clock has tolled the half-hour, and
-'tis gashly cold. What shall us do, neighbours?"
-asked a second.
-
-"Go home-along, say I," a third answered. "He
-be a true man of his word. Half-past nine, 'a said;
-half-past nine 'a meant, and if he bean't here 'tis a
-plain token he bean't a-comin'!"
-
-"I tell 'ee what, neighbours," said the man who
-had first spoken. "We'll gie un five minutes' law,
-as near as we can guess it by trampin' forth and
-back; then we'll wend up-along to Dower House
-and axe un for orders. I'll be sworn he be fillin' up
-his inside wi' high meat and noble drink."
-
-"Ay, and maybe figgy pudden or squab-pie,"
-said another, licking his lips. "Do 'ee think, now,
-we bein' pore men all, they'd gie us a croust and a
-nibleykin, like the rich gaffer and Lazarus?"
-
-"Jown me if we don't go straight as a line and
-see. Hey! step out, souls all."
-
-They hurried into the village and up the hill,
-arriving at the Dower House about ten minutes to
-ten. The house was brightly lit, and from within
-came sounds of laughter.
-
-"Sech merry doings bean't for we poor souls,"
-remarked one of the men despondently.
-
-"True, neighbour Pollard, we bean't all portigal
-sons," said another.
-
-"You be a bufflehead, sure enough. The portigal
-son in the Book comed home-along a beggar in
-rags, arter swallerin' pigs' wash."
-
-"Ah well, I must ha' been thinkin' o' some other
-holy man."
-
-"True; Lazarus was the man. Rap at the door,
-neighbours, and make a goodish noise, or ye won't
-be heerd through this yer racket."
-
-Susan came to the door in answer to the knock.
-
-"Please, ma'am, we be come," began Pollard, and
-then found it necessary to swallow.
-
-"Well I never! What be come for?"
-
-"For Maister Polwhele, wishin' 'ee no harm. 'A
-said he'd jine us when clock said half-past nine, and
-we'll be obleeged to 'ee if you'll say as we be come
-for orders."
-
-"Why, bless me, Mr. Polwhele went away when
-clock strook nine, and as sober as a jedge."
-
-"Well, souls, 'tis 'nation hard to traipse up that
-hill for nothing at all. We med as well go home-along
-and get to our beds. We be sorry to bring 'ee
-out, ma'am, such a bitter cold night, but 'twas
-to be."
-
-"I wish 'ee well, poor souls," said Susan.
-
-"A nesh young female," remarked one of the
-men, as they departed.
-
-"She'd as lief as not ha' gied us some grog if I
-warn't sech a humble feller of my inches. Hey! theer's
-a deal lost in this world by modest men like we."
-
-They shambled dolefully down the hill. Half-way
-down they were met by the boatswain and six
-seamen from the cutter.
-
-"Ahoy! mates," cried the boatswain, "have ye
-seen or heard anything of Mr. Mildmay?"
-
-"Neither heerd a cuss nor seed the tip o's nose."
-
-"Ah well, then. I thought you might have,
-coming along by Mr. Trevanion's house."
-
-"Ha' ye seed or heerd anything o' Maister Polwhele,
-now?"
-
-"Neither bowsprit nor whistle. No doubt he's
-with our officer, dancing a hornpipe, or whatever they
-do at fine gentlemen's parties."
-
-"No, he bean't at Dower House. We've been
-to call for un. 'A told us he'd jine us on bridge
-when church-clock strook half-past nine."
-
-"That's curious, because Mr. Mildmay told us
-the same thing, putting the cutter instead of the
-bridge. Isn't Mr. Mildmay up there, then?"
-
-"That we don't know. It didn't come into our
-heads to axe for he."
-
-"Well, we'd better go up and put the question.
-Step out, messmates."
-
-Mr. Polwhele's men returned with them, in the
-hope that the bold sailors would ask for the grog,
-which their modesty had missed. The door was
-again opened by Susan.
-
-"Now, my dear," said the boatswain, "we won't
-keep you in the cold. Just answer a little question.
-Is Mr. Mildmay aboard?"
-
-"Dear life! First Mr. Polwhele, now Mr. Mildmay.
-No, sailorman, they both wented out
-together, a minute arter clock strook nine."
-
-"Bless your pretty face! Well, messmates,
-we've had our cruise for nothing, unless this lovely
-lass will give us something to drink her health in."
-
-"Here's Maister!" cried Susan, stepping aside
-hastily as John Trevanion came to the door.
-
-"Well, my men, what's this?" he asked genially.
-
-"Please yer honour," began Pollard.
-
-"Avast there!" cried the boatswain. "Mr. Mildmay
-was to come aboard by three bells, sir,
-and seeing he was late, we made bold to come up
-here for orders."
-
-"Please yer honour," said Pollard, "Maister
-Polwhele telled we the same, only 'twas nine and
-a half bells wi' him."
-
-"Well, my men, you're too late. They both left
-here at nine. But come in: 'tis a cold night, and
-you won't be the worse of something warm. Susan,
-bring a full jug and tumblers. No one shall leave
-the Dower House to-night without drinking success
-to the mines."
-
-The men tramped in, voluble with thanks. Susan
-served them each with a tumbler hot, and they left
-a few minutes later, with a high opinion of
-Mr. Trevanion's hospitality, and the comfortable feeling
-that they had not made their journey for nothing.
-
-Sunday morning broke bright, frosty, and clear,
-the sun shining with a brilliance that belied the
-cold. About half an hour before church time, as
-Mr. Carlyon was conning over his sermon for the
-day, there entered to him the pluralist of the parish,
-Timothy Petherick, constable, sexton, beadle, and
-bell-ringer. There was a scowl of annoyance upon
-his face.
-
-"Well, Petherick, what is it?" said the Vicar,
-looking up.
-
-"Yer reverence," said the man, "hain't I telled
-'ee times wi'out number that the bats and owls do
-make a roostin' place o' holy church-tower?"
-
-"I believe you have."
-
-"Well, yer reverence, it didn' oughter be," said
-Petherick, smiting his fist. "They heathen animals
-didn' oughter take up their habitation in sech a
-Christian place. 'Like owl in desert,' says the Book,
-not 'like owl in church-tower.'"
-
-"Clear 'em out, and be hanged to 'em," said the
-parson. "Yet, after all, they don't do any harm."
-
-"No harm! Dash my bones, yer reverence—God
-forgi'e me for usin' Saturday words of a
-Sunday—they do do harm. Do 'ee think I can
-strike a true Christian note out o' the bell? No,
-not I; 'tis all clodgy, like the spache of a man
-that's rum-ripe, and all because some owl or
-airy-mouse hev made his nest on the clapper, scrounch
-un."
-
-"Well, go up the ladder and brush it off."
-
-"Theer 'tis, now. What's happened o' the ladder,
-I'd like to know? Theer bean't no ladder. 'Twas
-theer yester morn, but not a mossel o' ladder be
-theer to-day. 'Tis bewitched, sure enough; some
-pixy or nuggy, or little old man, hev sperited un
-away in the night, for I squinnied up-along and
-down-along, and never got a sight o't."
-
-"Well, time is getting on. Do your best,
-Petherick. Someone has borrowed the ladder, no
-doubt, and will bring it back to-morrow. You
-should lock the tower door, and then this sort of
-thing couldn't happen."
-
-Petherick retired, a man with a grievance.
-Entering the tower, he pulled at the bell-rope with
-a scornful air, and, indeed, the sound given out was
-little like the clear note that ordinarily summoned
-the Polkerran folk to worship.
-
-They were on the whole good church-goers. At
-least half the population were regular attendants,
-some of the other half being Methodists, who
-preferred going to "meeting." The principal
-smugglers were sound churchmen to a man, and
-repeated the responses after the Commandments
-with great fervour, especially after the eighth, when
-they glared reproachfully at Mr. Polwhele in his
-pew by the chancel steps.
-
-In spite of the strangely muffled bell, there was
-an unusually large congregation on this Sunday
-morning. The villagers, as their custom was,
-assembled in the churchyard, waiting until the
-Squire and his family had passed into the church
-before they should follow to their seats. Much
-animation was observable among them this morning,
-and when Dick walked up the centre path with his
-parents, he guessed that many of them were
-discussing the successful run of the previous night, and a
-smaller number the supposed deportation of Joe
-Penwarden. There was no sign of perturbation
-among them, whence he inferred that the disappearance
-of Doubledick was not yet known. It was not
-uncommon for the innkeeper, after a run, to absent
-himself for a day or two, so that, even if it were
-known that he had not yet returned to the inn, they
-would feel neither surprise nor alarm. Nor was the
-failure of their plot against Penwarden suspected.
-He had not spent the night in his cottage. Dick
-had insisted that the old man should sleep at the
-Towers, in order that he might have a good supper,
-and that Mrs. Trevanion might bathe and anoint his
-chafed wrists and ankles.
-
-The Squire's large curtained pew was on the north
-side of the chancel, Mr. Polwhele's next. Opposite,
-and facing it, was John Trevanion's. The master of
-the Dower House looked particularly fresh and
-cheerful when he strode up the aisle to his place.
-He smiled a greeting to one or two families with
-whom he was acquainted, carefully avoiding his
-relatives.
-
-The village folk clattered in; the band in the
-gallery above the door tuned up their instruments;
-the toneless bell ceased to ring, and Mr. Carlyon
-having made his solemn entry, the service began.
-
-The Vicar had just come to the end of the second
-lesson when, through a postern leading from the
-tower, came Petherick with a face full of news. He
-hastened to the reading desk, touched Mr. Carlyon
-on the sleeve, and said in a church whisper:
-
-"Please, yer reverence——"
-
-"Not now, Petherick," the Vicar whispered back.
-"Go to your seat."
-
-"I bean't in fault, and say it I woll," said the
-man. Then in a low tone, which, in the breathless
-silence of the congregation, penetrated to the remotest
-corner of the gallery, he added:
-
-"Maister Mildmay and riding-officer was in
-belfry, tied round the middle to bell."
-
-"God bless my soul!" murmured the astonished
-Vicar unconsciously. "This is unseemly," he said
-sternly: "'tis brawling. Go to your place, Petherick."
-
-The beadle marched to his seat under the pulpit
-with the air of one who had spoken his mind and
-scorned rebuke. Those of the congregation who
-had been in the secret tittered when he made his
-announcement; the larger number, who were vaguely
-aware that something had happened to the officers,
-but did not know its nature, gazed at one another
-with startled looks, which speedily changed to smiles.
-The occupants of the Squire's pew alone preserved
-their composure. Mr. Carlyon's stern look silenced
-the giggles and whispers of the frivolous, and the
-service proceeded.
-
-The hymn had been sung, the Vicar was in the
-midst of the prayer for the King's Majesty, and had
-just recited the words "our most gracious sovereign
-Lord King George," when a man quietly entered
-from the outer porch, and stood within the church
-beneath the gallery. The heads of the congregation
-were bent forward, so that his presence was
-unnoticed. The prayer came to an end; everybody
-said "Amen," but one voice rose above all the rest.
-It was that of the new-comer. Tonkin, in his pew a
-few paces down the aisle, started and turned his head
-like one thunderstruck. A bruise was noticeable
-on his right cheek. All held their breath as Joe
-Penwarden marched steadily down the aisle to his
-seat near the riding-officer's. As he passed the Vicar,
-he raised his hand to the salute, then knelt quietly
-at his place, where the coloured sunbeam, streaming
-in through the south window, lit up his
-weather-beaten face.
-
-That dramatic scene in the church was talked of
-in Polkerran for many a long year. A deep hush
-had fallen upon the whole congregation; even the
-most fractious and fidgety children felt awed, by
-they scarcely knew what. Consternation held the
-smugglers rigid in their seats. John Trevanion's
-face turned sea-green, and the smile by which he
-tried to conceal from the congregation the mingled
-emotions—surprise, rage, even fear—that possessed
-him, did but reveal them the more clearly to two
-pair of eyes in the Squire's pew.
-
-Meanwhile the Vicar had turned over a few leaves
-of his prayer-book. Now, in a peculiarly solemn
-tone, he began to read the thanksgiving "For peace
-and deliverance from our enemies." The words
-rolled through the church: "We yield Thee praise
-and thanksgiving for our deliverance from these
-great and apparent dangers wherewith we were
-compassed"; and at the close Penwarden's voice
-was again uplifted in a loud and prolonged "Amen."
-
-Mr. Carlyon was a man of tact. He knew very
-well that his people would be on tenter-hooks until
-they could discuss these strange incidents. It was
-no time to preach to them. A sermon was not an
-essential part of the service. Accordingly he finished
-the order for morning prayer and gave the Blessing
-without ascending into the pulpit. The congregation
-streamed forth. Tonkin and his friends in a knot
-hurried down to the inn, followed closely by the
-tub-carriers of the previous night, whom Doubledick
-had invited to meet him there. John Trevanion
-came out alone, and walked rapidly homeward,
-without a word or a look to anyone. The rest went
-their several ways, except the Squire and his family,
-and Penwarden, whom Mr. Carlyon invited to the
-Parsonage. There they found Mr. Mildmay and
-the riding-officer sitting in the sunlight at an open
-window, sipping toddy and taking snuff, thoughtfully
-brought to them by the housekeeper.
-
-"Upon my word," said the Vicar, on beholding
-their wrathful countenances, "if I had not so lately
-taken off my surplice I fear I should laugh. What
-is the meaning of it, gentlemen?"
-
-It is regrettable, but the truth must be told.
-The two officers, Mrs. Trevanion not having entered
-the room, let forth a flood of language such as
-certainly had never before been heard within those
-walls.
-
-"Come, come," said the Vicar, "remember my
-cloth. I will change my coat, and then ask you
-to tell me calmly, as befits the day, all that has
-happened."
-
-"Your cousin, Squire——" began Mr. Mildmay,
-on the Vicar's departure, but he choked.
-
-"Is a consummate scoundrel, sir," said
-Mr. Polwhele for him.
-
-"He hoodwinked us," said the lieutenant.
-
-"He trapped us," cried the riding-officer.
-
-"Calmly, gentlemen," said the Vicar, re-entering.
-"Now, Mildmay."
-
-"He invited us to his house——"
-
-"And laughed and joked," put in Mr. Polwhele.
-
-"And made himself deuced pleasant," said Mr. Mildmay.
-
-"One would think they were parson and clerk,"
-said the Vicar under his breath.
-
-The hint was taken, and Mr. Mildmay was able
-to speak a few sentences without interruption.
-
-"Well, we left together, Polwhele and I, at nine
-o'clock, as we intended. 'Twas pitch dark. We
-had quitted the grounds but half a minute, and were
-walking along by that stone hedge near the
-mine-shaft, when we fell headlong over a rope stretched
-across the road. Before we could get to our feet,
-hang me if a crowd of ruffians didn't fling themselves
-upon us and well-nigh choke the breath out of our
-bodies. I hit out——"
-
-"So did I," said Mr. Polwhele, his feelings
-overcoming him.
-
-"So did Polwhele. I barked my knuckles."
-
-"So did I," said Mr. Polwhele.
-
-"So did Polwhele; but we might have been
-fighting air for all the good we did. The rascals
-held us down while they gagged and roped us——"
-
-"And never a word said," put in the riding-officer.
-
-"No, confound it all! 'Twas too dark to tell
-black from white. All the scoundrels were masked,
-and didn't breathe a word we could identify 'em by.
-They roped us so that we couldn't move hand or
-foot, and carried us we didn't know where——"
-
-"Except that it was over plaguey rough ground.
-I was jarred and jolted till I felt as if all my joints
-were loose."
-
-"So was I," said Mr. Mildmay. "I knew no
-more till I found myself being hauled up a ladder,
-and then, confusion seize them! they lashed me to
-the bell——"
-
-"Mildmay on one side, I on t'other, the same
-rope going all round."
-
-"And there they left us all night. I didn't get a
-wink of sleep——"
-
-"Nor I——"
-
-"Till the morning, and as soon as I dropped oft,
-that dunderhead Petherick must pull the bell-rope,
-and I felt a great thwack in the small of my back,
-and woke in a desperate fright. There was a second
-thump, and then it stopped, and we had peace for a
-few minutes."
-
-"That was when Petherick was telling me that I
-really must clear the tower of owls and bats," said
-the Vicar.
-
-"Bats!" cried Mr. Polwhele. "They were
-whisking me in the face all night."
-
-"And the owls were tu-whooing like fog-horns,"
-said Mr. Mildmay. "Then the thumping began
-again, and I was jarred till I thought I should die.
-Then there came a horrible noise of fiddles and
-serpents and clarinets from below, and yowling
-and growling, and soon after Petherick's head
-appeared through the hatch, and he had the
-impudence to laugh in our faces. When he had
-done cackling, he loosed us, and we crawled down
-the ladder more dead than alive, and here we are."
-
-.. _`"PETHERICK'S HEAD APPEARED THROUGH THE HATCH"`:
-
-.. figure:: images/img-262.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: "PETHERICK'S HEAD APPEARED THROUGH THE HATCH."
-
- "PETHERICK'S HEAD APPEARED THROUGH THE HATCH."
-
-"And I lay my life 'twas John Trevanion's plot,"
-cried Mr. Polwhele hotly. "Never has such a
-scandalous outrage been known in Cornwall before.
-The Judas came to the door and bade us good-night,
-and said he was sorry we must go, but duty must be
-done—the detestable hypocrite."
-
-"There was certainly more art in it than the
-village folks are capable of," said the Vicar.
-"By——dear me! I am forgetting myself, but it brings
-back to me the pranks we played at Oxford. I
-remember——but there, that's best told on a week-day.
-You'll find it hard to prove anything against
-John Trevanion, my friends."
-
-"That's the cunning of the villain," said
-Mr. Mildmay. "But I'll keep a lynx-eye on him for
-the future, and my gentleman will overreach
-himself one of these days. No doubt he made a fine
-haul last night."
-
-"He did so," said Penwarden, who had remained
-in the background. "The carriers made five trips
-betwixt the cave and the well, and though I couldn'
-see 'em, I reckon they ran summat nigh two-hundred
-tubs."
-
-"Bless my soul, where do you spring from,
-Joe?" cried the riding-officer.
-
-"Ah, sir, there be no spring left in my aged
-frame. I bean't what I was in my young days,
-when I served wi' Lord Admiral Rodney. But I'm
-not dead yet, thanks to Maister Dick, and I'll be on
-duty to-morrer, sir, same as ever."
-
-"Come, Joe," said the Vicar, "we must hear all
-about it. I own I almost forgot where I was when
-I saw you tramp up the aisle just now."
-
-"The Squire's lady did say I wasn't to get up,
-Pa'son, but when I woked and found 'em all gone-along
-to church, I couldn't bide wi'out goin' up to
-the House of the Lord like holy David, and givin'
-my humble and hearty thanks to the Almighty."
-
-He related how, at dead of night, he had been
-hauled from his bed by half-a-dozen masked figures,
-carried to the well, let down in a basket, and taken
-to the place where Dick had found him.
-
-"'Twas that 'nation rascal Doubledick at the
-bottom of it," he said. "When I laid there flat on
-a plank, wi' a blanket atween my teeth, and a gashly
-ache in every inch o' my body, I could ha' borne it
-all like a holy martyr, but for the villain's tormentin'
-mouth-speech. 'A tried his best to change his
-tone o' voice, but I knowed un through it all.
-'You be agoin' on yer travels,' says he. ''Tis
-uncommon spry in 'ee at yer time o' life, wonderful
-brave in a old aged feller. And ye'll lay yer bones
-in a furrin grave, wheer ye'll bide till Judgment Day,
-and when the trump wakes 'ee and they axe 'ee what
-be doin' in a strange heathen land, ye'll have to tell,
-'twas because ye couldn't keep yer tongue from evil
-speakin', nor yer hands from pickin' and stealin'.
-Ah! 'tis a sorrerful sight to see a old ancient like
-'ee goin' the way to everlastin' bonfire for sech
-ungodly deeds.' So 'a went on a-rantin' and ravin'
-till I come nigh bustin' wi' the rage inside me. But
-I reckon he sings another tune now. 'Tis he hev
-gone on his travels, and he dussn't show his face
-here no more, for 'twill be transportation if he do."
-
-It was Dick's turn to recount the steps of his
-discovery, and he learnt from Penwarden the
-explanation of the only point that still puzzled him:
-why he had found the front door of the cottage
-unlocked. Penwarden said that one of the
-kidnappers had opened the door to keep a look-out.
-The presumption was that, after locking the back
-door behind his comrades when the deed was done,
-he had merely closed the front door, probably
-because he was in haste to rejoin them.
-
-While Dick told his story, the Vicar was turning
-over the yellow leaves of an old leather-bound
-manuscript book.
-
-"Ah! I have it," he exclaimed at length. "This
-is the diary of William Hammond, vicar of this
-parish eighty years ago—material for my poor
-starveling history, Trevanion. You have seen his
-name on the tablet in church. Listen. 'To-day I
-read the burial service for seven men of this parish,
-to wit, Anthony Hallah, Francis Hocking, John
-Tregurtha, John Maddein, Richard Kelynack, Paul
-Tonkin, Thomas Rowe, who 'tis supposed were
-overwhelmed in the late landslip beyond St. Cuby's
-Cove. Their bodies have not been recovered, but I
-yielded to the entreaties of their families that I
-would recite the solemn office of the Church, that
-their souls might rest in peace.' Do you see the
-story in this? The poor fellows were smothered
-while running a cargo into the cave which Dick
-found blocked up. Naturally the place was shunned
-by the smugglers, and I daresay it was years before
-a new generation made for themselves the hiding-place
-Dick has discovered. No doubt it is in the
-part of the cliff that bulges over the sea. They
-must have hollowed out the chamber, and pierced a
-hole in its floor, and you might have searched for
-ever, Mr. Mildmay, without perceiving from below
-the trapdoor with which it was concealed. No
-doubt, as Dick suggests, they have traded on the
-superstitions of the people in regard to the ghost at
-the well, and the fact that they seldom needed to
-use the hiding-place has helped them to preserve
-their secret. This will be a terrible blow to the
-smuggling hereabouts, and 'tis an extraordinary thing
-that it should be due to Dick, whose intervention
-has been brought about so strangely."
-
-"Confound it, Dick, you ought to be in my
-place," said Mr. Mildmay with a rueful look.
-"Here have I been dashing about in the cutter, and
-Polwhele riding up and down, and all the fuss and
-fury not half so effective as your quiet use of your
-wits. 'Tis a dash to one's proper pride."
-
-"There was a great deal of luck about it, sir,"
-said Dick. "If Sam hadn't overheard the conversation
-between John Trevanion and Doubledick, we
-might have puzzled our wits for years without
-getting at the truth."
-
-"Ah!" said Mr. Carlyon with a chuckle, "and
-there's a lady in the case as usual. I understand
-that Sam takes a brotherly interest in Mr. Trevanion's
-maidservant—a very good girl, behaves well in
-church, and seems most attentive to my sermons.
-Upon my word, Squire, we owe something to John
-Trevanion after all."
-
-"Humph!" grunted the Squire. "What does
-the Book say, Vicar? 'The wicked diggeth a pit,
-and falleth into it himself.' That is true in the case
-of Doubledick, at any rate."
-
-"And he's no loss to us," said Mr. Polwhele.
-"Without a doubt he hid that ruffian Delarousse. I
-suppose they'll now be hob-a-nob together in
-Roscoff. What's that at the window?"
-
-He sprang up and put his head out.
-
-"Do 'ee feel better now, sir?" asked Petherick,
-sympathetically.
-
-"What are you doing there, Petherick?" asked
-the Vicar, recognising his voice.
-
-"I wer just a-comin' along to tell 'ee wheer I
-found ladder, yer reverence. 'Twas in the ditch
-over beyond the linney, and be-jowned if I wouldn'
-give a silver sixpence, poor as I be, to know who
-'twas carr'd un theer. We must clear out these
-owls and airy-mouses, to be sure."
-
-"Well, set about it to-morrow," said the Vicar,
-closing the window.
-
-"I'll be bound the fellow has heard all that we've
-said," cried Mr. Polwhele.
-
-"Then you may be sure it will be all over the
-parish to-morrow," said Mr. Carlyon.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`A High Dive`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A High Dive
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The failure of their carefully-laid plan afflicted
-the smugglers with a numbness of dismay and
-stupefaction, and robbed them of all power to
-appreciate the success of the trick played on the
-revenue officers. Tonkin bitterly reproached
-himself for leaving the shipment of Penwarden to
-Doubledick and undertaking the seizure of John
-Trevanion's guests. Moreover, honest and
-simple-minded as he was, a tiny seed of suspicion was
-beginning to germinate in his mind. Before John
-Trevanion came home, the freighting had been done
-by Tonkin on a modest scale in co-operation with
-Delarousse. Now, however, John Trevanion had
-taken the lead. For some reason, which none knew,
-and only Doubledick suspected, he had thrown over
-Delarousse, and did business with a rival and enemy
-of his in Roscoff. Having more capital than Tonkin,
-whose recent losses had indeed been crippling, he
-could buy more largely and employ more men, so
-that Tonkin found himself in a position of galling
-subordination. As Trevanion had said to Doubledick,
-the big man did not care to play second fiddle.
-He was beginning to wonder whether the jovial
-master of the Dower House was quite so good a
-friend as he seemed.
-
-The escape of Penwarden was a blow, the more
-crushing because so mysterious. After church on
-Sunday, Tonkin and his fellows foregathered with
-the tub-carriers in the Five Pilchards, where
-Mrs. Doubledick attended to them in her husband's
-absence. The young farm labourers had been in
-complete ignorance of the presence of Penwarden
-behind the stacked barrels. His projected deportation
-was the secret of Tonkin and a few trusty
-friends, who knew better than to run the risk of
-being betrayed by an informer. They were still
-anxious to guard their secret, and being unable to
-discuss the matter freely in the presence of the
-carriers, they made themselves so unpleasant that the
-latter presently betook themselves in dudgeon to the
-Three Jolly Mariners. But even when the important
-people had the taproom of the Five Pilchards
-to themselves, they were at a loss. In Doubledick's
-absence no light could be thrown on the mystery.
-
-"Do 'ee know wheer yer man be, Mistress?"
-asked Tonkin of the gaunt woman behind the bar.
-
-"I do not," she replied, "but 'a will come
-home-along in a day or two, to be sure. He loves his
-home, does Doubledick."
-
-"Well, you ought to know, if anybody."
-
-"Hey, my sonnies," said a voice at the door, and
-Petherick entered. "I be come to jine ye in yer
-laughter and merrymakin'."
-
-"Then you be come the wrong road," said Tonkin
-gloomily. "We be downcast and dismal."
-
-"Ay, mumchanced and mumblechopped," added
-Nathan Pendry.
-
-"You do surprise me! Never did I see anything
-that tickled my ribs so much as they two King's
-servants lashed to the holy bell. I don't care who
-the man is, 'twas a merry notion. But good now!
-I know what yer dark thoughts be. 'T'ud make
-angels weep and wail, so 'twould. To think that
-Cuby's ghost will walk never more!"
-
-"Oh, Cuby's ghost be jowned! If ye do know
-anything, tell it out without hawkin' and spettin',
-constable," said Tonkin.
-
-"Well, neighbour Doubledick be a lost soul this
-day, that's sartin," said Petherick.
-
-"My Billy be dead!" shrieked Mrs. Doubledick,
-sinking into a chair and rocking herself to and fro.
-
-"No, no, Mistress," said Petherick. "It bean't
-gone so far as that. Dry yer eyes, woman. He
-bean't a corp, 's far 's I do know, but never will ye
-see un again, no, never."
-
-"Name it all, constable, don't spin it out so
-long," said Nathan Pendry. "Put the 'ooman out
-of her misery."
-
-"Well, I will. Neighbour Doubledick be this
-day in Rusco."
-
-"Dear life!" exclaimed Mrs. Doubledick.
-
-"How do 'ee know that, constable?" asked Tonkin.
-
-"I heerd it all wi' my own ears. Seems as if Joe
-Penwarden was to go, but the voyage wer too much
-for his old aged stummick, so he and young
-Trevanion sent neighbour Doubledick instead."
-
-He then repeated what he had overheard at the
-window of the Parsonage, his audience listening in
-wrath and amazement.
-
-"So ye see," he concluded, "he dussn't show his
-face hereabouts again, for they two will swear to him
-afore Sir Bevil, and neither might nor power can
-save un. Seems to me as ye've met your match in
-young Squire."
-
-This opened the floodgates of rage, and the room
-rang with execrations and threats of vengeance. At
-last Tonkin declared that he would sail to Roscoff
-next day, hear Doubledick's version of the matter,
-and learn whether the innkeeper himself admitted
-the impossibility of returning from his exile.
-Meanwhile he bound all those present not to disclose
-their knowledge of what had happened. He felt
-that the ignominious failure of the scheme would
-make them all a laughing-stock, which was especially
-to be avoided now that a score of miners had
-been imported into the village by John Trevanion.
-The men loyally kept the secret, even Petherick
-restraining his gossiping tongue, for he had a
-wholesome fear of Tonkin.
-
-Next morning, therefore, Tonkin sailed away in
-his own lugger, beating out against a stiff breeze.
-An hour or two later, Mr. Mildmay paid a visit in
-the cutter to the scene of the night's events, seized
-the tubs still left in the smugglers' den, broke up
-the windlass, and blocked up the tunnel leading to
-the well.
-
-Next afternoon Dick and Sam launched their boat,
-and sailed out to fish at some distance from the point
-of the Beal. Meeting them on the cliff, Penwarden
-advised them to keep their eye on the weather.
-The sky was threatening, and the boat, while safe
-enough on a calm sea, had not proved her capacity
-to ride out a storm.
-
-Sam appeared to be in low spirits. Usually
-talkative, he had scarcely spoken to Dick on the
-way from the house, and had indeed not been visible
-since breakfast time.
-
-"What's the matter, Sam?" said Dick, as he sat
-at the tiller, noticing the boy's gloomy face as he
-rowed to assist the sail.
-
-"Nawthin'," replied Sam curtly.
-
-"But there is. Your face is as long as a fiddle.
-Something must have upset you. What is it?"
-
-"Well, if I must tell, I will. My poor heart be
-broke."
-
-"That's bad. What broke it?"
-
-"The Mistress."
-
-"My mother! What has she done?"
-
-"'Tis not what she does, but what she says. Oh! 'tis
-terrible hard for poor folks in this world."
-
-"I agree with you. We are all pretty poor at
-the Towers."
-
-"That's why I feel it. Some poor folks can have
-noble raiment, others can't, and drown me if I can
-see the why and wherefore."
-
-"Don't talk rubbish."
-
-"'Tis not rubbish. Hevn't Mistress got a fine
-new sealskin coat? Didn't she wear it to church
-yesterday? Didn't she look like a queen, and make
-all the women's eyes open as wide as saucers? And
-there was Maidy Susan, poor young thing, lookin' as
-plain as a sparrer beside her."
-
-"Well, you wouldn't expect to see a servant-maid
-as fine as the Squire's wife."
-
-"Iss, I would so, when her might be. I showed
-they silks and satins to Mistress, and telled her I
-had broughted 'em for Maidy Susan. 'No, indeed,'
-says she; 'quite unsuitable for a girl in her station
-o' life.' 'Why for, please 'm?' says I. 'Because
-I say so,' says she; 'I never heerd o' sech a
-thing.' Be-jowned if I can see why. Pretty things be fitty
-for pretty females, and I don't care who the man is,
-Maidy Susan would look as fine in 'em as Mistress
-do in her noble sealskin."
-
-"Fine feathers don't make fine birds, they say,"
-remarked Dick with a smile.
-
-"No, nor fine coats don't make old women young
-and pretty. They only make 'em look fatter."
-
-"Sam, don't be impudent."
-
-"Bean't impedence, leastways, not meant for sech,
-as you know well. It be truth," insisted Sam.
-"Can 'ee deny it? I axe 'ee, bean't Susan a pretty
-maid?"
-
-"She is, I own."
-
-"Well, then, there you are."
-
-This appeared to Sam a clinching argument. Dick
-laughed.
-
-"I'll speak to Mother," he said. "Perhaps she
-will let Susan have a little silk for high days and
-holidays. But you know the story of the jackdaw that
-dressed up as a peacock and was pecked to death by
-the peacocks it went amongst?"
-
-"Never heerd o't, and I don't believe it. Peacocks
-be sech silly mortals. Howsomever, if ye'll
-speak to Mistress I'll say no more, for she'll do
-whatever you tell her."
-
-By this time they were far out in the bay. They
-cast their lines overboard, and caught one or two flat
-fish; but sport being very slow, and the wind
-increasing in force, after about an hour they decided
-to return.
-
-Another boat, meanwhile, had put out for the
-same purpose. It contained Jake Tonkin and Ike
-Pendry. The two boats passed within a few yards
-of each other.
-
-"Afeard of a capful o' wind," said Jake with a
-sneer to his companion, loud enough to be heard on
-the other boat.
-
-"Ay, they'll 'eave up afore they get ashore,"
-rejoined Pendry.
-
-Dick paid no attention to them. Running in
-behind the Beal, which sheltered him from the
-wind, he found the sea in Trevanion Bay so calm
-that he began to wonder whether he had not been
-over-hasty in putting back. They landed, moored
-the boat, and carried their meagre catch to the
-Towers.
-
-"They may jeer," said Dick, as he steadied himself
-against the wind, which on the cliff-top blew
-with the force of half a gale, "but they'll run in
-themselves pretty soon, you'll see."
-
-Having handed the fish to Reuben, they left the
-house again, and made their way along the Beal,
-somewhat curious to see how the two fisher-lads
-were faring. Jake's boat, an old tub, as crazy as
-that of Dick's which had been destroyed, was tossing
-and rolling in a way that must have rendered fishing
-a very uncomfortable occupation.
-
-"They're a couple of jackasses," said Dick. "The
-wind is getting up every minute. Look at that!
-That gust nearly capsized them."
-
-"I reckon they be showing off," said Sam. "Ah! they're
-putting back arter all, and 'twas time."
-
-The boat's head was turned for home. Dick and
-Sam walked to the end of the promontory, whence
-the sea on both sides was in full view.
-
-"'Twill be a noble sight to see 'em cross the
-reef," said Sam.
-
-"Oh, they won't try that," said Dick. "The
-tide is too low. You can see the rocks every now
-and again through the breakers. They will make
-for the fairway."
-
-The wind was now blowing with terrific force, the
-gusts smiting the boys, exposed as they were, like
-the fists of some unseen gigantic boxer. They kept
-their feet with difficulty. Sam's hat was whirled
-away, and rolled and bounded along the Beal at the
-speed of a hare. The surface of the sea was broken
-by innumerable little white ridges, and at intervals
-one of these was seen to be the crest of a huge
-wave, which reared itself, and before it fell was torn
-into shreds of spindrift.
-
-Jake Tonkin's boat ran clear of the headland
-towards the harbour, and, having got what he
-apparently considered to be sufficient sea-room, he
-hoisted his lug-sail, and steered direct for the
-fairway. It seemed to the two watchers on the Beal
-that the wind had been maliciously awaiting this
-opportunity of mischief. A more than usually fierce
-gust ripped the sail loose; the boat staggered, spun
-round, and drifted broadside to the sea. The two
-lads in her seized their oars, and after great exertion
-brought her head once more towards the shore.
-But in a few moments one of them started baling,
-then resumed the oars, only to ship them almost
-instantly afterwards and bale out again.
-
-When the sail was carried away, the boat was
-about a third of a mile from the spot on which Dick
-and Sam stood. Her progress towards the harbour
-had been extraordinarily slow, though the wind was
-behind her. Dick guessed that she had sprung a
-leak, and when the baling became continuous, he
-realised the extreme peril of her occupants. Every
-moment she was in danger of being swamped. He
-watched with excitement, not unmixed with anxiety.
-She drew gradually nearer, but with a sluggish
-heaviness of movement that bespoke her water-logged
-condition. Another twenty or thirty yards
-would bring her within the shelter of the reef, in
-which case the danger of being swamped would be
-over, unless the leak gained upon the lad energetically
-baling.
-
-A shout from the left drew Dick's attention
-towards the jetty. The lads' plight had been
-perceived, and a large boat, manned by a crew of four,
-was pulling off to their assistance. If they could
-hold their own for five more minutes they would be
-taken off. But just as Dick, thus calculating the
-chances, turned from this momentary glance shorewards
-to watch the labouring boat again, a great wave
-broke over her, she disappeared, and the lads with her.
-
-A quick look round, then Dick dropped to the
-ground, unlaced his boots, drew them off, and flung
-off his coat.
-
-"Go to our den, Sam," he cried, "and fling over
-the two barrels we use for chairs."
-
-"You be never going to——"
-
-But Sam's protest was unheeded and almost
-unheard. Dick was clambering down the steep face
-of the cliff. The fisher-lads could not swim;
-scarcely a man in Polkerran was more skilled than
-they; and it was plain that unless assistance came to
-them at once they must be drowned, for the boat,
-pulling out against wind and wave, could not reach
-them in time.
-
-Thirty feet above the sea, and almost exactly over
-the spot where the boat had capsized, there was a
-narrow ledge. As a swimmer Dick was self-taught.
-He usually plunged into the sea from a rock a few
-feet above the surface; the dive he now prepared to
-take was at least five times as great as he had ever
-attempted before. Fortunately the fairway was clear
-of rocks, although the waves beat roughly against
-the almost perpendicular cliff. A momentary hesitation,
-then Dick dived off. He took the water cleanly,
-but, somewhat dazed by the violence of the shock, he
-went far deeper than a practised diver would have
-done. To himself, as to Sam, gazing at him
-horror-stricken from above, it seemed a terribly long time
-before he shot up to the surface.
-
-But he emerged at last. Shaking the water from
-his eyes, he looked round for signs of the
-fisher-lads. Within twelve yards of him he saw the boat,
-bottom upwards, and a boy clinging to the rudder.
-A gust of wind whipped the spindrift into Dick's
-eyes; for some moments he could see nothing more.
-But then, five or six yards away, between the boat
-and the cliff, he caught sight of an arm rising from the
-sea, only to disappear instantly. He struck out for
-the spot. In a few seconds a dark mass surged up
-almost beside him. Another stroke or two enabled
-him to get a grip upon it before it could sink again.
-Fortunately both for the drowning lad and his
-rescuer, the former was by this time unconscious.
-In the rough sea that tumbled about him Dick could
-scarcely have fought against the struggles of a frantic
-man. In a trice he turned the lad face upward,
-and, firmly grasping his collar with one hand, swam
-on his back with his legs and one free arm. Surely
-he could hold out until the boat came up! He
-heard the shouts of the men and the splash of the
-oars; it could not be far away.
-
-There was a danger that he might be swept by the
-waves against the frowning cliff, and knocked senseless.
-To avoid this, he struck out furiously towards
-the middle of the fairway, where the empty barrels
-thrown down by Sam were floating. In a calm sea
-his strength might easily have endured the fatigue of
-supporting a dead weight, but he knew that he was
-being conquered by the tumbling waves, and the
-blinding, choking spray that swept over him, it
-seemed without intermission. Again and again he
-felt that he could never regain his breath. The
-struggle to do so weakened him far more than the
-muscular exertion. The dreadful conviction seized
-him that he, too, was drowning. But his grip never
-relaxed; even when a dazed and helpless feeling
-came over him, he kept the lad's collar firmly in his
-clutch. Then he was dimly conscious of a quiet
-restfulness and content; and Sam, in frantic terror
-above, saw his movements cease, and felt an agonising
-certainty that his young master was lost.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-When Dick came to himself, he found himself
-lying in the bottom of Nathan Pendry's boat,
-within a few yards of the jetty. The rescuers had
-come up in the nick of time. Dick and the lad he
-had saved were hauled into the boat together, and
-the fingers of the former were so tightly clenched
-that for some time it was impossible to separate the
-two. The overturned craft had drifted within a few
-yards of the cliff, and the other boy still clung to it.
-He was taken aboard, and meanwhile two of the
-men used all the means they knew to restore the
-others to consciousness. Without waiting to secure
-the capsized boat, they pulled with all speed for the
-jetty, which was thronged with village folk, whom the
-news of the accident had brought in hot haste from
-their houses.
-
-The dripping lads were taken out and carried to
-the inn, where Mrs. Doubledick had made up a
-roaring fire, and had blankets and hot brandy
-awaiting them. Sam, pale as a sheet, forced his way
-through the crowd at the door towards his master.
-
-"Oh, 'tis good to see 'ee safe!" he cried, almost
-hugging Dick. "Hev 'ee swallered much?" he
-asked anxiously.
-
-Dick was too weak to reply. He began to laugh
-childishly, for within a few feet of him, swathed in
-a steaming blanket, sat his old enemy, Jake Tonkin,
-even more feeble than himself.
-
-"'Twas him ye did it for!" cried Sam indignantly.
-"No one could ha' blamed 'ee if ye'd let the villain
-drown."
-
-Dick shook his head.
-
-"Now, young Sam Pollex," cried Mrs. Doubledick,
-"you be off! Maister Trevanion don't want
-'ee kiddlin' and quaddlin' about when he do feel
-bad. Just pick up his clothes out o' that plosh o'
-water and spread 'em on this chair-back. Then go.
-We'll send him home-along in a cart or a wheelbarrow
-when he's better."
-
-"Daze me if I go, Mistress!" cried Sam. "Here I
-bide till Maister be able to shail along, so I tell 'ee."
-
-"Let the chiel bide," said Nathan Pendry. "They
-be like two twains in everything, mischief and all,
-and they 'm best not parted."
-
-"Iss, fay, my brother Ben was twain to me," said
-Simon Mail, "and 'a quenched away when they took
-un from me."
-
-"Why, dear life now, neighbour Mail," cried
-Mrs. Doubledick, "bean't it true, then, that yer brother
-Ben was shot in the nuddick at some great battle in
-Egypt, or other furrin land?"
-
-"True, he was; but he couldn't ha' been if he
-hadn't been parted from I."
-
-"A-course not, ye chucklehead!" said
-Mrs. Doubledick. "If ye hadn't been parted he would
-ha' been talkin' foolishness along with 'ee now. Off
-ye go now, neighbours all. The lads will do better
-wi'out ye, and there bean't no need to send over to
-Redruth for a doctor."
-
-"I wish 'ee well, Maister Trevanion," said Pendry
-as he went out. "Us do hate 'ee like p'ison, that's
-true; but I don't care who the man is, 'twas a brave
-deed, and that I'll stand by, so theer!"
-
-The village folk were somewhat divided in their
-opinion as to their future attitude towards the
-inmates of the Towers. The better sort, of whom
-Nathan Pendry may be taken as a representative,
-were so much struck by Dick's rescue of Jake, that
-their feelings underwent a change. They were not
-at first very ready to show their altered sentiments
-openly, but the leaven was beginning to work. If
-Dick, who had been so much persecuted, they
-argued, had the generosity to risk his life on behalf
-of one of those who had most injured him, it was
-hardly credible that he should really be the spy and
-informer he was suspected of being. Others, however,
-would not agree that the family was less open
-to suspicion, so far as smuggling was concerned,
-because of a single plucky act. Their view was
-supported by John Trevanion, who, having heard of
-the incident, took care to drop seeds of depreciation
-in the ears of such of the fishers as he encountered
-here and there.
-
-The former party received a notable accession on
-the evening of the rescue. Isaac Tonkin returned
-home. The first person he met when he set foot on
-the jetty was Nathan Pendry, who told him what had
-happened in his absence. Tonkin was so much
-surprised at the news that he did not wait to give an
-account of his discoveries in Roscoff, but hurried at
-once to his house, where, as Pendry had told him,
-Jake had been put to bed.
-
-"Be ye feelin' bad, my sonny?" he said with
-rough tenderness, leaning over the boy.
-
-"Not so bad as I did in the water, Feyther," Jake
-replied.
-
-"'Tis good to hear, my son. You be safe as
-a trippet, right enough. And 'twas young Squire
-saved 'ee! Well, there's norra man in the whole
-parish could ha' done it. I reckon ye gied un a
-proper word o' thanks?"
-
-Jack did not reply.
-
-"Did 'ee hear what I axed 'ee? A-course ye
-gied young Squire a good word for 's kindness?
-Did 'ee, or did 'ee not?"
-
-"I didn'."
-
-"Ye didn'! And why not?"
-
-"Never did it come into my head."
-
-"Well, it better come into yer head now, and
-quick, or I'll have to ding it in. Pull on your
-clothes, and go up-along this minute to the Towers,
-and say as you be tarrible ashamed o' yerself for
-forgettin' to say thank 'ee. Get on with 'ee!"
-
-Jake had to get up there and then, and set off on
-his errand. He had not been gone five minutes
-before his father, who had been walking restlessly
-about, suddenly went down into his cellar and
-brought up a keg of brandy and a large canister
-filled with tobacco. Then he rapped on the wall,
-and hearing a faint "Hallo!" in answer, he
-shouted:
-
-"Be that you, Ike Pendry?"
-
-"Iss, 'tis I."
-
-"Come-along in; I want 'ee,"
-
-When the lad entered, Tonkin handed the keg
-and canister to him, saying:
-
-"Carr' them things up to Towers for me, my son.
-Axe for Squire, and tell un they be a present from
-Zacky Tonkin, go along now."
-
-Ten minutes after Ike started with his load,
-Tonkin, as restless as ever, banged the table with his
-great fist, startling his meek little wife, and cried:
-
-"Drown me if I don't do it!"
-
-"What, Zacky, my dear?"
-
-"Go up-along myself and thank young Squire.
-Name it all, hain't he saved our only boy, Betty?
-A man can't do less than say thank 'ee, I don't care
-who he is."
-
-He thrust on his hat, and set off in haste. At the
-top of the hill he overtook Ike, who, laden as he
-was, had walked slowly.
-
-"Stir your shanks, Ike," said he. "Here now,
-I'll take keg; you keep canister."
-
-They went on together. At the Dower House
-they came up with Jake, who was shambling along,
-feeling anything but comfortable at the thought of
-the impending interview.
-
-"What, slug-a-stump!" cried his father angrily.
-"Bean't theer yet?"
-
-"Seeming not," said Jake. "I be tired."
-
-"Well, my son, ye'll just step out a bit quicker,
-or I'll have to take a loan of the Squire's whip."
-
-All three now proceeded until they came to the
-Towers.
-
-"Be Squire to home, neighbour Pollex?" asked
-Tonkin of Reuben, who opened the door.
-
-"Iss sure; but I reckon he don't want to see 'ee,
-Zacky Tonkin," replied the old man.
-
-"Maybe, but I want to see he, and ye can tell un so."
-
-Reuben departed. In a minute he returned.
-
-"Squire says ye're to step in," he said, sourly.
-"For me, I'd shet the door in yer face, and well you
-know why."
-
-Tonkin and his companions were led to the living
-room, where sat the Squire and his wife.
-
-"Well, Tonkin, what can I do for you?" said
-the Squire pleasantly.
-
-"Nawthin' as I know on, Squire, thank 'ee kindly.
-My respects, my lady." He turned his hat
-awkwardly between his hands. "The truth is,
-Squire," he went on, "I b'lieve I'm the feyther or
-an ungrateful young feller. I be real vexed to think
-he didn' say a word o' thanks to Maister Dick for
-what he done for un, and he hev got to say it now,
-or I'll leather un. Med I see young Maister?"
-
-"Not to-night, Tonkin. I sent him to bed, and
-there he'll stay."
-
-"Then maybe ye'll carr' it for me, sir. Now
-Jake, make yer bob and say yer say."
-
-Jake touched his forelock, but stood in lubberly
-silence.
-
-"What, can't 'ee find yer tongue? Now, hearken
-to me, and say what I say. If you please,
-Squire——"
-
-"'If you please, Squire——'"
-
-"I be truly thankful——"
-
-"'I be truly thankful——'"
-
-"As Maister Dick saved me from being
-drownded."
-
-"'As Maister Dick saved me from being drownded.'"
-
-"Purticler as I didn' deserve it."
-
-"'Purticler as I didn' deserve it.'"
-
-"Good now! I mean it, sir, and so do he.
-And I've brought 'ee a keg of cognac and a tin o'
-bacca—bought with honest money, Squire; and I
-axe 'ee to take 'em as a little small offering from a
-man who's a feyther like as you be."
-
-"Thank you, my man," said the Squire, his face
-kindling with pleasure. "I appreciate your thanks,
-and so will Dick: and I shall appreciate your gift, I
-assure you. Jake isn't much the worse for his
-ducking, I can see."
-
-"And I hope Maister Dick bean't either," said
-Tonkin.
-
-"Not a bit. He'll be as well as ever after a
-night's rest. Jake should learn to swim, you know."
-
-"And I woll, if Maister Dick'll larn me," said
-Jake suddenly.
-
-"Well, I don't know about that," said the Squire,
-with a slight reserve in his manner. "You see,
-there has been some feeling lately——"
-
-"See now, Squire," interrupted Tonkin bluntly,
-"answer me a plain question, man to man. Did
-you, or anybody belongin' to 'ee, ever spy or inform
-on we honest free-traders?"
-
-"That's a question you ought to be ashamed to
-put to me," said the Squire warmly. "Do you
-think a Trevanion would ever do such a thing?"
-
-"Well, no, I didn' think so till—— Howsomever,
-I'll say no more o' that. I axe yer pardon, and I
-hope ye'll let bygones be bygones, and that's said
-honest."
-
-"With all my heart." The Squire extended his
-hand to the smuggler, whose grip made him wince.
-
-"That's brave and comf'able," said Tonkin.
-"And now I wish 'ee well, sir, and you, ma'am, and
-if so be as Maister Dick 'll larn Jake to swim, I'll
-be proud, and so will he."
-
-The Squire showed the three men out, and they
-returned home well satisfied with their interview.
-Tonkin was soon the centre of a group of his
-particular friends in the parlour of the Five
-Pilchards, to whom, after announcing that he would
-believe no more "'nation gammut," as he put it,
-about the Squire and his son, proceeded to relate the
-issue of his visit to Roscoff.
-
-"I hain't brought Doubledick back wi' me," he
-said. "For why? 'Cos he warn't theer!"
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`A Bargain with the Revenue`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- A Bargain with the Revenue
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-About eight o'clock that same evening, while
-Tonkin was still conversing with his intimates in the
-parlour of the Five Pilchards, a horseman rode
-up to the house occupied by Mr. Polwhele on the
-south cliff. His seat was not that of an accomplished
-equestrian, and his manner of dismounting would
-have given some anxiety to anyone who had a
-regard for him. The long cloak he wore, with the
-collar turned up almost to the eyes, incommoded his
-legs, and only by clutching at his patient steed's
-mane did he avoid a fall.
-
-The house stood alone, and its solitary situation
-was a source of satisfaction to the traveller. A
-light within, and a full moon without, gave him a
-reasonable assurance that the riding-officer was at
-home. Accordingly he hitched the bridle to a hook
-placed for that purpose in the wall beside the door,
-and knocked. Mr. Polwhele was a bachelor, and it
-happened that the woman who was housekeeper,
-cook, and housemaid in one, had gone into the
-village, so that he opened the door himself.
-
-"Well?" he said, peering at the close-wrapped
-figure that stood on the threshold.
-
-"'Tis I, Maister Polwhele," said the man, at the
-same time turning down his collar.
-
-"Doubledick!" exclaimed the astonished officer.
-"Well, of all the——! You'd be safer in France,
-my man."
-
-"Iss, maybe; but I be come home, and I'd like
-a word with 'ee, Maister."
-
-"Well, there's no warrant out for your arrest, so
-I suppose you——; yes, come in. I don't
-understand this at all."
-
-Doubledick followed the riding-officer into the
-room where he had been reading. He carefully
-shut the door behind him, offered Mr. Polwhele a
-pinch of snuff, and took one himself, then sat down
-rather stiffly.
-
-Half an hour later he emerged from the house,
-remounted his horse, and rode away, not northward
-in the direction of his home, but eastward along a
-bridle path across the moor. In a quarter of an
-hour, however, he turned to the left, skirted the
-village, passing about midway between it and the
-church, and continued for some time in the same
-direction. Then once more he struck to the left
-and came by-and-by to the high-road, at a point
-between the Towers and the Dower House. He
-turned into the drive leading to the latter, but
-instead of reining up at the front entrance, he passed
-round the house to the back, and having again
-awkwardly dismounted, he rapped on the kitchen door.
-
-"Oh, 'tis you, Maister Doubledick," said Susan,
-when she opened to him. "Folks said you'd gone away."
-
-"So I had, my dear; but I be back-along, as you
-can see wi' yer pretty eyes. Now tell me, be the
-Maister to home?"
-
-"Yes, he be in his room, rayther poorly."
-
-"And be he alone?"
-
-"Yes, but 'tis not for long, folks say. We'll
-have a mistress afore long, and i hope she be likeable,
-that I do."
-
-"Well, now, that's new news, to be sure. And
-who be the woman?"
-
-"She bean't 'zackly a woman. 'Tis Sir Bevil's
-darter, seemingly, and she be a maid younger nor I,
-they say."
-
-"So she be, to be sure. Dear life! And I never
-heerd o't. Here's a shillin' for your news, to buy
-'ee a fairin'."
-
-"Thank 'ee, Maister Doubledick, but I shan't
-need un for a fairin'. I'm to have a fine gown o'
-silk, only think o't!"
-
-"A present from Maister John, I s'pose?"
-
-"No; 'tis to be from Sam Pollex, that young boy
-as lives up at Towers. Didn't 'ee know what a
-treasure he found?"
-
-"What was it, my dear?"
-
-"Why, he and young Squire were rummagin' in
-some cave yonder—I don't know 'zackly wheer—and
-they come upon boxes full o' silks and satins,
-all the colours o' the rainbow. Young Sam be goin'
-to gie me enough for a gown—a kind young feller,
-that he is."
-
-"Well, then, if ye don't mind, my dear, I'll take
-back that shillin', seein' as ye're so well purvided, and
-gie 'ee a groat instead. Bean't no good to waste
-money, be it? And now, will 'ee tell yer maister I be
-come for a word wi' un?"
-
-Susan went away with a cloud upon her face.
-
-"Maister will see 'ee," she said when she returned.
-"Take yer groat, Maister Doubledick; some day ye
-may need it more nor I."
-
-Doubledick pocketed the coin with a chuckle, and
-followed her along the passage to her master's room.
-
-"This is amazing, Doubledick," cried Trevanion,
-when the door was shut. "I never expected to see
-you again."
-
-"Hee! hee! Rusco bean't fitty for everyone,
-Maister John," replied the innkeeper, with a
-meaning look. "Ye be took bad, the maidy says."
-
-"Oh, 'tis nothing but a fit of the dismals. How
-in the world did you get away?"
-
-"It do seem a miracle to 'ee, I s'pose. Why, fust
-man I seed when they put me on quay was a old
-friend o' yourn—leastways, 'a used to be sech. He
-be a good friend o' mine, too, 'cos I did un a good
-turn a while ago. He don't speak our Christian
-tongue very well, poor soul, but I made un understand
-a mistake had been made wi' me, and he
-showed his true friendship by bringing me over to
-Megavissey. I rid over from there, and plaguey
-stiff I be in the jints."
-
-"But you're in great danger; don't you know
-that? You made a terrible bungle of the job, my man."
-
-"True, but them above had a finger in it. I
-bean't sorry as I've seed Rusco, not I. And as to
-danger, well, Maister John, I'll speak to 'ee as a
-friend. The feller I named—no, to be sure, I didn'
-name un, but 'tis all one—the Frenchy do seem to be
-mizzy-mazy in his head. He telled to I of a feller
-called Robinson, and seemed to have got it in his
-furrin noddle that 'twas the same name as Trevanion,
-or fust cousin to 't. He axed a tarrible lot of
-questions about un, wheer he lived, and what he did
-wi's days and nights, and seemed to I as if he'd got
-a rod in pickle for un. Jown me if I didn' think
-'a wanted to make a call on this Robinson feller, and
-'ud be tarrible wisht if 'a didn' find un to home."
-
-Doubledick kept his eyes fixed upon Trevanion's
-face, but if he had expected to see any sign of
-uneasiness, he was disappointed.
-
-"I take no interest in your friend or what he
-wants," said Trevanion. "I am more concerned
-about you, Doubledick. You're not safe here, you
-know."
-
-"That's what I've come to see 'ee about," returned
-the innkeeper. "But truly I be a bufflehead; I
-ought to ha' named un to 'ee, in course I ought.
-His name is Delarousse, Maister. And to tell 'ee the
-truth, thinkin' he was a bit over coorious in the
-questions he axed, I telled un a thing or two as wer
-a trifle crooked, I did. I telled un how this Maister
-Trevanion as he thought was Robinson was often
-away from home, and how 'a dwelt in a big house
-on the cliff called the Towers. He axed I if the
-Towers was near the top of a hill, and I telled un
-'twas a goodish bit away, Maister Robinson—Trevanion,
-I mean—havin' come into the property.
-Thinks I to myself, if he comes to Polkerran one
-fine day a-caprousin' and makin' a stoor, 't'ud be just
-as well he went up-along to Towers and showed his
-tantrums to the cussed folk theer. What do 'ee say
-to that, Maister John?"
-
-"You are talking a deal of nonsense, Doubledick,"
-was the answer. "Don't you understand that as
-soon as 'tis known you are back in the village you'll
-be arrested for kidnapping Penwarden?"
-
-"Oh, ay, that's what they say, is it? But don't
-'ee think, now, we could persuade the officers o' the
-law to leave me bide?"
-
-"Quite impossible. Penwarden and my young
-cousin will swear to you, and there has been such a
-stir about the matter that Sir Bevil or the Vicar will
-sign the warrant the moment they hear of your
-arrival."
-
-"Maybe. But money do make the mare to go,
-Maister, and seems to I, if so be you'd help, we
-med put a clapper on evil-speakin' tongues. A-course
-'t 'ud need a pretty big sum to do it proper,
-but theer, what's that to 'ee, rollin' in money as you
-be? And I know well ye'll put yer hand in pocket
-to help a poor feller in a quag, purticler as he've
-done summat for 'ee, in Polkerran and Rusco both."
-
-"I'll be hanged if I do," cried Trevanion, at last
-shaken out of his composure. "You made a
-wretched bungle of a simple job, and you'll have to
-take the consequences."
-
-"Good now! I like to hear a man speak fine and
-brave, but I hev a brave mouth-speech o' my
-own." Doubledick's tone was as smooth and deferential as
-it had been throughout the conversation, but an
-onlooker might now have observed that he was
-beginning to show his teeth. "Zacky Tonkin,
-now," he proceeded: "I reckon he'd be fain to
-know why Delarousse warn't no longer the feller to
-do trade with: that bit o' knowledge med be worth
-payin' for. And Sir Bevil: iss sure, his darter be a
-nesh young female——"
-
-"Confound you! What do you mean by that?"
-cried Trevanion.
-
-"Ah! little small birds do carr' little small seeds,
-they do. High persons like Sir Bevil be mighty
-purticler when 'tis question o' lawful matrimony."
-
-Trevanion, red with anger, rose from his chair and
-came towards Doubledick threateningly.
-
-"Ah! dear life!" continued the innkeeper,
-unflinchingly, "and there be Mounseer Delarousse,
-too, thankful for what I done for him. It did vex
-me tarrible to mizzle un; but a word can put that
-right, and let un know the true dwellin' o' that
-coorious feller Robinson. In course his grudge
-agen Robinson bean't nothing to I, but he do seem
-tarrible sour and rampageous. Howsomever, let
-every man fight his own battles. Now I'll go
-home-along, and I wish 'ee well, Maister."
-
-He rose, took his hat, and moved towards the door.
-
-Trevanion looked after him for a moment irresolutely,
-then stretched his hand towards the bell-rope.
-
-"Stay, Doubledick," he said, "you must take a
-thimbleful before you go."
-
-"Not for me, Maister," replied the innkeeper,
-with a virtuous expression of countenance.
-
-"Nonsense, man. It won't poison you. You
-have read me quite wrongly, my friend. Did ever a
-man take offence so easily! You've come badly out
-of my little test, but I'll overlook it. I've a deal
-more patience than you.... Susan, bring the decanter
-and glasses. Hot, Doubledick?"
-
-"Well, I don't mind if it be, this chilly night.
-But 'tis gettin' latish; it must be only a nibleykin,
-Maister."
-
-"Now, Doubledick," said Trevanion, as they
-sipped their liquor, "I'm not the man to refuse to
-help a friend, even if he shows himself only a
-fair-weather friend after all."
-
-"I knowed it," cried Doubledick heartily. "A
-little small voice inside telled me ye were only
-a-tryin' me, and 'ud show yerself in yer natural true
-colour at last. Well, Maister, ten pound won't do
-it; no, King's servants do hev high notions,
-be-jowned to 'em. Twenty? I be afeard it wouldn'
-go far. 'Tis well to do a thing handsome when 'tis
-to be done. Fifty? Iss, a man can do summat wi'
-fifty. Fifty pound 'll keep a many tongues quiet, and
-I'll be dazed if I don't snap my fingers at justices,
-sheriffs, hangmen, and constables, if I do hev fifty
-pound to my hand."
-
-Trevanion rose and went to a cabinet in a corner
-of the room. Unlocking it, he opened a drawer,
-standing with his back to Doubledick. There was
-a sound of rustling paper.
-
-"'Tis a monstrous sum," he said, half turning.
-
-"Ah, 'tis, to be sure," said Doubledick feelingly,
-"but King's officers do hev' a tarrible big swaller."
-
-"Well, here you are," said Trevanion, recrossing
-the room. "I'm not the man to refuse a friend."
-
-"So ye said afore. Thank 'ee. 'Tis atween us
-two, in course; my mouth is shet. But there's
-another thing, Maister. Did 'ee know as old Joe
-and young Dick brought a heap o' silks and satins
-out o' the old mine?"
-
-"The deuce they did!" cried Trevanion in
-astonishment. "Where did they get them from?"
-
-"That I can't say. But old mine do belong to
-'ee, surely."
-
-"It does. Whatever they have found is my
-property. How do you know this, Doubledick?"
-
-"The little small birds, Maister. Well, I've
-telled 'ee for yer good."
-
-"I'll not forget it. Egad, they shall hear from me."
-
-When Doubledick left the house a few minutes
-later, he carried the bundle of crisp white notes snug
-in his breast-pocket. He said good-bye very cordially
-to his host, and, mounting his horse, rode boldly
-along the highway and down the hill to the inn.
-
-Most of the smugglers had returned to their
-homes, but Tonkin, Nathan Pendry, and one or two
-more still remained in the inn-parlour, with their
-legs stretched out towards a genial fire, their long
-churchwarden pipes filling the room with clouds of
-smoke. Mrs. Doubledick had gone to bed. No
-other visitors were to be expected at this hour, and
-the company would let themselves out at their own
-time. The woman was torn between hope and fear.
-Tonkin had learnt in Roscoff that Doubledick had
-left with Delarousse; and Mrs. Doubledick was
-relieved to know that her husband had escaped the
-miseries of confinement in a French prison; but she
-was troubled lest he should fall into equally rigorous
-hands at home.
-
-Doubledick entered the room quietly.
-
-"Well, neighbours all," he said behind their backs,
-"a man's home be the fittiest place for un, I
-b'lieve."
-
-The men sprang up in amazement, grasped his
-hand, smote him on the back.
-
-"What did I tell 'ee!" said Tonkin. "Didn' I
-say neighbour Doubledick was a clever feller, and
-'t 'ud take a deal o' cleverness to get over he?"
-
-"Ye did, there's no denyin' it," said Simon Mail.
-"Ah, neighbour Doubledick, you was born wi'
-noble intellects."
-
-"But you be a terrible bold feller," said Pendry.
-"There'll be a warrant out for 'ee, and ye'll be
-carr'd to Trura jail, as sure as I be alive."
-
-"If 'tis to be, 'tis; and rayther would I be jailed
-in Cornwall than in France," replied Doubledick.
-"But I won't be jailed nowheer, I b'lieve, and I'll
-tell 'ee why. Theer was only two as seed me—Joe
-Penwarden and the young tom-holla at the Towers.
-Well, they dussn't swear to me."
-
-"Why not, neighbour?" said Pendry.
-
-"Because they been up to jiggery theirselves,
-hee, hee!"
-
-"Speak yer meanin' plain, for the sake o' poor
-simple I," said Mail.
-
-"Hee, hee! I mind I telled old Joe he'd hev to
-answer for pickin' and stealin', and so 'a woll. Do
-'ee know, neighbours, they brought out o' well a
-noble store o' raiment, purple and fine linen, as
-pa'son says?"
-
-"Never!" ejaculated Pendry and Mail together,
-Tonkin smoking in silence.
-
-"Iss, 'tis true as Gospel. They brought out
-silks and satins and who knows what all, and look
-'ee, friends, that be thievin'!"
-
-"I don't know about that," said Tonkin.
-
-"But I do know," said Doubledick positively.
-"We hain't used the well for ten year, we all do
-know that. Last time 'twas only 'bacca and brandy—not
-a bale o' silk or passel o' lace. Well, then,
-this stuff bein' buried in the earth, or we'd ha' found
-it, I reckon it had been theer ever since the landfall,
-hunderds o' years ago, in yer grandfer's days,
-Zacky. See then, the true owner o't, arter all this
-time, be the owner o' the land, and that's Maister
-John—would ha' been Squire till three months
-ago. Hee, hee! They ha' stole Maister John's
-proputty."
-
-"I've heerd tell o' what clever folks call treasure
-trove," said Mail, "and that belongs to King Jarge."
-
-"King Jarge ha' got quite as much as he can do
-with up-along to Lunnon," said Doubledick, "and
-I don't care who the man is, they silks and satins
-do belong now to Maister John. Well, do 'ee think
-they wicked robbers will hev the impedence to swear
-agen a honest free-trader like me? They'll never
-do it. Maister John will claim the goods and
-threaten 'em wi' the law, and that'll be enough to
-keep their mouths shet, trust me."
-
-"How did this wonderful bit o' knowledge come
-to 'ee neighbour, you bein' away and all?" asked
-Mail.
-
-"Ah! little birds, Simon, little small birds,"
-replied Doubledick with a knowing look.
-
-"Then maybe you do know another 'mazin' bit
-o' news," said Pendry.
-
-"Maybe I do. Tell to me, and then I'll tell 'ee."
-
-"Why, young Squire this very day did save
-young Jake from bein' drownded, didn' he, Zacky?"
-
-"Iss, fay," said Tonkin, "and I went up-along
-to-night to say thank 'ee, as a true Cornishman
-oughted. And I tell 'ee what, friend, we been all
-wrong about Squire informin' and all that. I axed
-un plain, man to man, and he telled me I oughter
-be ashamed to think sech a thing, and I believe un."
-
-"But did he deny it?" asked the innkeeper.
-
-"Well, no, I couldn' go so far as to say that."
-
-"Ah, Zacky, you be a simple plum-baked feller,
-to be sure. Ye don't know the windin's and
-twistin's o' these high gentry. Plain simple souls
-like 'ee don't know what eddication do for a man.
-That young whelp of Squire's do go to pa'son and
-larn all the wisdom and cleverness of ancient men of
-old; 'a can twist 'ee round his finger, I b'lieve."
-
-Tonkin looked troubled. Doubledick had such
-a reputation for knowingness that his opinion carried
-weight.
-
-"Well, time will show," said Tonkin. "I tell
-'ee one thing, that I won't hev a hand no more in
-anything agen Squire, not till I do know sartin-sure.
-What do 'ee say, Nathan?"
-
-"Iss, I say the same. Let's be sartin-sure, that's
-what I say," replied Pendry.
-
-Doubledick puffed his scorn of such simple-mindedness.
-
-"Well, I be tired, neighbours," he said. "Riding
-a-hoss-back from Megavissey hev well-nigh scat me
-in jowds" (by which he meant, broken him in
-pieces), "and I yearn for my bed. We'll see what
-we will see, I b'lieve."
-
-The company broke up. The fishers went their
-way; Doubledick closed the door behind them, and
-raked out the fire. Before he ascended to his
-bedroom he locked his bundle of banknotes in a strong
-box which he kept under the stairs, and might have
-been heard chuckling gleefully.
-
-Next morning the inn was early besieged by a
-crowd of fishers who had heard of Doubledick's
-return, and were agog to learn all the circumstances
-from his own lips. A little later the newly-imported
-miners arrived, and, later still, as the news travelled
-farther, farmers, millers, and dairymen flocked into
-the village. Doubledick rubbed his hands with glee
-at the trade he was doing. Except to his intimates, he
-explained very little. To the questions of the others
-he replied only by nods and winks, and they at last
-ceased to interrogate him, remarking one to another
-that he was a real knowing one; nobody could get
-round him; "a wonderful feller, truly, for see how
-soon he hev slipped away from France, wheer many
-a good man hev rotted in prison since these 'nation
-wars began."
-
-There were many who expected that before the
-day was out Doubledick would be arrested and
-carried before Sir Bevil, and a throng of idlers hung
-about the inn in anticipation of this exciting event.
-But no constable, soldier, or sheriff's officer appeared,
-and at nightfall the innkeeper's reputation was higher
-than ever.
-
-Two men believed that they knew the reason of
-the authorities' forbearance. John Trevanion fondly
-supposed that the banknotes with which he had
-parted had found their way into the pockets of
-Mr. Mildmay, Mr. Polwhele, and Joe Penwarden. In
-those days the bribery of revenue officers was not
-infrequent. Tonkin, on the other hand, suspected
-that the Squire had persuaded Penwarden not to
-prosecute, in order to consolidate the better feeling
-between the village and the Towers to which Dick's
-rescue of Jake had given birth. The actual reason
-was known to four men alone: the revenue officers,
-Penwarden, and Doubledick himself.
-
-About midday Sam Pollex came rushing up to the
-Towers from the village with the news of Doubledick's
-return.
-
-"Nonsense," said Dick; "he wouldn't dare show
-his face again."
-
-"Name it all, Maister, didn' I see un with my
-own eyes?" cried Sam. "There he be, down-along
-at his kiddly-wink, more bustious nor ever, or may
-I never speak again."
-
-Dick hastened instantly to the little white cottage
-on the cliff, where Penwarden had again taken up
-his abode.
-
-"Joe," he cried, bursting in like a whirlwind,
-"Doubledick is back! Come with me to the
-Parsonage; we'll get a warrant for his arrest."
-
-Penwarden was eating his dinner. He conveyed
-a piece of fish to his mouth without showing any
-sign of surprise.
-
-"Back, is he?" he said. "Ah, well! Rusco
-warn't good for his health, seemingly."
-
-"It would suit him better than Truro jail. Come
-along; there's just time to get to the Parsonage and
-back before my dinner."
-
-"Not for a old ancient feller like me."
-
-"Well, I'll go alone then; but they'll want two
-witnesses, I believe, before any justice will commit
-him."
-
-"They will, I believe, but I won't be one. No,
-I couldn' bring myself to 't."
-
-"What on earth do you mean?" cried Dick in
-amazement. "'Tis your duty to bring the villain
-to justice."
-
-"Villain he is, and I'd crack his skull as soon as
-look at him. But as to duty—I knows my duty,
-Maister Dick, and my duty is to let un bide.
-Besides, never could I face the stoor of appearin' in
-a court o' justice. Theer'd be lawyer fellers in wigs
-and gowns, axin' me this, that, and t'other till I
-wouldn' know whether I pitched on my head or my
-heels. But I'd fain fetch un a crack on the nuddick,
-so as 'a couldn' stir for a fortnight."
-
-"Oh, well, of course 'tis your business," said
-Dick, somewhat offended. "If you don't prosecute
-him, I suppose he'll go free. 'Tis no concern of mine."
-
-And he returned to the Towers, and told his father
-that old Joe hadn't so much spirit as he thought.
-
-Two hours before, Penwarden had received a visit
-from Mr. Mildmay and Mr. Polwhele. When they
-informed him that Doubledick had returned, he
-started up, seized his hat, and declared with great
-vehemence that he would go straight along to the
-Parsonage and get Mr. Carlyon's warrant for the
-villain's arrest. The revenue officers had much ado
-to appease him, and only when Mr. Mildmay made
-a strong appeal to his sense of duty as an old Navy
-man did he agree to the inactive course proposed.
-
-"If 'tis a matter of duty to the King, as ye say,
-sir," he remarked, "I reckon I do know my duty as
-well as any man. Hain't I served with Lord Admiral
-Rodney? Not a man of us but did what he bid
-at once, or he'd ha' knowed what for. Did I ever
-tell 'ee how the Lord Admiral spoke to me special
-one day?"
-
-"Well now, let me see," said Mr. Mildmay, who
-had heard the story a score of times. "Did you
-ever hear it, Polwhele?"
-
-"In Jamaica, wasn't it, Joe?" said the riding-officer,
-who having been on the coast ten times as
-long as Mr. Mildmay, had probably heard the story
-ten times as often.
-
-"No, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe, sir. I was cruisin'
-theer one day when who should I see beatin' up
-but Lord Admiral Rodney, convoyin' two handsome
-females—ah! as clippin' craft as ever I seed. While
-I was standin' by, all of a sudden he put up his helm
-and steered right across my bows. 'Get out of the
-way, you cross-eyed son of a sea-cook!' says he,
-and the two females laughed like a brook in June.
-Ah! 'tidn' every common mariner as could say he'd
-been spoke to special by sech a fine man-o'-war as
-Lord Admiral Rodney."
-
-"You're right, Joe," said Mr. Mildmay. "No
-admiral at all, let alone a great man like Rodney,
-ever spoke to me, worse luck. Well then, you'll let
-matters rest, old fellow, and you won't be sorry
-for it."
-
-"But I may crack un over the skull if he gets in
-my way, I s'pose?"
-
-"Well, yes, but not too hard; dead men tell no
-tales, you know."
-
-"I'll mind o' that, and not gie un a whole broadside.
-Dear life! What a mix-up of a world it is,
-to be sure?"
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`The Last Deal`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- The Last Deal
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-For a week or two there was a lull in events.
-One day the Squire received a letter from John
-Trevanion's attorney, demanding that he should give
-up the property of his client which had been
-feloniously abstracted from the abandoned mine. The
-Squire swore, a rare occurrence with him, and sent
-Dick with the letter to his own lawyer in Truro.
-Dick returned with a piece of news that staggered his
-father. The attorney had died suddenly a few days
-before. He was the holder of the mortgage on the
-Towers and the Beal; it was almost certain that his
-executors would demand payment of the advance.
-For the first time the Squire was faced with the
-absolute loss of his ancestral home. He waited
-some days in torturing suspense: then the dread
-letter came. The amount of a hundred pounds
-must be paid within a month.
-
-The Squire had not even a hundred shillings to
-spare. In deep distress of mind he walked to Truro
-to consult another lawyer, and see whether the bond
-could not be renewed or transferred. He applied to
-a young solicitor who had recently set up business
-in the town, and who undertook to do what he could.
-The Squire placed in his hands also the letter he had
-received from John Trevanion's attorney.
-
-A correspondence ensued between the two men of
-law, with great ingenuity of argument and ample
-quotation of authorities on both sides. It did not
-terminate until the precise question in dispute was
-no longer of importance. Meanwhile the Squire
-retained the silks and satins.
-
-With the approach of Christmas the vigilance
-of Penwarden and his superiors became incessant.
-At that season there was a great demand all through
-the countryside for the wares of the free-traders, and
-unless precedent was to fail, many a bale and keg
-would be landed on the coast without paying dues
-to the King's Government.
-
-One dark night, Tonkin arrived in his lugger at
-Lunnan Cove, a few miles south of the village, with
-a fine cargo freighted jointly by John Trevanion and
-himself. Contrary winds having delayed him, he
-arrived several hours later than had been arranged, and
-found that the tub-carriers, evidently tired of waiting,
-had gone away. He dropped the tubs overboard in
-the usual manner, taking their bearings carefully,
-and returned for them on the following night.
-To his surprise and bitter rage, when he explored
-the bottom with his creeps, a strong force of
-tub-carriers waiting on the shore, he failed to find a
-single tub of the cargo so carefully laid. All had
-vanished. If he had been on the spot a few hours
-earlier, he would have seen them hoisted one by
-one into the revenue-boats, and conveyed to official
-sanctuary at St. Ives.
-
-The smugglers were furious. Some one must
-have betrayed them. Occasionally there were traitors
-among them, but rarely, for the fate of an informer,
-if discovered, was of such a nature as to deter others.
-When they returned to the inn to drown their
-disappointment and talk over the occurrence,
-Doubledick shrugged.
-
-"What about yer fine friends at the Towers now,
-Zacky?" he said.
-
-"Good sakes! How could 'em know?" cried
-the exasperated fisher.
-
-"Oh, you simple soul! Didn' I see yer Jake
-a-fishin' along wi' young Squire only yesterday?"
-
-"Rabbit it all! Do 'ee mean to say 'tis Jake
-that split? Why, daze me, the boy didn' know
-about it hisself, Doubledick; we kept it so close."
-
-"Well, I only tell 'ee what I seed. 'T 'ud be
-hard to b'lieve sech a miserable dirty thing o' Jake,
-I own it. In course he never done it, bein' a Tonkin;
-'twas only my little bit o' fun. But I don't care
-who the man is, they folks up at Towers hev turned
-preventives; norra one of 'ee woll make me b'lieve
-different."
-
-"Dear life! Won't Maister John be in a gashly
-passion!" said Simon Mail. "He had more nor
-you in it, Zacky, I b'lieve!"
-
-"Iss, fay, he did. Neighbour Doubledick loses
-least; 'tis a mercy for 'ee, neighbour."
-
-"So 'tis, Zacky," said Doubledick. "Ah! I was
-right to bide quiet a while arter that journey to
-France. But name it all, I bean't goin' to bide
-quiet for ever; I'll take a share in the next,
-be-jowned if I don't, and I hope them above will
-gie us better luck."
-
-"Ay, Maister John will be in a rare passion,"
-repeated Simon Mail. "He be spendin' money so
-free that 'twill be a blow to him, to be sure."
-
-"True," said Pendry, "and spendin' for the
-country, too. Do 'ee think, now, as Boney will
-come to these parts, neighbour Tonkin?"
-
-"I wouldn' think so myself, but you never can
-tell," replied Tonkin. "'Tis a little small place,
-wi' no great riches to tempt un; but that may be a
-reason for 't. We've no forts nor cannons nor
-sojers to defend us, and Boney may choose the place
-according; 't 'ud be easier to land here than at
-Weymouth, where the King and all his high generals
-sometimes be."
-
-"What I say is, Maister John be a fine feller,"
-said Mail. "'Tidn' every gentleman as 'ud do what
-he be doin'. Why, he've had a dozen men from
-Trura riggin' up iron shetters to his winders, and a
-cart come t'other day wi' firelocks and pikes, and I
-seed him only yesterday marchin' his miners up and
-down in front o' the house, every man of 'em wi' a
-terrible weapon o' some sort; and when he shouted,
-up went firelock or pike, and seein' the guns all
-pointin' at me, I run off as hard as my poor legs 'ud
-move, for I didn' want to be hurted, not I."
-
-"Ay, and I seed Petherick goin' up to Dower
-House wi' a noble bell under his arm," said Pendry,
-"and when I axed un about it, 'a telled me 'twas to
-rig up in the roof, to gie the word o' warnin' to the
-whole village if Boney was spied wi' all his horses
-and men."
-
-"And what's more," added Mail, "he hev took
-three men-servants into house, purgy fellers they be
-too, so's to hev a army to lead agen the enemy.
-They'll eat a deal o' meat, they will, and sartin sure
-he'll be in a passion at losin' money over this crop."
-
-"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick. "It do
-make me laugh, neighbours, to think o' Maister
-John leadin' a army agen Boney. I'll go up-along
-to-morrer and see this practisin' wi' pikes and
-firelocks; 'twill do me good, hee! hee! They miners
-had better turn sojers out and out, for they'll never
-get tin or copper enough out o' the earth to pay for
-their keep."
-
-Doubledick strolled up the hill next day, and
-stood with a look of keen enjoyment on his face as
-a score of miners drilled under Trevanion's direction.
-At the close of the exercise he accosted Trevanion.
-
-"'Tis a noble sperit, to be sure, Maister John,"
-he said, "but daze me if I think yer new sojers
-and yer iron shetters will keep out Boney and his
-thousands and millions. He's a tarrible feller, by
-all accounts."
-
-"'Tis every man's duty to defend his country so
-far as he is able," said Trevanion coldly, beginning
-to move away.
-
-"Iss, sure," said Doubledick, keeping pace with
-him; "and it must cost 'ee a tidy bit o' money.
-But I be afeard it bean't much good. Why now,
-s'pose 'twas not Boney, but one of his simple
-generals, or no sojer at all, but a plain feller like
-me—or like Delarousse, say. I say, s'pose Delarousse
-took it into his head to hev his revenge for the
-trade he've a-lost, to wipe off old scores, as ye may
-say—jown me if he'd be flustered by a passel o'
-miners or a shetter or two. Howsomever, 'tis not for
-me to say. Ye do know more about the arts o'
-warfare nor I, I reckon."
-
-"Your tongue runs on, Doubledick," said
-Trevanion with a hollow laugh. His annoyance
-was plain to see: the fellow was presuming on the
-secret between them.
-
-"Iss, I be forgettin' what I come to say," said
-Doubledick. "The folks at the Towers be at their
-tricks again, seemingly."
-
-"If I knew it!" cried Trevanion furiously. "If
-you catch young Dick, or that wretched follower
-of his, spying, I hope you'll take care they don't
-do it again. You squared the officers on your own
-matter; can't we keep them quiet on the trade?"
-
-"Ah! that's different. To jail me wouldn'
-put money in their pockets, like seizin' a cargo.
-I'm afeard 't 'ud take more nor the crop's worth
-to put 'em quiet on that, Maister. But there now! we
-allers do hev ups and downs; maybe the ups will
-beat the downs in the end."
-
-That Doubledick's philosophy was well founded
-was signally demonstrated a few days later. Though
-the loss in case of failure was severe, the profit of a
-successful run was so high that success once in three
-times was accounted satisfactory. To recoup the
-recent loss another cargo was freighted in Roscoff,
-Trevanion, Tonkin, and Doubledick taking equal
-shares. The spot selected was the mouth of the
-little creek four miles north of the Towers, where
-Dick had launched his home-made boat. Only a
-few men, on whom the confederates placed absolute
-reliance, were admitted to the secret. The goods
-were run ashore in complete safety, and each of the
-three freighters pocketed a considerable profit.
-
-Elated by this success, another run was arranged
-a few days subsequently. In this Trevanion had
-the largest share, Tonkin ranking next, Doubledick,
-Pendry, and Mail being involved to the extent of a
-few pounds each. The place was changed, a small
-cove a little nearer the village on the south side
-being chosen. Mr. Mildmay had been called to a
-spot ten miles distant, and everything promised
-success. Tonkin's lugger anchored off the
-rendezvous, the goods were "rafted" ashore, and the
-carriers had all shouldered their burdens, when a
-dash was made on them by preventive men aided by
-a troop of dragoons, and, after a sharp fight, only
-one man got away with his tubs.
-
-John Trevanion never appeared on the scene of
-operations. He was always kept well informed as
-to the time and place of the runs, but it was his
-constant policy to remain in the background. On
-this occasion, when he learnt of the second failure
-within a week, he was exasperated beyond endurance.
-He rode down to the inn, stormed at the smugglers,
-and having learnt that Mr. Mildmay had been
-summoned away by his own arrangement, merely as
-a blind, he declared that either Jake Tonkin or Ike
-Pendry had betrayed him to Dick, with whom they
-now occasionally fished. This accusation enraged
-the elder Tonkin, and the two men would have
-proceeded from recriminations to blows, if
-Doubledick had not stepped in between them.
-
-A week passed. It was the Wednesday before
-Christmas Day. There had been some hesitation
-among the smugglers, after the last failure, whether
-to venture on what was usually the most important
-run of the season. At this time they found
-customers for their wares much further afield than
-usual. But the prospect of large profits, and the
-perpetual fascination of the trade, overcame their
-doubts and fears, and early on this Wednesday
-morning, before it was light, Tonkin sailed off in
-the *Isaac and Jacob* for Roscoff. Once more he
-had equal shares with Trevanion, no others being
-concerned in the run except as helpers.
-
-On Wednesday evening, Doubledick left the inn,
-and walked along the southward bank of the stream
-in the direction of the church. He had left word
-that he was going to see Petherick about a Christmas
-dinner which the Vicar was accustomed to give to
-the children and young people of the parish, in a
-barn upon his glebe. He spent an hour or two with
-Petherick in his cottage near the church, received
-from him the Vicar's orders for squab-pie (a
-hotch-potch of mutton, apples, onions and raisins, with
-sugar and seasoning), "figgy pudden" (which is
-Cornish for plum-pudding), and other delectables of
-the season, and having arranged with the sexton the
-commission to be paid him for passing on an order
-which he could have placed with no one else, he
-drank a parting glass and started ostensibly for home.
-It was a fine night, moonless but clear, with
-that crisp coldness in the air that exhilarates. Instead
-of walking along the road by which he had come,
-Doubledick struck off to the left into a lane that
-would bring him, after a long round, to the south
-cliff. There were no houses hereabouts, the church
-being at least half a mile from the nearest dwelling.
-
-When the innkeeper came to the spot where the
-ground began to rise, he did not turn to the right,
-along the path that led to the bridge over the stream,
-and was the nearest way home, but trudged directly
-onward, puffing a little as he went higher. It was
-very dark, or he might perhaps have seen a figure
-silently stalking him. Every now and again he
-stopped to take breath and to glance in the direction
-of the village. At these times the shadowy figure
-dropped down behind a furze bush, and there waited
-until Doubledick, with a grunt and sigh, again went
-on his way.
-
-Presently he came to Mr. Polwhele's house on
-the cliff. He did not pass it by, nor approach the
-front door, but stole to the window, where a light
-shone through the blind, and gently tapped at it.
-In a few moments the door opened. Mr. Polwhele's
-figure was for an instant silhouetted against the
-light from a hanging-lamp in the passage. Doubledick
-entered quickly, and the door was shut again.
-
-The silent form of the second man was motionless
-and invisible in the darkness. But when the door
-was closed, it tip-toed swiftly across the grass, and if
-a third person had been in the neighbourhood he might
-have seen the head and shoulders of a fisher in strong
-relief against the illuminated blind. But there was
-no spectator. The fisher placed his ear against the
-glass, and remained in that posture for several
-minutes. Then he withdrew, muttering his
-disappointment, and posted himself behind a clump of
-gorse a few yards away, where he could keep his eye
-on the door.
-
-"Well, Doubledick," said the riding-officer, when
-he had given his visitor a chair, "'tis to be, then?"
-
-"Iss, sir, and a big thing too. Maister Trevanion
-hev £200 ventured, and Tonkin the same."
-
-"And where is it to be this time?"
-
-"At the creek, sir, same as time afore last. They
-did so well then that they couldn' think of a better
-place, the den bein' broke up."
-
-"And when?"
-
-"Thursday night, or ye med say Friday mornin',
-accordin' to the wind."
-
-"They mean to run, and not to sink, I suppose?"
-
-"Iss, sure, sir. Next day bein' Christmas, ye see,
-they must hev the stuff carried off at once. I'd axe
-'ee, sir, not to lay hands on the men; seize the tubs,
-in course, but I don't want 'ee to do any hurt to the
-fellers."
-
-"Well, I'll do what I can; but you know what
-soldiers are. They've been itching for months to
-fight Boney, and they want to keep their hand in,
-you know."
-
-"True, sir. Ah well! the carriers will run fast
-enough; 'tis only Zacky Tonkin and the rest I be
-afeard for; they'll fight, 'tis sartin-sure."
-
-"You're a thorough-paced scoundrel, you know,
-Doubledick," said the riding-officer. "'Pon my word,
-if it weren't my duty to stop smuggling by hook or
-by crook, 'twould give me the greatest pleasure in
-life to see you tarred and feathered. I warned you,
-you remember. You'll be caught one of these days,
-mark my words, and the money you're heaping up
-won't save you then, my man."
-
-"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick uneasily.
-"Name it all, was there any other way to save
-myself from jail? 'Tis a risk, I own it; it do gie
-me the creeps in the night sometimes when I think
-o't. And be-jowned, sir, when you gie me the £50
-for this job, I'll pack up my traps and go into other
-parts wi' my wife, and spend my old age in peace and
-quietness, if she'll let me. Ye won't stop me, sir?"
-
-"Not I. 'Tis dirty work, and I'd rather fight the
-trade fair and square, 'pon my word I would."
-
-"'Tis the last time, then, for me. And now I
-must be traipsin' home-along."
-
-Mr. Polwhele accompanied him to the door. On
-the step Doubledick turned and said in low tones,
-his words, however, being distinct in the clear night
-air:
-
-"Ye'll mind and not take Zacky, sir? I hain't
-no fancy for blood-money."
-
-"I'll do what I can. Good-night."
-
-He stood for a moment or two watching the innkeeper's
-receding form, then turned to re-enter the
-house. But it happened that, in the very act of
-turning, he caught sight of a dark figure slinking
-away from a furze bush in Doubledick's wake. He
-slipped into the house, turned out the lamps in the
-passage and the room, and in a quarter of a minute
-came out again, the darkness completely veiling his
-movements. With swift steps he followed the two
-figures down the slope, drawing near to the second
-of them under cover of the bushes. Having assured
-himself that Doubledick was being deliberately
-shadowed, he bent low, rapidly made a circuit, and
-concealed himself behind a clump which the stealthy
-pursuer must pass. As the man came abreast of him,
-wholly engrossed in keeping the innkeeper in view,
-Polwhele suddenly sprang out, caught his victim by
-the throat so that he could utter no more than the
-faintest gurgle, and bore him to the ground. Then,
-whipping out his pistol, he whispered:
-
-"If you make a sound I will shoot you. Get up
-and come with me."
-
-Keeping a firm hand on the fallen man's collar, he
-lugged him to his feet, marched him back to the
-house, and thrust him through the still open door,
-which he bolted behind him.
-
-"So 'tis you, Jake Tonkin," he said, as he relit
-the lamp.
-
-"Iss, 'tis I. Let me go, Maister. Doubledick
-said 'twas I that split, the villain! Let me go.
-Scrounch me if the two-faced wretch don't suffer for
-this!"
-
-"I'm afraid I can't let you go yet, my son," said
-the riding-officer. "Now 'tis no good kicking or
-shouting. Remain quiet, and in a day or two you
-shall go, safe and sound. If you give trouble I
-shall have to deal with you as your folk dealt with
-Penwarden."
-
-Jake sullenly submitted. Mr. Polwhele gave
-him supper, then locked him into a room where the
-window was heavily barred.
-
-"I am sick of this," he thought, as he returned
-to his own room. "'Tis well Doubledick is going,
-or, by George, there would be murder."
-
-Next morning Sam Pollex, going down to the
-village to buy some raisins for a plum-pudding,
-overtook Susan Berry, John Trevanion's housemaid.
-"Aw, Ma'am, ye do look wisht, sure enough,"
-said Sam, remarking the gloomy aspect of Maidy
-Susan's usually merry face.
-
-"And so I be, Sam," she replied, "I wish I were
-to-home, I do."
-
-"Now that be cruel to we, daze me if it bean't.
-Why do 'ee wish sech a cruel thing, Ma'am?"
-
-"Why, to-morrer be Christmas Eve, and there'll
-be no ashton fagot, and no egg-hot, like us have
-to-home."
-
-"What be they, Maidy?"
-
-"Don't 'ee know that? Why, the fagot be made
-of ash-sticks tied about wi' nine twigs, and on
-Christmas Eve 'tis dragged to the Squire's hearth
-and set ablaze; and then we do dance and jump for
-cakes, and dive for apples in a tub o' water. Oh,
-'tis sech fun, you can't think! And then we drink
-egg-hot——"
-
-"What's that, if it be so pleasin'?"
-
-"Why, silly chiel, 'tis cider and eggs and spice,
-made as hot as 'ee can drink it."
-
-"Aw, I know what that is. Mess is what we do
-name it, and as for fagot, we do call that mock, only
-it bean't sticks, but a mighty block o' wood. Squire
-don't hev it now, since he hev been so poor. But
-why don't 'ee axe yer maister if ye can do as ye do
-to-home?"
-
-"I don't know what be come to Maister. He be
-all hippety-like—looks as grave as a church owl, and
-him goin' to be married, too. Pa'son be goin' to
-pray for un fust time o' Sunday."
-
-"Well, marriage be a fearsome thing, I s'pose.
-I seed a weddin' up-along at church once, and theer
-was a little Noah's flood o' tears. I don't think I'll
-ever be married."
-
-"You be only a chiel yet. But there now, 'tis
-ever since Maister brought they great lubbers into
-house, and gied 'em guns and swords and I don't
-know what all. Seems he be afeard o' summat.
-Do 'ee think that monster Boney will come and eat
-the poor childer here, Sam?"
-
-"Not he. He dussn't do it. Don't 'ee be afeard,
-now, Maidy dear. I'll look out for un, and if I do
-see un I'll ring our bell so powerful loud that all
-the brave men in the country will run to defend 'ee."
-
-"We've got a bell, too."
-
-"Not sech a banger as ours, I warrant 'ee. I do
-wish Squire were rich; then we'd hev the mock, and
-a great big figgy pudden, not a little small one wi'
-half a pound o' figs in it; and Squire would axe
-'ee and all the country to come and join us, and
-ye'd come in yer fine new gown that I'm goin' to gie
-ye. But theer, 'tis not to be, and 'twill only make
-us wisht to think o't."
-
-"Look 'ee see, Sam: what a throng o' folk!
-Whatever is the matter?"
-
-They had come within sight of the village green,
-where a crowd of men, women, and children were
-talking excitedly.
-
-"What be all this stoor, Ike?" asked Sam of
-the young fisher.
-
-"Why, Jake Tonkin can't be found nowhere.
-He wented up-along yestere'en to wood to get
-some mistletoe, and never come back."
-
-"Never come back?"
-
-"No. His mother be in a tarrible state, Zacky
-bein' away and all."
-
-"Sure 'a didn' go wi' Zacky to Rusco?"
-
-"Now that's foolish. Didn' I say 'a wented
-for mistletoe yestere'en, and Zacky sailed off in
-mornin'.'
-
-"So 'a did, to be sure. Here's riding-officer;
-let us tell him."
-
-Mr. Polwhele rode up into the midst of the crowd.
-
-"Well, neighbours, what's to do?" he cried.
-
-"Jake Tonkin be gone a-lost, Maister," shouted
-a score of voices in answer.
-
-"Lost, is he? He's big enough to take care of
-himself, surely. Isn't he with his father?"
-
-"No, Maister," piped a small boy. "Zacky
-Tonkin be——"
-
-"Wisht yer clatter!" cried the child's mother,
-catching him by the arm and shaking him.
-
-"Who saw him last?" asked the riding-officer.
-
-"Who seed un last?" repeated several voices.
-"Here be Un Tonkin; she'll tell to we."
-
-"'A wented last night to get mistletoe, sir," said
-Mrs. Tonkin, with a pale, anxious face. "Never
-hev he stayed out all night afore, and I be afeard
-something bad hev come to un."
-
-"Oh, dear no! I can't imagine anything of the
-kind," said the officer, cheerily. "Don't be
-down-hearted. He'll come home-along by-and-by as
-large as life. I'll ride to the wood and look about,
-and tell my men to search too. The young rascal!
-Up to some mischief, you may be sure. Go home,
-my good woman, and don't distress yourself, and
-you folks, instead of standing gossiping here, go and
-hunt. Christmas Day is coming, you know, and
-we must have Jake back in time for the parson's
-dinner."
-
-But the day closed without the discovery of any
-trace of the missing lad, and some of Mrs. Tonkin's
-kind neighbours were already condoling with her on
-the loss of her only son, and assuring her that
-Zacky would be in a terrible way when he came home.
-
-Mr. Mildmay and the riding-officer supped
-together before setting out, the one by sea, the other
-by land, for the scene of the expected run.
-
-"Would to heaven we had never come to terms
-with Doubledick!" said Mr. Polwhele. "Never
-again for me, Mildmay. Set a thief to catch a thief,
-they say, but I don't know how you feel: I feel
-myself a mean rascal, old stager as I am at the game."
-
-"Honestly, I agree with you, and having Jake
-Tonkin mewed up here complicates things desperately.
-The moment he is let loose he'll tell his father, and
-if I know the man, Doubledick's life won't be worth
-a snap of the finger."
-
-"Well, I warned him. I couldn't foresee that
-Jake would come upon him in that accidental way.
-Scheme as we will, Mildmay, there's a Power that
-overrules us all."
-
-"The best thing we can do now is to warn
-Doubledick. We've gone into partnership with the
-fellow, and we can't in honour keep silence. Give
-him a chance to escape."
-
-"You're right. I'll call at the inn as I ride down,
-and tell him we have Jake locked up here. That
-will give him about twelve hours' grace—time to
-clear away bag and baggage."
-
-When the lieutenant went aboard his cutter,
-Mr. Polwhele entered the inn.
-
-"Where's Doubledick?" he asked of the inn-keeper's
-wife.
-
-"He be gone along to Trura, Maister," she
-replied, in her usual vinegary manner.
-
-"What for?"
-
-"Well, I don't know as it be any business o'
-yourn, but 'tis to buy some figs for the pa'son's
-dinner."
-
-"Oh, well, if he comes back, tell him I want to
-see him first thing in the morning, will you?"
-
-"He hain't done nawthin' agen the law."
-
-"I'm glad of that. Don't forget my message."
-
-Mr. Polwhele left, firmly convinced that Doubledick
-had become suspicious and already beat a retreat.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`The Attack on the Towers`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- The Attack on the Towers
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-That night the Towers was heavy with an
-atmosphere of gloom. The Squire had remained
-the whole evening sunk in his chair, not reading, or
-smoking, speechless, his head bent upon his breast.
-He had heard from his lawyer that all efforts to
-transfer the mortgage had as yet proved fruitless:
-nobody wanted a bond on barren land. The next
-day but one was Christmas, and the Squire brooded
-on the melancholy thought that it would be the
-last Christmas he would spend in his old home.
-Occasionally he glanced at the motto inscribed above
-the lintel of the door:
-
- | Trevanion, whate'er thy Fortune be,
- | Hold fast the Rock by the Western Sea.
-
-What a mockery the old legend seemed! He had
-held fast; now he felt as though some inexorable
-power were unclenching his nerveless fingers. And
-the bitterness of his mood was intensified by the
-foreboding that the old house, and his last rood of
-land, would go, as all the rest had gone, into the
-hands of the man who had disgraced his name, and
-who bore him implacable enmity.
-
-Dick went to bed early, sick at heart, unable to
-endure the mute misery upon his parents' faces.
-He meant to rise before it was light, for a purpose
-which, he sadly felt, he might never accomplish
-again. It had been his custom for several years to
-carry to the Parsonage on Christmas Eve a basket of
-fish of his own catching, as a present to his good
-friend the Vicar. It was a poor gift, but he had not
-the means to offer anything better, and Mr. Carlyon
-was always pleased with it, regarding the spirit in
-which the simple offering was made.
-
-About an hour before dawn he wakened Sam, and
-after nibbling a crust, the two boys set off.
-Experience had taught them that this was the best time to
-fish at so late a season of the year. The air was
-damp and raw, with scarcely any wind, and as they
-issued from the house they shivered, and buttoned
-their coats high about their necks.
-
-"We must go to the Beal for some tackle, Sam,"
-said Dick. "That will warm us before we go down
-to the boat."
-
-"Iss. I wish it were to-morrer. Pa'son's dinner
-will be summat to cheer a poor feller up, these wisht
-and dismal times. Do 'a think, now, Maister Dick,
-as we'll ever hev a real Christmas randy up at
-Towers, same as they do hev at Portharvan?"
-
-"I'm afraid not, Sam. I'm afraid we shan't spend
-another Christmas at the Towers."
-
-"Well, then, you and I had better go for sojers or
-sailors. I'm afeard I bean't high enough for a sojer.
-But sailors get prize-money, old Joe says, and I'd
-like that, 'cos then I could buy a thing or two for
-Maidy Susan—and Mistress, too: I wouldn' forget
-she. Maybe I'd get killed, fightin' the French, but
-dear life! it wouldn' matter much: we hain't got
-many friends. I don't s'pose Maidy Susan 'ud fall
-more 'n two tears, or maybe three."
-
-"None at all, I should think," said Dick.
-
-"Oh, I don't think so bad o' she as that. When
-I seed her yesterday she said she wished I could go
-to Dower House to-night. Maister John be goin'
-to a randy at Portharvan; he'll kiss his young
-'ooman under the mistletoe, I reckon."
-
-"And Susan wants you to go to the Dower House
-and kiss her, I suppose?"
-
-"Now that's too bad, Maister. We bean't
-neither of us so forward as that. Maidy said she'd
-like me to go up-along and gie un some o' my
-merry talk, but jown me if my tongue 'ud run merry
-wi' things so bad up to home."
-
-"You couldn't go: Father would never allow it.
-You'll have to be satisfied with the Vicar's nuts and
-candy, Sam."
-
-They came to their den at the end of the Beal, and
-remained there for some little time arranging their
-tackle in the wan glimmer preceding the dawn. Then
-they emerged, and climbed up beside the big boulder
-to take a look at the sea, over which a thin mist hung.
-
-"Isn't that the *Isaac and Jacob*?" said Dick,
-pointing to a vessel tacking to make the fairway
-between the cliff and the reef.
-
-"Iss, sure. Tonkin be come home wi'out a cargo,
-seemin'ly, unless he hev run it a'ready."
-
-They watched the lugger creeping slowly toward
-the harbour. The tide was on the ebb, and there
-was not enough depth of water upon the reef to
-allow the vessel to head straight for the jetty. As
-she crept into the fairway Dick was struck with the
-unusual appearance of her deck. Amidships it was
-almost clear except for two or three men; but, herded
-under the low bulwarks on the weather side, out of
-sight from the harbour, were a score or more of
-men whom he recognised by slight indications in
-their dress to be foreigners. Almost instinctively
-Dick slipped behind the boulder, pulling Sam with him.
-
-"That's very curious," he whispered, standing so
-that he could see without being seen.
-
-On the lee side of the vessel, he noticed arms, legs,
-and here and there a red-capped head protruding
-from beneath tarpaulins, thrown with apparent
-carelessness on the deck. Two or three heads also
-appeared in the hatchway, suggesting that other men
-were on the companion below. But what struck
-Dick most of all was the fact that although Nathan
-Pendry held the tiller, there lolled against the
-bulwarks near him a stranger whose hat and coat
-were manifestly Cornish, but whose lower garments
-were as unmistakably of foreign cut. He was a
-short, stout man, and he held a pistol, which was
-pointed at the helmsman.
-
-Dick was so much fascinated and wonderstruck
-by this extraordinary spectacle that for a few moments
-he neither spoke nor stirred.
-
-"Be it Boney at last?" whispered Sam, his eyes
-wide with alarm.
-
-"No, no: Boney would bring thousands. But
-I can't make it out. We'll run home, Sam, and
-tell Father."
-
-Creeping round the boulder, and dipping their
-heads as long as there was any chance of being
-observed from the lugger, they set off at a
-breakneck run for the Towers. Dick dashed up to the
-Squire's room, and knocked at the door.
-
-"Come in," said the Squire. He was
-awake—had indeed lain sleepless almost all night, thinking
-miserably of his affairs.
-
-"Father," said Dick, entering, "Tonkin's lugger
-has just put in with a gang of Frenchmen on
-board. Pendry is at the helm; there's a fellow
-standing over him with a pistol. I didn't see
-Tonkin."
-
-"What on earth does that mean?" cried the
-Squire, starting up. "Get me my boots, Dick; I'll
-pull on some clothes, and go up on the roof to take
-a look at them."
-
-In a few minutes the Squire, Dick, and Sam were
-behind the parapet of the principal tower, the Squire
-with his telescope in his hand. Lofty as their perch
-was, the jetty and the lower part of the village were
-not in sight, being concealed by the contour of the
-hill. But they could see the upper houses and the
-cliffs beyond; the church tower and the red roof of
-the Parsonage away to the left; and almost every
-yard of ground between the hilltop and the Towers.
-
-"Shall I ring bell, Maister?" asked Sam.
-
-"No; wait a little. We don't want to make
-ourselves a laughing-stock. There's nothing in
-Polkerran to make it worth any Frenchman's while
-to—Ha! I see it all. 'Tis a trick of Mildmay's,
-the sly dog. Do you see, Dick? He has disguised
-himself and his men as Frenchmen, and pounced on
-Tonkin's lugger with a fine crop aboard. Ha! ha!
-The neatest feat I ever heard of."
-
-"I'm rather doubtful about that, sir," said Dick.
-"The faces I saw weren't Cornish."
-
-"It would be a poor disguise if they were. You
-may be sure I'm right, and we shall have Mildmay
-coming up to breakfast by-and-by with a fine tale of
-tubs. I slept badly, Dick; I'll return to my bed
-for an hour or two."
-
-Dick remained with Sam on the roof. He was
-not at all convinced that his father was right. It
-was difficult to conceive what object a band of
-Frenchmen could have in attacking so small a village,
-yet he felt sure that they were Frenchmen, and that
-their visit was not an ordinary smuggling affair.
-After a long look through his spy-glass he said to
-Sam:
-
-"There's no smoke, no sound of firing—-no
-noise at all. We can't see anything here, Sam; let
-us take a run to the Beal again."
-
-But at that moment he saw a man rise over the
-crest of the hill; immediately behind him came
-others. They were armed with muskets and
-cutlasses, and advanced rapidly and in a manner
-that suggested a definite goal.
-
-"Off to the turret and pull the bell, Sam!" cried
-Dick. He rushed downstairs to his father's room
-again.
-
-"Thirty or forty armed men are marching from
-the village, sir," he said. "I think they're coming
-to attack us."
-
-"Bless my soul, what fools they must be!" said
-the Squire with a mirthless laugh. "There's nothing
-here worth firing a shot for. Ah! there's the bell.
-We'll see if 'tis more effective than last time we rang
-it. And we'll give them a warm reception, my boy,
-by George we will! Go and bring Reuben to me."
-
-So crowded was the next hour, and so conflicting
-were the accounts given subsequently, in all honesty,
-by actors in the drama, that the writing of a clear
-and coherent narrative is a matter of some difficulty.
-Mr. Carlyon diligently questioned everyone who
-could throw a light on the separate incidents, and out
-of this material compiled a long chapter for his
-history of the parish. But the prolixity of his style,
-and his habit of interrupting his narrative with
-classical parallels and references to abstruse authors,
-render his book quite unsuitable to the present age,
-and make it necessary to treat his manuscript as the
-modern historian treats his sources.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-When the *Isaac and Jacob* was moored alongside
-the jetty, the tarpaulins that covered the deck were
-thrown aside, the men whom they had concealed
-sprang to their feet, and, joined by others who
-swarmed up the companion way, rushed ashore
-behind their leader, Jean Delarousse of Roscoff.
-There were but two or three of the Polkerran folk
-visible. A large number of the fishers were five or
-six miles away, having affairs of their own to attend
-to. The majority of the population were still abed.
-A dozen miners, due for the day shift in an hour's
-time, were breakfasting. Only the smoke rising into
-the air from the chimneys of their cottages gave sign
-of life.
-
-The few men who were out and about fled incontinently
-to their homes at sight of the fifty determined
-Frenchmen, armed with muskets, cutlasses,
-and pistols, advancing across the few yards of open
-space that separated the jetty from the nearest houses.
-It was evident that the invaders had prearranged
-their operations. Twelve of their number separated
-from the main body and went off hastily in couples,
-three to the right, three to the left, until they reached
-the last dwelling in either direction. Then doubling
-up the hills to right and left, they posted themselves
-around the village in a half circle, at intervals of
-about a hundred yards. Their object manifestly was
-to prevent any villager from breaking through, and
-carrying news of the raid into the country beyond.
-The Dower House and the Towers were naturally
-not included in the cordon.
-
-While this movement was being carried out,
-Delarousse led the rest of his force straight to
-the Five Pilchards. The door was already open;
-the miners usually paid an early visit to the inn
-before they started for their work. Delarousse on
-entering was confronted by an elderly woman of
-shrewish aspect, who stood like a dragon behind the
-shining taps.
-
-"Ze Towers, vere Trevanion live—it is zat big
-house on ze cliff?" he asked.
-
-Mrs. Doubledick nodded. Fright bereft her of
-speech.
-
-"Vere is Doubledick?" asked the Frenchman.
-
-The answer was a shake of the head; whereupon
-Delarousse, ejaculating "Ah, bah!" returned to
-his followers, who were collected about the entrance,
-and led all but six of them up the hill. Like a
-prudent general, he took care to secure his
-communications.
-
-Though he presumed that Mrs. Doubledick's
-shake of the head signified ignorance of her husband's
-whereabouts, in this he was in error. Doubledick
-had returned home late at night, unaware of the
-impending crisis in his affairs. His wife gave him
-Mr. Polwhele's message, and he anticipated a very
-pleasant interview with the riding-officer on his
-return from circumventing the smugglers. Rising
-early, he happened to see from his bedroom window
-the crowd of Frenchmen swarming from the lugger,
-and without waiting to finish dressing, he ran down
-to the taproom, pulled up a trap-door behind the
-bar, and descended into the capacious cellar beneath,
-having strictly charged his wife not to reveal his
-whereabouts. He was shaking with fear, rather of
-possible consequences which his imagination foresaw
-than of immediate bodily harm. Delarousse could
-scarcely fail to discover before long that Doubledick
-had given him misleading information, and he was
-a man whose wrath it was not wise to face.
-
-Between thirty and forty Frenchmen, strong,
-hardy fellows, marched rapidly up the hill behind
-their leader, whose agility was remarkable in one so
-corpulent. They had just risen upon the crest
-when the clang of a bell struck upon their ears.
-
-"En avant, mes gars!" cried Delarousse. "Courez,
-à toutes jambes!"
-
-And being on fairly level ground, they broke into
-a double.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The Squire, being now convinced that the Towers,
-as the most conspicuous dwelling-house in the
-neighbourhood, was the object of the Frenchmen's
-raid, displayed none of that indecision and vacillation
-which so often beset him in the matters of every-day
-life. He was now keen, alert, and ready, as became
-a man who had served in the King's navy. He
-smiled grimly as he saw the Frenchmen hasting
-towards him, as yet half a mile away. "A pack of
-fools!" he thought; "but 'tis hard that I should
-be molested when on the brink of ruin."
-
-In a few sharp, decisive words he bade Dick and
-Reuben close and bolt the doors and shutters, and
-haul against the former such heavy articles of
-furniture as they could move in the few minutes
-at their disposal. Meanwhile he himself collected
-several old muskets that were at hand, with powder
-and slugs, in some cases relics of ancient trophies of
-arms treasured by the family. If he could hold the
-enemy at bay even for a short time, their project
-would be ruined, for the alarm bell and the sound of
-shots would arouse the whole countryside, and unless
-the invaders were supported by other vessels, they
-must soon retire to the lugger. At the first glance
-he had seen that they were not French regular
-soldiers, and concluded that their landing was not
-the foretaste of a general invasion, but merely a
-chance filibustering raid.
-
-In the turret Sam was pulling the bell-rope with
-short, quick jerks. His brain was in a whirl. The
-advance of the Frenchmen was hidden from him,
-but looking out of the narrow window in the
-opposite direction, he spied, less than a minute
-after the first clang, Joe Penwarden hurrying along
-towards the Towers as fast as his old legs would
-carry him. Running to the opposite side of the
-chamber, where a door admitted to the house, he
-yelled down the stairs:
-
-"Maister, here be old Joe a-comin'. Let un in
-by the back door."
-
-"Run, Dick," said the Squire, "you're quickest.
-An addition to the garrison is welcome."
-
-Dick flew to the back door, whither Sam had
-summoned Penwarden through the turret window.
-During these few seconds the strokes of the bell
-were very irregular, but they did not cease.
-
-"What is it, Maister Dick?" said the old man,
-as Dick closed and barricaded the door behind him.
-
-"A gang of Frenchmen are running to attack
-us. They landed from Tonkin's lugger about ten
-minutes ago. Go to Father, Joe; he's in the front
-room over the porch. I'm going to the roof to see
-what they are doing."
-
-He leapt up the stairs three at a time, and
-emerged on the leads of the tower, whence, sheltered
-by the parapet, he could observe the enemy in safety.
-They were now within two or three hundred yards
-of the house. Dick was surprised that there was no
-sign of pursuers from the village. Now that the
-feeling between his family and the people was less
-acute, he had expected that the bell would already
-have summoned a concourse of fishers, miners, and
-men of all occupations. He was surprised, too,
-that the alarm was not echoed by the new bell
-which had recently been rigged up in the Dower
-House. Surely at such a moment personal feuds
-might well be forgotten, and private enemies unite
-to beat off a public foe. But between the Towers
-and the hill not a man was to be seen except the
-advancing Frenchmen. At the Dower House there
-was no sign of life or movement, a strange
-circumstance that set him wondering. Why was not John
-Trevanion alarmed at a French raid? Was it
-possible that he knew of it beforehand, approved it,
-had even arranged it? Having failed in some of
-his schemes hitherto, had he now joined hands with
-alien filibusters to deal his cousin a crowning stroke?
-
-As his eyes ranged round, Dick suddenly caught
-sight of a large vessel looming in the mist in a
-straight line with the head of the Beal. Its shape
-was very indistinct and blurred, but there was a
-certain familiarity in its aspect, and a sudden
-conviction flashed upon Dick that it was the same
-vessel as he had seen twice before in unusual and
-mysterious circumstances. Surely it must be the
-notorious privateer, the *Aimable Vertu*, owned by
-Jean Delarousse. Why it should have come to an
-insignificant place like Polkerran, when it might
-have gained rich prizes on the high seas, was a
-question that puzzled him greatly, unless Trevanion
-had made an alliance with the Frenchman.
-
-The Squire's dispositions to meet the threatening
-attack were as good as could be devised, having
-regard to the short breathing-space allowed him, and
-to the nature of his situation. A large rambling
-building like the Towers could not be held for any
-length of time by a slender garrison of five. There
-were half-a-dozen points at which it could be assaulted
-simultaneously—the front door facing the village,
-the back door facing the sea, the stable-yard, the
-offices, the rooms and passages in the ruined portion.
-But the principal tower, flanking the porch, was in
-passable repair, and it was there that the Squire had
-determined to make a final stand. It contained two
-or three rooms approached by a stone staircase
-springing from near the front door. Mrs. Trevanion
-was sent by her husband to the topmost room. He
-posted himself, with Reuben and Penwarden, in the
-room over the porch, where the window-shutters
-had been loopholed, no doubt by some former owner
-of the Towers, though the Squire had never given
-the matter a thought. Dick he sent to the back of
-the house, instructing him to call Sam to his help if
-he saw fit.
-
-"Neither for fire nor battle does the bell summon
-aid," he said bitterly. "Sam may as well save his
-energies."
-
-His final instruction was that if the Frenchmen
-broke in, as seemed only too probable, they should
-all retreat to the tower, the entrance to which from
-the staircase was protected by a heavy, iron-studded
-oaken door. Believing that the invaders' object was
-loot and not slaughter, he scarcely anticipated
-personal damage, but supposed that the garrison would
-be allowed to remain in the tower unmolested while
-the rest of the house was sacked.
-
-Delarousse, panting a little from his exertions, was
-as much alive to the risks and perils of his
-enterprise as the Squire could be. Success or failure
-hung upon minutes. But he had not earned his
-reputation as a daring and resourceful privateer
-undeservedly. His object was a very simple one.
-It was not bloodshed or rapine, but merely the
-seizure of the man who had grievously wronged
-him—John Trevanion, or, as he had known him in
-Roscoff, Robinson. Doubledick, to feed his private
-malice, had declared that John Trevanion lived in
-the Towers—the largest house upon the cliff. The
-Frenchman's little knowledge of the country had
-been gained solely by observation from the sea, and
-by the faint glimpses he had obtained on that dark
-and rainy night when he evaded the pursuit of the
-dragoons. He remembered that the house at whose
-door he had seen his enemy was nearer the top of
-the hill than the Towers; but he had no reason to
-doubt Doubledick's statement that the latter was
-now the residence of John Trevanion, and no one
-had told him that there were other Trevanions who
-had no dealings with John. It was therefore his
-whole-hearted belief that the Towers sheltered his
-bitterest foe which inspired his attack upon a man
-who had never injured him.
-
-Utterly possessed by his purpose, he wasted no
-time in a vain summons to surrender. The bell
-was still clanging overhead. He had taken
-precautions to prevent interference from the village,
-where the absence of so many men on the scene of
-the expected run favoured his design. But he was
-not to know but that the summons might draw
-armed men from every corner of the neighbourhood
-beyond the village, and his blow must be struck at
-once. Accordingly he made straight for the porch,
-and finding, as he had expected, that the door was
-fast closed, he put his pistol to the lock, and with
-one shot shattered it to splinters. But the door was
-held also by bolts and crossbars resting in staples,
-and further secured by a sideboard placed against it
-by Dick and Reuben, so that the breaking of the
-lock availed him nothing. Brought thus to a check,
-he stood for a few moments within the porch among
-his men to consider his next step.
-
-Meanwhile the Squire at the last moment had
-hurried to the top of the tower, with a double object:
-to observe the movements of the enemy more
-clearly than was possible through the loophole of a
-shuttered window, and to scan the surrounding
-country for any sign of assistance. No one was at
-present in sight. The air was heavy; the wind
-was off shore; and in all probability the sound
-of the bell had not even reached Nancarrow's farm,
-the nearest house except the Parsonage, much less
-Sir Bevil Portharvan's place, two miles farther away.
-
-He had given instructions before leaving Penwarden
-that the French were not to be fired on until
-they opened hostilities. With his wife in the
-building, he was determined not to draw upon himself by
-any premature act the reprisals of so formidable a
-gang of desperadoes. Now that the Frenchmen
-were within the porch, they were immune from
-musket fire, and he began to wonder whether his
-prohibition was not a mistake. As soon, however,
-as he heard the report of Delarousse's pistol, with a
-rapidity that might have surprised those who had
-only known him of late years, the Squire seized a
-large block of loose stone that formed part of the
-half-ruined parapet, and toppled it over on to the
-roof of the porch below. It fell upon the tiles with
-a tremendous crash, scattering fragments in all
-directions, and bounded off on to the gravel path.
-Though none of the Frenchmen was struck by the
-stone itself, or even by the splinters of the tiles, it
-was sufficiently alarming to drive them from the
-porch, and they scurried instantly into the open.
-Two muskets flashed upon them from the loopholes
-above; one man was hit by a slug, and hopped
-away on one leg, assisted by his comrades. At the
-same moment the bell ceased to clang. Hearing the
-shots, Sam rushed down the stairs to take his part in
-the fray. The whole body of Frenchmen had now
-withdrawn out of range, and the Squire saw the little
-stout man, their leader, carefully scanning the
-building, with the object, no doubt, of finding a weak
-spot to attack. Only two minutes had elapsed since
-the enemy made the first move.
-
-Alarmed at the sudden silence of the bell, from
-which he concluded that its clanging had achieved
-its object, Delarousse despatched one of his men
-to the high ground northward to report the approach
-of any armed force. Meanwhile he himself made a
-rapid circuit of the Towers, keeping, if not out of
-range, at least beyond easy-hitting distance. The
-back entrance seemed to him a vulnerable point, and
-the more promising, because it was not commanded
-by the tower, but only by the small window at
-which Dick was stationed. His ill-success at the
-front door made him resolute to go the shortest way
-to work at the back. He sent half-a-dozen men
-across the open stable-yard into the half-ruined
-stable to haul down one of the stout balks of wood that
-supported the roof, for use as a battering-ram. This
-movement was concealed from Dick by the angle of
-the building.
-
-While his men were gone about this errand, Delarousse,
-impatient of the loss of time, took it into his
-head to summon the garrison to surrender. He trotted
-back to the front of the building, set his legs apart, and,
-lifting his eyes to the top of the tower, shouted a
-loud "Hola!" The Squire showed his head above
-the parapet, but did not reply.
-
-"Hola!" repeated the Frenchman. "Trevanion!
-Render Trevanion; zen I go."
-
-"A trick!" thought the Squire. "He thinks
-I'm worth a ransom!"
-
-"Trevanion!" cried Delarousse again. "Ze
-ozers I not touch."
-
-"I'll see what they say," shouted the Squire.
-"Anything to gain time," he thought.
-
-Going to the door opening on the staircase he
-called for Dick.
-
-"This fellow wants me, Dick," he said. "Goodness
-knows why! I suppose he imagines some rich
-imbecile will buy me back. If I surrender myself,
-he promises to spare the rest. Just run and see
-what your mother says: my old bones don't take
-kindly to those stairs."
-
-Before Dick returned Delarousse lost patience and
-shouted for an answer. The Squire kept out of
-sight.
-
-"Mother says you must not think of it for a
-moment," said Dick, running up again. "I knew
-she would."
-
-"To tell the truth, so did I," replied his father.
-"But we have gained two or three minutes. Now
-to decline as civilly as possible—though he might at
-least Mounseer me, I think."
-
-As soon as his head reappeared above the parapet,
-Delarousse shouted:
-
-"Eh bien! You render Jean Trevanion?"
-
-Father and son looked at each other. Dick's face
-expressed surprise mingled with relief; a strange
-smile sat upon the Squire's countenance.
-
-"We give up nobody," he called down firmly.
-"Do your worst."
-
-Dick thrilled with filial pride. It was a lesson in
-chivalry that he never forgot. A word from his
-father, he could not doubt, would have sent the
-Frenchmen in hot haste to the Dower House; but
-that word the Squire could not speak, even though
-John Trevanion was his worst enemy.
-
-Delarousse spat out an oath, shook his fist at the
-impassive gentleman above him, and toddled off to
-the back, disappearing behind the outhouses.
-
-"We'll see what the rascal is after now," said the
-Squire quickly, and followed Dick down the stairs.
-
-For a minute or two the further proceedings of
-the assailants were hidden from view. Then the
-watchers saw, coming round the corner from the
-stables, four men bearing a stout twelve-foot post.
-Delarousse, immediately behind, urged them on with
-voluble utterance and vigorous play of hands.
-
-"A battering-ram!" said the Squire. "I think,
-Dick, 'tis time to give them a warning."
-
-Dick lifted his musket and fired through a
-loophole upon the men rushing forward. There was a cry
-from below; the effect of the shot could not be seen
-through the smoke; it was answered by a score of
-bullets pattering on the shutters. The Squire placed
-his musket to a second loophole. It was impossible
-to take aim; he fired at random; and another sharp
-cry seemed to tell that his slug had gone home. A
-babel of shouts arose. Peeping through the loopholes
-they saw that one of the four men bearing the
-post lay on the ground; he had let fall his end
-of the battering-ram. At the same moment there
-came the distant crackle of a fusillade. The sound
-goaded Delarousse to fury. He rushed forward to
-lift the dropped end of the post. But just as he was
-stooping, there was a loud shout from his left. He
-turned his head, without rising from the ground, and
-what he saw, in common with the spectators above,
-was three men half pushing, half dragging a fourth
-towards the leader of the party. Delarousse remained
-in his stooping posture, as though transfixed with
-amazement, while a man might count four. Then,
-springing to his feet, he rushed headlong towards
-the approaching group, drawing a pistol as he ran.
-
-.. _`"DELAROUSSE RUSHED HEADLONG TOWARDS THE APPROACHING GROUP"`:
-
-.. figure:: images/img-335.jpg
- :align: center
- :alt: "DELAROUSSE RUSHED HEADLONG TOWARDS THE APPROACHING GROUP."
-
- "DELAROUSSE RUSHED HEADLONG TOWARDS THE APPROACHING GROUP."
-
-Up to that moment the fourth man had been
-passive in the hands of the three; but as soon as
-he caught sight of Delarousse leaping towards
-him, he jerked himself violently from the grasp of
-his captors, felled first one, then a second, with
-sledgehammer blows from right and left, and, slipping
-from the hands of the third, dashed with
-extraordinary speed along by the stable wall in the
-direction of the village. In ten seconds he was out
-of sight, and the whole band of Frenchmen, yelling
-fiercely, some discharging their pistols, turned their
-backs upon the Towers and doubled after the
-fugitive.
-
-Dick darted from the room, and up the stairs to
-the roof, Sam hard upon his heels, the Squire
-following at a pace that belied his melancholy
-allusion to his old bones. Penwarden also, hearing
-Sam's jubilant shout at the raising of the siege, left
-his post at the front, and clambered up after the
-others, muttering "Dear life! what a mix-up the
-world is!" Leaning over the parapet, the four
-watched the strangest chase that ever was seen. The
-fugitive came to the wicket-gate leading out of the
-grounds, and took it with a flying leap, with the
-crowd of Frenchmen in full cry behind him. Some,
-like Delarousse himself, bore a burden of flesh and
-forty years; others were younger and slimmer, and
-these, impelled by the furious cries of their leader,
-leapt the gate in turn, the last of them catching his
-foot in the top and coming sprawling to the ground.
-
-Their quarry, crossing a strip of land that still
-belonged to the Squire, came to the fence recently
-erected around the grounds of the Dower House.
-It was six feet high, a formidable obstacle to a man
-of his bulk and years. He clutched the top of it,
-heaved himself up, rolled across it sideways, and
-disappeared on the other side, wrenching the tail of
-his coat from the hands of the foremost Frenchman.
-In a trice the pursuer scrambled up after him, threw
-himself over, and also disappeared. Of the other
-members of his party, some scaled the obstacle with
-more or less facility; others, baulked by it, ran to
-right and left to find a path. Delarousse, whose
-stature and build forbade any athletic feat, yet
-disdained to leave the direct course, and called to
-two of his men to hoist him up. For an instant he
-sat swaying on the top of the fence; then he too
-dropped like a falling sack. Of all the thirty odd
-Frenchmen there were now only two or three to be seen.
-
-But in a minute or two the hunt again came fully
-into view from the lofty tower. The fugitive sped
-along with amazing swiftness, making a straight line
-for the Dower House. Behind him, strung at
-intervals over two fields, poured the impetuous
-Frenchmen. One or two were close at his heels;
-the rest followed, each according to his ability.
-
-"They've catched un!" cried Sam, his eyes dilated
-with excitement. "No, be-jowned if they have.
-Got away! Yoick! Yo-hoy! Now then, Frenchy!
-Ah, I thought ye'd do it, now you've smashed yerself.
-No, he's up again! Halloo!"
-
-The side door of the Dower House stood half-open.
-The fugitive drew nearer and nearer to it;
-the pursuers seemed to make still more violent
-exertions to overtake him before he reached it. A few
-yards more! Ah! he was inside: the door was
-closing. But before it was quite shut, the first
-pursuer flung himself forward and thrust his musket
-within. To close the door was now impossible.
-For a few seconds the Frenchman appeared to be
-engaged in a fierce trial of strength with the persons
-inside. Two or three of his companions joined him;
-they threw themselves together upon the door; it
-yielded; and they dashed into the house.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`John Trevanion in the Toils`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- John Trevanion in the Toils
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-With the aid of imagination's magic boots we
-skip now from the Towers to the village, and see
-what was happening there.
-
-The *Isaac and Jacob* lay alongside the jetty, in
-charge of half-a-dozen Frenchmen who lolled lazily
-about the deck. Nathan Pendry, who had steered
-the vessel into harbour, reclined, the picture of
-scowling discontent, against the bulwarks. Below,
-in the dark, reeking hold, trussed like fowls, lay Isaac
-Tonkin, Simon Mail, and two more of the most
-respected smugglers of Polkerran.
-
-It appeared from Tonkin's story, told many a
-time in after years to the breathless company in
-the parlour of the Three Jolly Mariners, that
-on arriving in Roscoff to purchase his Christmas
-cargo, he had been sought out by Jean Delarousse,
-whose customer he had formerly been. The
-Frenchman did not complain of Tonkin's desertion,
-nor did he seek a renewal of their trade relations;
-his sole object was to persuade the Cornishman, by
-means of a heavy bribe, to deliver John Trevanion
-into his hands. Tonkin had his grievance against
-Trevanion. He felt sore at having had to play
-second fiddle to the younger man in recent smuggling
-transactions. But being an honest fellow, and loyal
-in grain, he rejected Delarousse's offer with indignant
-scorn, and refused to believe what he understood of
-the tale poured into his ears in broken English, of a
-long course of deceit and fraud by which, as
-Delarousse alleged, Trevanion had enriched himself at
-his partner's expense. The Frenchman had appeared
-to take his refusal in good part, and Tonkin, having
-freighted his lugger, put to sea on his return voyage,
-intending to run his cargo at the creek in the small
-hours of Friday morning as arranged.
-
-The *Aimable Vertu*, Delarousse's privateering craft,
-lay in Roscoff harbour. Tonkin was only a mile or
-two at sea, when he noticed that the privateer was
-coming up astern. This circumstance at first gave
-him no concern; Delarousse was doubtless setting
-forth on one of his forays. But soon he began to
-suspect, from the course held by the larger vessel,
-that he was being chased, or at least dogged. The
-*Isaac and Jacob* was a very swift vessel, and, laden
-though she was, her master hoped to be able to
-maintain his lead until nightfall, and then to escape
-under cover of the darkness. But he was not long
-in discovering that his lugger was no match in speed
-for the privateer. The short dusk of the December
-evening was closing down upon the sea when the
-*Aimable Vertu* came within range. The lugger's
-armament consisted of one small carronade; the
-Frenchman had a broadside, which at a single
-discharge would have shattered the lesser craft to
-splinters. When, therefore, Tonkin was hailed and
-bidden to heave-to, he chose the sensible, indeed the
-only practicable, course, and obeyed. Delarousse
-and a boarding party took possession of the lugger;
-in spite of vigorous protests, Tonkin and his crew
-were bound and laid by the board, and, room having
-been made for them in the hold by the removal of
-several tubs, they were carried below. The two
-vessels then in company continued on their course
-for the English coast.
-
-Favoured by the light mist that hung over the
-Channel during the night, the privateer escaped
-discovery by any English cruisers or revenue-cutters
-that might have been in the neighbourhood. When,
-however, she approached the rugged Cornish coast,
-the mist became a danger, and Delarousse had
-Tonkin fetched from below, and ordered him to
-pilot the vessels into Polkerran harbour. This the
-humiliated mariner flatly refused to do, persisting in
-his refusal in spite of the entreaties, curses, and
-menaces of his captor. He was carried back by
-ungentle hands to his noisome lair, and Pendry, a
-man of less backbone, proved to be more amenable
-to the Frenchman's commands. Under his skilful
-pilotage, the lugger safely made the harbour, the
-privateer standing some distance out at sea, to watch
-events.
-
-Now Tonkin, as has already been said, was a man
-of enormous strength, and as the pages of this
-history have shown, of great courage and resolution
-also. Nor was he lacking in prudence or common-sense;
-witness his ready surrender of the lugger
-when refusal would have meant his being blown out
-of the water. The same common-sense restrained
-him from struggling against impossible odds, both
-when he was trussed up, and afterwards when the
-vessel was manned by fifty or sixty well-armed
-Frenchmen. But so soon as he felt the lugger
-lightly graze the jetty, and knew by the rush of
-hurrying feet on deck that the great majority of his
-captors had gone ashore, he began to strain at his
-bonds. The Frenchmen had done their work of
-trussing capably enough, and, in the case of
-ninety-nine men out of a hundred, no doubt there would
-have been no danger of its being undone. But
-Tonkin's muscles were hard as iron; he had the
-strength of a horse. After a few minutes' straining,
-the rope about his wrists gave way; to release his
-legs was then easy. Delarousse having gone through
-his pockets before trussing him, he was without a
-knife, and had to loosen with his hands the ropes
-wherewith his comrades were tied. As soon as the
-first man was liberated, he set to work on the bonds
-of another, and within a few minutes after Tonkin
-had released himself, all the men were free.
-
-Until the lugger reached the harbour, a number
-of the Frenchmen had clustered on the companion,
-and at its foot. When the time came for them to
-dash ashore, they scrambled in hot haste through the
-hatchway on to the deck, not thinking to batten down
-the hatch. As soon, therefore, as Tonkin was free,
-he rapidly planned how to escape from the hold with
-his men, when they had recovered the full use of
-their partially numbed limbs. He first felt about in
-the darkness for articles that would serve as effective
-weapons, and discovered a marlinspike, the hammer
-he used for driving spigots into the tubs, and several
-balks of timber that were employed for preventing
-the tubs from rolling. Each man armed himself.
-Long experience of smuggling had taught them to
-move quickly without noise, and, led by Tonkin,
-whose agility seemed in no wise lessened by his bulk,
-they swarmed swiftly through the hatchway.
-
-The men left in charge of the vessel were leaning
-over the bulwarks, smoking, and envying their
-comrades at the inn, who, finding that the villagers
-showed no disposition to interfere with them, had
-seized the opportunity to refresh themselves at
-the expense of the innkeeper. Before the idle
-spectators on the deck could turn and form up
-to meet the rush, Tonkin and his men were upon
-them. A few swift, sharp strokes of the fishers'
-nondescript weapons, and the Frenchmen were lying
-senseless on the deck.
-
-Without the loss of a moment the Cornishmen
-leapt the bulwarks and scampered along the jetty.
-They were half-way to the inn before the careless
-sentinels in the parlour heard their footsteps and ran
-out to see what was happening. Forming in front
-of the door, they brought their muskets to the
-shoulder and delivered a scattered volley; but
-surprise, haste, and strong liquor combined to spoil
-their aim, and none of the fishers was hit except
-Simon Mail, who dropped his spike with a yell
-and sat down on the cobbles, *hors de combat*. The
-Frenchmen had no time either to reload or to retreat.
-The fishers, burly men all, charged straight at them
-and struck four to the ground, the other two taking
-to their heels and starting to run up the hill towards
-their leader. But as if by magic the neighbourhood
-of the inn was suddenly alive with figures. The
-fishermen and miners, who had remained hitherto
-cowering in their cottages, rushed out the moment
-they could do so safely. The fugitives were
-caught and held; a fierce crowd surrounded the
-others; and in a few minutes all six, bruised and
-battered, lay in a row against the inn wall.
-
-Meanwhile Tonkin had dashed into the inn,
-pulled up the trap-door leading to the cellar, and
-descended into the depths. Doubledick, whom the
-sound of shots had caused to shake like a jelly,
-heard the heavy clump of the fisher's boots, and
-shrank behind a large tun in a corner of the cellar.
-Unaware of his presence, Tonkin hastened to the
-opposite corner, where, in a cunningly contrived
-recess, lay a store of firearms and ammunition, kept
-there for use against the King's officers when
-required. It was now to be turned to a more
-legitimate purpose. Tonkin seized as many muskets
-as he could carry, and hurried with them up the
-ladder, sending down for more those of his men
-who were not occupied with the Frenchmen. By
-the time these latter were secured, arms had been
-served out to the fishers who had escaped from the
-lugger, and to the most likely of the others. Then
-a compact body of thirty well-armed men followed
-Tonkin up the hill.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-In order to trace clearly the course of events in
-that crowded hour of Polkerran's history, it becomes
-necessary to glance at what had happened at the
-Dower House.
-
-John Trevanion had become so accustomed to the
-smuggling operations, and it was so much a part of
-his policy to keep himself in the background in
-these matters, that it did not occur to him to rise
-early in order to learn what luck had attended the
-run which he had expected to take place at the creek,
-during the night or in the small hours of that
-morning. Having a perfectly easy conscience, and
-the comfortable expectation that he would be richer
-by two hundred pounds when he awoke, he slept as
-placidly as a child, and did not become aware that
-anything unusual was occurring until a repeated
-rapping at the door by Susan Berry, startled out
-of her wits, at length penetrated his slumbering
-intelligence.
-
-"All right," he called drowsily. "What's the time?"
-
-"I don't know, sir," cried poor Susan through
-the door. "Please, sir, there be a passel o' men
-firing shots at the Towers."
-
-"Nonsense!" said Trevanion.
-
-"'Tis gospel truth, sir. There be hundreds o'
-men shoutin' and hollerin', and Cook be fainted dead
-away in kitchen."
-
-"Fling cold water on her, Susan. There's
-nothing to be afraid of. They're shooting rabbits,
-I've no doubt."
-
-Trevanion's thought was that the smugglers had
-been checkmated at the creek, and then, in their
-fury, had attacked the Towers, believing that their
-discomfiture was due to an alliance between the
-Squire and the revenue officers. His chagrin at the
-loss of his expected profits was not so profound as
-his delight in the thought that the enmity he had so
-carefully fostered was bearing such rich fruit. Far
-be it from him to interfere. But being now effectually
-awakened, he bade Susan to return to the kitchen,
-dressed quickly, and went to an upper window
-whence he could see something of what was going
-on. The Towers was, however, too far away, and
-the air too misty, for him to observe the operations
-so closely as he would have liked, and, curiosity
-and malicious pleasure overcoming his prudence, he
-determined to set forth and watch from a more
-convenient standpoint the mischief which he hoped
-was afoot. But wishing not to attract attention, he
-forbade his household to leave the premises, issued
-by the back door, and slunk round the inside of one
-of his high fences.
-
-He had advanced about half-way to the Towers
-when he was startled to hear shots behind him, from
-the direction of the village. The sound brought
-him to a sudden halt, and a sickening misgiving
-seized him. Had the firing begun in the village,
-there is little doubt that he would have at once
-suspected the attack of which he had long been
-secretly in dread. But the fact that the Towers was
-being assaulted, so soon after the run was to have
-taken place, had thrown him off his guard. Now,
-in a flash, he remembered what Doubledick had said
-about his interview with Delarousse, and the
-misleading information given to the Frenchman. At
-the time, and since, he had been somewhat sceptical
-of the innkeeper's veracity, but he began to think
-that his statement had, after all, been true. At any
-rate, it was the Towers that was in danger; the
-Dower House was at present safe; and after a brief
-pause of hesitation, he turned about and hurried back
-in the direction of his own house.
-
-But he had scarcely taken half-a-dozen steps when,
-from behind a bush close by, there rose a red-capped
-figure, and Trevanion looked straight at the muzzle
-of a firelock. He stopped, and before he could
-collect his wits, two other figures joined the first.
-"C'est lui!" cried one of the Frenchmen. They
-were three of the sentries whom Delarousse had
-placed around the village, and were hastening to
-rejoin their leader in advance of the band now
-dashing up the hill. Trevanion was so much taken
-aback as to be incapable of resistance. All that he
-did when the men roughly seized him was to protest
-that a mistake had been made. "Ah! ah!" said
-one of his captors. "On ne s'en trompe pas; pas
-de tout." The other two each took one of
-Trevanion's arms, and marched him at a great pace
-through a gate in the fence towards the Towers, the
-third man bringing up the rear. What happened
-when Trevanion and Delarousse came face to face
-has already been related.
-
-Maidy Susan, when Trevanion had left the
-house, showed herself strangely callous to the sad
-plight of Cook. Convinced that the Corsican Ogre
-had at last effected his long-threatened landing, she
-wondered in her simple soul why her master had not
-ordered the alarm bell to be rung, and the men
-servants to seize their arms and sally forth to defend
-their country. She peeped in at the kitchen, saw
-that Cook had recovered sufficiently to fan herself
-and scream, and then ran upstairs to watch what
-was going on. Only a minute or two afterwards,
-Trevanion broke from his captors and fled, the
-yelling Frenchmen in full cry behind.
-
-"'Tis he! 'Tis Boney!" cried Susan.
-
-She clutched at the casement frame for support,
-then suddenly flew downstairs like a young deer. It
-was she who held the door open, she who was
-forced back by the onrush of the infuriated Frenchmen.
-She crouched behind the door until the last
-of them, Delarousse himself, passed, then sped to
-the top of the house and began frantically to pull
-the bell-rope. Meanwhile the men whom Trevanion
-had been at such pains to drill had fled towards the
-village, and fallen into the hands of Delarousse's
-sentries.
-
-Trevanion darted along the passage and up the
-stairs like a fox seeking cover from the hounds. He
-flung himself into his room, slammed and bolted the
-door, caught up a pistol, and stood, panting from
-haste and terror, in the middle of the floor. He
-heard the loud and rapid tramp of his pursuers
-drawing near.
-
-"Keep out, or I'll shoot you!" he cried.
-
-The Frenchmen laughed him to scorn. He was
-one; they were many. They set their shoulders to
-the door; the timbers cracked, gave way; a bullet
-whizzed harmlessly over their heads; and bursting
-into the room, they seized their victim and dragged
-him out and down the stairs again. Delarousse met
-them at the foot. Gasping for breath, he ordered
-some of his men to bind Trevanion's arms behind
-his back and take him down to the lugger, others to
-set fire to the house.
-
-"Ah! scélérat!" he bellowed. "Tu es à moi!"
-
-Scarcely had the words left his lips when one of
-his band, who had been wounded by a shot from the
-Towers, hurried in with the news that a party of
-men were in pursuit of them. Confiding Trevanion
-to the charge of four of his most trusty followers,
-Delarousse collected the rest, and led them to the
-front of the house, which the newcomers were said to
-be approaching. At the end of the drive, where
-it branched from the road, was Tonkin with his
-company of fishermen and miners.
-
-Tonkin had led his men up the hill with more
-haste than discretion. When they reached the top
-they were blown, and for some minutes had to
-moderate their pace. They could not see from the
-road what was happening behind the fences, and had
-come midway between the Dower House and the
-Towers, at the same time as Trevanion arrived
-abreast of them in the opposite direction. But the
-spectators on the tower had seen them. The moment
-Trevanion entered his door, the Squire, with Dick,
-Sam, and Penwarden, hurried down the stairs.
-
-"Hang it, Dick, they're Frenchmen!" cried the
-Squire, his fighting blood roused. "We must clear
-the rascals out."
-
-On reaching the ground he dispatched Sam to tell
-Tonkin that the Frenchmen were now going in the
-other direction, and hurried on with the others,
-intending to join the fishers at the Dower House.
-He arrived in time to see Tonkin's men fire a volley
-at the Frenchmen at the windows. Little damage
-was done; Delarousse did not return the fire. He
-had achieved the object of his raid, and had no
-desire to enter into useless hostilities. Having taken
-stock of the enemy, he withdrew his men into the
-house, which was already filling with pungent smoke.
-
-Tonkin halted his men for a moment in order to
-recover breath. It looked as if he would have to
-take the house by storm, a difficult task in the face
-of odds. But he was a man of bulldog courage,
-if no tactician. Smarting with the indignity he
-had suffered, and without stopping to think that
-Delarousse might have no designs except against
-Trevanion, he ordered his men to reload, and
-prepared to lead them to the attack.
-
-Delarousse, however, had taken advantage of the
-momentary lull to withdraw his men through a long
-window in the wall of the house facing the village.
-The result was that when Tonkin, after so much
-delay as was necessary for his men to regain their
-breath and prime their muskets, led them at the
-charge up to the house and broke through the door,
-he found the house deserted, and the enemy in full
-retreat down the hill. He rushed after them, eager
-to overtake them before they reached the village.
-Some of his men had noticed that the house was on
-fire, but in their excitement none stayed to extinguish
-the flames, nor even to warn or assist the person
-who was still ringing the bell.
-
-By this time the Squire, with Dick and Penwarden,
-skirting the grounds of the house, had joined
-Tonkin's party, and was hurrying with them down
-the hill. The Frenchmen had more than a hundred
-yards start, and on the descent proved to be as fleet
-of foot as their pursuers. On reaching the first of
-the houses, Delarousse was met by the rest of his
-cordon, who, now that the matter had come to a
-fight, saw that they could employ themselves more
-usefully than in keeping guard. Now the Frenchmen
-turned at bay, and checked the pursuit with a
-scattered volley.
-
-"Empty your muskets, then charge the ruffians!"
-shouted the Squire, taking command as of right.
-
-The Cornishmen responded with a cheer. A
-shower of slugs flew through the air, but the
-Frenchmen having scattered, and many of them being
-protected by the angles of houses on the winding
-road, only one or two were hit. There was no time
-for either party to reload. The pursuers dashed
-forward, wielding cutlasses, and their muskets as
-clubs. The pursued stood to meet the charge;
-there were a few moments of hand-to-hand conflict;
-Tonkin's burly figure was conspicuous in the thickest
-of the fray, wielding his musket like a flail; but
-the numbers of the Frenchmen prevailed, and the
-Squire recalled the men, to re-form them and charge
-again. From this point there was a straggling
-fight down the hill to the neighbourhood of the inn.
-The Squire, with Dick, Penwarden, and Tonkin
-close about him, led a series of rushes against
-the retreating enemy, whose numbers were always
-sufficient to give them check.
-
-On coming to the inn, which was within a short
-distance of the jetty, Delarousse saw with alarm that
-his escape had been cut off. This was not due to
-any prevision on Tonkin's part. He had been too
-eager to follow up the Frenchmen to consider
-ultimate contingencies. But his defect as a tactician
-was supplied by a man whom no one had hitherto
-suspected of any capacity in that direction, and who
-enjoyed henceforth, to the day of his death, a very
-exalted reputation in Polkerran on the strength of
-this one achievement.
-
-Pennycomequick, the cobbler, perceiving that the
-Frenchmen on the lugger were apparently stunned,
-hastily got together a little party of men and boys,
-boarded the vessel, clapped the Frenchmen under
-hatches, and then punted out some distance from the
-jetty, towing the boats that had lain drawn up on the
-little beach. No one as yet knew that the Frenchmen
-had not sailed all the way from Roscoff in the lugger;
-the *Aimable Vertu* in the offing was concealed by the
-mist that still shrouded the sea. Finding himself
-thus cut off from communication with his vessel,
-Delarousse, who had released the men trussed up
-by Tonkin, with ready resource flung himself into
-the inn, and ordered his company to reload and
-occupy the windows. The Squire, now as keen as
-when he had been a young lieutenant, saw instantly
-that, the superiority in force being with the
-Frenchmen, the possession of the inn gave them an
-additional advantage which would render an attack
-hazardous to the last degree. He called a halt, to
-consider the next move.
-
-At this moment the clatter of a horse's hoofs was
-heard from round the corner leading to the hill, and
-Mr. Carlyon rode down.
-
-"What's all this, Trevanion?" he cried.
-
-"A pack of rascally Frenchmen have raided the
-place, Vicar," answered the Squire, "and are now
-holding the inn."
-
-"Bless my life! What impudent scoundrels!"
-
-He dismounted, nimbly for a man of his years.
-
-"Give me a gun," he cried. "Here, you—I
-forget your name—get on my horse and ride to
-Truro as fast as you can and bring all the able-bodied
-men and any old soldiers you can find there. You,
-Benjamin Pound, go round to Doubledick's stables,
-take a horse, ride to Portharvan, and ask Sir Bevil
-from me to call out the yeomanry."
-
-"Please, yer reverence, I can't ride a hoss," said
-the young fisher addressed.
-
-"Can't ride! You must, or find someone who can.
-Off with you, or you shan't come to my dinner
-to-morrow. Bless my soul! Raiding on the day before
-Christmas! Can't we turn 'em out, Trevanion?"
-
-"Impossible, Vicar, unless we're prepared to lose
-half our men. And then we'd fail. One man
-behind a wall is equal to four outside."
-
-"What did Doubledick mean by letting the
-villains into the inn? How did they come here?
-I don't see any vessel."
-
-Tonkin was explaining the circumstances when,
-down the stairs beside the inn wall, came Doubledick,
-pale, dishevelled, and covered with dust. Becoming
-alarmed for his safety when the inn was invaded by
-the Frenchmen, he had made his way out by a secret
-passage leading up the slope into a house abutting
-on the stairway. He came up to the group silently
-and unobserved, and listened to Tonkin's explanations
-and the further account given by the Squire of the
-attack on the Towers and the subsequent pursuit and
-capture of John Trevanion. Then he pressed
-forward to the Vicar's side.
-
-"Ah! yer reverence," he said with unction,
-"'tis a judgment, 'tis indeed. It do cut me to the
-heart to say so, but Maister John be the wicked
-cause of this affliction."
-
-"What do you mean, Doubledick?" asked the
-Vicar, with a sidelong glance at the Squire.
-
-"Do 'ee mind, sir, that night a while ago when
-the sojers wer ridin' about country arter a runaway
-prisoner? Well, I own 'a was for a little small time
-in my inn; I'd never seed un afore, and didn' know
-he wer a runaway till 'twas too late to gie un
-up." (Doubledick, it will be observed, was not
-over-scrupulous as to his facts.) "While he was here,
-Maister John came down from Dower House and
-seed un, and they hollered at each other in the
-French lingo till my ears wer drummin'. Ah! 'twas
-then I first had my mispicions o' Maister John."
-
-"Cut your story short, man," said Mr. Carlyon
-impatiently.
-
-"Well, then, yer reverence, when I went over to
-France, the Frenchy telled me as how Maister John,
-Robinson by name, wer his partner for ten year, and
-robbed him right and left. Ah! he was a clever
-rogue, too, keepin' in the background so as our
-Polkerran men shouldn' see un when they wented
-over to—to sell fish. And Delarousse swore to me,
-'a did, that he'd take vengeance on him, and now he
-be come to do it, sure enough. If I may make so
-bold, I'd say let the Frenchy take Maister John and
-leave us in peace. I don't want to see my inn
-riddled wi' shots and crumbled about my ears."
-
-"Iss, and so say I," cried Tonkin. "Delarousse
-telled me the self-same story, but I didn' believe
-un; no, I couldn' believe as Maister John were
-sech a 'nation rogue. I must believe it, now
-Doubledick hev telled us all. Let un go, sir, and
-be-jowned to un."
-
-Fierce cries of approval broke from the crowd,
-but the Squire held up his hand for silence.
-
-"Let me have a word, neighbours," he said.
-"We're Cornishmen, every man of us, and good
-subjects of King George. We can't allow a French
-raiding party to arrest a man on English soil,
-whatever his character may be. 'Tis flat treason; what
-do you say, Vicar?"
-
-"I agree with you. As a magistrate, neighbours,
-I say we must do our duty."
-
-"I won't go agen Squire and pa'son," cried
-Tonkin. "I stand up for King Jarge."
-
-"King Jarge for ever!" shouted the crowd.
-
-"Well, then," said the Vicar, "we'll hold our
-ground here until the yeomanry come up, and then
-we'll storm the inn. God save the King!"
-
-At this moment Dick pushed his way through the
-crowd.
-
-"The privateer is under weigh, sir," he cried,
-"and standing in for the harbour."
-
-All eyes were turned towards the sea. The
-*Aimable Vertu*, which had been lying off the
-headland, almost concealed by the mist, was steering for
-the fairway, evidently with the intention of coming
-to the assistance of the landing-party.
-
-"Where's Mr. Mildmay?" cried the Squire.
-"'Tis for him to capture that rascally privateer."
-
-Doubledick looked conscious; Tonkin and his
-fishers exchanged glances, and thought of the cargo
-in the hold of the *Isaac and Jacob*.
-
-"We can do it, sir," cried Dick suddenly. "She
-must pass beneath that big rock at the head of the
-Beal. It doesn't stand steady, and a good push
-would hurl it over into the fairway. Let the vessel
-come in, and then block up the channel; she'd be
-caught then."
-
-"A capital notion," said the Vicar. "Off with you,
-Dick; take two or three men with you. Have a
-care not to throw yourself over too."
-
-Dick hurried off with a few of the younger men.
-When they arrived at the landward end of the Beal,
-the privateer was slowly threading her course through
-the fairway towards the jetty, a man in the chains
-sounding busily. She crept in, and had come within
-a hundred yards of the jetty when Dick and his
-companions reached the boulder. They heard the
-rattle of her anchor; she swung broadside to the
-village, and the spectators on shore saw a formidable
-row of guns grinning from her portholes. Dick and
-his companions set their shoulders to the rock.
-
-The door of the inn meanwhile had opened,
-and Delarousse appeared, holding aloft a musket,
-to which a white cloth was attached as a flag of
-truce.
-
-"I vill speak viz you," he said, pointing to the
-Squire, whom he recognised.
-
-"Shall I parley with the rascal?" asked the Squire
-of Mr. Carlyon.
-
-"Yes. We wish to avoid bloodshed, but it must
-be unconditional surrender, Trevanion."
-
-The Squire stepped towards the inn, meeting
-Delarousse half-way.
-
-"You speak French, monsieur?" said the latter
-courteously.
-
-"Not a word, sir," replied the Squire.
-
-"Ah! C'est dommage! I speak English, bad,
-monsieur. I make a meestake: I demand pardon.
-I not know ze house vas to you; pardon ze meestake,
-monsieur."
-
-"We'll say no more about that, sir," said the
-Squire. "I am willing to believe you had no wish
-to attack me. But this is an act of war, sir. You
-must at once set your prisoner free, and surrender,
-every one of you."
-
-"Ah, no, monsieur," returned the Frenchman with
-a smile. "I haf to say your demand is ridicule. I
-make vun sign: bah! ze shot from my vessel zey
-strike ze village all to pieces. Voyez! Ze boats
-come now for me. You stop me? No."
-
-The Squire turned and looked in the direction of
-Delarousse's outstretched hand. Two boats had been
-lowered from the deck of the privateer, and, filled
-with men armed to the teeth, were now pulling for
-the jetty. It was clear that under the vessel's
-broadside no attempt to check this fresh invasion could
-be successful.
-
-"You see?" continued the Frenchman, who had
-watched the expression on the Squire's face. "I not
-quarrel viz ze people here; mon Dieu, no! Zey are
-my friends; viz zem I haf excellent affairs, zey
-profit us both. Ze man zat injure me, I haf him.
-Vat avantage of resistance? None. Zen I depart:
-all is finish vizout—vizout combat sanguinaire."
-
-"Your proposal——" began the Squire, but at this
-moment a dull splash was heard from the direction
-of the Beal. Dick and his assistants had displaced
-the rock, which rolled over the edge, bounded
-on to the ledge whence Dick had made his dive, and
-then plunged almost into the middle of the fairway.
-Even at that distance a few feet of it could be seen
-projecting above the surface.
-
-"Sacré nom d'un chien!" cried Delarousse,
-startled out of his equanimity. "Vat is zis?"
-
-"Some of my men have blocked up the fairway
-with a large rock," replied the Squire. "It is
-now impossible for your vessel to clear the harbour."
-
-"But zis is perfidy, monsieur!" cried the furious
-Frenchman. "Ve speak as parlementaires; zere is
-arrest of hostilities; ma foi! zis is ze perfidy of
-English."
-
-"Not at all, sir. The men had already gone to
-do their work; I could not stop them. You see
-your position, sir. I advise you to consult with your
-men and surrender at discretion."
-
-They parted. Delarousse, livid with anger,
-returned to the inn; the Squire rejoined his party.
-
-"We have the rascals," said Mr. Carlyon gleefully.
-
-"I axe yer pardon, sir," said Tonkin, "but don't
-'ee think we'd better let the Frenchies go in peace
-arter all? They guns 'ud knock the village to dust,
-and there's the women and childer to think of."
-
-"Ah! that's true," said the Vicar, and taking
-Mr. Trevanion aside, he began to discuss the matter with
-him. While they were still earnestly talking, there
-was a shout. They broke apart, and turning, saw
-that Delarousse had solved the problem in his own way.
-
-The inn fronted the jetty, but on its southward
-side a narrow lane ran between the blind walls of the
-pilchard fishers' salting-houses. The further end of
-this was nearer by a few yards to the sea. Rendered
-desperate, the Frenchman saw in the conversation
-between the two gentlemen an opportunity for
-making a dash. He ordered four of his men to
-throw open a low window giving on the lane, and to
-rush John Trevanion as quickly as possible down to
-the jetty, while he maintained his position with the
-rest at the front windows. Then, as soon as he was
-informed that the four men had arrived at the end of
-the lane, he gave the word for all to follow. Before
-the besiegers were aware of this sudden movement,
-the Frenchmen had gained a start of more than fifty
-yards.
-
-"After them, my men!" cried the Squire, when
-he saw them rushing from behind the wall of the
-salting-house towards the jetty.
-
-The whole party poured in pursuit. But by the
-time they reached the shoreward end of the jetty,
-John Trevanion had been lowered into the first of
-the privateer's boats. The second had towed back a
-number of the craft which Pennycomequick had
-removed from the shore, the lugger itself, however,
-with the cobbler and his helpers aboard, still lying in
-the harbour on the inner side of the reef. Into these
-boats Delarousse and his men leapt, and pulled off
-swiftly to the privateer. They had no sooner left
-the jetty than a puff of smoke issued from one of
-the vessel's portholes; there was a roar, and a round
-shot crashed into the planking, smashing several
-yards of it, and sending up splinters almost into the
-eyes of the Squire.
-
-"'Tis no good, Trevanion," cried the Vicar.
-"We shall all be slaughtered if we line up and fire at
-them. They've got your cousin, and we can't
-help it."
-
-"But they can't get out of the fairway, and there's
-no water on the reef," said the Squire. "If only
-Mildmay were here!"
-
-He was soon to see that he had not reckoned
-with the seamanship of Jean Delarousse. The
-first of the boats pulled at full speed towards the
-fairway, receiving from the deck of the privateer
-a sounding-line as she passed. From the second
-boat Delarousse climbed to the deck of his vessel.
-The pilot crew, having sounded and measured the
-width of the channel between the fairway and the
-cliff, signed to their captain that he might proceed.
-It seemed to Dick impossible that the vessel should
-win through, and he watched with unstinted admiration
-the Frenchman's skilful seamanship. Delarousse
-ordered the anchor to be tripped, and the vessel
-moved slowly towards the fairway, close-hauled on
-the starboard tack. When she reached the rock, she
-seemed to graze the cliff as she passed into the narrow
-channel; but with Delarousse himself at the helm
-she passed safely through. Then, there being a fair
-wind on her starboard quarter, Delarousse hauled up
-his courses, mainsail and foresail, and threw his
-foreyard aback. The check on the ship's way gave him
-time to take aboard the boat, which had been moored
-to the rock, the rest of his crew having already
-clambered up the side from the other boats. These
-were then cast adrift; the foreyard filled, and the
-*Aimable Vertu* stood out to sea.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`The Price of Treachery`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- The Price of Treachery
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-One stride of our magic boots takes us from
-Polkerran to the creek, five miles away, where
-another little drama was being enacted.
-
-Doubledick's information to Mr. Polwhele was
-that the *Isaac and Jacob* might be expected to arrive
-at the creek from Roscoff about five o'clock in the
-morning. Some little time before that hour,
-therefore, the riding-officer took up his position in a
-hollow a hundred yards beyond the stream. In
-order that no suspicion might be engendered in the
-village, he had not brought his usual assistants, but
-was accompanied by a posse of excisemen from
-Newquay, and a half-troop of dragoons from
-Plymouth. At the same time Mr. Mildmay's cutter
-anchored in a sheltered cove northwards, having
-sailed in precisely the opposite direction on the
-previous night, in order to deceive the smugglers.
-
-Mr. Polwhele had not long posted himself when
-some thirty strapping fellows, fishers and farm-hands
-for the most part, marched down the sloping ground
-south of the creek, and congregated at a spot where
-the bank was a foot or two above the water, a
-convenient place for the debarkation of the lugger's
-cargo. The murmur of their voices could be heard
-by the hidden preventive men across the stream, and
-Mr. Polwhele chuckled at the thought of the fine
-haul he was about to make. The excisemen with
-him were old hands, and knew how to keep silence,
-and the dragoons, although they hated this revenue
-work, were too well disciplined to hazard the failure
-of the ambuscade. Their horses had been left
-tethered half a mile away.
-
-The minutes passed; five o'clock came, and both
-parties were on the alert for any sound from seaward.
-The wind blew from the north-east, so that it was
-not at all surprising that the lugger should be late.
-But when six o'clock came they began to be restless.
-It was tiring and comfortless, waiting in the misty
-gloom of a raw December morning. The sky was
-pitch dark. Neither party could see the other.
-The murmurs of the tub-carriers became louder, and
-the dragoons muttered and grumbled under their
-breath.
-
-The night was yielding, the outlines of the
-country were becoming distinguishable, and yet the
-lugger did not come. Mr. Polwhele began to
-wonder whether he had been fooled, and inwardly
-promised Doubledick a bad quarter of an hour if this
-long vigil in cold and darkness proved vain. Jimmy
-Nancarrow, in charge of the tub-carriers, had
-misgivings of a chase and capture on the sea. Now that
-dawn was breaking, he went to the top of the cliff
-and looked out into the mist, but never a sign of the
-lugger did he see. As he descended to rejoin his
-men, something caught his eye among the bare trees
-in a hollow on the opposite bank. He crouched
-behind a gorse bush, and watched for some minutes;
-then, instead of continuing on his direct course
-downward, he crept away at an angle, taking advantage
-of every depression and furze-patch that afforded
-cover, and so came to his company again. He told
-them what he had seen. Consternation seized them;
-they became suddenly silent, then whispered anxiously
-among themselves.
-
-There could be little doubt that they had been
-spied by the preventives. What was to be done?
-On the one hand they could not depart, leaving
-Tonkin unwarned, to fall into the hands of the
-revenue officers. On the other hand, they were in no
-mood or condition to relish a brush with dragoons,
-and it was certainly a dragoon's forage-cap that
-Nancarrow had descried. The best course seemed
-to be to wait; perhaps the revenue officers would
-grow weary first.
-
-Another hour passed. Then the tub-carriers saw
-the nose of the revenue cutter appear round the
-corner of the cliff. The game was up. No run
-could be made: the lugger would not put in while
-the cutter was in sight; and Nancarrow and his men
-in sullen rage left their posts and set off to trudge
-homeward.
-
-In a moment Mr. Polwhele was hailed by the
-lieutenant from the cutter.
-
-"Ahoy there, Mr. Polwhele!" he shouted.
-
-The riding-officer left his place of concealment,
-and moved to the edge of the cliff, within speaking
-distance of Mr. Mildmay.
-
-"Tricked again!" he said, angrily. "My word!
-Doubledick shall suffer for this."
-
-At that moment an unusual sound made them both
-start. It was like the distant thud of some object
-falling on the ground.
-
-"A gun! Bless my life, Polwhele, what's
-this?" cried the lieutenant.
-
-"Goodness knows! A ship in distress, maybe.
-'Tis no use waiting here any longer, so I'll ride back
-and see."
-
-"I'll come round in the cutter as quickly as I
-can. She must have run on the rocks in the mist.
-The wind wouldn't cast her ashore—I'll come round
-in the cutter."
-
-Mr. Polwhele hastened back to his men. They,
-too, had heard the shot.
-
-"Come, my men, that's a big gun," said the
-riding-officer. "Smugglers be hanged! Maybe
-there's rescue work to do. Soldiers, get your horses;
-we'll dash to the village and do our duty. You
-others, march after us; there may be work for you, yet."
-
-The men were thankful for the opportunity of
-movement, and the prospect of breakfast. The
-dragoons raced to their steeds, mounted, and were
-soon galloping with Mr. Polwhele towards the
-village. In a few minutes they overtook the
-disconsolate tub-carriers.
-
-"Aha, you black-faced rascals!" cried Mr. Polwhele
-as he galloped by, adding jocularly: "Stir
-your stumps and come and fight Boney."
-
-"Not if I knows it," muttered Nancarrow, and
-forthwith struck inland, followed by the farm-hands.
-The fishers, being of sterner stuff, and taking
-Mr. Polwhele seriously, hastened their step, thinking of
-their wives and children in the village, perhaps at the
-mercy of the Corsican Ogre.
-
-Mr. Polwhele and the dragoons had got half-way
-to Polkerran when they were met by the Vicar's
-messenger to Sir Bevil, and reined up.
-
-"Pa'son sent me to fetch Sir Bevil and yeomanry,
-sir," said the man. "The French hev landed."
-
-"Good heavens! Is it Boney himself?" cried the
-riding-officer.
-
-"No, it be Maister Delarousse from Rusco: he've
-come and catched Maister John, and hev shet hisself
-in the inn."
-
-"Delarousse, begad! Well, my men, there's a
-thousand pounds offered for the capture of that
-rascally Frenchman. Ride on, then; we'll have the
-villain!"
-
-They galloped on, sparks flying from beneath the
-horses' hoofs. When they came to the crest of the
-high ground overlooking the Towers, they saw
-smoke and flame rising from the Dower House, and
-spurred the faster. In another minute they spied
-three figures making their way towards the Towers.
-The middle one of the three was a plump, red-faced
-woman in a print dress, her bonnet askew, her
-ribbons flying. On the left she was supported by a
-sturdy, thick-set lad, on the right by a slim and
-comely maid. Each clasped the woman about the
-waist, their arms crossing, and thus assisted her
-slowly over the ground. The dragoons kissed
-their hands gallantly to the maid as they flashed by.
-
-"All safe at the Towers, Sam?" shouted Mr. Polwhele.
-
-But Sam at that moment was too self-conscious
-and abashed to reply.
-
-Meanwhile the whole population of Polkerran
-was gathered on the shore of the harbour, watching
-the privateer fade away into the distance, and
-discussing the extraordinary events of the past hour.
-Doubledick and Tonkin were the centre of an
-excited throng, to whom they had to relate over
-again the tale of John Trevanion's iniquities. The
-Squire and Mr. Carlyon had withdrawn to the
-inn-parlour, where they sat conversing over their pipes
-and glasses of rum shrub. Some of the children had
-climbed the hill to witness the Dower House
-blazing. Nobody thought of making an attempt to
-save the place, which indeed would have been
-impossible.
-
-"Well," said Petherick, in the midst of the
-crowd, "'tis the Lord's doin', and marvellous in our
-eyes. But now I axe 'ee, Zacky, where be yer boy
-Jake?"
-
-"What d'ye mean, constable?" asked the fisher.
-
-"Ah! the neighbours hev been too stirred up in
-their minds to tell 'ee. No one hain't seed Jake
-since Wednesday night, and 'tis the question we all
-do axe, whether he be in the land o' the livin' or
-not."
-
-"Dear name! Do 'ee tell me?" cried Tonkin.
-"Bean't he with the carriers?"
-
-"Seemingly not," said one of the women. "I
-seed yer missis cryin' her eyes out yesterday,
-neighbour Zacky."
-
-"Maybe he's took away for a sojer or sailor,"
-suggested Doubledick. "He wented up-along to
-pluck mistletoe, so 'tis said, and maybe was pounced
-on by some rovin' sergeant on dark lonesome moor."
-
-At this moment a cheer was heard from the
-direction of the hill, and then the ringing clatter of
-horses' hoofs. A boy ran up.
-
-"Riding-officer and sojers be comin' down hill,"
-he cried.
-
-Tonkin darted a glance around. The horsemen
-were approaching at a walking pace down the
-steepest part of the descent. It suddenly flashed
-upon him that his lugger had a cargo of contraband
-on board, which it behoved him to secure before the
-riding-officer could lay hands on it. For the
-moment his anxiety for Jake was eclipsed.
-
-"Lunnan Cove an hour after sundown," he
-whispered to Doubledick, then slipped away, and
-ran at headlong speed along the jetty. Four of
-the fishermen at the same moment set off with him,
-but instead of going on the jetty, they hastened at
-the double along the beach, following its curve
-towards the southern end of the reef.
-
-All this time the lugger had lain within the reef.
-Pennycomequick, proud of his achievement, was
-waiting until, the excitement on shore having
-subsided, he could run her in and draw all eyes to
-himself.
-
-On reaching the end of the jetty, Tonkin, one of
-the very few fishermen who could swim, dived into
-the water and swam towards his vessel. Pennycomequick
-flung him a rope. He heaved himself on board,
-secured one of the smaller boats which the Frenchmen
-had set adrift, and made it fast by the painter to
-the stern of the lugger. Then he hauled up the
-anchor, and hoisted sail, apparently with the intention
-of running in to the jetty. All his movements were
-deliberate.
-
-At this moment Mr. Polwhele reached the inn.
-A hundred voices shouted that the Frenchman had
-got away; then catching sight of the lugger, with a
-sudden inspiration he galloped across to the jetty,
-calling on the dragoons to follow him.
-
-"Hi, Tonkin!" he shouted, "I want to have a
-look at your cargo, my man."
-
-But Tonkin, as if he had not heard the riding-officer's
-voice, suddenly put up the helm and stood
-away towards the reef. It was ebb tide: the rugged
-line of rocks was exposed; and as the lugger came
-within a few feet of it, a number of men could be
-seen jumping from rock to rock, sometimes wading
-in the pools between them, in the direction of the
-vessel. They were too far away for their features or
-their gait to be distinguished, but any one counting
-them would have found that they were not four, but
-five. Tonkin sprang into the boat, rowed to the reef
-and took the men off, then returned to the lugger. All
-the men clambered on board, the boat was made fast,
-and the vessel sailed across the bay, but in a few
-minutes suddenly brought up again. Once more
-Tonkin entered the small boat, this time accompanied
-by another man. He landed him on the reef, rowed
-back to the lugger, and while this threaded the
-fairway between the fallen rock and the cliff, the man
-returned to the shore and disappeared.
-
-Mr. Polwhele bit his lips with chagrin, observing
-a snigger on the faces of the crowd. Then he rode
-back to the inn, dismounted, and entered, to learn
-the details of the recent events from the Squire, and
-to give in his turn particulars of his futile errand at
-the creek.
-
-A few minutes later Sir Bevil Portharvan rode
-down at the head of a troop of yeomanry. He, too,
-entered the inn, and Doubledick enjoyed a brief
-moment of importance when, at Mr. Carlyon's
-request, he explained the relations between
-Delarousse and John Trevanion. Sir Bevil's ruddy
-cheeks turned pale with rage and mortification.
-
-"Thank God!" he murmured.
-
-"'Tis indeed a mercy," said the Vicar. "I
-sympathise with you with all my heart, Sir Bevil."
-
-"The scoundrel!" cried the baronet. "Trevanion,
-I beg your pardon. I have listened to that villain,
-and had hard thoughts of you. Good heavens! he
-was to have married my daughter."
-
-"Poor girl!" said the Squire. "I knew my
-cousin, Sir Bevil. I should have warned you,
-only——"
-
-"Only I was a fool, Trevanion. Your warning
-would have fallen on deaf ears; my mind was
-poisoned against you. Forgive me."
-
-The two men shook hands, and soon afterwards
-left the inn with Mr. Carlyon, the riding-officer
-remaining behind.
-
-"Doubledick," he said, when alone with the
-inn-keeper, "you had better get away. I've got Jake
-Tonkin locked up in my house—caught him spying
-on you the other night. I can't keep him much
-longer, and as soon as he is free your life won't be
-worth a snap, if I know his father."
-
-The innkeeper shivered.
-
-"For mercy sake, sir, hold him until to-morrer
-mornin'! I'll go away this very night. Hold him,
-sir, and I'll tell 'ee wheer Zacky do mean to run the
-cargo."
-
-"A traitor to the last!" cried Mr. Polwhele.
-"'Tis my duty to the King to listen to you. Well?"
-
-"'Tis at Lunnan Cove, sir, an hour after sun-down."
-
-"Ha! That fellow who ran along the reef is
-making the arrangements, no doubt. Well, I'll
-hold the boy till daylight to-morrow, but not an
-instant longer. 'Tis illegal, and they may *habeas
-corpus* me. So take my warning. What about your
-wife?"
-
-"She must bide here a little until I hev found a
-home for her. Zacky won't hurt a woman. 'Tis
-a terrible thing to leave the place I've dwelt in for
-thirty year."
-
-"You've only yourself to blame. I wish you no
-harm, but take my advice: live straight for the rest
-of your days. I shan't see you again."
-
-He left the inn, and rode up the hill to look for
-the arrival of the cutter. The Dower House was
-still blazing, watched by an immense crowd of
-villagers, dragoons, yeomanry, and folk from the
-neighbouring farms, who had flocked in when they
-saw the glare. There was at present no sign of the
-cutter, and Mr. Polwhele, tired out by his night's
-vigil, rode back to his own house, to hoist on his
-flagstaff a signal to Mr. Mildmay, and then to have
-a meal and rest.
-
-Unlocking the door of the room in which Jake
-Tonkin had been confined, he was amazed and
-alarmed to see that it was no longer occupied. One
-of the iron bars across the window had been
-wrenched away after patient work in loosening the
-sockets, and the prisoner had dropped sixteen feet to
-the ground. Mr. Polwhele called up his housekeeper,
-whom he had forbidden to disclose Jake's
-whereabouts on pain of dismissal.
-
-"You knew nothing of this, Mary?" he asked.
-
-"No, indeed, sir. I neither heard un nor seed un."
-
-"Well, say nothing about it. I want you to take
-a note for me at once to Doubledick at the inn.
-Put on your bonnet."
-
-By the time the woman was ready, Mr. Polwhele
-had scribbled a brief note. "J. has escaped: don't
-wait."
-
-"Be sure and give it to Doubledick himself," he said.
-
-"Iss, I woll, sir," said the woman.
-
-An hour afterwards Mr. Mildmay came up to the house.
-
-"This is the worst slap in the face we have ever
-had, Polwhele," he said. "Why on earth didn't
-you collar Tonkin?"
-
-"Why didn't you?" retorted the riding-officer
-angrily. "The cutter is for chasing luggers, not
-my horse."
-
-"Don't fly out at me. We are both in the same
-hole. The only pleasant feature in the whole
-miserable business is that Trevanion will never
-freight another cargo."
-
-"What do you suppose Delarousse will do with him?"
-
-"Skin him, I should think. What a pair of
-numskulls we have been about that plausible
-scoundrel!"
-
-"A good riddance to the Squire, too," said the
-riding-officer. "But the property is still his, I
-suppose."
-
-"Without doubt. The Dower House will be a
-heap of ashes, but the land and the mine are still
-John Trevanion's, for all they were bought with
-money villainously come by. However, the miners
-haven't brought up enough metal to buy their
-candles, and as there is no one to pay their wages,
-they'll close down again, certainly. By the way,
-you still have young Jake, I suppose?"
-
-"No, confound it all! He escaped this morning.
-I fancy he must have been among those fellows who
-got along the reef to the lugger."
-
-"Whew! Doubledick had better make himself
-scarce, then."
-
-"Yes; I have sent Mary down with a note for
-him. I had promised him to keep Jake till
-to-morrow morning, in return for a piece of
-information."
-
-"What! a run after all?"
-
-"Yes, Tonkin intends to run at Lunnan Cove
-to-night. We'll not let him slip this time."
-
-"By George, no! I shall enjoy my Christmas
-better if we've dished that bold fellow. I'll go back
-to the cutter and turn in for a spell. You'll arrange
-with the dragoons?"
-
-"I will. They're not in the sweetest of tempers,
-I assure you, and no wonder. But I told them to
-go and get a sleep at the inn, and made 'em swear to
-keep sober. Mrs. Doubledick won't give them
-too much to drink, however; I threatened her with
-pains and penalties if she did."
-
-"Have a thimbleful before you go, Mildmay.
-We'll drink to success at Lunnan Cove."
-
-Mr. Polwhele's housekeeper set out with the firm
-intention of carrying the note straight to Doubledick.
-But the sight of the blazing mansion was too much
-for her resolution; so magnificent a spectacle had
-never been seen at Polkerran before. When she
-reached the bridge, instead of turning to the left
-towards the inn, she went straight along the road,
-intending to watch the fire at close quarters for a
-little while, and call on Doubledick on the way back.
-She had put the note into her pocket.
-
-On arriving near the Dower House, she met
-several acquaintances among the crowd, and walked
-with them round to the north side of the blaze,
-to avoid the smoke and sparks blown by the north-east
-wind. The wind had been increasing in force
-since the early morning, and blew the women's
-skirts about as they stood with their backs to it.
-
-"Mind yer bonnet, my dear," said one of them
-to the housekeeper. "Ye wouldn't like to see it
-blowed into the bonfire, that I'm sure of."
-
-"Bonnet-strings be poor useless things in a wind
-like this," said another. "I'll tie my handkercher
-over my head, and I reckon ye'd better do the same,
-my dear."
-
-"Iss, I think," said the housekeeper, drawing her
-handkerchief from her pocket.
-
-With it came a fluttering scrap of paper. She
-clutched at it, but a gust of wind caught it, and
-swept it along into the midst of the glowing
-building.
-
-"Drat it all!" she cried with vexation.
-
-"'Tis to be hoped 'twas not vallyble, my dear,"
-said one of her friends.
-
-"If 'tis a love-letter," said another, "and ye can't
-hold the man to his promise, 'twill be a gashly
-misfortune, to be sure, though maybe he's a poor
-slack-twisted feller as ye'll be glad to be rid of."
-
-"No, 'tis not that," said the housekeeper.
-
-"Well, ye needn't werrit, if 'tis a bill for yer
-maister's goods. Bills come over again, 'nation
-take 'em."
-
-But the housekeeper gave nothing to the probings
-of neighbourly curiosity. Afraid to meet her
-master lest he should question her, she remained for
-several hours in the village, taking care not to return
-home until she learnt from a small boy that
-Mr. Polwhele had been seen riding inland towards
-Redruth among the dragoons.
-
-Doubledick was on tenter-hooks all that day. His
-customers noticed how pale he was, and commiserated
-him on being "took bad" the day before Christmas.
-He jumped at the entrance of every new-comer. A
-great part of the day he spent in the seclusion of his
-cellar, gathering together a few valuables, which he
-placed along with his hoarded money in two stout
-bags. As evening drew on he became more and
-more restless and irritable, and gave short answers to
-his customers, wishing with all his heart that he could
-close his door. He dared not leave the village in
-daylight, for so many people were about, discussing
-the incidents of the morning, that he could hardly
-have escaped without being seen by some one. Never
-in all his smuggling ventures did he long for
-darkness as he longed for it to-day.
-
-About six o'clock a lad ran into the inn with the
-news that a flare had been seen towards Lunnan
-Cove. It was the time when Tonkin had arranged
-to make the run, and Doubledick took the flare as a
-signal from the riding-officer to Mr. Mildmay on
-the cutter. The customers poured out of the inn, in
-anticipation of more excitement before they retired
-to rest.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-Meanwhile there had been interesting doings at
-the Towers. When the Squire, with Tonkin's party,
-pursued the Frenchmen down the hill, Sam Pollex
-slipped away and ran with all his might to the Dower
-House, where the alarm bell was clanging, while
-smoke poured from the lower windows. He dashed
-into the house, found the cook in hysterics in the
-kitchen, and receiving no answer from her when he
-demanded where Maidy Susan was, hunted through
-all the floors until at last he discovered her in an
-attic, tugging frantically at the bell-rope.
-
-"Oh, maidy," he said, "come wi' me, or you'll be
-smothered in the burnin' fiery furnace. Yer maister
-be took; come, maidy, please."
-
-He removed the rope from the girl's hands, put
-his arm about her, and led her quickly down the
-stairs.
-
-"Where be Cook?" she cried, gasping, half
-suffocated by the rolling smoke.
-
-"In kitchen, hollerin' and screamin'," replied Sam.
-
-"Oh! poor thing, we can't leave her. Come,
-Sam, quick."
-
-They ran into the kitchen, and while Susan tried
-to calm the frenzied woman, Sam took down her
-bonnet from its peg, and set it, hind part before, on
-her head. Then they lifted her, and led her out
-into the open air.
-
-"Wherever shall we go?" said Susan. "I
-declare, I've left all my things behind; I must go
-back for them."
-
-"Never in life!" said Sam. "I can't hold this
-great big female up wi'out 'ee. You must come
-home-along wi' me. Mistress will take 'ee in: she
-do hev a kind heart."
-
-Thus it happened that when Dick reached
-home in company with the Vicar, Sam met him
-at the door with a face like the rising sun, and
-whispered:
-
-"She've come, Maister Dick!"
-
-"Who has come?" asked Dick.
-
-"Maidy Susan, to be sure. Mistress hev right-down
-took to her, I do believe. Cook be here, too,
-and Feyther do look tarrible low in the sperits, 'cos
-she told un he'd no more idee than a chiel o' three
-how to stir up a figgy pudden."
-
-When Dick joined his parents, he found them
-discussing the future of the two women with
-Mr. Carlyon.
-
-"We can't afford to keep them, you know,
-Vicar," said Mrs. Trevanion. "The girl seems a
-pleasant, handy young thing, and I should like her
-about the house much better than young Sam;
-but——"
-
-"Exactly," said the Vicar. "Well now, 'tis
-Christmas Eve. Shall we forget all our troubles,
-and get our souls in tune for to-morrow? One
-thing makes for peace, and that is the disappearance
-of John Trevanion, to whom I trace all the
-unneighbourly feeling between the village and you."
-
-Thus the matter was left. After the Vicar had
-drunk a dish of tea, he walked back in Dick's
-company to the Parsonage, his horse having not yet
-been returned to him.
-
-When Mr. Polwhele and the dragoons were seen
-riding in the direction of Redruth, they were really
-proceeding to a sheltered spot on the coast whence
-they could watch for the flare which was to signal the
-approach of the *Isaac and Jacob* to Lunnan Cove.
-Mr. Mildmay's cutter was lurking behind a headland
-not far away. As soon as the blue light was seen,
-the riding-officer galloped to the spot, and saw, a
-little distance out at sea, a dark shape, which from its
-size he knew to be the lugger. Igniting another blue
-light, he was surprised to find that the vessel was
-making no effort to escape, nor was there the bustle
-on board that might have been expected. There
-were no tub-carriers in sight; no doubt, thought he,
-they had scattered on seeing the flare. He reined
-up on the beach, and waited for the cutter to appear.
-
-In a few minutes he heard Mr. Mildmay hail the
-lugger, and by the aid of another light he saw the
-cutter run alongside, and a rummaging crew spring
-aboard the *Isaac and Jacob*, without opposition.
-Lamps were lit on deck, and the figures of the
-lieutenant's men could be seen descending into the
-hold. Immediately afterwards there was a burst of
-rough laughter, mingled with a volley of curses; the
-sailors emerged from the hatchway one by one, and
-Mr. Mildmay's quarter-deck voice was heard abusing
-something or somebody. Then he and his men
-returned to the cutter, which headed for the shore,
-while the lugger set her sails and stood out towards
-the harbour.
-
-"Fooled again, Polwhele!" cried the lieutenant,
-when he came within hailing distance. "The hold
-is empty, and Jake Tonkin, young Pendry,
-Pennycomequick, and half a dozen more are grinning
-their heads off."
-
-"Confusion seize 'em!" exclaimed Mr. Polwhele.
-"I see it! That rascal has betrayed us, in
-the hope of redeeming himself with Tonkin. Well,
-we deserve it for joining in with such a scoundrel.
-Depend upon it, they've made their run somewhere
-else, and are laughing in their sleeves."
-
-The crestfallen officer dismissed the dragoons,
-who were chuckling at his discomfiture, and rode
-home.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-When Jake Tonkin escaped from Mr. Polwhele's
-house, he took the shortest cut over the cliffs to the
-harbour, and reached the shore just as the four men
-were running to gain the lugger by way of the reef.
-He joined them, and on meeting his father told him
-in a few words about Doubledick's treachery.
-Tonkin immediately sent a man back to countermand
-the order to await him at Lunnan Cove, and to
-arrange secretly with the tub-carriers to assemble at
-the spot previously chosen, the creek five miles to
-the north. He had then run out to sea, and, taking
-advantage of the mist, made a circuit that brought
-him astern of the cutter, which was then returning
-to the harbour. He sunk his cargo near the mouth
-of the creek, stepped with one man into the small
-boat he had taken in tow, and sent the rest out to
-sea again in the lugger, instructing them to make
-for Lunnan Cove at the appointed time.
-
-Consequently, at the moment when the officers
-were condoling with each other, Tonkin and his
-man were rowing into the creek, towards a large body
-of tub-carriers gathered on the shore. The boat
-moved very slowly, and a light thrown on the scene
-would have revealed, attached to its stern, a rope on
-which the first of a line of tubs was bobbing up and
-down. When it came within a few yards of the
-waiting men, half a dozen of them waded out and
-drew it high on the beach. The rope was then
-hauled in, scarcely a word being spoken, and in less
-than ten minutes thirty men, each carrying two tubs
-slung across his shoulders, were trudging to their
-appointed destinations.
-
-Tonkin was alone. As soon as the men had
-disappeared, he removed a plug from the bottom of the
-boat, and pushed it towards the middle of the stream,
-where it sank in eight feet of water. Then he
-set off with long strides towards the village. His
-business was accomplished: now he could deal with
-Doubledick.
-
-A few minutes after the flare had been announced
-in the inn, Doubledick, left alone for a moment, let
-himself down into the cellar. Not even his wife
-knew of his design. He slipped on a pair of
-goloshes, took up two heavy and cumbersome sacks,
-slung them over his shoulders, and hurried through
-the secret passage, which opened half-way up the
-narrow-stepped lane. The night was very dark;
-there was a blind wall on each side of the lane; and
-no one saw the laden man as he crept stealthily up
-the steps. Soon he came to a similar passage at right
-angles to the other, leading down to the bank of the
-stream. He turned into this, went more quickly to
-the bottom, and then trudged along among the
-rushes in the direction of the bridge.
-
-Coming to that point, he did not ascend by the
-steps that led to the road, but passed under the
-arches and continued his way along the stream.
-When he had walked about a quarter of a mile, he
-paused for a minute or two to take breath, then
-laboriously climbed up the steep bank with the
-assistance of bushes and saplings, and came panting
-to the top. He was now within a few yards of
-the path that led past the Parsonage across the moor,
-and joined the Truro road after a winding course of
-nearly a mile. At this hour of the evening he had
-no doubt that the Vicar would be in his study, and
-his small household engaged in preparations for the
-morrow.
-
-Doubledick had gone only a short distance, however,
-along the path, when he caught sight of a figure
-coming in the other direction. Instantly he stepped
-on to the grass on the left, and picked his way as
-carefully as he could in the darkness over the rough
-ground and among the furze bushes. He dared not
-turn his head. The merest glimpse of a pedestrian
-was enough to set him quaking; nor had he the
-courage now to make his way back to the path.
-Having met one person he might meet another. In
-his state of panic-fear he saw in every dark bush a
-man lying in wait for him, and the thought of
-tramping for miles over this desolate moor filled him
-with terror. There was another way to Truro, by
-the high-road running past the Towers to the
-cross-road from Newquay. In a few minutes, therefore,
-he turned again to the left, and struck across the
-uneven ground towards a point about midway
-between the Dower House and the Towers. Dark
-as the night was, he would at least see the road and
-fare more easily upon it. Passers were rare at this
-hour, and he hoped, if he should chance to meet
-any one, to catch sight of him in time to slip aside
-on to the dark moorland.
-
-As he came to the road, he threw a glance to the
-left, where the ruins of the Dower House were
-smouldering, sparks now and then flying southward
-on the wind. The sight awoke no reflections,
-regrets, remorse, in his soul. He was obsessed by
-anxiety for his own safety.
-
-Dick, having accompanied Mr. Carlyon to the
-Parsonage, remained there for an hour or two, talking
-over the strange events of the day, and then started
-homeward along the path that would bring him to
-the bridge. He noticed a man, bowed beneath a
-load, turn aside on to the moor, and chuckled at the
-thought that perhaps the smugglers had made their
-run after all, and this was one of the tub-carriers
-conveying his precious load to an expectant farmer.
-Well, it was no business of his. He went on until
-he came to the road, turned to the right, sniffing as
-the wind brought pungent smoke to his nostrils, and
-when he came opposite to the Dower House, which
-the spectators had now deserted, halted for a few
-moments to contemplate the empty shell, momentarily
-lit up as a gust stirred the embers. It was little
-more than three months since John Trevanion
-entered into possession. How swiftly retribution
-had overtaken him for the ill that he had done! In
-the short space of an hour his prosperity had vanished
-like the smoke from his burning house, and he was
-gone to pay the penalty, Dick could not doubt, for
-the fraud and trickery of years.
-
-Turning away from the smoking ruins, Dick
-pursued his homeward way. A few minutes later
-he was surprised to see, stepping into the road from
-the unfenced moorland, the same figure as he had
-seen twenty minutes before going in the contrary
-direction. The man had come from the village;
-why then had he chosen so roundabout a route?
-His curiosity thoroughly aroused, Dick hurried on
-after the lumbering figure, expecting to overtake it
-before it reached the Towers. He was struck by the
-strange fact that while his own footsteps rang on the
-hard surface of the road, he heard nothing of the
-movements of the man in front, though the wind
-was blowing towards him. Fast as he walked, the
-distance between them did not appear to lessen. He
-was convinced now that the man was a smuggler,
-hurrying to avoid observation. He slackened his
-pace; it was not worth while chasing the man, even
-to discover his identity. To-morrow was Christmas;
-he was going to sell his burden, so that he might
-have the wherewithal to make merry on the festive day.
-
-The man had just passed the gate leading to the
-Towers. In less than a minute Dick would turn
-into the drive and lose sight of him. But suddenly
-there was a dull thud behind, and a glare momentarily
-lit up the sky. A portion of the masonry of the
-Dower House had fallen into the smouldering mass
-below, and stirred a fitful flame. Immediately
-afterwards he heard a hoarse cry in front, then a sound
-of scrambling, of snapping twigs, of heavy footsteps
-in the field on the other side of the hedge in the
-direction of St. Cuby's Well. Dick knew that there
-was a gap a few yards beyond the gate; he raced
-on, forced his way through, and sprinted after the
-retreating footsteps. Coming on to higher ground,
-he was able to see, in the dim diffused light thrown
-by the flickering flames behind, two figures, separated
-by a short interval, rushing towards the well. One
-minute they were visible; the next, where the ground
-dipped, they disappeared into pitchy darkness.
-
-Dick saw that the second figure was steadily
-gaining on the first. Leaving the zigzag course that
-had been traced by the smugglers, and was now
-followed by the fugitive, the pursuer ran in a more
-direct line for the well. The former, perceiving
-with the instinct of a hunted animal that he was
-being headed off, and could not reach the haven of
-the ruined chapel, towards which he was hurrying,
-without encountering the other, suddenly swerved to
-the left in the direction of the cliff. He was followed
-instantly by the second man, who now seemed to
-leap after him like a wild animal after its prey. In
-a few moments, just as they came to the brink of
-the cliff, the two men closed. Running towards
-them at headlong speed, Dick heard a furious cry, a
-scream of terror, and saw one of the men lifted from
-his feet above the head of the other. But before the
-captor could summon his strength for the effort of
-hurling the captive over the edge of the cliff, Dick
-flung himself forward, caught the victim's feet, and
-tugged him violently back. A savage oath broke
-from the other man's lips. He staggered backward,
-and attempting to recover his footing, let his burden
-drop with a dull thud and a jingling crash to the
-ground.
-
-"Tonkin!" cried Dick, "what are you doing?"
-
-"Out of my way!" shouted the man, throwing
-himself upon the prostrate figure, from which there
-came a piteous squeal for mercy.
-
-Dick tried to drag the smuggler from his victim,
-but he might as readily have moved an oak.
-
-"Tonkin, I say!" he cried in agitation, "for
-God's sake get up. Would you commit murder,
-like the murderer at the well? Think! Calm
-yourself! 'Tis Christmas Eve."
-
-A terrible scream rent the air. Dick caught Tonkin
-by the collar and exerted all his strength to pull him
-from the fallen body. Finding this useless, he flung
-himself on the ground beside him, and tried to loosen
-his grip on the man's throat. He was in despair,
-when he heard a shout near at hand, and the next
-moment Penwarden rushed to the spot, carrying a
-lantern.
-
-"'Tis you, Zacky Tonkin!" he cried. "Get on
-your feet, or I don't care who the man is, I'll arrest
-'ee in the King's name."
-
-The light of the lantern fell on the distorted face
-beneath him, and for the first time Dick saw that the
-victim was Doubledick.
-
-"Think of yer wife and boy," said Penwarden.
-"Shall they lose 'ee for such as he?"
-
-Tonkin's first frenzy of rage had spent itself. He
-slowly rose to his feet, leaving the innkeeper gasping,
-half-throttled.
-
-There was silence for a space. Dick and
-Penwarden were held spellbound by the expression
-upon Tonkin's strong, rugged face. He stood like
-a statue, gazing down upon the huddled figure of
-Doubledick. Then he turned.
-
-"You see that man!" he said, in a voice
-surcharged with emotion. "He was my friend. I
-trusted him. He and I hev worked together this
-many year, fair and foul, winter and summer. And
-now I know him for what he is, a spy, an informer,
-that takes money for betrayin' his true mates. Ay,
-and when things came to nought, he said 'twas my
-own son that split on us. Look 'ee see! He
-carr's his wages wi' un, afeard o' the face of an
-honest man. Worm that he is, let him crawl his
-way to everlastin' bonfire; but no price o' blood
-shall he take along, nor no one else shall touch it
-for evermore."
-
-He stooped, wrenched the bags from the rope,
-which snapped in his mighty hands like thread, and,
-lifting each high above his head, hurled it far out
-into the sea. Then, turning on his heel, he strode
-away, and was swallowed up in the black night.
-
-
-
-
-
-.. vspace:: 4
-
-.. _`Peace and Goodwill`:
-
-.. class:: center large
-
- CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH
-
-
-.. class:: center medium
-
- Peace and Goodwill
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-"A merry Christmas!" cried Dick, going into
-his parents' bedroom early in the morning.
-
-"Thank'ee, my boy," said the Squire. "'Twill be
-the last Christmas we shall spend within these walls,
-so we will be as merry as we can.... Bless my
-life! Who is that singing?"
-
-Through the open door came the sound of a clear
-young voice:
-
- | "I saw three ships come sailin' in
- | On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
- | I saw three ships come sailin' in
- | On Christmas Day in the mornin'."
- |
-
-"'Tis Susan, sir, no doubt," replied Dick.
-
-"Dear me, I had forgotten the maid. Well,
-'tis a sweet voice. She is merry enough, poor soul."
-
-"A very nice girl," said Mrs. Trevanion. "Listen!"
-
- | "And what was in those ships all three,
- | On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day?
- | And what was in those ships——"
- |
-
-The singing was interrupted by a rippling peal
-of laughter.
-
-"Oh, Sam, you'll be the death o' me!" said
-Maidy Susan. "If you could only see the face
-of 'ee."
-
-"What be purticler about the face o' me?" asked
-Sam.
-
-"Oh, I can't tell 'ee, only it do make me smile.
-What was ye thinkin' of?"
-
-"Why, I was wishin' one o' they ships was
-Maister's—his ship come home, as folks do say."
-
-"Silly boy! 'Twas thousands o' years ago:
-
- | "And what was in those ships all three,
- | On Christmas Day in the mornin'?"
- |
-
-"Well, I never heerd that psalm afore. Troll it
-over to Pendry afore church; he've got a wonderful
-ear, and if ye sing it twice he'll play it on his fiddle
-bang through wi'out stoppin'. Maybe Pa'son will
-command us to sing it instead of 'Aaron's Beard'
-or 'Now Isr'el say.'"
-
-"I can't go to church, Sam. I must stay and
-help Cook."
-
-"No; be-jowned if 'ee do. Old Feyther be man
-enough to help Cook, wi' sech a little small pudden
-and all. If we'd only knowed ye were comin' we'd
-ha' made it bigger, cost what it might. But you
-shall have my share, Maidy, so don't be cast down
-in yer soul."
-
-"Bless the boy! Do 'ee think I can't live wi'out
-pudden?"
-
-"Well, then, if that be yer mind, I'll eat the
-pudden, and you hev two servings o' pig—but not
-too much apple sauce, Maidy."
-
-"Good now! You do talk and talk, and there's
-the boots to clean and the cloth to lay. We'll never
-be done. Be off with 'ee."
-
-The voices ceased.
-
-"A very nice girl," repeated Mrs. Trevanion
-with a sigh. "I wish we could keep her. She would
-have a good influence on Sam, who is inclined to be
-idle."
-
-Dick smiled.
-
-"When my ship comes home, my dear," said the
-Squire. "Upon my word, 'tis cheering to hear a
-song in the morning, and the sun shining, too. I
-think the fire yesterday has burnt some of my
-melancholy away."
-
-After breakfast they walked over to the church.
-The people assembled in the churchyard bobbed and
-curtsied as the party from the Towers passed up the
-path, and wished them a merry Christmas, a sign of
-renewed friendliness which made the Squire glow
-with pleasure. There was a large congregation, and
-everybody expected that the Vicar would preach a
-sermon bearing on the events of the previous day.
-He had indeed looked out two old discourses, one on
-the text, "The wages of sin is death," the other on
-"The ways of transgressors are hard"; but he
-replaced them in his drawer, and selected a third,
-on the verse, "Peace on earth, goodwill towards men."
-
-"I won't spoil the day for them," he said to
-himself; "but they shall not get off; they shall have
-something warming next Sunday." The worthy
-man did not foresee that next Sunday the church
-would be half empty, the people having concluded
-that he had found the iniquities of John Trevanion
-an unprofitable theme.
-
-After church the young folks trooped into the
-barn, where a Christmas dinner had been spread for
-them, and the men flocked down to the village, to
-spend an hour while their wives prepared the meal.
-For the first time in the history of the parish they
-passed by the open door of the Five Pilchards
-and made their way to the Three Jolly Mariners,
-to the delight of the innkeeper and the amazement
-of its few *habitués*.
-
-In the afternoon someone suggested that they
-should row out to the fairway to see the rock which
-Dick had thrown down. The oldsters, after their
-Christmas dinner, were disinclined to move; but Jake
-Tonkin, Ike Pendry, and others of the younger
-generation hailed the opportunity of stretching their
-legs, and a procession of boats rowed out to the spot.
-The sun, by this time creeping to the west, lit up the
-face of the cliff with a ruddy gleam, and a young
-miner, perched on the top of the rock, called the
-attention of the others to the appearance of curious
-streaks on the rugged surface of the promontory,
-where the falling rock had struck off fragments as it
-bounded down.
-
-"They look uncommon like silver," said he.
-
-"'Tis the deceivin' sun," said Jake Tonkin.
-"Theer bean't neither silver nor tin worth delvin'
-for hereabouts."
-
-"Maybe, but I be goin' to see," said the miner.
-"Gie me that boat-hook, my sonny."
-
-He got into a boat, and was rowed to the base of
-the cliff, whence he climbed with careful step. The
-others watched him with more interest in his feat
-than in the object of it. On reaching one of the
-longest of the streaks he hacked at the rock with the
-hook, then suddenly looked round, and cried—
-
-"Daze me, my sonnies, if it bean't as good silver
-tin ore as ever I seed. There's riches here, take my
-word for't."
-
-"Be-jowned if I bean't fust to tell Squire," cried
-Jake Tonkin, instantly pulling his boat round and
-making for the shore. The others followed him,
-deaf to the entreaties of the miner to come back and
-take him off. Half-a-dozen boats raced madly to
-the beach; a score of youths sprang out, dashed
-through the village, up the hill, and along the high
-road. One, thinking to gain an advantage over the
-rest, tried to leap one of John Trevanion's fences, and
-fell headlong to the ground, his competitors shouting
-with laughter, none attempting to emulate him.
-
-Jabez Mail, the son of Simon, arrived first at the
-Towers, but Ike Pendry, only a yard behind, caught
-him by the tail of his Sunday coat, and while the two
-were wrestling, Jake Tonkin slipped past them and
-rushed into the house without knocking. Remembering
-the situation of the Squire's room from his
-last visit, he ran straight to it, followed by a dozen
-others, some entering with him, others crowding at
-the door.
-
-Within the room sat the Squire and Dick, with the
-Vicar, Mr. Mildmay, and Mr. Polwhele, smoking
-before a huge log fire. They had started up at the
-sound of heavy boots clattering along the passage,
-and stood in amazement as the young fishers, red and
-blown with running, clumped in.
-
-"What do you mean by this?" exclaimed the
-Squire testily. "D'you think this is an inn?"
-
-Jake, the foremost, was at once overcome by his
-habitual sheepishness, and stood as though glued to
-the floor, twisting his hat between his hands, and
-grinning vacantly. Ike Pendry thrust him aside.
-
-"Please, sir, I be come——" he began.
-
-"Scrounch 'ee, I was fust!" cried Jake, suddenly
-recovering his speech, and sticking his elbow into
-Ike's ribs.
-
-"Now, now," said Mr. Carlyon severely, "this is
-very unmannerly behaviour. What do you mean
-by it?"
-
-"Please, yer reverence," said Ike, "theer be great
-and noble riches down-along at Beal. We be come
-with all our legs to tell Squire."
-
-"I was fust," added Jake.
-
-"You're a liard," said young Mail, thrusting his
-way to the front. "I was fust, only Ike Pendry
-catched me by the tail o' my coat, which he couldn'
-ha' done if 'twere a common day."
-
-"Well, then, Jabez," said the Vicar, "as you
-seem to have best command of your breath,
-perhaps you will tell us the meaning of these antics."
-
-"Iss, fay, that I woll," said the lad. "We pulled
-out to the Beal, to see wi' our own eyes the rock as
-Maister Dick tumbled down, and Tim Solly, the
-miner, says, says he, 'Be-jowned, my sonnies, if it
-bean't the noblest silver tin as ever I seed.' 'Twas
-the rock, yer reverence, and genelum all, had strook
-away the ground as covered it, and theer 'tis, bidin'
-to be dug out."
-
-The Squire's face, as he listened to this, flushed
-and paled by turns.
-
-"This is most extraordinary," said the Vicar. "I
-think we had better all go down to the Beal and see
-for ourselves."
-
-"We will," said Mr. Polwhele. "Come along, Squire."
-
-"'Tis pure fancy," murmured the Squire. "The
-ore would have been discovered long ago if it
-existed. My old mine comes within a few yards of
-the Beal."
-
-"We can but see," said Mr. Mildmay. "Let us
-go at once, before the sun is down."
-
-They hurried forth, the messengers following,
-Sam being now among them. As they went, the
-crowd was increased by many more of the villagers,
-who had poured out of their houses when they
-heard of the stampede. In a few minutes they
-reached the Beal, at the spot where the fallen rock
-had stood.
-
-"Hi!" shouted a voice from below; "up or
-down, I don't care which it be, but I can't bide here
-all the cold night."
-
-"Don't 'ee werrit, my son," said Tonkin, who
-had joined the throng. "Fling up a mossel o' that
-shinin' rock they tell about."
-
-"Mind yer head, then, my dear, or 'twill hurt 'ee."
-
-Up came a jagged knob of rock, which Tonkin
-deftly caught and handed to the Squire. A breathless
-silence fell on the crowd as he turned it over in
-his trembling hands. He passed it to Mr. Polwhele,
-and he in turn to the foreman of Trevanion's mine,
-who stood by.
-
-"'Tis tin ore, gentlemen, without doubt," he said,
-"and, I think, very rich in metal. You will do well,
-sir, to bring an assayer to test it."
-
-His words were received with a joyous shout.
-Caps were flung into the air; a hundred lusty
-throats roared cheers for the Squire. Mr. Carlyon
-grasped his old friend's hand.
-
-"'Hold fast the rock by the western sea!'" he
-said. "Wonderful! Wonderful!"
-
-"Let us keep our heads," said the Squire. "It
-may be a false hope."
-
-"Hi!" shouted the miner. "When be I a-comin'
-up-along?"
-
-"Never, my son," cried Tonkin. "We can't heave
-'ee up wi'out doin' a deal o' damage to yer mortal
-frame. Bide quiet, and we'll fetch 'ee in a boat."
-
-"I'll never disbelieve in witches again," said the
-Vicar. "Dick! Where is the boy? 'Twas an
-inspiration—upon my word it was."
-
-Dick was not to be found. He was running like
-a deer to tell his mother the great news. Sam
-followed, hopelessly outstripped, eager to pour the
-story into the ears of Maidy Susan. The Squire
-and his friends returned more slowly to the house,
-and the people, giving him a parting cheer, hurried
-to the village.
-
-When a mixed crowd of fishers, farmers, and
-miners entered the taproom of the Three Jolly
-Mariners, they found Joe Penwarden comfortably
-settled in the place nearest the fire. As an
-excise-man, he had never frequented the smugglers' haunt
-at the Five Pilchards, but occasionally dropped
-in for a glass at the other inn. Observing Tonkin,
-Pendry, and a dozen more free-traders among the
-newcomers, he shook the ashes out of his church-warden,
-gulped down his grog, and rose to go. It
-was against the rules of the service to consort with
-smugglers, known or suspected.
-
-"Bide where ye be, Maister," said Tonkin,
-heartily. "'Tis peace and goodwill to-day, and
-though some may hate 'ee like a toad o' common
-days, we'll treat 'ee like a true Christian to-day;
-what do 'ee say, neighbours all?"
-
-"Ay, Maister," said Pendry, "set 'ee down and
-hark to the noble history we've got to tell 'ee. 'Tis
-rum-hot all round—eh, souls?"
-
-They pressed Penwarden into his chair, and, all
-speaking together, poured into his ears the story of
-the great discovery.
-
-"Well," he said presently, "'tis the noblest
-Christmas box as ever man got in this weary world."
-
-"Iss, sure," said Petherick, adding in his
-ecclesiastical manner, "'Tis 'My soul doth magnify' for
-Squire and parish too, I don't care who the man is."
-
-"True," said Penwarden, "and little small fellers
-like we must gie them above the credit o't. Theer
-be doin's in high parts as we cannot make head or
-tail of. Squire's cousin comes here, a right-down
-villain, a-deceivin' high and low from Sir Bevil
-himself down to small fry like 'ee."
-
-"That no man can deny," said Tonkin.
-
-"And yet," pursued Penwarden, enjoying his
-unaccustomed *rôle* as oracle,—"and yet, if he hadn'
-a-come, theer'd 'a been no Frenchy poking his nose
-in Polkerran, and no call for Maister Dick to shift a
-stone that has held to the same moorings maybe since
-the beginnin' o' the world. Ay, the Almighty do say
-a word sometimes to us miserable worms."
-
-The old man's solemnity caused a hush to fall on the
-assembly. For some moments no one spoke. The
-room filled with clouds of smoke. Then Penwarden
-took his pipe from his mouth, and, in a different
-tone, said: "It minds me o' Lord Admiral Rodney."
-
-"What do mind 'ee of him, Maister?" asked
-Simon Mail, whose arm was in a sling.
-
-"Why, a high person speakin' to a low. Did 'ee
-never hear how the Lord Admiral once upon a time
-spoke special to me?"
-
-"Never in life, Maister," said Mail. "Spet out
-the story for the good of us all."
-
-"Well, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe. Theer was I,
-takin' a spell ashore, and cruisin' about: ah! I had
-a good figurehead in them gay young days. Daze
-me if Lord Admiral Rodney didn' run athwart my
-course, convoying two spankin' fine craft in the shape
-of females. The sight took the wind out o' my
-sails, I assure 'ee, and I fell becalmed full in the
-fairway, as ye med say. 'Get out o' my way, you
-cross-eyed son of a sea-cook,' says the Lord Admiral,
-and the two handsome females laughed like waves
-dancin' in the sun. 'Twas a wonderful honour for
-a great man-o'-war like Lord Admiral Rodney to
-speak to a humble and lowly feller like me."
-
-"'Twas a gashly scornful name to call 'ee, I
-b'lieve," said Pennycomequick, the village wet-blanket.
-
-"Ah! but you should ha' heerd what he called
-the swabbers aboard," replied Penwarden, lighting
-another pipe.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-The result of the assayer's tests was more satisfactory
-than the most sanguine had dared to anticipate.
-The ore was particularly rich in metal, and the
-lode appeared to extend through the lower part of
-the Beal seaward. A careful examination of the
-ground explained the reason why the discovery had
-not been made earlier. Between the old mine and
-the new lode extended several yards of granite, by
-what is known in geology as a "fault."
-
-When the assayer declared that in all probability
-the tin-bearing stratum stretched for thousands of
-yards under the sea, the question to be debated
-was whether the Squire should sell the land, or
-attempt to work it himself. There was little doubt
-as to what his decision would be. His long-vanished
-ideas of restoring the fortunes of his
-family returned with double force, and it scarcely
-needed the persuasiveness of Mr. Carlyon and Dick
-to fix his determination. The ground having been
-thoroughly surveyed, his new lawyer in Truro had
-no difficulty in negotiating a loan which furnished
-him with enough capital to start working. Plant
-was soon on the spot, miners were engaged, and
-within a few months the yield was sufficient to pay
-the interest on the loan, a portion of the capital sum,
-and a contribution towards the increased expenditure
-at the Towers. Now that the tide had turned towards
-prosperity, the Squire put in hand the repairs long
-needed there, and Mrs. Trevanion decided to retain
-Cook and Maidy Susan in her employment.
-
-The question of Dick's future came up. Mr. Carlyon
-urged that he should continue his studies
-and go to Oxford; but Dick's inclination was for a
-more strenuously active life. He worked for a time
-as a common miner in order to learn the details of
-the trade, visited other mines to widen his
-knowledge, and ultimately became his father's manager,
-in which capacity he showed a genius for organisation
-and the control of men.
-
-Sam Pollex, basking in the continual sunshine of
-Maidy Susan's smile, became the Squire's gardener,
-and was very proud of the results of his handiwork.
-He grew a few inches, and by the time he was twenty
-stood a little higher than Susan's shoulder. Convinced
-that he would grow no more, he asked her to marry
-him, pointing out that though she was older in years,
-he was older in knowledge: that she looked younger
-than she was, and he older. They made a match of
-it, Susan's wedding dress being fashioned out of a
-blue silk recovered from the cave.
-
-A month or two after the day of the great
-discovery, the Collector at Plymouth paid a visit to
-Polkerran, and decided that Penwarden was too old
-for his post. This gave deep offence to the old
-man. "Too old, be I?" said he; "we'll see about
-that." The Squire offered him the post of overseer
-at his new mine, which he accepted. His indignation
-at the slight put upon him in the King's name
-scarcely diminished with the lapse of time, and a
-village tradition asserts that, during the next ten
-years, the smuggler who caused the most trouble and
-annoyance to the revenue officers was Joe Penwarden,
-once exciseman. But no one who knew the old
-man's strong sense of duty, and had heard him speak
-of his service under Admiral Rodney, could ever
-believe that the actions of his later life so far belied
-his principles.
-
-About six months after John Trevanion's disappearance,
-a billposter came from Truro and posted
-notices on the fences of the desolate grounds of the
-Dower House, and Petherick, as village crier, rang
-his bell and proclaimed the approaching sale of "all
-that messuage and tenement," et cetera. It was
-already known, through the resumption of business
-relations between Tonkin and Delarousse, that the
-latter had thrown Trevanion into prison, and lodged
-a claim against him for the restitution of large sums
-of money which he had obtained by a systematic
-course of fraud. When the day of the sale came, it
-was remarked that none of the neighbouring land-owners
-put in an appearance except Squire Trevanion.
-Sir Bevil Portharvan had, in fact, personally persuaded
-his friends to absent themselves, and leave the bidding
-to the Squire. As is generally the case with forced
-sales, the bids were low, and the estate was knocked
-down to Mr. Trevanion of the Towers, at a ridiculously
-small figure. The proceeds of the sale did not
-suffice to clear John Trevanion, who remained in
-prison until his death of fever a year later. The
-Squire told Mr. Carlyon that as soon as Dick set
-about seeking a wife, he would rebuild the Dower
-House. But Dick did not marry until after
-his father's death, sixteen years later, and the
-site of the Dower House was then a picturesque ruin.
-
-Doubledick was never again seen in Polkerran,
-nor was anything directly heard of him by his
-former associates. The inn lost all its customers,
-who transferred their favours to the Three Jolly
-Mariners. In three months, Mrs. Doubledick was
-on the brink of ruin, and one day she mounted the
-carrier's cart, with a few bundles, and departed, no
-one knew whither.
-
-Some few years afterwards, the landlord of a low
-public-house in the precinct of Whitefriars,
-London—a haunt of thieves, coiners, and other bad
-characters—was discovered in an alley behind the house,
-dead, with a bullet-wound in his temple. He went
-by the name of Brown, and was believed to be a
-West-countryman. It was rumoured that his murderer
-was one of a gang whom he had betrayed to the police.
-No one came forward to claim relationship with him,
-and he was buried by the parish.
-
-For many years rare visitors to the village wondered
-at a dilapidated building that stood near the jetty, its
-windows broken, its door blistered by the sun, the
-fragment of a signboard creaking on a rusty pole
-whenever the wind blew in from the sea—a mournful
-symbol of neglect and decay. If any stranger was
-curious enough to inquire into the history of this
-unpicturesque ruin, he would always find a small boy
-ready to conduct him to the house of one of the
-Tonkins, who related, with the exactitude of personal
-knowledge, the lamentable story of Doubledick the
-informer.
-
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- BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO. LD., PRINTERS, LONDON AND TONBRIDGE.
-
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- \* \* \* \* \* \* \* \*
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- STORIES BY HERBERT STRANG
-
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- UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME
-
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-"The best of living writers for boys."—*Manchester
-Guardian*.
-
-"The majority of writers of boys' books are content to
-provide their young friends with mere reading. Herbert
-Strang offers them literature."—*Glasgow Herald*.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-HUMPHREY BOLD: His Chances and Mischances
-by Land and Sea. A Story of the Time of Benbow
-
-"Mr. Strang's work is astonishingly vivid and alive, and he
-imparts his varied and wide knowledge with the easy mastery
-of an artist."—*Publishers' Circular*.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-ROB THE RANGER: a Story of the Fight for Canada.
-
-"A stirring story of the Fight for Canada, bringing into
-relief the romantic side of the great struggle, and showing the
-author's keen observation, rapid and lucid narration, and
-clever construction at their best."—*Educational Times*.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-ONE OF CLIVE'S HEROES: a Story of the Fight for India.
-
-"An absorbing story ... The narrative not only thrills,
-but also weaves skilfully out of fact and fiction a clear
-impression of our fierce struggle for India."—*Athenæum*.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-PALM TREE ISLAND: a Story of the South Seas.
-
-"For desperate daring and resourceful ingenuity Harry
-Brent and Billy Bobbin will be hard to beat, and many will
-be the boy who finds this story of their trip to the South Seas
-full of fascination and interest."—*Army and Navy Gazette*.
-
-.. vspace:: 2
-
-.. class:: center medium bold
-
-PRICE SIX SHILLINGS EACH
-
-.. vspace:: 6
-
-.. pgfooter::
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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: The Adventures of Dick Trevanion - A Story of Eighteen Hundred and Four -Author: Herbert Strang -Release Date: June 01, 2013 [EBook #39800] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF DICK -TREVANION *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - -[Illustration: "THERE LOOMED OUT OF THE MIST A THREE-MASTED VESSEL." -(_See page_ 175.)] - - - - - THE ADVENTURES - OF - DICK TREVANION - - _A STORY OF EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND FOUR_ - - - BY - HERBERT STRANG - - - - _ILLUSTRATED BY W. RAINEY, R.I._ - - - - LONDON - HENRY FROWDE - HODDER & STOUGHTON - 1911 - - - - - BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO., LD., PRINTERS, - LONDON AND TONBRIDGE. - - - - - CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER THE FIRST - THE VILLAGE AND THE TOWERS - -CHAPTER THE SECOND - JOHN TREVANION RETURNS HOME - -CHAPTER THE THIRD - THE BLOW FALLS - -CHAPTER THE FOURTH - THE CAVE OF SEALS - -CHAPTER THE FIFTH - ST. CUBY'S WELL - -CHAPTER THE SIXTH - PENWARDEN DOES HIS DUTY - -CHAPTER THE SEVENTH - THE BREACH WIDENS - -CHAPTER THE EIGHTH - A LIGHT ON THE MOOR - -CHAPTER THE NINTH - DOUBLEDICK'S MIDNIGHT GUESTS - -CHAPTER THE TENTH - THE FIRE BELL AT THE TOWERS - -CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH - SIR BEVIL INTERVENES - -CHAPTER THE TWELFTH - PENWARDEN DISAPPEARS - -CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH - CROSS-CURRENTS - -CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH - DOUBLEDICK ON DUTY - -CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH - ACROSS THE PIT - -CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH - A PACKET FOR RUSCO - -CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH - PETHERICK MAKES A DISCOVERY - -CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH - A HIGH DIVE - -CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH - A BARGAIN WITH THE REVENUE - -CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH - THE LAST DEAL - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST - THE ATTACK ON THE TOWERS - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND - JOHN TREVANION IN THE TOILS - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD - THE PRICE OF TREACHERY - -CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH - PEACE AND GOODWILL - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - -"THERE LOOMED OUT OF THE MIST A THREE-MASTED VESSEL" . . . . . . -_Frontispiece, see page_ 175 - - -"'HALT, IN THE KING'S NAME!' CRIED MR. MILDMAY" - - -"'STAND!' CRIED DICK, DASHING FORWARD. 'LEAVE HIM, OR WE'LL FIRE'" - - -"AS THE SEAL PLUNGED INTO THE SEA, SAM BROUGHT HIS HAMMER DOWN" - - -"THERE WAS NO ONE TO HEAR THE SHORT DIALOGUE THAT ENSUED AT THE HEAD OF -THE WELL" - - -"DICK RUSHED LIKE A WHIRLWIND ON THE MAN" - - -"PETHERICK'S HEAD APPEARED THROUGH THE HATCH" - - -"DELAROUSSE RUSHED HEADLONG TOWARDS THE APPROACHING GROUP" - - - - - CHAPTER THE FIRST - - The Village and the Towers - - -The village of Polkerran lies snugly in a hollow between cliffs facing -the Atlantic, at the head of a little bay that forms a natural harbour. -The grey stone cottages rise from the sea-level in tiers, as in an -amphitheatre, huddled together, with the narrowest and most tortuous of -lanes between them. Through the midst a stream flows from the high -ground behind, in summer a mere brook, in winter a swollen torrent that -colours the sea far out with the soil it carries down. The bay is -shaped like a horseshoe; at low tide its mouth is closed by a reef -except at the northern end, where there is always a narrow fairway -between the reef and the sharp point of land known as the Beal. -Northward of this is another little inlet called Trevanion Bay, whence -the coast winds north-east, a line of rugged, precipitous, and -overhanging cliffs, unbroken until you come to St. Cuby's Cove, where -they reach a height of three hundred feet, and bulge out over the sea -like a penthouse roof. - -One August evening, in the year 1804, a wide tubby boat lay in twelve -feet of water, just outside the line of breakers beneath the cliffs, -about a mile and a half from the village. The sun had been down some -two hours, but there was enough of twilight to show to any one out at -sea--the boat being invisible from the land--that it contained two lads, -one a tall, slight, but muscular youth of seventeen or thereabouts, the -other a thicker, sturdier boy, who looked older, but was, in fact, a -year or more younger than his companion. - -"Well, Maister Dick," said the younger boy, "I reckon we'd better go -home-along; it do seem as if the water be too clear to-night." - -"They're not on the feed, Sam, that's certain," replied Dick Trevanion. -"But I don't like going empty-handed. I'm thinking of supper." - -"It do be queer, sure enough. 'Tis a hot night, and they mostly comes -in close when 'tis hot, and the biggest comes the closest. I 'spect -what us do want is a bit of a tumble, to stir up the bottom and muddy -the water." - -Dick Trevanion had come out at sunset with his companion Sam Pollex to -fish for salmon bass, which at this time of year were usually plentiful -along the coast. For two hours they had had no luck. Every now and -then a ripple and spirt on the smooth surface showed that fish were -sporting beneath; but though they changed the bait, trying squid, -pilchard, spider-crab in turn; varied the length of line and the weight -of the lead; trailed the bait where they last saw the surface -disturbed--though they tried every device known to them to lure the -fish, they had not as yet been rewarded with a single bite. It was -exasperating. Dick knew that the larder at home was bare, and had set -his heart on carrying back two or three fish for supper and next -morning's breakfast. - -"It will be high-water in half-an-hour," he said. "We'll wait till then, -and no longer." - -Baiting his hook with cuttle-fish, he got Sam to row slowly up the shore -towards a spot where the sea broke gently over a yard or two of -half-submerged rocks. The air was very still; there was no sound save -the light rustle of the waves washing the foot of the cliff. As the sky -darkened and the last faint radiance vanished from the west, the stars -appeared and the shade beneath the cliff became deeper. Sam rowed up -and down for some minutes, Dick hauling in his line once or twice to see -that the hook was not fouled with sea-weed; but still there was no sign -of fish. - -All at once, when he was on the point of giving up, he felt a slight tug -at the line, which began immediately to slip through his fingers. - -"At last!" he whispered, jumping to his feet so hastily as to set the -boat rocking. - -He held the line loosely until a dozen yards had run out, then tightened -his grasp with a jerk. Meanwhile Sam had thrown the anchor overboard. - -"He's a whopper," said Dick, letting his line run again. "See; there he -goes!" - -He pointed to a slight phosphorescent glow on the water about twenty -yards away. The line was running out fast. It was only a hundred yards -long, and he must check the rush of the fish, or he would lose line and -all. Grasping the twine with both hands, he exerted a steady strain, at -one moment being almost jerked out of the boat by the violent struggles -of the fish. He set his feet against the gunwale and pulled again. -With a suddenness that threw him backwards the tension relaxed. - -"He's gone, Sam! He's torn away the hook," he cried. - -"Scrounch un for a rebel!" said Sam indignantly. "Why couldn't he bide -quiet!" - -Dick wound up his line rapidly, feeling no resistance until he had -recovered about thirty yards of it. Then once more it began to slip -away. - -"He's not gone yet, Sam, after all. I'll have him, sure as I'm alive." - -Steadily he worked the fish in. For a few moments he would draw in the -line without resistance; then there was a jerk; it swerved to right, to -left; and he could merely hold his own in the desperate struggle. But -gradually, fight as the fish might, it was drawn nearer and nearer to -the boat. At the broken water it spent its last energies; phosphorescent -flashes showed where it was dashing to and fro in the vain effort to -regain its liberty. Then, its strength exhausted, it suffered itself to -be dragged slowly towards the boat. - -Sam was eagerly on the watch, bending over the gunwale to seize the fish -as soon as it came alongside. Suddenly he flung out his hands, only to -draw them back with a cry. He had pricked them against the fish's sharp -dorsal fin. Once more he stooped, and as Dick hauled hard on the line, -Sam got his arms beneath the fish, and with a mighty heave cast it into -the bottom, where it struggled for a moment and then lay still. - -"A beauty, sure enough," said Sam. - -"Worth waiting for," remarked Dick. "'Tis getting late, and Mother will -have given me up, so we'll go now. He's big enough to give us two meals -at least." - -They bent down to disengage the hook and wind up the line. So intent -had they been on the capture of the bass that neither had noticed, until -that moment, a smack about three-quarters of a mile out at sea, sailing -rapidly across the bay towards St. Cuby's Cove. The moon was rising, -faintly illuminating the vessel, but casting a deep shadow on the water -immediately beneath the cliff, so that the boys were invisible from the -smack. Familiar as they were with all the small craft belonging to -Polkerran, they knew at the first glance, in spite of the dim light, -that the smack was a stranger. - -"She's not Cornish," said Dick, taking a long look at her. - -"Nor even English," added Sam. "Maybe a Frenchman from Rusco, though -'tis early for the running to begin." - -"They won't run a cargo at the Cove, surely. The path up the cliff is -too steep, and Joe Penwarden's cottage too near. I think she's a -stranger that doesn't know the coast." - -They watched the smack until she rounded the headland between them and -the Cove, and then began to row in the opposite direction. They had -just reached the end of the promontory bounding Trevanion Bay on the -north, and had swung round landward, when, their faces now being toward -the open sea, they saw something that caused them to pause in -mid-stroke. Perhaps a mile in the offing like a phantom barque in the -quivering radiance of the moonlight, lay a large three-masted vessel -with sails aback. Through the still air came the sound of creaking -tackle, and the boys, resting on their oars, saw a boat lowered, and -then another, which pulled off in the same direction as the smack. - -"This be some jiggery, Maister Dick," said Sam. "Do 'ee think, now, it -be Boney come spying for a place to land?" - -Those were the days when the imminence of a French invasion kept the -people of the southern counties in a constant state of alarm. - -"Boney wouldn't come to this coast," replied Dick. "He wouldn't risk -his flat boats round the Lizard. No; he'll make some lonely quiet spot -on the south coast; Boney won't trouble us." - -"Well, daze me if I can make head or tail o't," said Sam. - -"Pull in a bit, so that we can see without being seen." - -From the shadowed headland they watched in silence. The boats had -scarcely gone a third of a mile across the bay when a shrill whistle -cleft the air. They at once put about, returned to the larger vessel, -and were hoisted in, whereupon the ship made sail, and in the course of -ten or fifteen minutes disappeared into the darkness. - -"There be queer things a-doing, I b'lieve," said Sam, while the vessel -was still in sight. - -"Maybe," rejoined Dick, "but we don't know. Don't speak a word of it -till I give you leave, Sam. 'Tis a matter for Mr. Mildmay if any one." - -"Zackly. I can keep a still tongue with any man; and now seems to I -we'd best go home-along." - -He dipped the oars, and pulled, not towards the Beal, beyond which lay -the village, but towards the head of Trevanion Bay. It was now -high-water. Below the cliff only a narrow stretch of white sand was -visible. Within ten yards of this beach Sam shipped oars, and the boat -was carried along until its nose stuck in the sand. Both the boys then -sprang out, and dragged their craft up to the base of the cliff beyond -high-water mark. - -"'Tis lucky tide be high," said Sam, wiping his brow with the back of -his hand, "for 'tis a hot night, and old boat be desp'rate heavy." - -"True, she's both heavy and old," said Dick, as he secured her to a post -driven deep into the sand. "She's a good deal older than you or I, Sam." - -"Ay, true, and Feyther have give her more knocks than he've give me. -You can see his marks on her, but you can't see 'em on me--hee! hee!" - -Dick laughed. Many a time had the planks been repaired by old Reuben -Pollex, the signs of whose rough and ready handiwork were easily -discoverable. - -Carrying his tackle, Dick ordered Sam to bring the bass, and led the way -along a steep path that zigzagged up the face of the cliff, being soon -hidden from the sea by knobs and corners of rock. It was a toilsome -climb; the cliff was two hundred feet high, but the windings made the -path three times as long. When they reached the top, Sam found it -necessary once more to wipe his brow; then followed his young master -across a stretch of coarse bent towards a large building, mistily lit by -the moonbeams, about a hundred yards distant. - -The Towers, at one time a manor house of no little importance, was now -in the stage of decrepitude. It had been for centuries in the possession -of the Trevanions, who, in the time of King Charles I., had been a -family of great wealth and influence, owning estates, it was said, in -three counties. But the squire of that time had sold part of his -property to provide money for the King, whose cause he espoused with -unselfish loyalty, and from that time the family fortunes had gradually -declined, partly through the recklessness of certain of the owners, -partly through sheer ill-luck. For many years wealth had been drawn -from tin and copper mines beneath the surface, parts of whose apparatus, -in the shape of ruined sheds, scaffoldings, pipes, conduits, broken -chains, strewed the ground in desolate abandonment. In the early -manhood of the present squire, Dick's father, the lodes had shown signs -of exhaustion, and Mr. Trevanion, wishing to keep the mines going as -much for the sake of the miners as for his own interest, had spent large -sums on opening up new workings, which proved unprofitable. He had -mortgaged acre after acre in this fierce struggle with misfortune, -having more than his share of the doggedness of his race; but all his -efforts were fruitless; the mines were closed and the men dismissed; and -the Squire himself at last had no property unencumbered except the land -on which the Towers stood, and the barren cliff between the house and -the end of the promontory, almost worthless save for the little grazing -it afforded. - -To this he had clung with grim tenacity. He was often hard put to it to -pay the interest on his mortgages as it became due; his little -household, consisting now only of himself, his wife and son, and the two -Pollexes, often had barely enough to eat; many a time he was tempted to -raise money on the little remnant of his property; but for long years, -as often as the temptation came, he had resisted it. Though he would not -admit the fact, even to himself, superstition had a good deal to do with -his determination. He scoffed at the country folks' belief in omens and -witches, and professed to think nothing of an old motto which had -attached to his family for near a hundred and fifty years. In the reign -of Charles II., when the Trevanions owned estates not only in Cornwall, -but the adjoining counties, the spendthrift whose extravagance had been -a partial cause of their ruin had, at some crisis in his affairs, -consulted a wise woman who lived alone in a little cottage on the moor. -He brought nothing from his interview with her but the couplet: - - Trevanion, whate'er thy fortune be, - Hold fast the rock by the western sea. - -Like his forefathers, Roger Trevanion derided the witch's counsel, but, -like them, too, he had "held fast" until, a year before the opening of -our story, he had been forced to relax his grip. Now every rood of the -land, to the uttermost extremity of the Beal, was in the hands of -mortgagees, and the dread of foreclosure weighed on the Squire like a -nightmare. - -The Towers had been allowed to fall into decay. Only one wing was now -inhabited; the remainder was ruinous, and for the most part roofless. -In the south wing lived the Squire, now past fifty years of age, his -wife, a few years younger, and Dick, their only son. Their sole -attendants were Reuben Pollex, a widower, who had grown up from boyhood -with the Squire, and steadily refused to leave him, and his boy Sam. -These two did all the household work, grew vegetables, bred poultry and -pigs, the sale of which, together with the small sums obtained by -letting to neighbouring farmers the grazing rights of the cliff, was all -that kept the family from abject poverty. Dick himself was, to a large -extent, the family provider. With Sam's help he snared rabbits, shot -wild fowl, and fished along the coast. His bronzed skin and hard flesh -bespoke an active life in the open air, and as he went about in his -jersey, rough breeches, and long boots, he would scarcely have been -distinguishable from the fisher lads of the village but for a certain -springiness of gait and a look of refinement and thoughtfulness. - - -Dick and his companion hastened towards the south wing, where an -unusually bright light in one of the lower rooms proclaimed that the -Squire had company. While Sam took the fish, which turned out to be a -fine fourteen-pounder, into the kitchen, Dick changed his boots, washed -his hands, and entered the living-room. His father sat at the head of -the table, his mother at the foot; between them was a man of about the -Squire's age, dressed in a blue coat with brass buttons, with "seaman" -written on every inch of him. The table was covered with a spotless but -much-darned cloth; the only viands were a loaf of bread and half a -cheese. A large brown jug contained ale brewed in the family brew-house -by old Pollex. - -"Why, Dick, how late you are!" said his mother. "We are just going to -begin supper." - -"Better put it off for a few minutes, Mother. I've brought home a fine -bass. How d'ye do, Mr. Mildmay?" - -"Ah, Dick, glad to see you, my boy! Good fishing to-night, eh?" - -"One catch after two hours, sir," replied Dick. "The weather's too fine, -I suppose." - -"Shall we wait, Mr. Mildmay?" asked his hostess. - -"As you please, ma'am." - -Mr. Mildmay, a naval lieutenant, now in command of a revenue cutter, -knew very well by the expression of the lady's face that the -postponement of the meal was welcome to her. He was an old friend of -the Squire's--a messmate indeed, for Mr. Trevanion had served for a few -years in the Navy; and his acquaintance with the penury of the household -had neither diminished his friendship nor damped the cordiality of the -Squire's welcome. In these days there were few visitors to the Towers, -and those who came knew what they had to expect in the way of -entertainment. Such as might have looked merely for the satisfaction of -the inner man had long since ceased to call. Mr. Mildmay could have -supped contentedly on bread and cheese. The meagreness of the fare -would have troubled Mrs. Trevanion the most, and the look upon her face -told Dick how welcome was his addition to it. - -Dick went into the kitchen to see how Sam was getting on, and soon -returned with a portion of the fish broiled and garnished with herbs. - -"As fine a bit of fish as I've tasted," said Mr. Mildmay, "and well -cooked, upon my word." - -"I am glad you like it," said Mrs. Trevanion, giving Dick privately an -approving smile. - -"You'll soon be hard at work, I suppose, sir," said Dick to the -lieutenant. - -"Yes, no doubt I shall have a merry winter. But I wish the Commissioners -would make better arrangements on land. What can I do, with miles of -coast to keep an eye on? One riding-officer and a few old excisemen -here and there! I can't be everywhere." - -"Why don't they, sir?" asked Dick. - -"Because every man of muscle is snapped up by the press-gang or the -recruiters. Upon my word, I wish Boney would come, if he is coming. -When he has had his walloping there'll be a little time to attend to our -proper concerns. As it is, with this eternal war going on, the -free-traders play ducks and drakes with law and ordinances." - -The Squire said nothing. His attitude to smuggling was one of -neutrality. His training in the Navy made him in general adverse to the -contraband trade; but there was a time, not very long since, when the -owners of the Towers were actively engaged in it, or at least accessory -to it, and the landowners along the coast regarded it with sympathy, -open or secret. Indeed, it is probable that the cask of brandy in Mr. -Trevanion's own cellar had never paid duty to the Crown, and old Reuben -Pollex, who loved his "dish of tay," would certainly not have been able -to enjoy it in that time of high prices unless he had known a little -back room in Polkerran where it was easy to slip in and out secretly, -and without the knowledge of the exciseman. - -"The smugglers are getting bolder and bolder, confound 'em," Mr. Mildmay -went on. "With the land force so weak, what's the result? If I'm -called to a spot, ten to one by a trick, I must leave the rest of the -coast unguarded. As you know, the only man permanently in this -neighbourhood is old Penwarden, who is zealous enough, but not so active -as a younger man would be." - -"No, poor man," said Mrs. Trevanion. "He has often said to me that he -fears the Government will replace him. He will cling to his duty as -long as he can for the sake of his old sister. You know he supports -her, in Truro, Mr. Mildmay." - -"I know it, and I'm not the man to put him out of a job, though one of -these days a Commissioner of Customs will make his appearance, and then -I'll get a wigging." - -All this while Dick had been considering whether he ought to tell the -lieutenant about the strange vessels he had seen. He knew that -smuggling was the only matter on which there was a certain constraint -between his father and Mr. Mildmay. It was tacitly understood between -them that the Squire would not round on the smugglers. On the other -hand, the revenue officer knew that anything he told the Squire would be -perfectly safe with him. He therefore discussed the subject quite -openly with his old messmate, though, like a wise general, he never -spoke about any plans that he had in view. - -Dick made up his mind to say nothing. The lieutenant's cutter was lying -in the little harbour, and if he mentioned what he had seen, Mr. Mildmay -would certainly hurry away and sail in chase of the stranger. What the -Squire would not do, his son could not. But he had scarcely come to -this decision when matters took an unexpected turn. - -"By the way, Squire," said the lieutenant, "I've just heard from -Plymouth that the _Aimable Vertu_--precious fine name for a rascally -privateer--is showing herself very active in the Channel. She made two -captures last week, and was sighted two days ago off Falmouth, where a -barque only just managed to escape her. She's said to be a vessel of -extraordinary speed. The Government would give a good deal to catch her -and hang her captain, that daredevil Frenchman, Delarousse; but it's -with privateers as it is with smugglers: we can't be everywhere at once, -and while we're fighting the French on the high seas, I suppose our home -waters must be left to the enemy." - -This led to an exchange of reminiscences of privateer-hunting during the -American war, when both were young in the service. Meanwhile Dick felt -uncomfortable. What if the larger vessel he had lately seen was this -very privateer, the _Aimable Vertu_? In that case it was no question of -smuggling, but of piracy. He felt that he ought at least to mention the -matter, yet hesitated to speak without consulting his father. By-and-by -there came an opportunity of speaking to him privately. While Mr. -Mildmay was conversing with Mrs. Trevanion, Dick slipped to the Squire's -side and told him in a sentence or two what he had seen. - -"Mildmay," cried the Squire, "hark to this. Dick tells me that an hour -or more ago he saw a strange three-master in the bay. She lowered a -couple of boats, but recalled 'em, and sailed away westward. D'ye think -she's the privateer?" - -"Dash my bones, Dick," cried the lieutenant, starting up, "why on earth -didn't you speak before? Oh! I see--I see; I won't reproach you; but -I'll be as mad as a hatter if 'tis the rascal and she gets away. Good -night to you all; you'll excuse me, Mrs. Trevanion. Oh, you young dog!" - -He shook his fist at Dick, and hurried from the room. - - - - - CHAPTER THE SECOND - - John Trevanion Returns Home - - -About half-an-hour before Mr. Mildmay left the Squire's supper-table so -hurriedly, a man laboured up the last few feet of the winding path -leading from the beach of St. Cuby's Cove to the cliff-top, which he -gained at a point rather more than half-a-mile from the spot where Dick -and Sam had previously ascended. He was a tall man, his build and -figure indicating a capacity for lithe and rapid movement, so that the -heaviness of his gait was probably due solely to the size and weight of -the leathern trunk he carried. Like Sam Pollex, he paused for a moment -on reaching the top to recover his breath and mop his brow; then, -shouldering his trunk, he struck into a narrow footpath that led over -the cliff. It branched into two after a few yards, the right-hand -branch going direct to the Towers, the left-hand running away from the -sea to join a rough, ill-made road which led past the gate of the Towers -to the village. - -On reaching the fork the pedestrian did not hesitate, as a stranger -might have done, but took the left-hand path. After proceeding a few -steps along it, however, he made a sudden half-turn, and stopped, -looking across the open ground towards the Towers, where one room on the -ground floor made a patch of light against the dark background of sky -and sea. The man stood but a moment, then resumed his march along the -path in the same direction as before. A smile wreathed his lips, and he -muttered to himself. He went on at a smart pace over the level ground, -turned to the right when he came to the road, passed the Towers' gates, -which he observed were broken, and walked for another quarter of a mile -before he again halted. Then he set his burden down by the roadside, -sat upon it, and wiped his heated face, where the smile had been -replaced by a frown. - -"I daresay I'm a fool," he muttered in a growling undertone. "Why did I -chafe and gall myself with carrying this plaguey trunk? However, maybe -'tis best." - -While he was still resting, he heard footsteps upon his right hand, and -looked round quickly. The moon was up, and he saw a young fisherman -rolling along a path that ran into the road a few paces distant. - -"Ahoy, there!" cried the traveller in a deep and mellow voice. - -The fisherman, who had not as yet perceived him, came to a sudden stop -as the silence of the night was broken thus unexpectedly and so near at -hand; then, catching sight of the figure on the trunk, he slipped off -the path on to the grass and began to run. - -"Ahoy, there! What ails you?" cried the man. "D'you want to earn a -groat?" - -Reassured, apparently, at the mention of so material a thing as a groat, -the fisherman turned and came slowly towards the speaker. - -"Did you think I was a ghost?" the stranger went on with a laugh. "I -want you to carry this trunk to the village, and I'll give you a groat -for your pains." - -"I'll do it, maister," replied the fisher, shouldering the trunk. "But -ye give me a fright, that ye did." - -"Why, you never saw a ghost with a brown face, and a black hat, and a -blue coat, not to speak of brown breeches and long boots, did you?" - -"I won't say I did, but the neighbours do say there be ghosteses -up-along by St. Cuby's Well. Maybe yer a furriner, maister?" - -"No, no; I'm good Cornish like yourself," replied the man, who knew that -to Cornishmen all who lived beyond the borders of the duchy were -accounted foreigners. - -"Well, I can see plain ye be a high person, and jown me if I know why ye -carry yer own bag and traipse afoot, instead o' coming a-horseback, or -in a po'chay." - -The traveller shot a glance at the lad. He saw a rugged profile, a brow -on which thought had carved no furrows, a half-open mouth: the -physiognomy of a simple countryman. Then, after a scarcely perceptible -pause, he said: - -"Well, I hate close folks who make a secret of everything, so I'll tell -you. I got a lift in a travelling wagon from Newquay, but the wretch -that drove it was bound for Truro, and point-blank refused to bring me -farther than the cross-roads a couple of miles back. So now you know, -my man, and I daresay you could tell a stranger what I've told you." - -"Sure and sartin. You be come from Newquay in a wagon, and when ye got -to cross-roads driver said he'd be jowned if he'd carr' 'ee a step -furder." - -"You have it pat; and now step out; 'tis getting latish." - -They proceeded along the silent road at a good pace toward the village, -the traveller dropping a remark now and then from which the fisherman -understood that he was not a complete stranger to the district. Just as -they reached a spot where the road dipped somewhat steeply, there were -sounds of rapid footsteps behind them, and in a few moments two men came -up, one Mr. Mildmay, the revenue officer, the other an old -weather-beaten fellow in seaman's clothes. He wore a black shade over -his right eye, and the unnaturally short distance between his nose and -the tip of his chin showed that he had lost his teeth. This was Joe -Penwarden, the veteran exciseman who had been mentioned at Squire -Trevanion's supper-table. On leaving the Towers, Mr. Mildmay had gone -first to the right, and fetched Penwarden from his little cottage on the -cliff, and then retraced his steps through the Squire's grounds. Had he -been a few minutes earlier, he could hardly have failed to see the -pedestrian trudging with his trunk on his shoulder along the path that -ran a score of yards from Penwarden's cottage. - -"Halt, in the King's name!" cried Mr. Mildmay, as he overtook the two -men who had preceded him along the road. - -[Illustration: "'HALT, IN THE KING'S NAME!' CRIED MR. MILDMAY"] - -"I'll halt if 'ee bid me in the King's name," said the fisher, -recognising the revenue officer, whom he, like the population of -Polkerran generally, held in detestation mingled with unwilling respect, -"but I bean't doin' nowt agen the law, I tell 'ee, carr'in' a genel'um's -traps for a groat." - -"A gentleman, is it?" said Mr. Mildmay, turning to the traveller. "I -must ask you to tell me your business." - -"And you shall have an answer. I come from Newquay, and am going to -seek a night's lodging at the Five Pilchards, if you have no objection, -captain." - -Mr. Mildmay looked suspiciously at the speaker, whose accent was that of -an educated man. He was not the type of person to meet afoot with his -trunk on the high road. Old Penwarden's single eye also was fixed on -the stranger's swarthy, bearded face. - -"No more objection, my dear sir, than you will have to my taking a look -at the inside of that trunk of yours. In the King's name!" - -"With all the pleasure in life. Amos, or whatever your name is, set -down the trunk for the inspection of this exceedingly zealous officer of -His Majesty's." - -The trunk was opened, and Penwarden turned over its contents, Mr. -Mildmay looking on. He found articles of apparel, a sword, some bundles -of papers, a bag of money, a large leather-bound book, a brace of -pistols, and sundry insignificant articles, none of which was chargeable -with duty. - -"Thank you, sir," said Mr. Mildmay, when the inspection was concluded. -"I am sorry to have detained you, but in these times----" - -"Quite so, captain," interrupted the other. "In these times one cannot -be too particular. I bid you good-night, and better luck at your next -examination." - -Mr. Mildmay hurried on with Penwarden, and was soon lost to sight. - -"Who's that popinjay?" said the traveller, when the lieutenant was out -of hearing. - -"That be Maister Mildmay, the preventive officer, and a dratted -furriner," replied the fisher. "He've been in these parts two years -now, and a meddlesome feller he be too. Hee! hee! He got nowt for his -pains this time, maister, and if there's one thing I do like to see, -'tis the preventives fooled. Hee! hee!" - -"Old Penwarden looks the same as ever, except for the shade over his -eye." - -"Do 'ee know him, maister?" - -"I used to, years ago." - -"Iss, old Joe be a decent good soul of his trade, and we was vexed, -trewly, when 'a got his eye put out in a fight by Lunnan Cove. But -there, he shouldn' meddle with honest free-traders. Lawk-a-massy! I be -speakin' free." - -"Oh, you're quite safe with me. I'm a bit of a free-trader myself, in -my way." - -They went on, and in a few minutes came to an inn at the lower end of -the village near the beach. This was the Five Pilchards. The village -boasted another inn, a hundred yards away, called the Three Jolly -Mariners; but it belied its name, being frequented mainly by farm -labourers. - -The traveller paid and dismissed the fisher, and rapped at the closed -door. It was opened by the innkeeper himself, a podgy, red-nosed, -blear-eyed fellow, with an underhung lip, and a chin like a dewlap. A -small candle-lamp hung above in the doorway, showing a dim yellow ray -upon the smiling face of the visitor. The innkeeper started back. - -"I startled you, eh?" said the visitor. "Yes, it is I myself--John -Trevanion come home again. I am getting on in years, Doubledick, and I -felt I should like to die among my friends." - -"Ha, ha! Ho, ho!" laughed the innkeeper. "'Tis Maister John, for sure, -come home with his little jokes. Come along in, maister, come in; daze -me if I bean't as pleased as pigs to see 'ee." - -"Take me to a room, Doubledick, and get some clean sheets, will you? -And send me up something passable to eat and drink; I'll sup alone." - -"Iss, sure. I'll give 'ee the best I've got in the house. What do 'ee -say, now, to collops and fried taties, or a nice bit o' bass, or a dish -o' pickled pilchurs, and some real old--you know what, Maister John? -Hee, hee!" - -"Whatever you like, Doubledick, only be quick about it." - -The innkeeper led his visitor along a passage past the open door of the -bar-parlour. John Trevanion glanced in as he went by. A number of -rough fishermen in various garments sat drinking on settles along the -wall. The most noticeable among them was a man of vast breadth, brawny -and muscular, his strong features tanned copper-colour by years of -sea-faring, his thick hair and beard the hue of ebony. The sleeves of -his scarlet jersey were turned up, revealing brown and hairy forearms -that would have befitted a Hercules. - -"Tonkin is still flourishing, I see," said Trevanion in an undertone to -the innkeeper as he passed. - -"Iss, Zacky Tonkin be as great a man as ever he wer, and a tarrible -plague o' life to the preventives. Mr. Curgenven--ye mind of him, -Maister John?--died two year back, and they sent a furrin feller, -Mildmay by name, to look arter us mortals--hee! hee! He be a good feller -at his job, a sight better than Curgenven, who loved an easy life, as -'ee could remember; but Zacky do know how to deal wi' un, he do so. Oh, -'tis a rare deceivin' game he plays wi' un. He's up-along and -down-along, and this Mildmay feller atraipsin' arter un, by sea and -land, 'tis all one to Zacky. Here's yer room, Maister John. Do 'ee set -yerself down and I'll bring 'ee up a supper fit for a lord in no time." - -He looked at his visitor doubtfully for a moment. - -"I'd axe 'ee one thing," he said. "Be I to let 'em know down below as -you be in house?" - -"To be sure, Doubledick, there's nothing to conceal. You might remember -to say that I've come from London--no, hang me, I am forgetting; from -Newquay directly, from London ultimately. You understand?" - -"Iss, I understand. No matter where 'ee come from, if 'twere from old -Nick hisself, they'll be glad to see 'ee, that they will." - -John Trevanion kept to his room until the morning. At nine o'clock he -left the inn and made his way through the village by back lanes, to -escape the notice of such fishermen as might remember him, and proceeded -at a quick pace along the road to the Towers. He was dressed this -morning in a black hat turned up at one side with a rosette, a -bottle-green frock coat, white kerseymere breeches, and long boots. "He -looks summat older and nearer graveyard, as must we all," remarked -Doubledick to a crony as he watched him depart, "but he's a fine figure -of a man still." - -Arriving at the Towers, John Trevanion lifted the latch of the door -leading to the inhabited portion, and entered with the freedom of one of -the family. The Squire was at breakfast with his wife and son. - -"Come in," he shouted, in answer to a tap on the door, and rose from his -chair as the well-dressed visitor entered, thinking, as might have been -gathered from his manner, that it was one of the few friends who had the -freedom of the house. But at a second glance his demeanour altered. - -"You have made a mistake, I think," he said stiffly, resting both hands -on the table. His fine face was flushed, and Dick, looking on in -wonderment, noticed that the riband that bound his queue of grey hair -was quivering. - -"Surely, Cousin Roger, you'll let bygones be bygones," said John -Trevanion suavely. "'Tis now--I don't know how many years ago." - -"When I last saw you, sir, I bade you never enter my door again. I do -not call back my words, and see no reason to do so. You will oblige me -by relieving me of your presence." - -The words came sternly from his trembling lips. Dick felt himself go hot -and cold. - -"Is there no word repentance in your dictionary, Roger Trevanion?" said -his cousin bitterly. "You're a good Christian, I suppose--go to church -and say the Commandments, 'love your neighbour,' and all that; but -you'll harden your heart against one of your own kin that had the -ill-luck to offend you----" - -"Stop!" thundered the Squire. "The offence to me I make nothing of; you -have shamed your name and put yourself beyond the pale of honest men. -'Ill-luck,' you call it! 'Twas no ill-luck--though we Trevanions have -enough of that, God knows!--but the act and nature of a scoundrel. I am -ashamed you bear my name. I disown you. Take yourself out of my sight." - -His wife laid a gentle hand on his arm. - -"A pretty welcome, on my soul, for a man who has lived down the faults -of his youth," said John Trevanion. "I tell you, Roger Trevanion, I -will not put up with such usage--I will not! I don't want your -forgiveness; a fig for your friendship! But I demand decent treatment -from you, and----" - -"By the Lord that made me," cried the Squire, "if you do not instantly -remove yourself from this house I will have you thrown out. Do you hear -me, sir?" - -John Trevanion's eyes glittered as he returned his cousin's wrathful -look. He half opened his mouth, closed it with a snap; then an -inscrutable smile stole upon his face. He shrugged, turned on his heel, -and went silently from the room. - -The Squire sank into his chair. The flush had vanished from his face, -leaving it ashy pale. His hands trembled with excess of indignation. - -"My dear, calm yourself," said his wife soothingly. "He is gone." - -He made no reply. Dick sat silent, every nerve tingling with -excitement. In a minute his father rose, leaving his coffee half -finished, and strode heavily from the room. - -"Mother, what does it mean?" asked Dick breathlessly. "Was that cousin -John?" - -"Yes, my dear. Do not name him to your father. I will go to him; I -fear he will be ill. Finish your breakfast, Dick, and go to the -Parsonage. You had better stay there all day; Mr. Carlyon will give you -some dinner." - -She followed her husband, leaving Dick to his breakfast and his -wondering thoughts. He faintly remembered his cousin John Trevanion, -who ten years before had lived in the now empty Dower House, between the -Towers and the village, as his father had done before him. John -Trevanion had then been a gay, careless, happy-go-lucky young man of -thirty, who lived on the Squire's bounty, riding his horse among the -county yeomanry, hunting with his neighbours, roistering it with the -most rakish young blades of the adjacent manors, joining in daredevil -escapades with the smugglers. His antics and riotings became a byword in -the country-side, and Dick remembered how, when a young boy, he had -witnessed several violent scenes between his father and John after some -particularly outrageous exploit. Old Pollex had told him that the -Squire had threatened many times that unless John reformed he would no -longer be allowed to occupy the Dower House, and had forgiven him over -and over again. At last a day came when John disappeared. Dick had -never learnt the true reason; the Squire never mentioned his cousin; -Pollex, when questioned, shook his head and pursed up his lips, and said -that John Trevanion was a villain; and Dick had formed the conclusion -from stray hints that the ne'er-do-well cousin had been driven out of -the country by some criminal act. For ten years he had not been heard -of, and he had wholly slipped from Dick's thoughts. - -Having finished his breakfast, Dick took his cap and set off for his -two-mile walk to the Parsonage, where he went daily to receive lessons -in classics and literature from Mr. Carlyon, the vicar. He had never -been to school, his father's resources being incapable of bearing the -expense. A few years before this time the Squire had been seriously -disturbed about his son's education. He was himself a sufficiently -competent tutor in mathematics, but what classics he ever had had wholly -left him, and he was miserable in the thought that the boy was growing -up without the elements of the education of a gentleman. At this point -the vicar stepped in with a proposal. He was a liberal-minded, genial -man, a fellow of his college, a student of his county's antiquities, and -in his 'varsity days had been a notable athlete. Now, though well on in -years, he would often, on a Sunday afternoon after church, lend his -countenance to wrestling bouts and games of baseball among the village -youths. He rode to hounds, and judged at coursing matches, these and -similar avocations probably accounting for the fact that a history of -the parish, which he had commenced twenty years before, was still -unfinished. One day he suggested to the Squire that he should give Dick -lessons in Latin and Greek, to keep himself from rusting, as the worthy -man delicately put it, but really to make good the deficiency due to his -friend's straitened means. Mr. Trevanion gladly accepted the offer, and -Dick had now been for five years under the parson's capable tuition. - -When Dick returned home in the evening he was met by Sam Pollex in a -state of considerable excitement. - -"I say, Maister Dick," he said, "this be a fine mossel o' news. Yer -cousin John--a rare bad 'un he be--have come home-along." - -"I know," replied Dick. "I've seen him." - -"Have 'ee, for sure? I hain't seed un, but I heerd tell on un in -village. Ike Pendry were goin' along road last night when up comes my -genel'um and axed un to carr' his bundle for a groat. He wer traipsin' -along from St. Cuby's Cove way, about an hour, it do seem, arter we come -up from fishin'." - -"Where had he come from?" - -"Newquay, 'a said; but 'tis my belief he come out o' the smack we seed, -and clomb the cliff, same as we." - -"That's nonsense. He wouldn't come in a smack, and if he did he -wouldn't land at the Cove. He has made no secret of his return, and -there's no reason why he shouldn't land at the jetty." - -"Ah, well, things be as they be; but I reckon he come in the smack, all -the same." - -"What is he doing in the village?" - -"He bean't there no longer. This arternoon he packed up his traps and -rid off on one of Doubledick's hosses to Trura. Feyther seed un go. 'A -called to un as he rid by. 'Hoy, Reuben!' says he, ''tis a cold -country, this!' That just 'mazed Feyther, 'cos it was a frizzlin' day. -'Spect he've been in furrin parts, wheer what's bilin' to we is nawthin' -but chill-off to they. So 'tis, to be sure." - -At this piece of news Dick felt much relieved. He hoped that Polkerran -had seen the last of John Trevanion. But it turned out that the return -of the native was only the first scene in a series of strange happenings -that were to be long remembered in the village, and were vitally to -affect the fortunes of the family at the Towers. - - - - - CHAPTER THE THIRD - - The Blow Falls - - -For some days after the event just related, life at Polkerran and the -neighbourhood flowed on its customary sluggish tide. The fishermen were -idle, waiting for pilchards to appear off the coast. The harvest had -been gathered in from the fields. There was little for the village folk -to do except to gossip. Men gathered in knots on the jetty and at the -inn-doors, chatting about the return of John Trevanion, the strange -vessels that had been seen, and the revenue cutter's failure to catch -them, the appearance of a ghost at St. Cuby's Well, the prospects of the -fishing season, the chances of making good "runs," and besting Mr. -Mildmay and the excisemen. At the Towers there was nothing to show that -anything had happened to disturb the placid surface of existence, except -that the Squire was more silent than usual, and went about with a pale -face and a preoccupied and troubled look. - -One afternoon, after the lapse of about a week, Dick, leaving the -Parsonage after his daily lessons, was surprised to see his father -approaching across the glebe. The Squire was on foot: his last horse -had been sold long ago. - -"Ha, Dick!" he said, as he met his son, "you have finished with Greeks -and Romans for the day, then. I have come for a word with the parson. -Shall be home to supper." - -Dick went on, and his father entered the house. - -"Ah, Trevanion, I am glad to see you," said Mr. Carlyon, cordially, his -keen eyes not failing to note a certain gravity in his old friend's -expression. - -"I want your advice, Carlyon," said Mr. Trevanion abruptly. - -"And you shall have the best I can give, as you know well. Come into -the garden and smoke a pipe with me. Good, honest tobacco, even if 'tis -contraband--and I can't swear to that--will do no harm to you or me." - -When they were seated side by side in wide wicker chairs beneath the -shade of an elm-tree, the Squire drew from his pocket a folded paper -which had been sealed at the edges. - -"Read that," he said, handing it to the vicar. - -Mr. Carlyon carefully rubbed his spectacles, set them on his nose with -deliberation, and slowly opened the paper. - -"H'm! God bless my soul! Poor old Trevanion!" he murmured, as he read, -unconscious that his words were audible. "This is bad news, Trevanion," -he said, aloud, looking over the rims of his spectacles with grave -concern. - -"It is. It is the very worst," said the Squire, gloomily. "It is the -end of things for me." - -"No, no; don't say that. Every cloud has a silver lining." - -"A musty proverb, Carlyon. You don't see the silver lining in a -thunderstorm, and it doesn't keep your skin dry. This spells ruin, ruin -irretrievable." - -The parson pressed his lips together, and read the document again. It -was a brief intimation from a Truro attorney of his client's intention -to foreclose on the mortgages he held upon certain parcels of land, if -the sums advanced on them were not repaid within a month from that date. - -"This is not your own man?" said the parson. - -"No. I never heard of him before." - -"What is the extent of the obligation?" - -"Two thousand pounds. I can't muster as many shillings. I am in arrear -with the interest. Within a month we shall be in the poor-house--a -noble end for Trevanion of the Towers!" - -"Tut, tut! You take too black a view of things. 'I have been young, and -now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed -begging bread.'" - -"But I have, and so have you, Carlyon. I see things as they are. 'Tis -no surprise to me; these many months I have felt the blow might fall at -any moment; but the condemned man hopes to the last for a reprieve, and -I have gone from day to day, like a weakling and simpleton, refusing to -face the facts. Not that I could have done anything; I am bankrupt; -there's no way out of it." - -"Who holds the mortgages?" - -"Sir Bevil Portharvan. I have nothing to say against him. He has been -very patient. A man of business would have foreclosed long ago, though -he would have got little by it, for the mines are worked out, the Towers -is a ruin, and the land will grow next to nothing but thistles and -burdock. 'Twas to be." - -"But he can't take the Towers from you. Do you not hold fast to that?" - -"I did till a year ago, but there's a small bond on that now--a paltry -hundred pounds; I could raise no more on it and the cliff. Sir Bevil -does not hold that, however; 'tis my own lawyer." - -The parson sawed the air with his hand, a trick of his when perplexed. - -"Well, old friend," he said, "I am sorry for you, from the bottom of my -heart. If I had the money, I would gladly lend it you, but 'passing -rich on forty pound a year,' you know----" - -"I know well. 'Tis not for that I come to you. Give me your advice. -What can I do? I must leave the Towers; what can I do for a livelihood? -Like the man in the Book, 'I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.' What a -miserable fool I was to throw up the sea when I came into the property! -And yet I don't know. Look at Mildmay; a year or two younger, 'tis -true, but still a lieutenant, and thought fit for nothing better than to -chase luggers and circumvent the trade. I've no interest with the -Admiralty; they've enough to do to provide for the seamen invalided from -the wars. What can an old fool past fifty do to earn his salt? Years -ago I had my dreams of paying off the burdens and reviving the Trevanion -fortunes; but they have long since vanished into thin air; the task -needed a better head than mine. And what little chance I might have had -was doomed by the misdeeds of that scoundrel cousin of mine----" - -"I heard that he reappeared the other day. I hoped it was not true." - -"'Twas true. He had the boldness, the effrontery, to come to me with -his 'let bygones be bygones,' and sneering at my Christianity. You know -the facts, Carlyon. You know how, but that I impoverished myself, he -would to this day be in the hulks or slaving in the plantations. I was -too tender, I was indeed. I ought to have let the law take its course, -and put my pride in my pocket. 'Twas a weakness, I own it; and now 'tis -time to take my payment." - -"No, my good friend, you did right to keep your name unstained. But I -wonder, indeed I do, that John Trevanion has dared to show his face here -again." - -"Oh, 'tis no wonder," said the Squire bitterly. "No one knew of his -crime but three, you and I and John Hammond; only Hammond had proof of -it, and he is dead. My worthless cousin learnt of his death, I warrant -you; the Devil has quick couriers for such as he; and he comes back, -relying on my weakness and your holiness. But I'll speak no more of -him; he is gone, and I hope I shall never see him again. There's my boy -Dick: what is to become of him? He is seventeen; he ought to be making -his way in the world. I can't put him to a profession; I keep him at -home drudging for us; and but for your kindness, Carlyon, he would be as -ignorant and raw as the meanest farm-hind. 'Tis not right; 'tis cruelty -to the lad; and he will live to curse the day he was born a Trevanion." - -"Come, come, this is not like you, Squire," said Mr. Carlyon warmly. -"The lad is doing very well. He lives an open, honest life, and a useful -one. What if his hands are horny? He makes good progress with his -books, too, and will be fit in a year or two to win a sizarship at -Oxford, and he will do well there, take orders, or maybe become -secretary to some great person. You need fear nothing for Dick. No; -'tis for yourself and your good wife we must think. And now let us put -our heads together. What say you to visiting Sir Bevil, and seeking -further grace? I will myself undertake the office." - -"Never!" cried the Squire firmly. "I will have no man supplicating and -beseeching on my behalf. No; let what must come, come; never will I -whine and grovel for mercy." - -"You are an obstinate old fool, Roger Trevanion," said the parson, -laying a friendly hand on the other's arm. "But I own I sympathise with -your feeling. Well, then, my counsel is--and you may scorn it--do -nothing." - -"Nothing!" - -"Simply wait. The foreclosure must come, I see that; but the other -mortgagee has not moved; you will still have a roof above you; you make -no profit of the mortgaged lands, and so will be not a whit worse off -than you are now, save in the one point of pride. That pride of yours -has been your snare, Trevanion." - -"Well I know it!" - -"I don't preach, except on Sundays, but I believe in my heart that this -trouble will turn out for your good. Hold fast your rock, old friend; -'twas sound advice, even though it came from a witch. No man can give -you better, and I am superstitious enough to believe that while you -follow it the Trevanions will not come to beggary." - -The two friends sat talking for some time longer. When the Squire rose -to go away, he said-- - -"I thank you, Carlyon. You have done me good. I see nothing but -darkness ahead, but I'll take your advice; I'll stick to the ship, and -keep my colours flying, and who knows?--perhaps I shall weather it out -after all." - -They shook hands and parted, and the parson returned to his study to -read over an ode of Horace in readiness for Dick's lesson next day. - -After his conversation with Mr. Carlyon the Squire recovered his wonted -serenity. So cheerful was he when he told his wife and son what was -going to happen, that they refrained from giving utterance in his -presence to their own feelings on the matter, for fear of bringing back -his gloom. He rode over one day in the carrier's cart to Truro to pay -the interest on the Towers mortgage with the proceeds of a fine litter -of pigs, and showed his lawyer the letter he had received from his -professional brother. - -"An excellent practitioner, sharp as a needle," said the lawyer. "He -came to me a while ago wanting to purchase the little bond I myself -hold; but I refused him point-blank, and went so far as to express my -surprise at Sir Bevil. He grinned at me, Mr. Trevanion--yes, grinned at -me in the most unseemly way. 'Twas not Sir Bevil's doing: that is one -comfort." - -"Who bought up the bonds, then?" - -"That I cannot tell you: I do not know. No doubt a stranger, who has -more money than judgment. I am sorry for this; I am indeed; and if -there were any chance of getting metal out of the earth I could have -transferred your mortgages with the greatest ease. As it is--but there, -I won't talk of it. As for my own little bond on the Towers, that may -remain till Doomsday so far as I am concerned. It would cut me to the -heart to see the old place in the hands of any one but a Trevanion." - -"You're a good fellow, Trevenick," said the Squire, "and I'm grateful to -you." - -"Not at all, not at all, my dear sir. I am perfectly satisfied with my -investment." - -And the Squire returned home more cheerful than ever, convinced that -lawyers were not all as dry as their parchments. - -The allotted month sped away. One afternoon, when Dick was at the -parson's, Sam Pollex ran at headlong speed up the road from the village, -dashed into the house, and forgetting his manners, burst into the -Squire's room without knocking or wiping his boots, as he had been -strictly enjoined always to do. - -"If 'ee please, sir," he panted, "there be a wagon full of females -pulled up at the door o' the Dower House yonder." - -"Indeed!" said the Squire. "Have you never seen females before, Sam?" - -"Iss I have, sometimes, in the village; but these be furriners, sir." - -"Well, maybe they'll buy your eggs, and that'll save you three-quarters -of your walk to the village." - -Sam went out, looking very much puzzled. What had brought foreign -females to his master's house, he wondered? Within half an hour he was -back again, this time a little less eager, though equally excited. He -rapped on the door, and being bidden to enter, said, less breathlessly -than before: - -"If 'ee please, sir, I seed a man on a hoss ride up to Dower House, and -he went inside, sir, and 'twas Maister John." - -"Who? John who?" The questions came like pistol-shots. - -"His other name be Trevanion, it do seem," said the boy. - -The Squire got up in great agitation. - -"Are you sure, boy?" he asked. - -"No, sir, I bean't sure, 'cos I never seed un afore; but I axed Tom -Penny, who was standing by, who 'twas, and he said, 'Why, ninny-watch, -doan't 'ee know yer own maister's born cousin? 'Tis the same fine -genel'um that give Ike Pendry a groat for carr'n his portmantel.'" - -Then something happened that scared Sam out of his wits and sent him -scampering to the kitchen for his father. - -"Feyther, Feyther," he cried, "come quick! Squire's took bad. 'A went -all gashly white and wambled about, sighin' and groanin' that terrible! -He's dyin', I b'lieve." - -Old Reuben was lame, but he caught up a jug of water and hobbled with it -as fast as he could to the Squire's room, sending Sam to fetch the -mistress. He found the Squire seated in his chair, with a stony look -upon his ashen face. - -"What ails thee, maister?" cried the terrified servant. - -"Nothing, nothing, Reuben," replied Mr. Trevanion. "Don't be afraid, and -don't alarm your mistress." - -Here Mrs. Trevanion came hastily in, Sam hanging behind as if afraid to -approach too near. - -"I am sorry they called you, my dear," said the Squire. "There is -nothing wrong. Leave us, Reuben." - -The old man hobbled away. Mrs. Trevanion stood by her husband's chair. - -"I was overcome for a moment, but it has passed," said the Squire. -"John Trevanion is the master of my lands." - -"It cannot be, Roger!" - -"It is, it is. Sam saw a party of servants drive to the Dower House, -and John himself ride up a while after." - -"But, Roger, I do not understand." - -"'Tis very simple. He has bought up the mortgages from Sir Bevil's -attorney--'twas hard to believe that the foreclosure was Sir Bevil's -doing--and has come to mock me and flout me at my own doors; ay, and to -drive me away, if he can!" - -"A penniless man, Roger! You told me he left here a beggar." - -"Yes, a beggar, and worse--a thousand times worse. But that was ten -years ago, and in ten years beggars may become rich, and scoundrels may -tread down many an honest man. But he shall not tread me down. He may -own my land, and fence me in, and do what he will; but the Towers is -mine, and by heaven I will hold it!" - -Discretion was one of Mrs. Trevanion's qualities. Being relieved to find -that Sam's alarming report of the Squire's illness was exaggerated, if -not wholly imaginary, she sought with her wonted tact to divert her -husband's thoughts into a calmer channel, and soon had him interested in -purely domestic matters. - -The re-opening of the Dower House was already the all-engrossing topic -of conversation among the old wives and young wives, fishers, farmers, -tradesmen, loafers and small fry of Polkerran and the neighbourhood. -The "wagon-full of females" of Sam's kindling eye turned out to be one -plump woman of forty and one slim maid of half that age, the cook and -housemaid whom John Trevanion had engaged, as afterwards appeared, in a -Devonshire village. On the same day two heavy wagons, each drawn by -four enormous horses, arrived from Truro with furniture, kitchen -utensils, and other things needed in setting up house, and on the next -appeared a couple of riding-horses in charge of a lively young groom. - -These important events were retailed and freely commented on in the -tap-room of the Five Pilchards. - -"We shall see brave doings up at the old house, neighbours," said -Doubledick, the innkeeper, to the group of fishermen idling there. -"Maister John is a fine feller, that he be. He were allers the chap for -a randy, and 'twill be a rare change for we to have some one as will -have feastings and merry-makings arter the miserable cold time we've had -wi' Squire." - -"'A must have a heap o' gold and silver in his purse to pay for all they -fine-lookin' things we seed goin' in," said one of the men. "Wheer 'd -he get it all from, can 'ee tell us that, neighbour Doubledick?" - -"I might if I put my mind to it," said Doubledick sententiously. "But -it don't matter a mossel wheer it do come from; there 'tis, and we shall -have the good o't. The lord-lieutenant 'll make un a magistrate, if I -know the ways o' providence, and I do know summat about 'em, neighbours -all; and if any of 'ee are brought up afore un for a innocent bit o' -free-tradin', he'll not be the man to stretch the law against 'ee, not -he." - -"'Tis a terrible affliction for Squire, to be sure," said another. -"There be no loving-kindness 'twixt 'em, if all's true as folks tell, -and a dog can't abide seein' another run off with his bone, that bein' -my simple way of speech." - -"Squire be goin' down, that's the truth o't," said Doubledick. "Well, -some goes up and some goes down, and all gets level in churchyard." - -Sam Pollex lost no time in making acquaintance with the new household. -On the day after their arrival he carried a basket of eggs to the -back-door of the Dower House, and blushed to the roots of his hair when -it was opened by a pretty Devonshire lass, who smiled sweetly on him, -asked him the price, and said she would speak to Cook. - -"She will take them," said the girl on her return, "and bids me say you -must come to-morrow and she'll let 'ee know if any is addled. What be -the name of 'ee, boy?" - -"Sam Pollex, ma'am," said Sam sheepishly. - -"And where do 'ee live?" - -"Up at Towers, yonder." - -"Well I never! Bean't that where Maister's cousin the Squire lives?" - -"Iss, him and me lives there, and the mistress, and Feyther, and Maister -Dick." - -"Only think of it, now! Squire selling eggs like a common dairyman!" - -"Squire don't sell 'em; 'tis me, and I take Mistress the money. -Sometimes it come to two or three shilling a week, but the hens don't -lay in winter, and then I sell sides o' pork and chitterlings." - -"Well, run away now, boy--Sam Pollex, did you say? What a funny name! -And mind you don't lose the money." - -Sam went away all aglow with admiration of the sweet looks of the -maid-servant, and told Mrs. Trevanion how kindly she had spoken to him. -He was seized with a terrible depression of spirits when he left his -mistress's presence. - -"Never go there again to sell eggs, or anything else, Sam," she said -firmly. "Your master will be very angry with you if he hears of it. -Here is the money. Take it to your father, and mind you never do such a -thing again." - -Sam, with a rueful face, told Dick what had happened. - -"I should think not, indeed," said Dick indignantly. "If I catch you -going inside the gates of the Dower House grounds again I'll break your -head, young Sam; you remember it." - -For several days the Squire scarcely left the house. Then he happened to -meet John Trevanion riding along the road. The supplanter swept off his -hat with a mocking salutation, but the Squire passed him without a sign -of recognition. - -A day or two later Sir Bevil Portharvan, owner of an estate some miles -distant, rode over to the Towers. - -"Ah, Trevanion," he said to the Squire, "how d'ye do? 'Tis only -yesterday I heard that your cousin was the purchaser of the bonds I -held. It must be a great comfort to you that the property has not gone -out of the family." - -"Let me tell you, once for all, Sir Bevil," cried the Squire, his cheeks -red with anger, "that the owner of the Dower House is a stranger to me. -I will not speak to him, nor look at him, and I don't care who knows -it." - -"Dear me, I am sorry," said the astonished visitor. "I had no idea of -it, or, believe me, Trevanion, I would never----" - -"Enough, Sir Bevil. I have no grudge against you. You have been very -long-suffering; I thank you for it; but I would have given you my -property rather than it should fall into the hands of its present owner. -I say no more." - -And Sir Bevil told his friends that old Trevanion was growing very -crusty, and it was a pity to see such paltry envy in a man of his years. - - - - - CHAPTER THE FOURTH - - The Cave of Seals - - -Some few days afterwards, Mr. Mildmay, visiting the Towers once more, -chanced to mention that as he passed St. Cuby's Cove in his cutter he -had seen a couple of seals disporting themselves in the shallow water -under the cliff. The conversation passed at once to other matters, but -next morning Dick told Sam what the lieutenant had said, and suggested -that they should go seal-hunting. Sam was nothing loth, and promised to -accompany his young master as soon as he had fed the poultry and cleaned -out the sties. - -Seals were not often seen on the coast; indeed, Dick had only once -before heard of their appearance, so that the proposed expedition had -all the charm of novelty. While waiting for Sam, he went to the -kitchen, where Reuben Pollex was washing the dishes, and asked him if he -could tell him how to tackle a seal. - -"That's more than I can do, Maister Dick," said the old man. "I never -caught nawthin' but fish and rabbits, and maybe a stoat now and again; -never seed a seal in my life." - -"They're valuable, Reuben," said Dick. "The skins are worth a good -deal. They are made into coats and tippets and such things for ladies, -you know." - -"The mistress wants a new coat, so 'twould come handy, and I wish 'ee -luck. I've heerd tell that the critters sometimes hide in the cave -yonder, though as no man, 's far 's I know, ever did see 'em there, it -may be only guesswork." - -The cave mentioned was at the head of St. Cuby's Cove. Its entrance was -exposed only at low tide, and Dick had more than once visited it at such -times, exploring its recesses by the light of a torch or one of the -house lanterns. He had never made any interesting discovery there, and -had for some years ceased to visit it. - -"Didn't you tell me once that there is an entrance to the cave from the -land side, Reuben?" he asked. - -"Ay, folks used to say so when I was a boy, but I don't know as there be -any truth in it. Once upon a time, long afore my day, there was a mine -thereabouts, and maybe one of the adits ran down to the cave; but 'tis -sixty year or more since the mine give out--in yer grandfer's time--and -not a soul have been down in the workings ever since, 's far 's I know." - -Here Sam appeared and announced that he was ready. The two lads, -provided with a gun, a cutlass, a lantern, and a few candle-ends, -proceeded to the spot on the beach of Trevanion Bay where their boat was -moored, launched her, and rowed round the promontory to St. Cuby's Cove. -The tide was running out, and as the interval during which the cave was -free from water was very short, Dick and his companion worked the boat -through the entrance with their hands as soon as there was room for them -to pass between the roof and the surface of the sea. - -The opening was at first a narrow tunnel in the cliff, but after some -yards it began to widen gradually, and at length enlarged itself into a -spacious vault, in which there was a continuous murmur, such as is heard -on putting a shell to one's ear. By the time the boys reached it the -tide had completely left the cave, and the boat stranded on a sandy -beach, littered with rocks of all shapes and sizes, which had apparently -fallen at various times from the roof. They lit their lantern, whose -yellow rays fell on jagged granite walls, glistening shells, and slimy -seaweed covering the rocks on the floor. Here and there were small -pools which the tide never left dry, and where the light of the lantern -revealed innumerable little marine creatures darting this way and that -with extraordinary rapidity. - -The boys made the boat fast by looping the painter round a jagged -boulder. They moved warily, for the seal was a beast unknown to either -of them, though Dick, in his total ignorance of these creatures of the -deep, hardly expected to find them in the cave now that the sea had -receded. Presently, however, they heard above the hollow murmur another -sound, like the feeble bleat of a very young lamb. They peered about, -moving the lantern to and fro, and at length discovered, lying on a -rocky ledge at the inmost end of the cave, two small cream-coloured -objects, scarcely more than a foot long, whose soft eyes blinked in the -light, and from whose mouths issued plaintive cries of alarm. - -"Bean't they proper little mites!" said Sam, putting out his hand to -touch them. - -"Don't do that!" cried Dick hastily; "the old ones may be about, and if -they're like other beasts, they'll attack us if they think we'll hurt -their young." - -"Shan't we take 'em, then?" asked Sam. - -"Of course not; they're too young." - -"And shan't we look for the old uns?" - -"No; the young ones would die if we killed the parents. We must come -again later on, when they're old enough to take care of themselves. But -our day shan't be wasted. We'll see if we can find the other entrance -to the cave." - -"What other entrance?" - -"Your father says 'tis thought that at one time there was a way in from -an adit above." - -"I can't believe it. The free-traders would have found it long afore -this if so 'twere." - -"I don't know. The adit wouldn't be an easy passage for them with their -bales and kegs. But don't let us waste time; the tide will be running -back soon." - -They followed the irregular circuit of the cave, thrusting the lantern -into every recess and hollow, holding it high and low, but discovering -nothing except the same rugged and apparently impenetrable wall. - -"There bean't no opening," said Sam at length. "'Twas fiddle-faddle to -say there be." - -"Perhaps it is high above us, out of reach," suggested Dick. - -"Where's the sense o' that?" replied Sam, disappointed of the -anticipated sport. "What mortal good would it be to any soul alive to -make an opening where 'ee'd break yer neck if you come to it?" - -Dick did not answer, craning his neck to scan the heights above him. -The light of the lantern failed to penetrate the overarching gloom. The -roof of the cave was invisible, and the walls appeared to rise -perpendicularly, with projections here and there that looked, in the -spectral glimmer, like the grotesque gargoyles on a church-tower. - -"I'd like to climb up there," said Dick at length. - -"Lawk-a-massy, you'd break yer neck for sure. 'Tis a 'mazing hard job to -climb the cliff arter gulls' eggs, but this be death and burial." - -"We could do it with a ladder." - -"Our ladder bean't long enough by half; the only ladders long enough be -they in church-tower, and they be too heavy to lug here, and sexton -wouldn't let us take 'em. Scrounch it all, Maister Dick, I do think 'ee -be muddled in yer head to think o' sech daring doings. See now, tide's -comin' in, and we don't want to be drownded." - -"That's the most sensible thing you've said for a while, Sam. We'll go -now, but I won't give it up. We'll get a ladder, or make one, and come -back another day. I'm determined to find out if there really is an -opening." - -"Well, Feyther says most heads do have a magget in 'em, like turmits, -and this be yours; 'tis indeed." - -They loosed the boat, and paddled out as they had come, Dick resolving, -in spite of his follower's damping attitude, to return before long, and -make a thorough exploration of the place. - -Later in the day, as he walked home from the Parsonage, he was struck -with an idea of a contrivance for serving his purpose. He consulted old -Reuben about it when he got home, and Sam, on returning from an errand -in the village, found his father and Dick hard at work in an outhouse, -splicing short lengths of rope, and fixing them at regular intervals -between two thin but strong poles about six feet long. - -"What be doin', Feyther?" asked Sam. - -"Use yer eyes, sonny, and put a name to 't yerself," replied Reuben. - -"Well, if I was to speak my thought, I'd say 'ee was makin' a ladder -that 'ud let a man down as soon as he put a foot on it." - -"Then 'tis for you to make it stronger, my son, babe and sucklin' as 'ee -be. T'ud be a sin to let so much cleverness run to seed. Strip off yer -coat and lay into it, and keep yer tongue quiet, for if 'ee set all the -organs of yer body goin' at once, you'll die young." - -This implied rebuke had the effect of making Sam enter zealously into -the work, and before supper two light ladders were finished, each six -feet long, which, together with a short ladder of the ordinary kind that -Reuben used in his duties about the premises, provided Dick with a total -length of eighteen or twenty feet. His notion was to carry these -separate pieces down to the cave, and then lash them together to form -one continuous whole. - -He fixed on the following afternoon for his second visit to the cave. -The morning turned out very wet, the rain pouring down in quite unusual -volume; but the sky cleared after dinner, and the two boys set off, -timing themselves as before to reach the cave when the ebbing tide left -the entrance free. Again the baby seals were alone, and much as Dick -would have liked a tussle with their parents, his sporting bent was for -the time subordinate to his wish to find the supposed landward entrance -to the cave. - -The ladder perfectly answered its purpose, but it was disappointing to -find that it was by no means long enough. Even when Dick, the taller of -the two, stood on the topmost rung, Sam holding the ladder steady at the -bottom, he saw that the walls still stretched for several feet above -him. But the roof was now in sight, an irregular arch, consisting of -knobs, wedges, and inverted pyramids of rock, and Dick felt the -tantalising certainty that the opening, if opening there was, could not -be far away. - -They went all round the cave, setting the ladder up at frequent -intervals, Dick exploring every foot of the jagged wall with the aid of -his lantern. There were plenty of recesses and depressions, ranging -from a finger's breadth to the length of his arm; but he did not find -one where he was unable to touch the back of it with his outstretched -hand. It was clear that the opening, if it existed, must be above his -head. - -"We shall have to make another length of ladder, and come back again," -he said to Sam. "I won't give it up." - -He was standing high on the ladder as he spoke, dangling the lantern by -a ring at the top. The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there -was a tremendous crash, which shook the place, and so much startled him -that, in an instinctive movement to cling on to something, he let the -lantern fall. It lighted fairly on the top of Sam's head, bounced off, -and dropped with a thud to the sandy floor, where the candle was -instantly extinguished. - -"Are you hurt, Sam?" cried Dick, anxiously. - -"Rabbit it all!" roared Sam, in high indignation. "Do 'ee think my head -be wood then? Bean't I got feelings like any other common man? My -skull have got a furrow in it a yard long, and I may rub it till I'm -dead, I'll never straighten it out again." - -"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it, Sam. Light the candle again, will -you, so that we can see what has happened." - -Sam growled and grunted as he struck a light from his tinder-box. The -rekindled candle revealed a strange catastrophe. A huge mass of the -wall and roof of the cavern had collapsed, owing perhaps to the heavy -rains in the morning, and the debris was lying in a heap against the -opening of the tunnel leading to the exterior. - -"If this bean't a pretty kettle of fish, never call me Sam again," said -the boy in consternation. "'Tis closed up; we be shet in." - -Dick climbed down the ladder, and crossed the floor of the cave to see -the extent of the mischief. It was as Sam had said. Their exit was -barred by a mass of rock and loose soil that must weigh several tons. - -"Quick, Sam!" cried Dick, "we must work hard to clear it away. The tide -will be on the turn, and we don't want to be imprisoned here all night." - -They began to work with all haste, but soon found that the task would be -a long one. The smaller pieces of rock were easily cast aside; but -there were many large masses which, besides being heavy and cumbersome -themselves, were very difficult to move by reason of the earth in which -they were imbedded. The boys had made but little progress when the sea -began to creep in. - -"We'll be drownded alive!" said Sam, now in a state of terror. - -"Work, then. Shove your hardest, Sam; we'll do it yet." - -They tugged and hauled and pushed with fierce energy, and by employing -their united strength upon the largest masses, they succeeded in -clearing a path wide enough to allow room for the boat. By this time -the water was almost up to their knees, and they heard the boat graze -the rocks as it floated on the incoming tide. Loosing the painter, they -pushed the craft through the tunnel, only to find, when they approached -the seaward opening, that but a small segment of the sky was visible, -the gap being too shallow to afford a passage. - -"We are trapped, Sam; there's no denying it," said Dick quietly. "But -don't be alarmed. I don't suppose the water reaches the roof of the -cave even at high tide, so that we can float in the boat quite safely. -It only means a few hours' imprisonment." - -"If I've got to be jailed, I'd rather be in village lock-up; 'tis dry at -any rate. Can't we swim out, Maister Dick?" - -"Of course we can, but I doubt whether we had better do it. There's a -dozen yards or more under water first, and then a good half-mile outside -before we can land. We should get pretty well knocked about on the -rocks if there's any swell on the sea. We had much better stay here." - -Sam gloomily assented to this course. They got into the boat, and sat -there for some time watching it rise gradually as the tide grew higher. - -"Hang me for a jackass!" cried Dick suddenly. - -"What have 'ee been and done?" asked Sam with concern. - -"Why, we haven't got gun, cutlass, or any other weapon." - -"'A b'lieve not," said Sam, "but we couldn't keep out the tide with un -if we had forty guns and fifty cutlasses." - -"The seals! They'll come back with the tide, and be in a terrible rage -with us, thinking we're after their babies." - -"Be-jowned if I thought of it! 'Twas a true word; you do be a great -jackass, sure enough." - -"Mind what you say, Sam, or I'll throw you out." - -"'Twas your word, not mine. I wouldn't go so far as that. Ninnyhammer -is the worst I'd call 'ee. But I told 'ee how 'twould be, with yer head -itchin' with this magget of openin's and ladders and all that." - -"Be ready to use the boat-hook, or the anchor, if the seals attack us. -I'll use one of the oars." - -"I don't believe we'll have to fight at all," cried Sam. "Look 'ee! -There be they two young seals swimmin' out to find the old uns. They -bean't so young as you thought if they can swim like that, and we med as -well have took 'em yesterday as not." - -"Well, 'tis too late now. They're gone." - -"To get their supper, I reckon. I be mortal hungry, Maister Dick, arter -all that work. Have 'ee got a morsel of bread in yer pocket?" - -"Not a bit." - -"Not a apple or codling?" - -"Not one." - -"I could eat a turmit or a raw tater. But don't name 'em to me, or I -shall feel very bad for thinkin' of 'em. Best thing is to go to sleep -when yer hungry, 'cos you don't feel it then." - -"Well, sleep. I'll wake you if anything happens." - -The boy curled himself up in the bottom of the boat, and soon filled the -cavern with his snores. - - - - - CHAPTER THE FIFTH - - St. Cuby's Well - - -To see another eat when oneself is hungry, or sleep when oneself is -wakeful, is surely very trying to the temper, except to those -happily-constituted individuals who are incapable of envy. Dick -Trevanion was as generous-hearted a boy as you could wish; but as the -time went by, unmarked by anything but the slow rise of the boat and the -quick dwindling of the candle in the lantern, he looked at Sam's open -mouth with impatience, listened to his untuneful solo with dislike, and -felt a deplorable desire to kick him. He had no watch, and bethought -himself that it might be as well, when he got home, to test the duration -of a candle, so that if he were ever in such a predicament again he -might at least have a clock of King Alfred's sort. Every now and then -he snuffed the coarse wick, and when the tallow had sunk almost to the -socket, he substituted another candle-end that he happened to have in -his pocket. Beyond this he had nothing to employ him. - -But by-and-by, as the roof of the vault came nearer to him with the -gradual lifting of the boat, an idea struck him. Why not use the boat -as a raised platform for the ladder, and so contrive to examine an -additional ten or twelve feet of the walls? The ladder!--it was -floating on the surface of the water, heaving simultaneously with the -boat as the tide gently rippled in. - -"Wake up, Sam!" he called. - -Sam snored on. - -"Wake up!" cried Dick again, leaning over and pinching the sleeper's -nose. - -Sam struck out with his fist, as any honest English boy would have done, -without opening his eyes. But at a third call he roused himself, sat up, -and rubbing those heavy organs vigorously, sighed like a furnace, and -then said sleepily: - -"Why, where be I?" - -"In dreamland, I should think," replied Dick, laughing. "Wake up! I -want you to hold the ladder against the wall while I climb again." - -"In twelve feet o' water! Not me; I bean't growed enough for that. -'Tis work for a giant." - -"Not on the ground, of course; in the boat, I mean." - -Sam looked dubious. - -"Won't it wamble? And if you tumble you'll sink us." - -"Well, we can try. Take hold of the end of the ladder floating by you, -and I'll paddle close to the wall." - -On lifting the ladder, they found that its top came within a few feet of -the roof. But when Dick began to climb, he descended in a hurry, for -the ladder being of necessity set up at an angle, every upward step -drove the boat from the wall towards the middle of the cave. - -"Be-jowned if we can do it!" cried Sam. "That there openin' will be the -death o' me." - -Dick was at a loss. There was no way of keeping the boat in a fixed -position. Even if he dropped the anchor and it held in the sandy -bottom, the boat would still have a range of movement that altogether -prohibited the success of his plan. He looked gloomily at Sam; it was -vexatious to be baulked when achievement was so near. Sam, with his -hands on the sides of the ladder, was gazing up its length, his eyes -gradually converging as they travelled higher, until they seemed almost -to be looking at each other. All at once they reverted to their natural -position, and he cried: - -"I've got a noble thought, I do b'lieve." - -"What's that?" - -"Why, 'tis as easy as anything. See that place, Maister Dick, up aloft -there, where the wall goes in summat?" - -"Well, what then?" - -"I'll show 'ee. You'd never ha' thought of it, 'cos you was lookin' -down instead o' lookin' up." - -He drew down the ladder until its whole length lay along one side of the -boat. - -"Look 'ee here," he said. "We'll take the anchor, and fix it upright in -middle of the ladder, lash it to the top rung, do 'ee see?" He suited -the action to the word. "There! Now 'tis a hook, or a clutch, or -whatever name you like to gie un. We'll lift un again till it hooks on -that ledge; then it will hang free, and you can climb as easy as -climbing trees." - -"A capital notion, Sam," cried Dick. - -"I said it was, purticler for a poor mazy stunpoll of a feller like me." - -"You're a genius if it works out. The thing is to try it." - -Raising the ladder to its former position, they moved it along the face -of the wall until one fluke of the anchor held firmly to the ledge of -rock, as they proved by exerting a considerable downward strain. - -"This is splendid," said Dick. "Now to go up." - -"Ah, don't 'ee take the lantern with 'ee this time. I don't want no more -cracks on the nob, and if it fell again, 't 'ud get soused in the water, -and then we'd be in darkness." - -"You're right. I'll take the candle out and stick it in my hat as the -miners do. I must have a light, of course." - -"I reckon you must, if you be goin' to find that openin'," said Sam, -sceptical to the last. - -Dick stuck the lighted candle into the band of his hat, stepped out of -the boat, and began to climb, Sam watching his progress and offering -bits of cautionary counsel. In a few seconds, when Dick's head -projected above the anchor, he saw that the ledge of rock, extending for -some distance on both sides, was the floor of a roughly rectangular -fissure, which penetrated the earth much as the tunnel below penetrated -the cliff. It ran upwards. The smoky light from the candle did not -reach far, but Dick, peering over the ledge, was unable to see any solid -background to the fissure. - -"I've found the opening!" he said. - -"What do 'ee say?" called Sam. "Yer voice sounds all a mumble and a -rumble." - -Clinging firmly to the ledge with both hands, Dick lowered his head and -repeated the words. - -"Now yer satisfied, then," said Sam. "Better come down afore the candle -goes out." - -"No. I'm going on." - -"But chok' it all, you won't leave me all alone! I'm not afeard, not I; -but if there be three or four seals a-comin' home by-and-by, I can't -fight 'em all." - -"You must come up too when I've looked a little farther." - -"But you can't climb on to the ledge without summat to hold to. Maister -Dick, think of yer feyther and mother, and what I'm to say if 'ee falls -and breaks yer neck, and I take 'ee home a gashly corp." - -"Don't talk rubbish. I shan't fall if you don't worry me. I'm not -going to sit for hours longer in the boat till the tide goes down, so -hold your tongue till I am safe aloft." - -Leaning well forward, he carefully lifted his foot to the next rung, -then to the next, watching the anchor to see that it was not displaced -by his movements. Then he got one knee on the rocky shelf, stretched -his arms in front of him, and with a sudden movement heaved his body on -to the ledge and fell flat, his feet projecting into space. He crawled -along on hands and knees until his boots disappeared from Sam's view, -and stood up within the dark entrance of the fissure. - -"I'm up, Sam," he called, his voice reverberating hollowly in the vault. - -"Then I be comin' too," cried the boy. - -"Not yet. You must wait a little until I see where the opening leads -to. I'll come back for you presently." - -He turned his face to the opening and went in. Dim as the light was, he -recognised almost at once that he was at the end of a mine adit. Within -a few paces the fissure narrowed to a dwarf tunnel, through which a tiny -stream trickled, disappearing, not over the ledge into the cave, but -into a fissure in the wall of rock. There was space for only two -persons to pass abreast, and as Dick proceeded, he had to bend his head -to avoid striking the roof. He was about to explore further, when he -remembered that the candle in his hat could not last more than a few -minutes, and to advance in the dark would be foolhardy. He had no more -candles, and supposed that Sam had none, so that it seemed as if he must -postpone further exploration. But returning to the ledge, he saw a -light in the cave. - -"You've got some more candle-ends, then?" he cried. - -"One, that I've just fished up out of my pocket along with a bit of -string, some bait, a bit o' pudden that I'd forgot--can't eat it now, -hungry as I be, 'cos 'tis all tallowed--and a green penny." - -"I want the candle, Sam; mine's going out. Can you pitch it up?" - -"I can, but it 'ud only fall back into the water and go to the bottom." - -"Wait. I've a bit of string in my pocket. I'll let it down; tie the -candle on." - -"I must do it, I suppose. Iss, you shall have it, and I'll be left in -the dark, but I'm not afeard--not very." - -In a minute Dick had the fresh candle in his hat-band, and once more -entered the tunnel. - -It was very damp, and Dick guessed from the trickling stream at his feet -that the adit had been designed, when the mine was in operation, to -drain the upper workings. How long ago this was he had no idea. It -must have been long before old Reuben's time, or the man would have had -more definite knowledge than he actually possessed, and the existence of -the opening would have been known as a fact instead of being a mere -fragment of village tradition. - -Dick went on. In some parts the tunnel was almost impassable with earth -and rocks that had fallen in. Step as cautiously as he might, every now -and then the rattle of loose earth displaced by his movements caused a -cold shiver to run down his back. What if there should be a fall behind -him which would cut off his retreat to the cave? The tunnel ought to -lead to an opening to the air above, but the way might be blocked, and -the possibility of being entombed was daunting. But having come so far -Dick was unwilling to give in. The peril might be purely imaginary. -Plucking up his courage, he hastened his steps, and after a few minutes -came to an enlargement of the tunnel. To his left a second gallery ran -downward at a sharp angle with that in which he was; no doubt this also -led to some point of the shore. Still advancing, he saw, with some -surprise, that the passage was strutted in places, and much freer from -obstructions than the portion he had already traversed. About a hundred -yards beyond the transverse gallery, however, his progress was suddenly -checked: the whole width of the tunnel was filled with a mass of rocks, -stones, and loose earth. A few seconds' examination sufficed to show -the impossibility of proceeding farther in this direction; accordingly -he retraced his steps and, a few yards away, came to another passage, to -find, however, after twenty or thirty paces, that he was again brought -to a stop. - -This time the obstruction was of a different nature. It was a rough door -made of stout wooden beams, closed with a heavy bar resting in sockets. -He lifted the bar and pulled the creaking door, which came towards him -for an inch or two, and then stuck. To open it fully he had to remove -from the floor a number of planks and beams, which appeared to be the -parts of a broken windlass. Having got the door open and passed -through, he found himself in a square chamber that smelt very damp and -close, though, on looking upwards, he could see no roof. He concluded -that he was at the bottom of a deep shaft. But it had not the look of a -mine shaft, which, so far as Dick's experience went, was always -timbered. The walls here were cased with stone, moss-grown and damp. - -Near the doorway he caught sight of a staple of rusty iron let into the -wall; a little above this, a second of the same kind; and at the same -interval above the second, a third. Looking up the wall, he perceived -that similar staples projected from the stonework as far up as the -flickering light of his candle revealed. Their shape, and the intervals -between them, indicated that they were steps by which the wall could be -climbed. And then it flashed upon him suddenly that he was in an -ancient well, known as St. Cuby's Well, though who St. Cuby was nobody -knew except, perhaps, Mr. Carlyon, deeply learned in the antiquities of -his county. The upper end of the well-shaft opened on the cliff, about -a quarter-mile from the cottage of old Joe Penwarden, the exciseman. It -was covered by the ivy-grown ruins of a small oratory, whither in times -long past the faithful had come to have their children baptised in the -water of the holy well, to drink of it for the cure of their diseases, -and to offer up vows and repeat prayers before the sacred cross. - -Strange as it may seem, Dick's first impulse, when the identity of his -whereabouts flashed upon him, was to dash through the doorway and -scamper with all imaginable speed back to the cave. He was not more -superstitious than other boys of his age; but in those days, before old -beliefs and fancies had undergone the cold douche of science, people -were credulous of omens and spells, blessings and curses, beneficent -influences and the evil eye. From St. Cuby's Well the aroma of sanctity -had long since departed; according to village tradition, a murder of -peculiar horror had once been committed there; and now it was shunned as -a plague spot. No pilgrims came to kneel beneath the sacred roof; no -children ever played hide and seek among its picturesque ruins; -everybody, from the Squire downwards, avoided it, and at night not a man -would have ventured within a hundred yards of its unhallowed precincts. -Stories were rife of apparitions seen there; it was these ghosts of -which Ike Pendry had spoken to John Trevanion on the night when he had -overtaken the trudging pedestrian on the high road. - -Dick, of course, had no belief in ghosts, and regarded the stories with -as much intellectual contempt as his father gave to the witch's couplet. -But his imagination was subject to impressions which his reason scorned; -and in the gloom of the well-shaft, which the yellow rays of his candle -rendered more awful than complete darkness could have been, these vague -conceptions of murder, sacrilege, and midnight hauntings possessed his -mind so completely as at first to overwhelm his common-sense. But he -resolutely crushed down these figments of his imagination, told himself -that such evil traditions might probably be traced to no more real -origin than the failure of the spring of water, and decided to go back -for his companion and put an end to their captivity by climbing up the -iron steps to the surface of the cliff. - -"Oh, I am glad to see 'ee," cried Sam, as his young master's head -appeared at the brink of the ledge. "I bean't afeard, not I, but 'twas -'nation dark, and I felt a queer wamblin' in the inside o' me, 'cos I'm -tarrible hungry, I reckon." - -"Well, come along. I've found the way out. The opening leads to St. -Cuby's Well, and we can climb to the top in no time." - -"St. Cuby's Well! Dash my bones if I go within a mile o't. Dead men's -bones, and sperits o' darkness--no, never will I do it." - -"Stuff and nonsense!" cried Dick, as stoutly as if he had never felt the -least tremor on his own account. "I've seen no bones, and the spirits -haven't laid a hand on me. Those silly tales only frighten children." - -"And females. Ah, 'tis a pity the mistress won't let me take eggs and -things to the Dower House. What I could tell to that nice young female -wi' the hole in her rosy cheeks! How they'd go yaller and white when -she heerd my tale of blood, and ghosteses in night-gowns, and all the -other things o' darkness! Ah, 'twas to be, I s'pose: she'll hear it -from some one else, and I shan't get the credit of it." - -"No; she'll hear that you were too much of a baby to face 'em, and -she'll despise you, instead of thinking well of you as she does now." - -"Don't say it, Maister Dick," cried the boy. "Scrounch me if I lose my -fame in that miserable way. I'll come, if you'll stand by me, and hold -my hand if we hears a noise, and use your finest language to the sperits -if they meddle wi' us. I've heerd tell that the Lord's prayer said -back'ards will tarrify 'em out of their wits, but I reckon yer head's -full of ancient heathen words that go straightfor'ard, and won't put 'ee -to such a tarrible tax as turnin' religion topsy-turvy." - -This was said as Sam climbed with deliberate care up the ladder. He -gained the ledge more easily than Dick had done, having the help of -Dick's hand. - -"Can we get there afore candle's out?" he said anxiously, when they -stood side by side. - -"If we make haste," replied Dick, taking off his hat and looking at the -inch-and-a-half of candle left, and the mass of tallow that lay on the -brim like a small lake of lava. "We can fetch the boat at low-tide -to-morrow." - -They hurried on, and, Dick knowing the way, reached the shaft in much -quicker time than when he had come alone. Sam got behind him at the -doorway, peering under his armpits with wide eyes, and taking much -comfort when he saw nothing but mossy walls. - -"I'm downright shamed o' folks that believe in such gammut," he said, -valiantly following Dick into the chamber. - -"Well, now we'll climb up. It must be after sunset, or we should see a -glimmer of light at the top. I'll go first." - -"No, I'd better go first," said Sam hastily, looking round with -something of his former air of timorous expectation. "You see, if you -go first, the brim of yer hat will shet out all the light, and I'll miss -my footing and be nawthin' but scattered members. But if I go first, do -'ee see, and you come close behind me--but not close enough to set my -stockings afire--the light will be ekal betwixt us two. Do 'ee see my -manin', Maister Dick?" - -"Quite plain. I don't mind. We'll try one or two of the staples first, -to make sure they are firm in the stonework, and then you can mount, and -as your hind foot leaves one step, my fore hand will clutch it." - -The staples stood the test of pulling, first by Dick, then by Sam, who -also tried them, on the plea that he had more muscle. Then Sam began to -climb, followed closely by Dick. After an ascent of perhaps a hundred -feet, the former declared that he felt a whiff of fresh air, and -immediately afterwards the candle flame was blown out. Looking up past -Sam's fore-shortened body, Dick saw one star in the clear dark vault of -the sky, and in a few seconds they were both standing on the ground -beside the well-head, cooled by the breeze that blew through the ruined -walls of the chapel from the sea. The roof had gone long ago; grass -grew on the floor, and ivy twined itself in and out of the mullioned -windows. - -"There!" said Dick. "We are safe, you see. All that talk of ghosts is -pure balderdash." - -The darkness and the weird associations of the spot combined to make him -set his tone of voice to a murmur. At that moment there fell upon the -ears of the boys, as they stood side by side to recover breath after -their climb, a low sound from somewhere beyond the walls, but not far -away. It was like that of a person speaking in hollow, mournful -accents. Sam caught Dick by the arm; Dick heard his teeth chatter. - -"'Tis he!" whispered the trembling boy. "'Tis the ghost! Oh! let me -hide myself afore he see I." - -Dick did not reply. He was, it must be confessed, sufficiently -startled. The sound ceased; but in a moment or two it recommenced, now -being somewhat louder. Dick was in two minds, now thinking that he -would run, now wondering whether he had not better stay. The slow -droning still approached, and at last he caught articulate words: - -"A-deary me! A-deary me! The world's a-cold, a bitter place for----" - -The next words were indistinguishable. - -"Hark to him!" whispered Sam. "He be in mortal pain, and I do feel that -leery all down the small o' my back." - -Dick sniffed, and sniffed again. Then he said: - -"Ghosts don't smoke, Sam--at any rate, not tobacco. I'm going to see." - -"How do 'ee know?" whispered Sam, still holding him by the arm. "I -won't be so much afeard of him if he do be smoking bacca, but it may be -summat else. It do smell rayther strong for a livin' man." - -He followed Dick as he groped his way over fragments of masonry and -through close-woven masses of ivy and weeds, until they came into the -open. The night was very dark. The first thing they saw, at a distance -of about twelve yards, was a small red glow, which brightened and faded -at intervals. Drawing nearer to it cautiously, they perceived at the -moments of greatest brightness that it lit up for an instant a grizzled -chin, a sunken mouth, a quite ordinary nose, a ruddy face with a black -patch over one eye, and a black hat over all. - -"'Tis old Joe Penwarden," said Dick, in a tone that expressed surprise, -relief, and a shame-faced consciousness. - -"So 'tis, I do believe," cried Sam. "Be-jowned if 'a didn't ought to be -locked up for playing such gashly tricks on poor souls." - -"Avast there! Stand, in the King's name!" cried the old man, hearing -their voices. - -"So we will, so we will," said Sam. "Don't 'ee be afeard, maister; we -bean't ghosteses, but just common mortals like yerself." - -"Oh! 'tis you, Maister Dick," said Penwarden, as the boys came up to -him. "'Pon my life, I was skeered for about a second and a half, never -expectin' to see mortal men in this old haunt. What be 'ee doin' at -this time o' night, in such a place, too?" - -"What time is it, Joe?" asked Dick. - -"Time all young things like lambs and birds and boys were abed and -asleep. 'Tis past ten." - -"Lawk-a-massy, if I didn't think it by the terrible emptiness in my -inside," cried Sam, feelingly. "Come home-along, Maister Dick; I be -mortal afeard as Feyther will send me to bed wi'out any supper." - -"Wait a bit," replied Dick. "Where do you think we've been, Joe?" - -"Not night-fishing, for ye've got no tackle. Nor rabbitin', for ye've -got no snares. Ah, well! Ye med as well tell me first as last, for I -be no good at guessin'." - -"We've come up St. Cuby's Well." - -"Come up, you say; but you must go down afore ye come up. I wouldn't -like to say I don't believe 'ee." - -"That would be very unfriendly. The truth is, Joe, we were down in the -cave and got shut in by the tide, and to pass the time away we climbed -up over a ledge and found ourselves in an old adit, and went along it -till we came to the well-shaft. There are iron steps in the wall, and -up we came." - -"Well, if that bean't the queerest thing I've heerd for many a day. Who -would ever ha' thowt it!" - -"Didn't you know there were steps down the well side? - -"Never heerd tell o' sech a thing." - -"But haven't you seen it for yourself? I was thinking that, perhaps, -you being here now, you knew all about it, and the idea did cross me -that you might be the ghost people talk about, though to be sure you -don't look like one." - -"Bless 'ee, I've never set foot inside they walls. Sometimes of a night -I come ramblin' round to smoke a peaceful pipe and meditate on the days -o' my youth afore I turn in, but as for goin' inside--no, I've never -thowt o't." - -"Was 'ee afeard you med see the ghost, maister?" asked Sam, rejoicing to -think that he had a fellow in timorousness. - -"Well, no. A ghost is a sperit, they say, and I reckon I've got enough -muscle in my aged arm to fend off a thing as has got no body." - -"Still, you was talkin' to yerself as if ye was in great pain and -sorrer. 'A-deary me,' 'ee said; I heard 'ee twice; and then 'the -world's a-cold,'--and I s'pose 'ee felt the need o' takin' a comfortin' -pull at yer pipe, for I heerd no more." - -"It do show how young small chickerels like 'ee may be mistaken. -Whenever I talk like that I be feelin' warmish and contented; remember -that, young Sam, and don't traipse about spreadin' false reports about -me. Moreover, don't 'ee tell nothing of yer climbing up the well, for -'a don't want the village rampin' round, spoilin' my peacefulness. St. -Cuby's ghost hev his uses, and long may he walk." - -"Very well, Joe," said Dick, "we'll say nothing about it. There have -been no runs yet, I suppose?" - -"No; 'tis early days for that. 'Tis true as Mr. Mildmay was called off -Morvah way to-day. Maybe they'll try a run there to-night. But it won't -be long afore we have trouble here, I reckon, for the pilchurs are late -this year, and when they're late, smugglin' is early, 'cos the men get -tired o' doin' nothing." - -"Well, we had better be going. I usually tell Mother when I expect to -be late, fishing or what not, and she'll wonder what has become of me. -Are you coming our way, Joe?" - -"Not yet, sir. I've a bit more meditation to get through first." - -"What do you meditate about?" asked Dick. - -"About my days o' youth, when I was a nimble young feller and served the -King afloat. Ah! they were days, they were. Lord Admiral Nelson be a -fine little chap, but nothing to the admiral I served with." - -"Who was that?" - -"Lord Admiral Rodney. Never shall I forget the time he spoke to me: -yes, lord as he was, he did so. It do warm me of a cold night to think -of it. Not every simple mariner could say he'd been spoke to ashore by -sech a high person as a admiral." - -"What did the lord high admiral say to 'ee?" asked Sam, much impressed. - -"Well, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe, and the admiral was walking with two -handsome females, showing 'em Drake's Island; Drake was another mariner, -you must know, as lived about a thousand year ago, seemingly. Well, I -turned round to look at the great man, and that moment he changed his -course, put up his helm, ye may say, and ran across my bows. 'Get out o' -the way, you cross-eyed son of a sea-cook!' says he to me. Ah! never -shall I forget it, nor the tinkly laugh o' they fine females. 'Twas a -great honour to be spoke to special by Lord Admiral Rodney, a fine -feller of a man." - -"I don't wonder it keeps you warm," said Dick, laughing. "Good-night, -Joe." - -"Good-night to you, sir. And young Sam, mind 'ee o' what I said." - -"Make yourself easy, maister," returned Sam. "Oh, dear, what a thing it -'ud be to tell the maidy at the Dower House if on'y Squire warn't so -cruel!" - -"What are you mumblin' about?" - -"Nawthin', Maister Penwarden. I were on'y thinkin' to myself what a lot -o' folk 'ud be mazed if they knowed what sorrerful things ye do say when -yer happy." - - - - - CHAPTER THE SIXTH - - Penwarden does his Duty - - -Late as it was, neither Dick nor Sam was fated to get any sleep for -hours. They walked rapidly without speaking across the cliff towards -the Towers, being in fact so tired and hungry that the thoughts of both -were fixed on supper and bed. There was no path on this part of the -cliff, except a faint track which daylight would have revealed, where -the grass had been slightly worn by Joe Penwarden in his marchings to -and fro. Ordinary pedestrians always avoided the windings of the shore, -taking the high road farther inland. - -The boys had come within a hundred yards of Penwarden's cottage, when -Sam all at once took Dick by the sleeve, saying: - -"Look, Maister Dick, there be some one at old Joe's door." - -It was too dark to see clearly, but Dick could just distinguish, now -that it was pointed out to him, a dark form close against the -whitewashed cottage on the side facing the sea. - -"It's very odd at this time of night," he said. "We had better go and -tell the man, whoever he is, where he can find Joe." - -They hurried on, but had not gone more than half-way to the cottage when -the figure moved from the door, and walked quickly in the direction of -the Towers. There was a footpath at the back of the garden, over which -the villagers had an immemorial right of way, though it was really the -Squire's private property. - -Dick was on the point of calling out when Sam checked him. - -"That be Jake Tonkin," he said, quietly: "I know un by his bow legs. -What med he want wi' old Joe, now?" - -Jake was the son of Isaac Tonkin, the expertest fisher, the boldest -seaman, and the most cunning and resourceful smuggler in the village. -Isaac was a rough, quick-tempered fellow, violent when roused, but -honest according to his lights; and Dick had a certain admiration for -him, as every boy must have for a strong man who excels in bold and -daring deeds. Once or twice he had gone fishing in Tonkin's smack, and -had learnt a good deal from the man's blunt speech and craftsmanlike -actions. - -It was perfectly well known in the neighbourhood that Tonkin was the -ringleader of the smugglers, but owing to his wariness and craft, and to -the supineness of the revenue officer who had preceded Mr. Mildmay, -nothing had ever been openly proved against him, and he had never been -caught in the act. In the previous winter he had narrowly escaped a -conflict with Mr. Mildmay, then in his first year of duty at this part -of the coast; and it was common talk in the village that he resented the -intrusion, as he regarded it, of so zealous an officer, and had promised -to give the revenue men a very hot time if they interfered with him. It -was he whose presence John Trevanion had remarked as he passed the open -door of the tap-room in Doubledick's inn. - -Dick was as much surprised as Sam to find that Penwarden's visitor was -Tonkin's son. There was naturally no love lost between the exciseman -and the free-traders, who had, however, looked upon him with a sort of -contemptuous tolerance until Mr. Mildmay came. The old man had been -harmless enough in the days of Mr. Curgenven; not that he was remiss in -his duty, but that his efforts had been rendered nugatory by his -superior's apathy. The advent of Mr. Mildmay acted as a stimulus; -Penwarden was in truth fearful of being thought too old for his work, -and seemed to set himself deliberately to prove the contrary to the -officer. More than once in the previous winter he had prevented a run -by his timely warnings; and though the checks were only temporary, the -smugglers were annoyed with him for the difficulties he threw in their -way. It was therefore strange that young Tonkin should have gone to -visit, so late at night, a man from whom the smugglers in general held -severely aloof. Suddenly Dick remembered what Penwarden had said about -Mr. Mildmay having been summoned to Morvah, twenty-five miles or more -down the coast. It was a favourite device of the smugglers, by aid of -confederates, to decoy the officers to distant parts when they were -intending to make a run, and Dick could not help wondering whether they -were putting it in practice on the present occasion. But it did not -explain Jake Tonkin's visit, and Dick was now sufficiently interested to -think no more of his fatigue and hunger in his desire to ascertain what -was afoot. He knew that it was no business of his; the Squire had -carefully abstained from taking sides in the perennial quarrel between -the smugglers and the revenue men, and had indeed resigned his -magistracy, partly because of his reduced circumstances, but quite as -much in order to avoid any official action as a county justice. Dick -did not intend to break this neutrality; he was simply curious and -athirst for excitement. - -But he reflected that he could hardly satisfy his curiosity without -spying on Jake Tonkin, and this was out of the question. He would have -ruefully done nothing more had he not seen that the lad, instead of -keeping to the path that ran directly to the village, struck off to the -left along a track that led nowhere but to the Dower House. This raised -his curiosity to a still higher pitch. What had Tonkin to do with John -Trevanion? Knowing that his father and John were on bad terms, and -having seen many little indications that the latter was bent on annoying -his cousin, it was natural that he should wonder whether the interests -of the Squire were in any way affected by the apparent connection -between John and the smugglers. After a little hesitation, he sent Sam -into the Towers, to reassure his parents and then go to bed, and went on -himself after the waddling figure of Jake Tonkin, now almost out of -sight. - -Walking quickly, he was in time to see Jake enter an outhouse at the -rear of the mansion. The door closed behind him, and Dick, taking a -look round, and seeing no one, ran swiftly to the building and peeped -through the window. The room was lighted by a single candle, whose rays -fell on the forms of a dozen men seated on chairs, stools, pails, and -the table. All had their faces blackened, and he failed to discover -among them the large and massive form, almost impossible to disguise, of -Jake's father. - -"He be fast asleep," he heard Jake say, evidently in answer to a -question. "I knocked once, a little un; then twice, rayther louder; -then I tried the door: 'twas locked. I didn't hear un snore, but maybe -he sleeps quiet." - -"Hee! hee! 'a will sleep quieter in the grave," said a voice, which Dick -had no difficulty in recognising as that of Doubledick, the innkeeper, -whose conversation was always partial to death and the churchyard and -similar cheerful subjects. - -"Mildmay would fly in a passion if he knew old Joe were asleep," said a -man whose voice Dick could not identify. - -"Ay, and so would riding-officer," added a third. He referred to the -official so denominated, whose duty it was to work on shore hand in hand -with Mr. Mildmay on the sea, and who was in effect in charge of the -coast for ten or fifteen miles, acting under the Custom House officer at -St. Ives. - -"Oh, 't'ud only be a little small passion," said Doubledick, "'cos the -summer bean't over, and not a man of 'em will look for us to begin afore -pilchur fishin' be past." - -"Body o' me, hain't we 'ticed Mildmay away to stop a run?" - -"Nay, sonny, 'twas tidings of a French privateer that baited him. 'Tis -a proper dark night, and if the wind holds, Zacky will be here a little -arter midnight. And the manin' o' that is twenty pound in our pockets, -a noble fust lesson to say 'magnify' arter." - -Dick sighed inwardly; what a boon twenty pounds would be to his father's -impoverished treasury! Like all the gentlemen of the county, the Squire -was willing to purchase smuggled goods; it seemed to Dick that there was -not a great distinction between the purchaser and the smuggler; and yet -he knew that his father would be horrified at the idea of enriching -himself in that way. From what he had overheard it was clear that a -run, the first of the season, was to be attempted that night, and since -this did not concern the Squire, he was about to return home, when he -heard the click of a lock, followed by footsteps from the house, and -slipped round the angle of the building just in time to escape the eyes -of John Trevanion. - -The owner of the Dower House joined the smugglers, and Dick heard his -loud and hearty greeting. - -"Well, my friends, is all clear? No scent for the hounds, eh?" - -"Not so much as would cover a penny-piece," cried Doubledick. "Hee! -hee! Old Joe's abed." - -"I'm glad of it. Mind you, you must not bring the tubs here if there's -any interruption. It would never do for the county to know that I'm a -freighter." - -"Trust we for that, yer honour; we know you must keep up yer high place, -and 'tis generous of 'ee to lend us yer cellars." - -"Well, Doubledick, here's the key. I shall be abed, of course; I know -nothing about your doings, and I can trust you to work quietly and not -wake the servants." - -"Iss, fay, yer honour," said a man: "ye can trust Billy Doubledick, to -be sure. He be a very clever feller: I say it to his face." - -"Good night, then. I wish you well." - -Dick heard his cousin return to the house and lock the door. So John -Trevanion was a freighter: one who bought contraband goods in a foreign -port, paid the expenses of shipment and carrying, and received the -profits. This was food for reflection. A word to Mr. Mildmay or Mr. -Polwhele, the riding-officer, would lead to John Trevanion's arrest. -The fate of smugglers caught in the act was five years' service in a -man-of-war, or a long term of imprisonment; aiders and abettors also -were subject to heavy penalties; and Dick would have liked to rid the -neighbourhood of the man who had caused his father such distress. But -he could not play the shabby part of informer, and for the first time in -his life he wished heartily that the smugglers might be caught, and -their connection with Trevanion discovered; hitherto his sympathies had -been entirely on their side. - -Since there was nothing to be gained by remaining longer at the -outhouse, he went quietly away and walked back towards the Towers. But -he was so much interested in his strange discovery that he felt it would -be impossible to sleep until he knew whether the run proved successful. -On reaching home, therefore, he went first to his mother's room to bid -her good-night, then to the dining-room to get some supper, and shortly -after eleven o'clock stole out again. He had never seen a smuggling -run, and the likelihood that this one would be entirely undisturbed -promised a peaceful view, without any risk of running into danger, of -which he knew that his parents would disapprove. - -He had not learnt where the run was to be, but guessed, if the tubs were -to be carried to the cellars of the Dower House, that the head of -Trevanion Bay would be the chosen spot. It was the most convenient -place near to the Dower House, except the little harbour itself, which -was not likely to be selected. He made his way, therefore, along the -narrow headland known as the Beal, which formed the southern boundary of -the bay. Near the end of the headland, overlooking the narrow passage -between it and the reef, by which vessels could enter the harbour at low -tide, was the favourite playground of his early boyhood. It was a -hollow in the cliff, screened from observation seaward by a huge boulder -somewhat insecurely poised. Only a few years had passed since Sam and -he used to play there at fighting the French. There they had their toy -citadel, from which they bombarded Boney's squadrons attempting an -invasion. From it, too, they could see on to the decks of vessels -passing in and out of the harbour at low tide, and hugging the cliff to -avoid the reef. They played also at smuggling, and it is noteworthy -that they were always the successful smugglers, and never the baulked -and discomfited preventive men. It was a lonely spot, and they had it -quite to themselves except for the gulls. - -When, as they grew older, they no longer took the same childish delight -in playing French and English, they turned the place into a storehouse -for fishing gear. In a remote corner of the nook, they scooped out the -earth to form a deep recess, lined this with wood, and kept there a -reserve supply of hooks, tackle, rope, a spare anchor and sculls, two -fowling-pieces, and other articles, by this means often saving -themselves a journey back to the Towers. Lonely as the spot was, they -often quaked with apprehension lest their secret should be discovered, -especially during the pilchard season. At that time the huer, whose duty -it was to keep watch, and indicate by flourishing a bush, for the -benefit of the fishers below, the direction in which the shoals of fish -were swimming, was accustomed to take his stand on the headland. But he -naturally chose the highest point, and had no reason to seek the lower -level of the cave, where he could neither see nor be seen so well. The -boys were always careful to avoid the neighbourhood of their storehouse -when the huer was about, and there being nothing to draw any one else to -the spot, the secret had remained undiscovered. - -It was towards this place that Dick proceeded on leaving the Towers. -But when he arrived there, he found at once that if the smugglers' cargo -was to be run in the bay it would be impossible to see anything of it. -The night was particularly dark; only such moonless nights were chosen -by the smugglers for their operations; and even the grey cliffs were -almost invisible from where he stood. He determined, therefore, to -return along the headland, and make his way down the face of the cliff -by the path whereby he had ascended with Sam on the night of their bass -fishing. There were recesses at the foot, in one of which he could -easily conceal himself and watch all that went on. And as there was no -time to lose, if he was to be in hiding before the smugglers arrived, he -walked rapidly, and climbed down the steep path at a pace that would -have been dangerous to any one who was not well acquainted with it. - -He was unaware that a figure was following him. There was no sound of -footsteps to attract his attention: he did not look back, and if he had -done so he could hardly have seen the form that steadily kept pace with -him at the distance of sixty or seventy yards. The second figure -descended the path with the same surefooted ease, paused at the foot -till Dick was out of sight, and then stole after him and ensconced -himself in a hollow of the cliff only about three yards from that in -which Dick had stationed himself. These hiding-places were some twenty -yards from the bottom of the path. - -Neither of the two silent watchers suspected that, on the cliff above -them, a third figure was approaching the path by which they had -descended, but from the opposite direction. Old Penwarden, so far from -being snugly asleep, as Jake Tonkin rashly concluded, had never been -more wide-awake in his life. The summoning of Mr. Mildmay to a -distance, the lateness of the pilchard season, and the darkness of the -night, combined to make him suspicious, and he had resolved to patrol -the cliff from St. Cuby's Well to the Beal, to satisfy himself that the -smugglers were not already at their tricks. Having smoked through his -pipe at the Well, he returned to his cottage, took the telescope, the -brace of pistols, the ammunition, the cutlass, and the blue light for -giving an alarm which were his regular equipment, and began to march -slowly and quietly up and down. - -About ten minutes after the lads had taken up their positions, they -heard a stone come rattling down the path twenty yards to the left. A -few seconds after, they were just able to discern a dark figure emerge -on to the beach. This was followed by another, and a third, and soon -the whole beach was alive with dusky shapes. The tide was ebbing, but a -stiff breeze sent long rollers dashing over the sand, their roar and -rustle smothering the low voices of the men as they talked fitfully -together. - -The watchers saw one of the men drive an iron post firmly into the sand -and attach to it the end of a rope. The other end was fastened to a -similar post in the earth at the top of the cliff. By this means a rail -was formed, to give assistance to the carriers as they climbed up with -their burdens. - -A little later there came from seaward a faint creak, scarcely -distinguishable among the other sounds. The watchers pricked up their -ears. Even at low tide there was enough water beneath the cliffs to -enable a vessel to run in very close, and the hidden spectators guessed -that a lugger was drawing in: at present they could not see it. The -shore men were all low down on the beach. In a few minutes the men -could be heard splashing in the water as they waded out to the vessel. -Then the lugger itself appeared, a dark shape on the surface. - -Soon the men could be seen returning in a long line, each one apparently -twice as big as before. Each bore two tubs, one in front, one behind, -slung over his shoulders by ropes which had been fitted before they left -the lugger. - -Several of the men had deposited their burdens on the beach, and were -going back for more, when there was a noise of scrambling on the path. -Work ceased instantly. A figure ran a few yards towards the sea, and -spoke to a large man who appeared to be directing the operations. His -words were just audible to the watchers. - -"Old Joe be comin' along cliff-top, Feyther." - -"But they told me you said 'a was asleep." - -"So 'a was, but 'a must ha' waked up. He be comin', sure enough." - -"You must be a cussed stunpoll, then, to come slitherin' down cliff like -that, makin' a rattle to wake the dead. Well, no matter. We can deal -wi' old Joe, if so be as he's alone." - -"Iss, he be alone. I pulled up the post and brought the rope -down-along." - -"You've some sense in yer skull, then. Now you, Pendred, and you, Simon -Mail, go up cliff and keep a watch. Stand yerselves in that narrow part -three-quarters of the way up, and if the old meddler comes, seize un, -and choke un, but don't do un a hurt unless he shows fight. We don't -want no crowner's quest." - -The two men selected to waylay the exciseman set off to climb the cliff, -and the work of running the cargo was resumed. - -Dick was in a quandary. He had no interest in doing preventive work, -and there were many reasons why he should refrain from interfering. But -old Penwarden was a friend of his, and a mettlesome old fellow, who -would certainly not allow himself to be seized without a struggle. -Moreover, being armed, as he doubtless was, he would have a temporary -advantage over the smugglers, who, expecting no opposition, would -probably have no weapons with them but their knives. But it might well -be that in the struggle the smugglers, driven to desperation, would make -short work of rushing upon him and flinging him over the cliff; or if -the struggle were prolonged, they could summon help from below, -overpower him, and truss him up. In either case the old man would be in -considerable danger, for the smugglers, when their passions were -aroused, would not be over-scrupulous. - -These considerations flashed through Dick's mind in a second. He could -not let Penwarden run into danger unwarned; yet how was the warning to -be given? There was but one way. A few yards to the right of the spot -where he stood it was possible to scale the cliff. The ascent was much -longer and more arduous than the regular path, and there was the risk -that he would not be in time. Unless he gained the cliff-top before -Penwarden had passed, he would be too late. There was not a moment to -spare. - -Dropping down on hands and knees behind a boulder that intercepted the -view seaward, he crawled as fast as he could towards a slight -indentation of the cliff beyond which he would be invisible to the -smugglers, and where the ascent began. He was followed within a few -moments by the second watcher. Just as he was beginning to climb he -heard a low whisper behind him. - -"I be comin' too, Maister Dick." - -"You here, Sam? What do you mean by this?" - -"Don't 'ee talk, now. I'll tell 'ee when we get to top." - -They scrambled up the face of the cliff as actively as goats, clutching -at stunted bushes and tufts of coarse grass, dodging awkward corners, -fearful lest the stones and loose earth they disturbed should strike -upon the boulders below and reveal their presence to the smugglers. -Both were active lads with good wind, and their progress was no doubt -more rapid, foot for foot, than that of the smugglers on the path a -hundred yards to the right, encumbered as they were with their heavy -sea-boots. But this advantage in speed was counterbalanced by the -greater length of their course, though this in its turn was compensated -by the fact that, unless Penwarden had already passed, they would be a -hundred yards nearer to him when they reached the top. - -In six minutes from the start, panting with their exertions, they heaved -themselves over the brink of the cliff and stood erect. Twenty yards to -their right, Penwarden was in the act of raising his telescope to spy -over the waters of the bay. With trembling limbs they ran towards him, -Dick giving him warning of their presence by a low clear whisper. The -old exciseman shut up his telescope with a snap, and turned. - -"'Tis you, Maister Dick!" he said. - -"Yes. Some one saw you. Two men are waiting for you on the path. I -can't tell you their names. You'll be knocked over if you try to go -down." - -"That's the way o't, is it? We'll see about that. Thank'ee for the -warning. You didn't tell me they be running a cargo, but I know it. -I'll dash their tricks." - -"But, Joe--" - -"Don't stop me," said Penwarden, shaking off Dick's detaining arm. -"'Tis my duty to stop this run, Mr. Mildmay being haled off on a -wild-goose chase, and do it I will. But get 'ee home-along, sir, you -are best out o' this, though if 'ee were a bit older, dash my bones if I -wouldn't call on 'ee to help in the King's name." - -Without more ado, he took from his pocket the blue light, struck a spark -from his tinder-box, and in a moment the cliff-top for many yards around -was illuminated by the brilliant sputtering flame. It was intended to -warn the lieutenant of the revenue cutter, if he were within sight, and -to draw from their cottages in the village the tidesmen, as they were -called, whose duty it was, on the alarm being given, to hasten to the -exciseman's assistance. These men were cobblers, tinkers, and other -small tradesmen, for the most part Methodists, who were ready to brave -the hostility of the smugglers for the sake of good pay and a bounty for -every hogshead seized. - -Dick was aghast. Things were turning out even worse than he expected. -The light would enrage the smugglers, and they would be in no mood to -handle the old man gently. Penwarden was already hurrying towards the -path. It seemed to Dick sheer madness for one man, and a man no longer -young, to attempt to deal with a score of rough and determined -smugglers. He was rushing headlong upon destruction. All care for what -might be the consequences to himself vanished from Dick's mind; he could -not leave the exciseman to his fate. But what could he do to help him, -without weapon of any kind? He suddenly bethought him of the -fowling-pieces laid up in the little nook on the Beal. - -"Come, Sam," he said, and started to run at full speed to fetch them. -They passed Penwarden like a flash; there might just be time to return -before he encountered the ambushed men. The blue light was now -extinguished, and sea and land were covered with the former darkness. - -Much fleeter of foot than Sam, Dick outstripped him in a few seconds, -and ran on alone to the little cave. He seized the fowling-pieces, and -discovered that there was no ammunition; nevertheless, he raced back -with them; they might serve to over-awe the smugglers, or in the last -resort be used as clubs. - -He had only just rejoined Sam when they heard a rough voice call out a -command to halt, and Penwarden's answer. - -"Stand aside, in the King's name." - -Clearly the dauntless old man had arrived at the spot where the -smugglers were in wait for him. The boys dashed forward, came to the -head of the path, and ran recklessly down, Dick hoping that they might -still be in time to prevent mischief. But before they reached the scene -of the scuffle, they heard the noise of some heavy body crashing down -the cliff, and then the roar of a pistol. Immediately afterwards they -caught sight of two figures hurrying down the path. - -"They've killed un dead!" muttered Sam. - -With his heart in his mouth, Dick ran down the path, slipping, -recovering himself, and running again. Sam was close behind. About -half-way down a body lay huddled on a projecting ledge, which had broken -its fall and prevented it from crashing to the base of the cliff. Dick -stooped over it, expecting to see Penwarden shot to the heart. To his -intense relief he heard a groan, and turning the man over, he was just -able to perceive that his face was blackened. Joe, then, had escaped, -and was one of the two who had gone down the path and were now out of -sight. - -The two boys hurried on. There was a great hubbub below them; having -been discovered, the smugglers no longer troubled to preserve silence; -and Dick, hearing their angry shouts and curses, feared that Penwarden's -quixotic action in attempting to tackle them single-handed would prove -his destruction. He took the rest of the path in reckless leaps, and, -when he reached the beach, saw that the old exciseman had posted himself -beside a row of tubs which he had seized in the King's name. - -In the confusion Dick's arrival was unobserved. The smugglers were -thronging up the beach with threatening cries. Penwarden's pistol -flashed, but next moment a heavy missile, hurled by one of the men, -struck him on the head, and he fell. - -"Throw un into the sea," shouted a rough voice. - -Half-a-dozen men rushed towards the prostrate man and began to drag him -towards the water. - -"Stand!" cried Dick, dashing forward. "Loose him, or we'll fire." - -[Illustration: "'STAND!' CRIED DICK, DASHING FORWARD. 'LEAVE HIM, OR -WE'LL FIRE.'"] - -A sudden silence fell upon the scene. The men who held Penwarden's arms -stood aside; the others edged away, taken aback by this unexpected -intervention; there had not been time for the tidesmen to arrive from -the village. Dick and Sam stood over the exciseman, pointing their -useless muskets at the crowd. For a moment there was absolute -stillness; then one of the men murmured: - -"'Tis young Maister Trevanion." - -"Yes," cried Dick, "and I warn you that if any of you lays a hand on the -old man again I will report you all to Sir Bevil. I know you, for all -your black faces. There's Doubledick, and Tonkin, and----" - -"Iss, 'tis I, and I don't care who knows it," interrupted Tonkin, -pushing forward. "What 'nation call ha' you got to meddle, cuss you!" - -"I don't meddle with your trade; it's nothing to me; but I won't see an -old fellow killed by a pack of ruffians." - -Tonkin cursed again, but some one drew him back and spoke to him in low -tones. The fact that the interruption had come from the Squire's son -was more daunting than the lads' muskets, which had no terror for armed -men accustomed to contend with equal numbers. But the name of -Trevanion, in spite of the fallen fortunes of the house, was still a -moral power in the country-side, and, further, if any harm befell the -Squire's heir, they could not escape a heavy retribution. - -After a few moments' colloquy, a man came forward. - -"Hark 'ee, sir," he said, and Dick recognised his voice as Doubledick's, -in spite of an attempt to disguise it. "We take it hard as you've -meddled wi' honest free-traders as never did 'ee no harm. As for old -Joe, 'twas only a bit of fun--hee! hee!--he bean't for drownin'. What I -says I says for all, and that is, we'll let 'ee take un away if you do -give us yer sacred word not to gie our names to Sir Bevil or Mr. -Mildmay,--them as you knows." - -"I don't want to play informer," replied Dick. "I agree to that." - -"Not a word to a soul?" - -"No. I've said so." - -"That's fair spoke," said the man, turning to the rest. - -A murmur of approval broke from them. Dick at once lifted Penwarden, -with Sam's help, from the pool of water in which he was lying. It was -difficult to keep him on his feet, for he was as yet only partially -conscious. Without either assistance or interference from the smugglers -they led him slowly to the foot of the path, and, one on each side of -him, began to carry, rather than walk, him up the cliff. One of the -smugglers dogged them throughout the toilsome ascent. When they came to -the place where the man had fallen, after a shrewd thrust from -Penwarden's cutlass, they found that he had disappeared, having no doubt -made his way homeward. - -"Thank 'ee for this, Maister Dick," murmured Penwarden when they paused -to rest at the cliff-top. "I'll have the law of those tidesmen for not -comin' when they was called." - -"No doubt they didn't see your light. And look here, Joe, I promised -not to split on the men, so I want you to promise too." - -"Daze me if I could split if I tried. I didn't see one of 'em plain, -nor hear their voices, and I got this crack on the head afore I could -tell one from t'other." - -"Do it hurt much, maister?" asked Sam. - -"More'n you'd care about, young Sam. But 'tis nawthin' at all to the -cracks and wounds we got when we served wi' Lord Admiral Rodney. Have I -telled 'ee what 'a said to me purticler one day on Plymouth Hoe?" - -"Yes, yes," said Dick, quickly. "The sooner you are in bed the better." - -They took him slowly to his cottage, where Dick put him to bed, gave him -some brandy, and bathed his wounded head. - -"You'll stop with him to-night, Sam," he said. "Don't leave him until -Gammer Oliver comes in the morning." - -"What'll 'ee say to Feyther, Maister Dick? I'm afeard he'll be in a -terrible rage wi' poor me." - -"I'll make that right. Now, lock the door when I've gone, and give Mr. -Penwarden anything he wants during the night. I'll come over in the -morning." - -It was nearly two o'clock before Dick got to bed, and day was breaking -before he slept. Meanwhile the smugglers finished their work -unmolested, and before morning eighty tubs of good French spirits lay in -the capacious cellars beneath the Dower House. - - - - - CHAPTER THE SEVENTH - - The Breach Widens - - -Next morning John Trevanion, fresh and ruddy, dressed in white breeches -and a blue coat with shining buttons, rode gaily down to the Five -Pilchards and summoned Doubledick to the door. - -"Well, you did the business, I see," he said jovially. "A small -beginning: I wish my cellars held more." - -"Iss, fay, a little small haul, to be sure; little and good. Hee! hee! -But, Maister Trevanion, I've summat plaguey awk'ard to tell 'ee." - -"What's that?" said Trevanion, with an uneasy look. - -"Why, drown me if old Joe didn' come upon us, and, worse than that, when -we'd cracked him on the head, who should come bouncing down-along but -Squire's boy and young Sam Pollex, vowin' and swearin' they'd shoot us -through the gizzard if we laid a finger on the old man." - -"The deuce they did! and you knocked them on the head, of course?" - -The look of uneasiness passed from Trevanion's face. - -"Well, no, not 'zackly. 'Twas Squire's son, you see." - -"What of that? You should have cracked their numskulls together and -sent 'em home howling. Afraid of two boys! What did you do, may I ask?" - -"Crackin' skulls is all very fine, but we didn' want a crowner's 'quest -on young Squire. No, no, we don't want hangman's necklace chokin' the -breath out of us. We let 'em take old Joe home-along, arter they'd give -their Bible word to be mum as gravestones." - -"Then you were a pack of fools. Don't you see the monkeys were spying -on you? 'Twas they brought Joe, without a doubt, though I'd like to -know how they got wind of the business." - -"Well, if I didn' think it! ... Here's Zacky Tonkin. Maister Trevanion -was sayin' as they two brats spied on us, Zacky." - -"Not they, 'a b'lieve," said Tonkin, who had come up. "Young Squire -said he'd no mind to meddle wi' the business, but was only a bit tender -over old Joe." - -"And you believe that!" said Trevanion, angrily flicking his -riding-whip. "Make no mistake, the Squire has turned on you. I happen -to know that Mildmay has been twice to the Towers of late; the Squire's -as poor as a church mouse, and informer's pay will be riches to him." - -"Squire turn informer!" cried Tonkin. "I can't believe it." - -"I can, though," said Doubledick. "When a man's as low down in the -world as Squire, he'll do a deal o' dirtiness to fill his purse, 'a -b'lieve." - -"Of course he will," said Trevanion. "You don't know the world, Tonkin. -Depend upon it, a good many golden guineas will find their way to the -Towers before a week's out." - -Tonkin was an honest fellow, save in so far as the King's revenue was -concerned, and had that simplicity of soul which is incredulous of -trickery in others. He was not proof against the cunning suggestions of -Trevanion. Naturally short-tempered and violent, he smote the flank of -Trevanion's horse a blow that set it prancing, and cried with a savage -oath:-- - -"Then I'll make 'em pay for 't, as sure as my name be Zack Tonkin. I -will so." - -"Hee! hee! That 'a will," said Doubledick, rubbing his hands. "They -golden guineas 'll be a bad egg, to be sure." - -Trevanion smiled. He had laid the train; he could trust his minions to -fire it. - -"Well, we'll speak no more of that," he said. "I'm riding to Truro: can -you tell what for?" - -"Not for more furnichy?" said Tonkin. - -"Goin' a-courtin', hee! hee!" smirked Doubledick. - -"No, no; I shan't trouble the parson yet awhile. I'm going to open the -mines again, my men." - -"Then I'm sorry for 'ee," said Tonkin bluntly. "Mines were worked out -long ago." - -"Maybe, maybe not. I'm going to try. I shall begin in quite a small -way. I shan't fling my money into the earth as my cousin did. But I -mean to try my luck, and within a week or two I shall have a few men at -work." - -"'Twill be good for the parish," said Doubledick. "The miners are -drouthy souls, and have a proper taste for good sperits. Ay, sure, -'twill do us all good." - -"You won't give up the trade, sir?" enquired Tonkin. - -"Not I. The Polkerran men will do more than ever before. A fig for -your Mildmays and Polwheles--Polwhele is still riding-officer, isn't he? -My wits against them any day. We'll double our trade with Roscoff this -winter." - -"If Delarousse bean't nabbed," said Tonkin. "His game of privateerin' -will souse him in hot water one o' these days." - -"Oh! we can do without Delarousse. There's a man in Roscoff, no friend -of his, who will deal with us better than he." - -"It do maze me, Maister Trevanion," said Doubledick, "that arter bein' -away all these years ye know so much about the trade." - -"I keep my eyes open, that's all," replied Trevanion, with a laugh. -"Well, I must be off. You can tell the neighbours about the mines. I'm -glad to do something for the old village." - -He rode away, giving smiling greetings to the people, men and women, -whom he passed on the road. - -"A fine feller!" said Doubledick, enthusiastically. "'Twill be heyday in -village, Zacky; stirring life, and not so much of a tomb as 'tis since -Squire became a pauper." - -"But I'm sorry he do want us to break with Delarousse. He be a good -trader, for a Frenchman. Howsomever, if there be a better, all the -better for we, to be sure." - -The men parted, to retail to their friends and neighbours the pleasing -news of the great things John Trevanion was about to do for the village. - -Roscoff, the place mentioned in the course of their conversation, was a -little port in Brittany which had become the chief seat of the -contraband trade with the south-west of England since a restrictive Act -of Parliament had put a stop to it in the Channel Islands. The French -Government had made it a free port to smugglers, and in a few years it -had grown from a tiny fishing village to a thriving town. There were -three classes of people engaged in the contraband trade. The freighters -consigned or received the goods, and paid the expenses of their -shipment. The boatmen conveyed them from port to port, always on -moonless nights, and usually when a strong wind was blowing. The -tub-carriers bore them to their destination. The boatmen received a -fixed sum for each trip, the tub-carriers for each cargo run, and -frequently in addition a portion of the goods, or a small share in the -proceeds. - -Until John Trevanion reappeared in Polkerran, Isaac Tonkin had been the -principal freighter of the village, and was the owner and master of the -lugger which plied between it and Roscoff. His dealings were chiefly -with a certain Jean Delarousse, a ship-owner of Roscoff, who was -notorious also as a daring seaman, and in his privateer vessel preyed on -English shipping in the Channel between Poole and the Lizard. -Delarousse had never come to Polkerran, but he was well known to Tonkin -and the crew of his lugger, the Isaac and Jacob. Tonkin having little -capital, the cargoes run at Polkerran were usually small, and were -disposed of solely among the innkeepers, farmers, and gentry of the -neighbourhood. Now that Trevanion had come home, the Polkerran folk -expected great developments in the trade, and looked forward to an -exciting and profitable winter. Apart from the monetary gain, the risks -of smuggling exercised a fascination upon those engaged in it, providing -the only excitement in their otherwise dull and monotonous lives. The -fraud on the revenue weighed very lightly on their consciences. In -their view they were entitled to the full value of the goods for which -they had honestly paid, and the Government officials were thieves and -tyrants. To best the Customs and Excise was both a business and a -sport. - -It was not long before the consequences of Dick's intervention on behalf -of Joe Penwarden made themselves felt. Hitherto the smugglers had -recognised the Trevanions of the Towers as rather for them than against -them, but now, actuated by John Trevanion's malicious suggestion, they -looked on them in a different light. For the first time a Trevanion had -ranged himself on the side of the representatives of the law, and -Tonkin, resenting what he regarded as defection, soon began to show that -in threatening vengeance he meant to be as good as his word. - -One morning Dick, going down with Sam to inspect the night lines he had -set in the waters of Trevanion Bay, discovered with surprise and -annoyance that they had been cut. A day or two afterwards they found -their boat, which they had drawn up as usual above high-water mark, -bumping among the rocks half a mile up the coast. They did not report -these occurrences, hoping that they were nothing but a mark of temporary -ill-feeling and would soon cease. But when for the third time their -lines were tampered with, Dick became seriously concerned. The fish they -caught were a very important part of the provisions for the household. -What was not required at once was salted and dried for consumption when -fishing was over for the season. Without these constant supplies they -would have to draw more largely on their pigs and poultry, which they -were accustomed to sell. Dick was unwilling to impart his troubles to -any one, and for several nights he and Sam kept watch, hoping that if -the culprits were caught in the act, the fear of exposure would put a -stop to their mischief. On three nights nothing happened: and yet, on -the first night when they left the lines unguarded, the same fate befell -them. - -"This is more than I can bear," cried Dick, in the morning. "I shall -tell Petherick." - -Petherick was the village constable, who filled also the offices of -sexton, bell-ringer, and beadle in the parish church. - -"Bless 'ee, you'll waste yer breath," said Sam. "Old Petherick be a -crony o' Tonkin, and wouldn' lift a finger against him, without it were -murder or arson: and then he'd have to get the sojers to help him. Why, -'tis said he've let 'em keep the tubs in church-tower sometimes when the -preventives have been smellin' too close." - -"Well, we must put a stop to it somehow. I'll tell Joe, and see what he -has to say." - -Later in the day he went into the village to buy some new fishing tackle -at a general-shop, where the folk could buy tea, sugar, cheese, needles, -thread, letter-paper, bootlaces--in short, every small article they -needed. On his return, he heard a hubbub proceeding from the village -green, where wrestling-bouts, games of quoits, dog-fights, and other -sports took place. In the midst was a duck-pond. Bending his steps -thither to see what was going on, he beheld Sam with his back against a -tree, sturdily defending himself with fists and feet against a crowd of -the village lads, among whom the hulking form of Jake Tonkin was -conspicuous. - -"Heave un in duck-pond," he heard Jake cry. - -"You'd better!" he shouted, rushing forward to assist his companion. - -The crowd fell back as he forced his way through it, bowling one fellow -over like a ninepin, and driving another out of his path with a shove -that nearly sent him into the pond. It is probable that his energy, and -the prestige attached to him as the Squire's son, would have put an end -to the affair; but it chanced that John Trevanion rode by at this -moment, and reining up his horse, contrived in some subtle manner to -indicate that his sympathy was with the larger party. Only this could -explain the sudden change in their attitude. They closed round Dick and -Sam with derisive yells. - -"Gie un both a duckin'," shouted one, and they made a sudden concerted -rush, trying to seize the two boys. - -Dick, never having been to school, had never had occasion or opportunity -to learn the noble art; but his muscles were in good condition, and the -obvious necessity was to make full use of them. Standing beside Sam -against the tree, he hit out against any head, trunk, or shoulder that -came within reach, Sam making good play as before with feet as well as -arms. One young fisher retired with a crimson nose, another with a bump -over one eye, a third shouting that his leg was broken. All the time -John Trevanion sat his horse, smiling, and flinging out now and then an -encouraging word, which might have been intended for either side, but -was appropriated by Tonkin's crew. - -Courage and the best will in the world cannot prevail over a triple -excess of numbers. The fisher-lads were still six when their wounded -comrades had retired to the rear. Led by Jake Tonkin they hurled -themselves upon the two defenders. For a few minutes there was a brisk -scrimmage; many good blows were given and exchanged; then Dick and Sam -fell, to be immediately pounced on by the victors, who caught them by -legs and arms and began to drag them down to the pond. - -They were within a yard of the brink when a loud voice thundered a -command to halt, and a riding-whip cracked and curled its thong round -the legs and backs of the aggressors. With howls of pain they released -their victims and fled across the green. Rising, bruised and muddy, -from the ground, the two boys saw Mr. Polwhele, the riding-officer, -close by on horseback, his face flushed and stern-set with anger. - -"You look on and do nothing!" he said indignantly to John Trevanion. - -"My dear sir, why should I interfere? Boys must fight, let them fight -it out." - -"Three to one--is that your idea of fair play?" - -Trevanion shrugged. - -"Hadn't you better reserve your whip for stimulating your tidesmen, Mr. -Polwhele? They need a little spiriting, if what I hear is true." - -And with that as a parting shot Trevanion rode away. - -"What was the origin of this?" asked Mr. Polwhele. "I'm sorry to see it, -Master Trevanion." - -"'Twas like this, sir," said Sam, rubbing his head and legs alternately. -"I comed upon they chaps, and Jake Tonkin says to me, 'Catched any fish -lately, young Sam?' Says I, ''Tis easier to cut lines, to be sure,' -says I, and then they set on me, and they'd ha' melled and mashed me if -Maister Dick hadn't come up." - -"Have they been cutting your lines, then?" - -Dick saw no help for it but to acquaint the riding-officer with the -petty persecution he had lately suffered, and the cause of it, which -hitherto Mr. Polwhele had not known. - -"'Tis rascally, 'pon my soul it is," said the officer, "and I'm sorry -Penwarden has brought it on ye. Not but 'twas your own doing, Master -Dick; you'd better have kept out of it, though I own 'twas a good deed -to old Joe. I'm on my way to see Sir Bevil, and I'll tell him as a -magistrate, and he'll engage to commit any ruffian that molests ye." - -"Not on my account, if you please, Mr. Polwhele," said Dick earnestly. -"There's bad blood between the Towers and the village as it is, and -'twill be ten times worse if Sir Bevil comes into it." - -"Maybe you're in the right. Well, I'll see you safe home, and if I may -advise ye, keep out of the way o' the village folk. You're not friends -with Mr. Trevanion seemingly. Is he backing the smugglers, d'ye know?" - -"I can't say anything about that. My father has nothing to do with -him." - -"Well, well, these family quarrels are common enough. Come along beside -me." - -Nothing could have been more unfortunate than the intervention of the -riding-officer. Purely accidental as it was, the villagers regarded it -as another proof of the new alliance between the Towers and the enemy. -John Trevanion did not fail to describe to the elder Tonkin, the next -time he met him, how savagely Mr. Polwhele had laid his whip upon Jake, -and the irate smuggler swore that if he encountered the riding-officer -he would make him pay for it. - -That evening Dick consulted Joe Penwarden on the situation, as he had -intended. Joe was much distressed to think that he was the cause of the -bitterness with which the village folk now regarded the family at the -Towers. - -"I don't know what you can do," said he. "But let things bide; maybe -they'll see by long and late they've misread 'ee." - -"But we can't have our fishing spoilt time after time, Joe." - -"'Tis a pretty stoor, be dazed to it!" said Joe, angrily. "And all for -a wambling old carcase like me! Ah! I warn't allus like as I be now. -When Lord Admiral Rodney spoke to me on Plymouth Hoe I was as limber a -young feller as you'd see in Devon or Cornwall. He was goin' along with -two handsome females----but there, I think I've telled 'ee. What I say -is, why did Maister John come home, cuss him? There was none o' this -afore." - -"I don't think that's fair, Joe. They'd have run a cargo all the same, -if he were at the ends of the earth; and I couldn't have done -differently." - -"Ye may say so, but I hold to it, whatever ye say. He's ill-wished 'ee, -that's the truth, and a pity it is he ever showed his face here." - -Two evenings later, when Dick was struggling with a piece of Latin prose -for Mr. Carlyon, there was a knock at the outer door, and Reuben -admitted Penwarden, with Jake Tonkin firmly in his clutch. - -"Axe Squire if I can have speech with him, Reuby," he said. - -Mr. Trevanion came out into the hall. - -"Well, what's this, Joe?" he asked. - -"I catched this young reptile a-meddlin' wi' Maister Dick's lines, -Squire," said Penwarden, "so I brought him up to be dealt with according -to law." - -"Meddling with his lines, indeed!" cried the Squire in surprise. "Why -should he do that? What have you to say for yourself, rascal?" - -Jake had nothing to say for himself, but stood with a sullen glower upon -his face. - -"'Tis not the first time either, Squire, and I be mazed as you didn' -know it," Penwarden continued. - -"I knew nothing about it. Dick," he called into the room, "come here." - -Dick obeyed reluctantly. - -"Penwarden tells me," said his father, "that your lines have been -tampered with. Is that true?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"How often?" - -"Three or four times within a week or so." - -"Why did you not tell me?" - -"I didn't want to bother you, sir." - -"But this is new; it shows a hostile spirit----. Well, I'll say no more -now. As for you, you young scoundrel, I'm not a justice, or I'd commit -you. You shall take your choice; a sound flogging, or haled before Sir -Bevil: that will mean three months in Truro jail. Which is it to be?" - -"I don't want to see Sir Bevil," said Jake, sullenly. - -"Strip off your coat, then. Reuben, bring my whip." - -Dick went away: he could not remain to see the lad thrashed. - -"Now, Reuben, half a dozen lashes," said the Squire when his man -returned. "No; I'll do it myself. Stoop!" - -Dick pressed his fingers into his ears when at the third or fourth -stroke Jake began to howl. The Squire gave him full measure; then bade -him begone, and take care not to offend again, declaring that he should -not get off so easily next time. - -"Now, Dick," he said, returning to the room, "what is the meaning of all -this?" - -Thereupon Dick made a clean breast of it, telling all that had happened -since the rescue of Penwarden. The Squire's face clouded as he listened -to the story. - -"John Trevanion is at the bottom of this," he cried, thumping the table. -"They would never believe I was against them unless their minds had been -poisoned. I will see Tonkin to-morrow and get at the truth." Then, -with one of the swift changes of mood characteristic of him, he added: -"No, I won't do it. I won't gratify that cur; he shall never think I -care a snap for him. Tell me if anything of the kind happens again, and -I will myself go over to see Sir Bevil. On my life, the toad shall -smart if he is proved to be stirring folk against me." - -Every succeeding incident in this series did but confirm the village -folk in their conviction that the Squire was now their declared enemy, -and in staunch alliance with the revenue officers. - - - - - CHAPTER THE EIGHTH - - A Light on the Moor - - -Next day everybody in Polkerran knew of Jake Tonkin's thrashing. It was -discussed by the men in tap-rooms, on the jetty, in barns and piggeries, -in mills and cobblers' work-rooms. Fishwives chattered about it on -their doorsteps and at their windows. Boys meeting their playmates asked -if they had heard that Jake Tonkin had been walloped by Squire, and -Jake, as the victim of two assaults of this nature in succession, was -looked upon as something of a hero. Public opinion was dead against the -Squire, and was perhaps only the stronger because it was in the wrong. - -It was clear that John Trevanion intended to make himself as unpleasant -as possible to his relative. In the afternoon a number of men were seen -mounting the steep road from the village to the cliff, drawing trolleys -laden with short narrow planks of wood. On reaching the green level -they proceeded to erect fences on the ground that had formerly been the -Squire's, and was now John Trevanion's. By the end of the next day a -large portion of the land was enclosed, the effect of these operations -being that the inmates of the Towers were cramped in their movements out -of doors, being restricted to the high road and the various rights of -way, which even the landlord could not close against them. - -Sam Pollex hoped that the Squire would retaliate. The Beal, from which -the huer was accustomed to show his signals to the pilchard fishers, was -still Mr. Trevanion's property, and he could, if he chose, fence it -round in the same way. But there was nothing petty in the Squire's -nature. He was not the man to take a mean revenge on his neighbours, so -that when a fisher reported one evening that he had seen sharks and -grampuses some distance out at sea, a sure sign that the pilchards were -coming, the villagers went to bed without any fear that access would be -forbidden to the usual haunt. - -Just before dawn next morning, Nathan Pendry, father of John Trevanion's -portmanteau carrier, the most experienced fisher in the village, took -his stand at the extremity of the Beal, carrying his bush. Seaward, the -sky was gloomy; in the east a pale orange and pink glow on the horizon -announced the rising sun. The air was very still, only the slow ripples -washing the sand at the foot of the cliff breaking the silence. In the -fairway lay three boats, the largest of them a smack of eight tons -burden, manned by six oarsmen, together with Tonkin and a fisher nearly -as large as he. These men and the occupants of the other boats sat -without speaking, their eyes fixed on the huer above. He stood -motionless, gazing intently on the surface of the sea. Beyond the -promontory the village was as yet asleep; one man stood solitary at the -end of the jetty. - -Suddenly the huer bent forward, in an attitude of intense expectancy. A -few minutes passed; then lifting himself he waved his bush aloft. His -experienced eyes had detected a shadow in the water, moving across the -bay in a direction parallel with the shore. Instantly the men in the -first boat fell to their oars, and Tonkin, standing up in the stern, and -making a trumpet of his hands, shouted, "Havar! havar!" towards the -single figure on the jetty. This man repeated the cry; it was taken up -in the village; and soon from every street and lane a crowd of men, -women, and children poured up towards the cliffs, dressing themselves as -they ran, and shouting, "Havar! havar! Yo-hoy, hoy, hoy!" - -Meanwhile the rowers were tugging at their oars with all their might, -Ike Pendry, who was rowing bow, having his eyes fixed on his father, and -directing the steersman in accordance with the movements of the bush. -The ground behind the huer was now thronged with spectators, no longer -shouting, but watching Pendry and the boatmen in tense silence. All at -once the huer dropped his bush; the rowers shipped oars; and Tonkin and -his mate grasped a long net, which had lain folded ready to their hands, -and with a few deft movements shot it overboard. - -"Yo-hoy, yo-hoy!" broke from every throat. Then the crowd relapsed into -silence, watching the further proceedings in the bay. - -The "seine net," as it was called, was a quarter of a mile long and -sixteen fathoms broad at the middle. It was fastened on each side to two -stout double ropes, and at each corner to four strong warps about fifty -fathoms long. Corks were fixed to the upper edge, and leaden weights to -the lower. When it was "shot," the corks buoyed up one end to the -surface of the water, the leads sank the other perpendicularly to the -bottom. The boat meanwhile was rowed round the shoal, following the -directions of the huer, until, the two extremities being made fast, the -fish were imprisoned in an oblong barrier of network. As Tonkin -straightened his back after completing his part of the work, another -shout rent the air, and the huer, his task also accomplished, broke -through the dignified calm which had hitherto distinguished him, and -waved his cap triumphantly. - -Now came the turn of the "tuck-boat," one of those that had remained as -yet in the fairway. It was rowed within the area enclosed by the seine, -and laid close to the seine-boat, to the bows of which one end of a -smaller net, called the "tuck," was fastened by a rope. The boat then -slowly made the inner circuit of the seine, the tuck being paid out and -deftly hooked at intervals to the larger net. Meanwhile the men in the -third boat beat the water with their oars, so as to scare the fish into -the middle of the enclosure. - -Now came the most exciting moment of the day. The cliff-top all round -the bay was dark with spectators. Small boys, eager to get in front, -dodged and shoved among the legs and skirts of their elders. The -village blacksmith was there; cobblers with bent backs and leather -aprons; tinkers, tailors, wheelwrights, carpenters, ploughmen, -dairymaids, old men with sticks and crutches, old women who could -scarcely totter, mothers with babies in their arms: all were agog with -excitement to see the final act. Sam Pollex was there, and when he -caught sight of the parlourmaid of the Dower House he sidled up to her -elbow, listened with delight to her exclamations of "My gracious!" "Look -'ee see, now!" "Lawk-a-massy me!" and by-and-by ventured to instruct her -ignorance of the movements passing below. - -With the shouts of the boys were now mingled the deeper tones of the -seiners as, ranged in a row in their boat, they began to haul on the -tuck, calling "Yo, heave ho!" in time with their rhythmic movements. -"Pull away, boys!" shouts the huer; "Yo-hoy!" scream the boys. "Up she -comes! Look at 'em! Look at 'em!" The water eddies like a mill-race; -in the midst is seen a heaving mass of gleaming scales; and from round -the point come boats of all sizes, which range themselves in a circle -about the shoal. Men lean over the sides, dip their baskets, lift them -full of shining fish, empty them into the boats, and dip them again for -more. Soon they stand ankle deep in pilchards, and when the boats sink -to the gunwales, they are rowed away to the jetty, where men are waiting -with shovels and barrows, ready to carry the fish to the salting-house. - -Dick Trevanion was among the spectators. He never missed the first haul -of the season. But to-day he was acutely conscious of a change. Last -year the villagers had greeted him with smiles and cheery words; to-day -they lowered their eyes, passed him in silence, and edged away from him -as he moved from place to place. He could not but feel bitterly his -isolation. Why did they so misjudge him? He had not changed: he knew -well that, in any ordinary contest between the smugglers and the revenue -officers, his sympathy would have been with the former; friendly as he -was with Mr. Mildmay, he would enjoy nothing better than that -gentleman's discomfiture, if it were due to fair means and the -villagers' wits. Yet, because he had intervened to prevent harm to an -old man, he was now regarded by the villagers as their enemy, one who -would descend to play the mean part of spy and informer. - -With gloomy face he turned away and walked back along the promontory. -At the end he met Mr. Carlyon, who had just ridden up on his cob. The -parson's ruddy face was suffused with cheerfulness; he knew by the -jubilant shouts of the crowd that the catch was a good one, and rejoiced -that his parishioners were winning from the deep their means of -subsistence for the winter. He marked Dick's clouded face, and, -guessing the occasion of it, he tried to cheer him. - -"Come, Dick," he said genially, "cheer up, my lad; this haul will put -the folk in a good temper, and they will forget their grudge against -you." - -"I hope they will, sir," replied Dick, "but there's one man who'll try -to keep them in mind of it." - -"You mean your cousin?" - -"Yes." - -"But surely he'll not be such a cur. He's a scoundrel--there now, what -am I saying? I'll tackle him, my boy. Why, bless my soul, he was in -church on Sunday, and my text was 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' -I'll ride there now, and get him to give me some breakfast--though I -detest the fellow," he added in one of his unconscious asides. - -"He is away from home, I believe," said Dick. - -"Well, then, I'll put it off till another day, but tackle him I will. -I've a bit of news, Dick. The carrier brought me some books last night; -that's not the news, though. No. You have heard, maybe, of a Frenchman -named Delarousse?" - -He looked slyly at Dick; everyone in Polkerran knew the name of the -Frenchman with whom the smugglers had such close dealings. - -"As a natural enemy of our country I don't pity him," pursued the -parson, "but as a--h'm--an honest free-trader I own I feel for him. His -privateer was badly knocked about in the Channel by a revenue cruiser a -week or two ago, and while she was being repaired, it appears that he -tried to run a cargo at Polperro. As ill-luck would have it--dear me! -I wonder if I ought to have said that," he added under his breath--"he -ran into the arms of the revenue people; they seized his lugger and -carried him to Plymouth, where he'll cool his heels for a time until -they put him among the other French prisoners on Dartmoor." - -"Do they know it in the village yet, sir?" - -"Probably not; the carrier was going straight on to Newquay; he had -nothing for us except my books. But you may be sure the folk will soon -know all about it. The carrier had a glass of brandy with Petherick, -and Petherick, as you know, is the biggest gossip in the parish. His -brandy is better than mine, the dog! I must ask him where he gets it." - -Dick could not help smiling at the parson's unconscious self-revelation. - -"That's right; you're feeling better, I see," said Mr. Carlyon cheerily. -"Now I'll go on and bespeak my basket. Pilchards of the first catch are -the daintiest dish I know. 'Tis a holiday to-day, but I shall see you -to-morrow. Good-bye." - -He rode on. Dick turned to watch him, and saw Sam Pollex walking beside -the maid-servant of the Dower House. When Sam observed his young master -he left the girl and came sheepishly towards him. - -"I've been tellin' to she the hows and whys of it, Maister Dick," said -he. - -"Indeed." - -"Iss, I have. Bein' a furriner, she be 'mazin simple for such a -well-growed female. She axed me why I never brought no more eggs." - -"And what did you say?" - -"Well, not likin' to hurt her feelings, I telled her our hens be -uncommon idle lately, and she said she knows they do have fits that way -sometimes. Maister John's gone to Lunnon, to buy things for his mine." - -"I wish he'd stay there." - -"Her name be Susan." - -"Quite a common name." - -"She's as nice a female as ever I've seed." - -The pilchard fishing was for several days so engrossing an occupation -that the villagers had no time for fostering their grievance against the -Towers. Dick and Sam, who had formerly been in the thick of it, -sometimes as spectators merely, occasionally as participators, kept -away, and spent the greater part of their time in fishing quietly some -few miles up the coast. One day Dick reverted to the project of hunting -seals, which he had temporarily abandoned, partly through the diversion -afforded by the discovery of the well, partly because he did not care to -kill the parent seals while their offspring were so young. Now, however, -the prospect of sport, and the practical wish to obtain a sealskin for -his mother, made him resolve to try his luck in the cave, and he laid -his plans in consultation with the ever-ready Sam. - -He guessed that the seals left the cave at low tide to find food in the -deep, and returned when the sea flowed in. Since the cave was at such -times inaccessible from the sea, he decided that it must be approached -from the well, of which neither he nor Sam had now any remaining dread. -One evening they sallied towards it, carrying a well-made rope-ladder, a -musket apiece, a large hammer, and several torches, which would give -more light than the ancient candle-lantern they had formerly carried. -To one end of the rope-ladder they had attached a series of stout -meat-hooks borrowed from old Reuben: they could more confidently trust -their safety to a number of teeth gripping the rock than to the single -fluke of their small boat anchor. They had timed their start so that -they would reach the cave just as the tide turned. - -It was a dull, murky evening, with a touch of autumn rawness in the air. -Twilight had not quite merged into darkness when they arrived at the -ruined chapel at the well-head. They looked warily around to make sure -that their presence was not observed, then prepared to descend. - -"'Tis rayther fearsome," murmured Sam, as he looked into the black -shaft. Now that he was on the spot, the tradition of ghostliness in -which he had been brought up revived something of his former fears. - -"Nonsense," said Dick, "we have laid the ghost for ever, Sam. I will go -down first. Don't follow until I come to the door. I will whistle for -you. When you hear me, fling down the ladder and the hammer. At a -second whistle, come yourself." - -Sticking a lighted candle-end into his hatband, and slinging the musket -over his shoulder, he stepped backward into the well, and began the -descent. He found the successive staples entirely by the sense of -touch, the candle throwing a deep shadow below him. At first he felt a -little nervous, but gathered confidence after a few steps, and made the -latter part of the descent very quickly. - -Sam, waiting above, heard a whistle, curiously prolonged by its -reverberations from the walls. He threw down the hammer, and gave an -involuntary start when he heard it thud upon the bottom. The ladder -followed, and the unkindled torches; then, without lighting a candle for -his own hat, he stepped over the brink, muttering to himself: - -"S'pose I fall! But I won't. S'pose I do though. But Maister Dick -didn't. S'pose _I_ do. Well, if 'tis to be, 'tis, so I med as well go -cheerful." - -In reality he descended more quickly than Dick had done. They gathered -up their burdens, and made their way by the light of Dick's candle along -the passage until they came to the ledge overlooking the cave. - -Here they stopped and peered over. The tide was rather lower than they -had expected. Their eyes ranged the cave for a time without discovering -any sign of the seals. Then Dick lit a torch, and holding it over the -dark space beneath, he suddenly saw two orbs of light, like the eyes of -a monstrous cat, in a far corner to the right of him. Moving along the -ledge in that direction, he descried two seals, greyish in colour, and -much larger than he had supposed them to be, lying on a rock, with the -two young ones between them. - -"We will only kill one, Sam," he whispered, "and I hope 'twill be the -father." - -The seals were apparently fascinated by the glare of the torch, for they -made no movement, their eight eyes glowing like balls of fire. In order -to obtain more light upon his task, Dick kindled two more torches, and -stuck all three into crevices of rock in such a way that they -illuminated the whole corner of the cave where the seals lay. But now -the animals had caught sight of him, and as if instinctively realising -that the intruder was an enemy, they scrambled with clumsy movements off -the rocks into the water. - -"They be goin' out to sea, scrounch 'em!" whispered Sam, whose attitude -to all prospective victims was an indignant surprise that they did not -wait meekly for their doom. - -But the seals, after swimming a yard or two, took up their position -behind a larger boulder, above which the tops of their sleek, massive -heads could just be seen. - -"We shall have to go down to them, Sam," said Dick. - -"They be great big creatures," said Sam dubiously. "Wi' those terrible -big flappers they could smite us flat as flounders." - -"You had better take the hammer in case I miss and they attack us. We -must at any rate prevent one of them from getting away." - -They retreated to the further end of the ledge, to which the light of -their torches scarcely reached, and carefully hooked the ladder to the -jagged rock. Then in perfect silence they descended. The water only -came to their knees. Wading through it with scarcely more noise than an -otter might have made, they drew gradually nearer to the rock behind -which the seals had sheltered. Here they found themselves baulked. The -rock was close to the wall, and it was impossible to get a shot at the -animals without circumventing it, which appeared to Dick a dangerous -movement. The surprising quickness with which the seals had shuffled -off their former perch showed that, if a shot failed, they might fling -their heavy bodies upon the assailants before they could escape. He was -considering what to do, when a movement among the seals forced him to -act on the instant. The largest of the creatures heaved itself to the -top of the rock, and lay there as if on the watch for the enemy, -presenting the side of its head to Dick. He raised his musket, a -firelock of ancient type, and fired. The reverberations in the hollow -vault were broken in upon by a hoarse roar, and through the cloud of -smoke the seal slid over the rock into the water, and came swimming -towards the two boys. Dick seized Sam's musket, preparing to fire -again; his first shot had only enraged the animal. But before he could -raise the weapon, the seal threw itself out of the water, and he had -just time to spring aside and evade its onset. As it passed, its -flipper struck the musket from his grasp, and it fell with a splash into -the water. - -Sam, for all his fear of ghosts, was brave enough before a real enemy. -He was standing a yard or two in Dick's rear. As the seal plunged -heavily into the sea, Sam brought the hammer down with all his force -upon the creature's head. There was one tremendous convulsion of the -water, then the seal's movements ceased and it sank to the bottom. - -[Illustration: "AS THE SEAL PLUNGED INTO THE SEA, SAM BROUGHT HIS HAMMER -DOWN."] - -Meanwhile, the other animals, scared by the noise, had flung themselves -into the water, and were swimming towards the mouth of the tunnel. - -"Well done, young Sam!" said Dick. "You did that famously." - -"So I did, to be sure," replied Sam, "but I couldn' help it. You shot -un, Maister Dick; see his blood." - -There was a red tinge upon the water. - -"How are we to get him up?" said Dick. "He's a monstrous big fellow." - -"We'll wait till tide is down and skin him here. Be his body good to -eat?" - -"That I don't know; we can try. But the skin is the valuable part of -him, and having that we may leave the rest." - -In two hours the receding tide had left the dead seal on the sand. The -boys took out their knives, and, expert in such work, in another -half-hour had removed the skin. Their torches were by this time burning -low, so they clambered up to the ledge, and carried their implements and -booty as quickly as possible through the adit to the foot of the well, -and then up to the surface. - -Vastly pleased with the success of their expedition they set off towards -home. The night was very dark, and a thin rain was falling, which -increased as they proceeded, until it became a steady downpour. They -were tired; their burdens, light enough when they started from home, now -seemed to be pounds heavier; the rain beat full in their faces, finding -out every crevice between their clothes and their skin; and the ground -was rough, covered here with tussocks of grass that squelched under -their tread, there with fragments of mining gear which threatened to -trip them up. They trudged on in silence, feeling the loneliness and -the inclemency of the weather the more keenly because it ensued upon the -high excitement of their adventure. - -As they struck into the path leading by Penwarden's cottage, Sam -suddenly declared that he saw a flicker of light to their left, some -distance across the moor. - -"I can't see it," said Dick, scarcely looking in the direction -indicated, "and it doesn't matter to us. I'm tired; this skin is heavy; -I want to get home." - -"'Tis moving," said Sam a moment later. "Maybe 'tis Maister John comin' -back from Lunnon." - -"He wouldn't come that way. I see it now; 'tis some belated traveller, -no doubt." - -"But the light bean't on the road; 'tis too far away." - -"Never mind about the light," Dick replied, testily. "Come along." - -They soon came to one of John Trevanion's new fences, which compelled -them to leave the path and seek the high road. In his moody frame of -mind Dick resented this bitterly. They now perceived that the light, -spread starwise by the rain, was much nearer to them, and presently -heard the creaking of wheels and the dull thud of horses' hoofs on the -turf. A minute after they had struck the road a closed travelling -carriage, drawn by two horses, turned into it from a byway, scarcely -more than a bridle path. On the right of the driver there was a single -lamp. Catching sight of the two figures on the road, bending forward -under their loads, the driver hailed them and pulled up his horses -beside them. - -"Hi! can 'ee tell me if this be the right road for Polkerran?" he asked. - -"Iss, fay, right for'ard," answered Sam. - -"And where be the Five Pilchards?" - -"Down-along through village. Better mind the hill, if you be a -furriner, 'cos 'tis 'nation steep and twisty." - -"So be they all, od rake it." - -Here another voice interposed, and a head showed itself dimly at the -carriage window. - -"Vill you--ah! how say it!--vill you embark on ze--ze coach, and, if you -please, show ze road?" - -"Drat it all, why will 'ee talk?" cried the driver. "Put yer head -inside, for gospel sake. Come up beside me, friends, if you'll do a -kindness, and say the word when I do come to the hill. I don't want to -break hosses' knees nor my own neck." - -The boys, glad enough to get a lift, mounted beside the driver, with a -tingling curiosity about the passenger inside who spoke in so strange an -accent. It was not far to the Towers, and when they came to it Dick -asked the driver to stop, and bade Sam get down and carry the sealskin -and his share of the other burdens to the house. - -"You bean't a fisher?" said the driver to Dick as Sam was descending. -There was a note of anxiety in his voice. - -"I fish, but I'm not what you would call a fisher." - -"I knowed it by your speech. Well, then, I won't trouble 'ee, sir, this -mizzly night," said the man, with some eagerness. - -"No trouble at all. 'Tis not very far." - -"Well, 'twas to be," muttered the coachman. Dick thought it was an odd -thing to say. Still more surprised was he when the driver leant over -and extinguished the candle-flame with his fingers. "You see," he -explained, "the gentleman inside is terrible bad, met with an accident, -as 'a med say." - -"Bring him to our house, then," said Dick instantly; "my mother will be -pleased to do something for him." - -"Not for gold and di'monds," replied the man quickly. "No, we go to -Five Pilchards; 'tis a good enough inn, I've heerd tell." - -Dick said no more. He wondered who the stranger was, and what brought -him to Polkerran, where visitors were rare. The carriage rumbled on -slowly; every now and then the driver made the horses walk, though the -road here was level. It seemed to Dick that his attitude and manner -were those of a man intently listening. - -They came to the spot where a short drive led from the road to the Dower -House, which could just be discerned, a black mass in the rain. "That -villain has not returned, then," thought Dick, seeing no light in the -house. - -At this moment there came upon their ears the clattering sound of -several horses from the foot of the hill which they had nearly reached. -The driver jerked his horses to a standstill, looked from side to side, -and seeing the carriage-drive, to which there was no gate, wheeled the -horses round and drove in, not on the hard road, but on the bordering -grass. - -"This is a private road," said Dick, wondering. - -"'Twas my thought. These be ticklish times for travellers, and 'tis -best not to meet strange riders in the dark. I'll bide till they be -past, and then go on again." - -He drew up under the trees about forty yards along the drive, within a -few yards of the house. Dick heard him breathing heavily. The -clattering of hoofs drew nearer: the driver seemed to hold his breath; -then, when the horsemen had passed the end of the drive at a fast trot, -he heaved a sigh of relief. He waited until the sounds had died away in -the distance, and wheeled the horses round. There was not room on the -grass for the carriage to turn completely, and the wheels made a -crunching sound on the pebbly road. The side of the carriage was still -turned to the house when the door opened, and John Trevanion appeared on -the threshold, holding a candle above his head, and peering into the -dark. - - - - - CHAPTER THE NINTH - - Doubledick's Midnight Guests - - -"Who's that?" cried Trevanion. - -Dick, being on the offside, was concealed by the driver's burly form, -but he shrank back against the front of the carriage. He did not wish -to meet his cousin's eyes at that moment, and began to wonder why he was -on the box in the rain when he might have ridden inside. - -"Axin' yer pardon, sir," replied the coachman, "I be afeard I've took -the wrong road. 'Tis 'nation dark, and my lamp has gone out." - -"What was that clattering of horses I heard?" - -"Ah, I can't tell 'ee that. I didn't see no one. Maybe 'twas -riding-officer. I axe yer pardon for disturbin' ye, sir, this terrible -bad night and all, and I'll drive on to village." - -"You're a stranger, aren't you? Have you got anybody in your carriage?" - -"Never a soul, sir. The truth is, I've lost my way, and shan't be sorry -to get out o' this pesty rain." - -"'Tis heavier now. Well, good-night. You'll find a warm room in the -inn at the foot of the hill, if the innkeeper hasn't raked out the fire -and gone to bed. Good-night." - -He retreated with his guttering candle into the house and shut the door, -the coachman driving back to the high road. Dick was mystified. Why -had the man denied having a passenger? Why had he extinguished his -light and turned out of the road on hearing horsemen? The driver said -nothing, except to grumble under his breath at the weather, and Dick -refrained from questioning him, thinking that some light might be thrown -on the mystery when they reached the inn. - -The carriage had just wheeled into the road when Dick felt a touch on -his right arm. He looked round: the passenger was leaning forward out -of the window. - -"How is ze name of zat man--him zat hold ze light?" asked the stranger -eagerly. - -Dick hesitated; then, seeing no reason for not answering, said: "That is -Mr. John Trevanion." - -"Tre--vat say you, if you please?" - -"Trevanion." - -"Trevanion!" repeated the questioner, giving a strange intonation to the -name. "Ah! Shank you." - -He withdrew his head into the carriage. Dick heard the driver mutter: - -"Why can't he clap a stopper on his tongue, the stunpoll!" - -He drove slowly down the steep winding hill. - -"There's the inn," said Dick presently. "Doubledick isn't abed, late as -it is." - -A light shone through the red blind of the inn parlour. The door was -open, and Doubledick stood in the doorway, illuminated by the light -behind. In spite of the heavy rain several men, among whom Dick -distinguished the elder Tonkin, were grouped about the door. They had -heard the wheels of the oncoming carriage, and there were signs of -excitement among them. As the vehicle drew up, Tonkin stepped forward, -thrust his head in, uttered a smothered exclamation, then opened the -door hastily. The eyes of all the men were fixed on the figure that -emerged, so that Dick on the box was not noticed. A short, broad man, -clad in a long overcoat, his cocked hat pulled low over his brow, -descended from the carriage and went quickly into the inn, the men -following him. The door was shut. Feeling that he was in a somewhat -false position, Dick seized the opportunity to slip down from his seat -and withdraw round the angle of the wall, where a flight of steps -ascended between it and the wall of the opposite house. He heard Tonkin -speaking to the driver; the carriage rumbled over the cobbles, not -returning up the hill, but going through the village in the opposite -direction. Immediately afterwards the inn door was reopened, the heavy -boots of the fishers clumped along the street, and in a few moments -nothing was to be heard except the pattering of the rain. - -Dick felt a little sore at having to trudge back afoot, without a word -of thanks. He was drenched to the skin. Glancing behind as he began to -climb the hill, he saw that the light had now disappeared from the -inn-room. The whole village was in darkness. More than ever dispirited -and mystified, he plodded along. Apparently the carriage had been -expected. He could not help connecting it with the horsemen whom the -driver had been so anxious to avoid, and, remembering the strange accent -of the passenger, it suddenly flashed upon him that the man might be one -of Boney's spies, whom he had unwittingly helped to escape pursuers. -But on reflection this idea seemed untenable, because a spy was hardly -likely to appear at this remote part of the coast, and he could not -believe that the smugglers of Polkerran, like those of the south-eastern -counties, had any treasonable communications with the French ogre. - -He was still pondering on the baffling occurrence when the sound of -horses trotting again fell on his ear. In a few moments he had to stand -aside to avoid being knocked down by the first of half-a-dozen horsemen, -whom, dark as it was, he recognised by their headdress to be soldiers. -Their uniforms were covered by their riding cloaks. He was seen as he -shrank back: a rough voice called "Halt!" and the horsemen reined up. - -"Stand forth, in the King's name, and answer for your life," said the -same voice. - -Dick went towards the foremost horseman. - -"Who are you?" he was asked. - -"My name is Trevanion," he replied. - -"Ah! Same as the gentleman up the hill," cried the soldier. "Now, tell -us quick; have you seen a coach, wagon, or other four-wheeled piece of -machinery hereabouts?" - -"Yes; a two-horsed carriage drove down to the inn yonder about twenty -minutes ago." - -"What road did she come?" - -"This very road that you're on." - -"Confusion on it! Then how did we miss the thing? But there, no -matter; we'll after it and catch the villain." - -Without more delay the sergeant and his men clattered off down the hill, -relieving Dick of the necessity of giving explanations, which he felt -might be somewhat awkward. Being now thoroughly excited, he forgot his -fatigue and wetness, and ran after the dragoons to see what happened -when they reached the inn. He was but a minute or two behind them. The -village was still in complete darkness; the rain had ceased, and the -moon showed her rim through a rift in the scudding clouds. - -The troopers were at the door of the inn, five still on horseback; the -sixth had dismounted and was rapping on the door with the hilt of his -sword. - -"Hang me, will he never open?" cried the man, when repeated blows drew -no response. - -"Must be a rare sleeper, to be sure," said another. - -"I'll bust the lock with a shot from my carbine if he don't open soon," -cried the angry sergeant. "This is some jiggery-pokery, sure as I'm -alive." - -He thundered again on the door, calling upon the innkeeper with many -imprecations to open in the King's name. At last there was the sound of -a casement opening above. Looking up, the troopers saw first a -blunderbuss, then an arm, and finally a head in a white nightcap. - -"Who be that a-bangin' and smitin' at an honest man's door, when he be -abed and asleep?" demanded Doubledick's voice angrily. - -"'Tis for you to answer questions, not to axe 'em," said the sergeant. -"Now, speak like a true man, and hide nothing, or the King will have -your miserable head. Did a carriage come down the hill a while ago?" - -"Oh, if ye be King's men I bean't afeard o' ye. A carriage? Why, to be -sure 'a did, a half-hour ago, or maybe more." - -"And where is it now?" - -"There's a question to axe a poor simple soul wi' only two eyes. How be -I to know that, captain, on a dark night like this?" - -"Be hanged to you! You know whether it stayed or went on, and you'd -best speak up without any shilly-shally." - -"True. I do know that. The carriage went on, to be sure." - -"Which way? Speak up." - -"Well, I can't 'zackly say, but 'twarn't up the hill, so I reckon 'twas -through village towards Redruth. Iss, I reckon 'twas that." - -"And the man inside?" - -"Daze me if ever I knowed of any man inside. Driver had lost his way, -seemingly; 'a was like a squashed turmit in the rain: and when he'd took -summat to comfort his innards, off-along he drove. Warn't here five -minutes, no, nor yet four." - -"'Tis treason-felony and hangman's job if you're not speaking the -truth," said the sergeant. "Confusion take him, we'll have to ride on. -Look here, Tom; you stay here with Matthew and keep your eye on the -door. The rest of us will ride on after the carriage, and come back to -you if we catch our man." - -"What rascal of a deserter be you a-chasin' by night, captain?" cried -Doubledick. - -"No deserter, but a prisoner that escaped from Plymouth. We've been -after him all day and all night, and smite me if it don't seem he has -given us the slip. Come on, men." - -The sergeant rode off with three of his men, the other two dismounting -and taking up their stand at the door. - -"I reckon I can go back to my warm bed now, eh, sojers?" said -Doubledick. "But ye're sappy wet, poor fellers, and tired too, to be -sure, hikin' arter a runaway prisoner all day and all night. Bide a -minute till I've pulled a few garments on my cold limbs, and I'll come -down and give 'ee summat to warm yerselves." - -The nightcap disappeared, a candle was lighted, and in a few minutes -Doubledick came to the door with two steaming beakers of hot brandy and -water, which the troopers accepted gratefully. - -Dick, from the shadow of an alley, had seen and heard all that went on. -The soldiers chatted with the innkeeper for a while; then he retired -into the inn, shut the door, and put out the light. - -A minute or two afterwards Dick saw a figure stealing down the steps at -the side of the inn, peep round the corner, and then retreat hastily. -He supposed it was one of the men whom he had seen at the door -previously, but was unable to distinguish his features, owing to the -deep shadows thrown on the alley-steps by the moon. To avoid discovery -himself, he shrank back against the blind wall. It must now, he -thought, be nearly midnight; but, wet though he was, he determined not -to leave the spot until he had seen how the matter ended. Having been -behind the wall when the carriage drove away, he was not sure whether -the passenger had re-entered it or not. The hurried manner in which the -man had gone into the inn was not that of one who intended coming forth -again. Doubledick had lied when he said that he knew nothing of the -occupant of the carriage; yet why should he harbour an escaped prisoner, -who was almost certainly a Frenchman? The mystery was deeper than ever. - -It was perhaps an hour later, and Dick was on the point of going home, -when the silence of the night was again broken by the sharp ringing -clatter of hoofs. The sergeant and his three men returned, a white mist -rising from their horses' backs. - -"We caught the carriage," said the sergeant, as he rode up, "but 'twas -empty as a sucked egg. The driver said he'd lost his way on the moor -coming from Truro, and was going on home to Redruth. Have you seen -anything?" - -"Not a thing," replied one of the troopers at the door. - -"Well, we must search the inn. What a miserable fool I was not to ask -that young feller if there was any one in the carriage when he saw it!" - -Dick hesitated for a moment. Should he tell what he knew? A French -prisoner was an enemy of his country; might it not be his duty to help -the dragoons to capture him? But reflecting that the man might be -nothing worse than a smuggler, in which case to inform against him would -only embitter the inimical feeling of the villagers against him, besides -being an ungracious act in itself, he decided to say nothing. - -After a long-continued knocking and the expenditure of much abusive -language, Doubledick once more opened the door. - -"Ye'll gie me the rheumatiz and send me to my grave," he said with a -whine. "What be ye rampin' men o' war wantin' now?" - -"We're going to search your inn for that there mounseer, my fine feller, -and you'd best take it quiet, or you'll find yourself strapped to one of -our hosses and carried with all your bones a-rattling afore the -Colonel." - -"Search, if ye must. Name it all, why should I hinder 'ee! Turn the -inn topsy-versy, ye'll find nothing but maybe a rat or a cockroach." - -The sergeant and two of the troopers entered. They searched the -tap-room, the inn-parlour, kitchen, cellars, bedrooms, lofts; rummaged -cupboards, empty barrels, a clock-case, the copper in the scullery, an -overturned water butt in the backyard; all to no purpose. - -"He's not here, that's certain," said the sergeant at last, dashing the -perspiration from his brow. "We must have overshot the villain somehow. -Plague on it! We shall have to ride back to Truro and try to get on his -tracks, or the Colonel will be in a rare passion." - -"I won't ask 'ee to stay, brave men," said Doubledick, "knowing what -terrible rages noble officers do fly into. But a nibleykin o' real old -stingo won't do 'ee no harm, and ye can drink confusion to Boney. Hee! -hee!" - -All the soldiers accepted the liquor with alacrity, and the two who had -already tasted its quality winked at each other, not acquainting their -comrades with their previous pleasurable experience. Smacking their -lips and declaring that the innkeeper was a real good-hearted fellow, -they remounted and rode up the hill. Doubledick watched them until they -were out of sight, a leer of triumph on his face. Dick heard him -chuckle as he shut the door and shuffled up the stairs. The light was -extinguished, and Dick, vexed with himself for remaining so long and so -unprofitably, set off homeward in the track of the dragoons. - -A few minutes after he had left, a heavily-cloaked figure--the same that -Dick had seen a while before--stole down the steps at the side of the -inn, and, looking round cautiously, approached the door and rapped six -times upon it, pausing a brief while after every second tap. -Immediately after the sixth, the casement above opened, and Doubledick, -looking out, said in a hoarse whisper: - -"Be that you, Zacky?" - -"No, 'tis I, John Trevanion. Come down and let me in, Doubledick." - -"Good sakes, I didn' know 'ee was to home, Maister John. Thought 'ee -was still in Lunnon town. A pretty stoor there's been to-night. Bide a -minute, sir." - -He lit his candle, descended, let Trevanion in, and barred the door -behind him. - -"I never thought you were such a fool," said Trevanion, angrily eyeing -the nightcapped and nightgowned innkeeper. "What on earth possessed you -to harbour Delarousse?" - -"Chok' it all, why shouldn't I?" replied Doubledick truculently. -"Bean't he a good friend of ourn? Who better?" - -"Confound you, he's a Frenchman, and a runaway prisoner. The soldiers -will get on his track again, and your ridiculous folly will be the ruin -of us all. You have no business to run such risks." - -In his anger Trevanion raised his voice. - -"Risks, do 'ee say? Jown me if you hain't run risks yerself, Maister -John, and a deal bigger; hee! hee!" - -"Silence!" shouted Trevanion. "Don't provoke me, or upon my soul and -body I'll----" - -The threat died on his lips, for at this moment a door opened at the -further end of the passage in which they stood, and there appeared the -short, rotund form of the passenger who had descended from the carriage -some hours before. The overcoat and the cocked hat were gone; the -Frenchman wore the rough fustian, marked with a broad arrow, in which -the authorities arrayed prisoners. His eyes gleamed with the fire of -hatred as he looked full at Trevanion, who on his part returned glare -for glare, but whose countenance wore a strange expression, which -Doubledick, watching him, could not fathom. - -"It is you," said the Frenchman, in his own tongue. "You, Robinson--or -Trevanion, is it not so?" - -"You be known to each other, then?" said Doubledick. "Hee! hee! Why -don't 'ee shake hands, like friends?" - -"Silence!" cried the Frenchman sternly. "You go," he added, addressing -Doubledick in English. "I haf somezink to say to zis -monsieur--Trevanion." - -He took the candle from the astonished inn-keeper's hand, and motioned -to Trevanion to enter the parlour. Following him, he shut and bolted -the door, leaving Doubledick in the dark passage. The innkeeper -promptly knelt down and put his ear to the keyhole, but since he knew -almost nothing of French, he understood little of the ensuing dialogue, -which was conducted in that tongue. - -"You see I have found you, monsieur--Trevanion," said Delarousse. "You -thought, no doubt, that you had escaped me when you landed that dark -night. But you should not have come to Polkerran; that was a foolish -step for one so clever to take. You would have been caught, but for a -sudden alarm from the shore; yet it mattered little that I had to sail -away then, for, as you see, I have found you--cheat, thief, scoundrel!" - -Trevanion did not flinch as the Frenchman hissed these words at him. He -thrust his hand into the breast pocket of his cloak. - -"Aha!" laughed Delarousse. "You have a pistol? I have not. You would -like to shoot me, but you dare not. I should like to shoot you, but I -have no weapon, and, equally, if I had, I dare not. I will not hang for -you: so you deal in this country with men that kill others, is it not -so? But I tell you, Trevanion--that is a name I do not forget--I tell -you that you shall not escape. It is not the time now, but there will -come a day when you shall repent of having deceived and robbed the man -who trusted you. Once more I tell you what you are: cheat, thief, -scoundrel!" - -"Pretty words, monsieur," said Trevanion with a sneer. "You had better -take warning. This country is not safe for Frenchmen. You have escaped -from prison, by some piece of imbecile folly----" - -"Not so," interposed Delarousse. "It was by the skill of good friends, -who are loyal to one that has done business loyally with them. They -would have taken me to Roscoff in their lugger, and tried to dissuade me -when I said that I should come here. But they helped me. One of them -risked his neck to drive me here, and my true friends have guarded me. -I came to assure myself that the man who called himself Robinson lives -here in this village. I saw you from the carriage when you stood at -your door; I learnt your real name, and now, once more I say it, I will -wait my time, and you shall pay for your knavery." - -"I care nothing for your threats. You have been lucky to escape once; -you will not escape a second time. Set foot on this shore again and the -whole country will rise at you. Expect no mercy from me." - -"Mercy! From you! Mon Dieu, is it you that talk of mercy?" - -He broke off, and let out a gust of harsh, sardonic laughter. Then, -thrusting himself forward, he cried: - -"Bah! I spit at you! When all men know you as I know you there will be -no talk of mercy. Are you fool as well as villain? Go! Return to your -fine house. Flourish on my money. It shall be for a season, and -then!----" - -Trevanion bit his lip. His expression told of a struggle for -self-control. He glared at the Frenchman for a few moments; then, with -a hollow laugh, he moved towards the door. - -"Do your worst," he said, turning with his hand on the bolt. "I am in -England; I defy you; and, by heaven! I promise you ten feet of English -rope as a spy 'if you dare to show yourself here again." - -He drew back the bolt, causing Doubledick to scuttle like a rat along -the passage. A mocking laugh followed Trevanion as he strode from the -inn. - -Before there was the least hint of dawn in the sky, a man, -unrecognisable in oilskins and sou'-wester, stole from the house next to -the inn, where he had been concealed when the dragoons made their -search, and walked rapidly to the jetty. Tonkin's lugger, the _Isaac and -Jacob_, lay alongside. Delarousse stepped on board; the vessel cast off; -and by the time that the mass of the villagers were awake, the guest, -whose presence few had known, was several leagues nearer to the French -shore. - -But the departure of the lugger had not been wholly unobserved. In the -little white cottage on the cliff, Joe Penwarden had enjoyed a full -night's sleep, as he usually did when the moon was up. The sound of -horses on the high road did not reach him, and he was ignorant of the -strange happenings in the village. But the moon was in its last -quarter; the "darks" would soon return, and with them the activity of -the smugglers might be expected to be resumed. The cargoes were -sometimes brought from Roscoff in French luggers, sometimes in the -_Isaac and Jacob_, and Penwarden was accustomed to watch the sailings of -Tonkin's vessel. On this particular morning he woke early, and after he -had kindled a fire, he rested his telescope on the window-sill to take a -look round while the kettle was boiling. He soon spied the well-known -lugger scudding along under full sail. - -"So you be at it again, Zacky," he murmured with a chuckle, as he shut -the telescope. "Well, please God, I'll be ready for 'ee." - - - - - CHAPTER THE TENTH - - The Fire Bell at the Towers - - -Next day the escape of Jean Delarousse, smuggler and privateer, was the -talk of the countryside. The dragoons had called at the Towers and -roused the Squire from bed, supposing that he was a magistrate and would -assist them. Then they rode for several miles across the moor until -they came to Sir Bevil Portharvan's house. That gentleman promised to -raise the hue and cry next day, and called up his servants to ask if any -of them had seen a carriage cross the moor that evening. The groom -declared that as he rode back from an errand in Truro he had seen a -moving light some distance to the left, concluding that it probably -proceeded from a belated carrier's cart on the way to Polkerran. On -this the troopers galloped back, and seeing a light in the Dower House -they called there and acquainted John Trevanion with their errand. He -guessed at once that the fugitive had been in the carriage which had -turned into his drive, and inwardly cursed his ill-luck in missing the -opportunity of laying by the heels a man whose recapture would have -rejoiced him; but having reasons of his own for not disclosing his -knowledge of the man, he forbore to mention the earlier incident, and -contented himself with wishing the pursuers success. When they had gone -he cloaked himself and followed them down the hill, being but a few -hundred yards behind Dick, whom he did not see in the darkness and the -twists and turns of the road. - -There was not a man in the village but suspected that the Frenchman had -got away on Tonkin's lugger; but not one of them would have said a word -to betray him. Delarousse was not an enemy, but a friend with whom they -had profitable dealings. When Sir Bevil rode down and questioned -Doubledick and others, it was clear to him from their manner that they -would give no information; and guessing, when he heard that Tonkin had -sailed early that morning, that the Frenchman had gone with him, he was -rather relieved than otherwise, for, like all the gentry around, he -bought his liquor cheap, and was never depressed when the revenue -officers were outwitted. - -Two days passed. Sam Pollex reported that there was a subdued air of -excitement in the village. Mr. Polwhele, the riding-officer, was seen -speaking to Penwarden, and the revenue cutter, which had been absent for -some time, once more anchored in the little harbour. Mr. Mildmay did -not come ashore: he seldom did so during the smuggling season; but one -of his men trudged up the hill to Penwarden's cottage, and did not -return. These facts made Dick tingle with excitement: but the Squire -had forbidden him to go near the smugglers again, so that he was unable -to keep watch for the run which he, like everyone else in Polkerran, -expected to take place. - -On the third morning, when Dick was tramping over the cliff with his gun -towards a cleft where he had heard that a pair of choughs had nested, he -saw Penwarden smoking on the bench beside his cottage door. - -"Morning to 'ee, Maister Dick," he said. - -"Good morning, Joe. You look very spry," replied Dick genially. - -"Well, and I feel spry, to be sure. Haven't 'ee heard?" - -"Heard what?" - -"Why, how we brought up the smugglers wi' a round turn last night." - -"Did you? Tell me about it, Joe. I wish I had seen it, but Father -won't let me out of the house at night now." - -"Why for, maister?" - -"Because I got home very late the other night, and he's afraid I shall -get my head broken, I think, now that the folks are so set against us." - -"'Tis a very wise commandment of the Squire. Well, I'll tell 'ee. Never -was they so flambustered afore. When I seed _Isaac and Jacob_ goin' off -so merry t'other morning, I guessed she wouldn't come back empty, the -wind favourin' and all. So what do I do but put on my considerin' -cap----" - -"That means a pipe and a bowl of rum, doesn't it?" said Dick with a -laugh. - -"I won't say but it do. Thinks I, now where will they try to run their -cargo? Tonkin went off in a 'nation hurry, and the reason o't you know -as well as I, but we won't speak o' that. There warn't time for him to -fix up with the shoremen, leastways with many of 'em, afore he went, so -thinks I, Zacky won't try to carry his kegs inland. What then? Why, -she'd sink 'em somewheres off the coast, and let 'em lay till he gets a -chance o' liftin' 'em. I've knowed a crop o' goods lay for a month -afore they could be lifted." - -"Doesn't it spoil the spirits?" asked Dick. - -"It do, if the tubs lay too long. Then the spirits be stinkibus and fit -for nothing. Howsomever, they'll sink 'em, thinks I, and what's to be -the place? Well, I mind that ten year or more ago they dropped a big -crop just beyond St. Cuby's Cove, and got 'em clean away in two nights, -while Mr. Curgenven was playin' cat and mouse miles down the coast. -Says I to myself, that's the very place." - -"But how did you know it ten years ago?" - -"By one or two things I noticed when I went a-rambling at foot of -cliffs; trifles I could hardly tell 'ee of. That's the very place, says -I, so I has a little talk with Mr. Polwhele, and he made it known to Mr. -Mildmay, and betwixt us we hitched up a pretty scheme to circumvent 'em. -And I was right, and wrong too, as you'll see. - -"Well, we sent over to Plymouth for a half-troop of dragoons, and put -them in Penruddock's empty farmhouse on the moor yonder. They came -quiet last night, and not a soul knowed about 'em. You see, 'twas only -my calcerlation as Tonkin wouldn't try a run, and 'twas best to be on -the safe tack, as you may say. Wi' the dragoons on shore, and Mr. -Mildmay at sea, we reckoned we'd spoil their game, whether 'twas sinkin' -or runnin'. When 'twas dark, we brought the sojers down to shore, and -put 'em among the rocks on each side of where I thought 'twould happen. -I had a sort o' suspicion that the smugglers had a hiding-place -somewhere along shore thereabouts, though I'd never been able to find -it." - -"What made you suspect that?" - -"Because we grappled for the sunk crop two days arter 'twas sunk, but -'twas gone; yet 'twas more than a week arterwards afore the stuff was -carr'd into the country, so it must ha' been hid somewhere. Well, we had -waited some hours, and the cutter had sailed away down the coast to put -'em off the scent, when just afore six bells we heard the creakin' o' -the lugger's gear, and I knowed I was right. At the same time the -fellers come creepin' round the cliff from the village. 'Twas to be a -run arter all. Our plan was to let 'em get warm to work, and not pounce -on 'em till we'd seed where their hiding-place was. Mr. Mildmay meant to -fetch about and come on 'em from seaward, while the sojers took 'em from -landwards. - -"Drown it all, 'twas ruined--ruined, I say; but 'twas not so bad as that -neither--'twas almost ruined, by a sappy landlubber of a sojer. The -unloadin' was goin' on as merry as you please when this soft stunpoll of -a chap let out a sneeze fit to blow yer gaff off. 'Twas all up then; no -good waiting for Mr. Mildmay; the smugglers' look-outs heard the tishum -and gave the alarm. Mr. Polwhele blew his whistle for the attack, and -we pounced out from our lairs, sojers and tidesmen, and dashed upon 'em -from two sides at once. - -"Some of 'em dropped their tubs like hot taters, and slipped off in the -darkness. But the rest stood their ground like men, and there was a -tidy little tumble, pistols cracking, cutlasses flashing----" - -"How could they flash in the dark?" said Dick. - -"You could hear 'em if you couldn't see 'em, and I don't care who the -man is, I call that flashin'. There was some pretty wounds dinted on -both sides, but as 'ee med think, the sojers' swordplay was a trifle -more learned than the free-traders', and arter some time we King's men -got the better o't, and they couldn't stand against us no longer. But -that sneeze: why couldn't the feller clap it under for five minutes -more? We catched nine of the smugglers, and laid them tied hand and -foot on the beach. But the rest got away, and drown it all, Tonkin was -one of 'em. I knowed un by his size, and a sojer and I and some more -had him betwixt us, but he let out with those sledge-hammer fists of -his, spun a sojer this way and a tidesman that, and by long and short -broke his moorings and swam out to the lugger. If that sneeze hadn't -come so soon Mr. Mildmay would have been there with the cutter, and we -should ha catched the whole crew. But 'twas not to be. By the time the -cutter fetched up, the lugger was well out to sea, and we lost her. But -we've got the nine men, who'll have to choose betwixt gaol and the -King's service, and I've chalked the broad arrow on twenty-four tubs, -which be now half-way to the King's store at St. Ives." - -"And did you discover the hiding-place?" - -"Chok' it all, we did not. Maybe there's no such thing. But 'twas a -proper tit-for-tat for the knock they give me, and I reckon 'twill be -some time afore they fly their colours again." - -"'Tis the biggest haul you've ever made, isn't it?" asked Dick. - -"We've got more tubs afore, but never so many men. I'm a deal more -cheerful in my mind than I used to be. We are doing the King's work -better in these parts than 'twas done in Mr. Curgenven's time, and I -hope them above will remember it." - -Dick went on. He was pleased for the old man's sake that he was so well -succeeding in his duty; but at the same time was full of misgiving as to -the hatred his energy would breed among the village folk. - -When he returned later in the day from a vain quest for the choughs, Sam -Pollex told him that the village was seething with rage, and everybody -was asking what had become of Doubledick. He was not among the nine men -who had been carted to Plymouth; search had been made for his dead body -on the shore; it was known that he had been among the tub-carriers, but -nobody had seen him since the fight. - -The mystery was solved at nightfall. The inn-keeper, dressed as a -peaceable fisherman, trudged into the village with a fat goose on his -back, and declared with a wink that he had been on a short visit to his -friend Farmer Nancarrow, five miles distant. His cronies knew that -Doubledick had adopted this course as a blind to the revenue officers if -they made an inquisitive visit to his inn. However strong their -suspicions, they could not proceed against him with any chance of -success. They were in the same difficulty in regard to Tonkin, whom -none could swear to, his face having been blackened. Nor could it be -proved even that it was his lugger which had brought the cargo. When -the _Isaac and Jacob_ came into the harbour next day and was boarded by -the revenue officers, it contained nothing but a few hundredweight of -fish; and though grappling operations were conducted in St. Cuby's Cove, -and for some distance on each side of it, no discovery of sunken tubs -was made. - -It was a fact, often remarked on in after days by the Polkerran folk, -that the only spectator on the jetty when Tonkin's lugger put -in--exclusive of the revenue officers, a toothless old fisher, Ike -Pendry's sweetheart, and a handful of children--was Mr. John Trevanion. -He seemed to be in the top of good humour; joked with Mr. Mildmay, gave -the old fisher a plug of tobacco, favoured Marty Bream with an admiring -glance, and chucked the children under the chin. When the lieutenant's -examination was concluded, and Tonkin came ashore, a free man, but under -suspicion, Mr. Trevanion had a word for him too, asked to see his catch, -and bought some of the finest of the fish. Then with a nod to Mr. -Mildmay he strolled with easy gait up the hill. - -That Tonkin himself, an hour or two later, should carry his fish to the -Dower House was natural enough, but it was not perhaps quite so natural -that, having delivered them to Susan for transmission to the cook, he -should have been asked to step into the house and taken to the master's -own room. Nor was it likely, when he was let out at the front door by -Mr. Trevanion an hour later, that the conversation which had passed -between them in the interim had for its subject nothing but fish. -Nobody in Polkerran knew of this visit, or some intelligent person might -have suspected that it had a connection with a remarkable change that -came about in the villagers' manner of regarding Monsieur Jean -Delarousse. Hitherto they had looked upon him as a keen man of -business, with whom it was as safe as it was honourable to have dealings -of a free-trade nature. But from that day they cherished a sour -distrust of him; they resolved to do business with him no longer, and to -transfer their custom to another merchant of Roscoff, whose name is of -no importance in this history. In this transference they followed the -lead of Tonkin, blindly--all but Doubledick, who swam with the current, -indeed, so far as outward appearances went; but in the privacy of his -own cunning mind, buzzing still with the recollection of what he had -heard through the keyhole of his parlour door, indulged in speculations -of a very tantalising nature, and wondered what Maister John's little -game was. - -Whether the relation of cause and effect existed between this meeting of -Trevanion and Tonkin, and an event that took place a few hours later at -the Towers, is a matter on which the reader may presently form his own -conclusion. - -Dick had gone to bed a little earlier than usual, tired out after a long -tramp over the moor in search of wild fowl. His room faced the sea, and -he had left his window open, as his practice was except in stormy -weather. In the dead of night he suddenly found himself awake, and -wondered why, for he had not been dreaming, nor was he conscious of -having heard a sound. But in a few seconds he was aware of an unusual -smell, that appeared to be wafted through the window on the sea breeze. -It was the smell of burning wood. He leapt out of bed, ran to the -casement, and looked out over a row of outhouses that extended for some -yards from the dwelling towards the cliff. One glance was sufficient. -The tool-house at the furthermost end was on fire. - -Quickly pulling on his breeches, he ran to the adjoining room, occupied -by Sam, hauled the snoring boy from his bed, shook him vigorously, and -cried-- - -"The tool-house is on fire! Run to the turret and pull the bell. -Quick! The breeze is off the sea, and we shall have the whole place in -a blaze." - -Then he rushed to Reuben's room on the lower floor, wakened the old man, -and told him to fill every bucket he could find with water from the -well. Lastly, he ran to his parents, breaking the news gently so as not -to terrify his mother. By this time the alarm bell was clanging its -quick strokes out into the night. - -Dick ran out of the house to the well-head near the dismantled stables, -where Reuben already had two buckets filled and was still pumping -vigorously. He caught up the buckets, hurried to the conflagration, and -flung the water on the flames. But it was clear that they had got such -a hold upon the shed that to extinguish them with water laboriously -pumped from the well would be impossible. The wind was steadily -carrying the fire toward the main building, and unless the blaze could -be checked within a few minutes, the old place was doomed. - -To fetch more water would, Dick saw, be a waste of time. What could be -done? Between the burning tool-shed and the dwelling-house was a long -wooden structure that contained the brew-house and a shed in which -Reuben kept vegetables, grain for the pigs, and other materials. Dick -remembered that the brew-house, though substantially built, was -worm-eaten, and, like the rest of the Towers, had not been repaired -within memory. Acting on an idea which had suddenly struck him, he ran -at full speed to the scullery, brought thence a rope and, returning, -made his way with it through the smoke into the brew-house, and attached -it firmly to one of the stout timbers supporting the roof. - -The Squire had now come upon the scene. - -"We must pull down the brew-house, Father," cried Dick. "'Tis the only -chance to prevent the flames from spreading." - -Together they hauled upon the rope. The timber did not give an inch. -They summoned Reuben to assist them, but the oak, worm-eaten though it -was, resisted their united efforts. - -"Once more! Pull all together," cried Dick in despair. The post did -not move. - -"Ha, Squire!" shouted a voice behind, "I see what you are about. 'Tis a -good notion. Give me a hold." - -"Polwhele, 'tis you. We'll be glad of your arm." - -"Did you ride, sir?" cried Dick eagerly. - -"I did," replied the riding-officer. "Egad! I see your meaning. My -horse is hitched to the fence. I'll bring him in a second." - -He ran off, returning soon with his horse, which pranced and snorted -when it came within the smoke and heat. Mr. Polwhele and Dick knotted -the rope to the animal's collar, while the Squire covered its eyes with -his coat. They turned its head away from the flames, and smote its -flanks. It started forward, almost escaping from the grasp of Mr. -Polwhele, who held it by the bridle. The post, already weakened by the -previous straining, gave at last, and a portion of the roof fell in with -a crash. The same operation was performed on a similar post in the -opposite corner. This was brought down at the first pull, and all that -remained of the brew-house was a heap of laths, beams, tiles, and broken -utensils. - -They proceeded then to smother the ruins with water and earth, paying no -heed to the blazing tool-house. After some twenty minutes the flames -began to subside; they poured more water, as quickly as it could be -drawn, on the glowing ruins, and had the satisfaction of seeing that the -demolition of the brew-house had been effective. The fire spread no -further; the Towers was saved. - -Panting and perspiring with their exertions, the four men stood for a -while in silence, watching the gradual dwindling of the flames. - -"That bell may stop," cried Mr. Polwhele suddenly. "'Tis well pulled, -whoever is doing it, but to little good, it seems. 'Pon my soul, I'm -the only man that has come to its call." - -"Ah! You see how things are with me," said the Squire bitterly. "Not a -soul cares whether the Towers burns to the ground, and I and mine in it. -I remember, forty years ago, when the place took fire, the bell brought -the whole village to our help. Now they'll lie abed and laugh to think -I'm homeless." - -"'Tis a disgrace and a scandal," cried the riding-officer, "and I'll -tell them so. The idiots, to suppose you would inform on them! I'll -set that right, Squire; I blame myself for not doing it before, but I -believed they would come to their senses." - -"You will waste your breath, Polwhele. Don't attempt it for me. I -could tell you one way to dash their enmity, but that's impossible." - -"What is it?" - -"Send John Trevanion where he came from. 'Tis he that is poisoning -folks' minds against us; yes, 'tis he." - -At this point Dick returned from the house, whither he had been to stop -the ringing of the bell. Sam came with him. - -"Now, young Sam," said his father wrathfully, "'twas you that started -this blaze, I'll be bound, wi' yer mischief and jiggery. I'll leather -'ee, that I will." - -"Be choked if I did!" was Sam's indignant cry. "Why do 'ee say it, -Feyther? You think because I break a dish now and again that I do all -the mischief, but I don't care who the man is, I hain't been nigh -tool-house or brew-house this mortal day." - -"Then who did it? Tell me that." - -"I can't tell what I don't know, but if I med put a meanin' to it, I'd -say 'twas done by the same hands as cut our lines and set our boat -adrift, be drowned to 'em." - -"By heaven, I see it!" cried the Squire, smiting one fist with the -other. "'Tis part of the scheme, Polwhele. They will stick at nothing. -Penwarden caught young Tonkin cutting Dick's lines, as you know, and I -thrashed him. They avenge him by firing my house. I'll clap them in -jail; unpopular as I am, the justices can't refuse to punish such a -crime." - -"You've no proof, Squire," said Mr. Polwhele. "You can't arrest the -whole village on suspicion. And now I think of it, if it is as you say, -there is no need to suppose your cousin is at the bottom of it. You -have no proof." - -The Squire was silent. Mr. Polwhele's view was no doubt that which -would be taken by the majority of people. Mr. Trevanion was conscious -of the weakness of his position, and regretted that in his impulsiveness -and resentment he had spoken so freely. The only facts upon which his -conviction of his cousin's venomous treachery depended were the purchase -of the mortgages and the subsequent fencing-in of the acquired property, -and neither singly nor in combination were these strong enough to -justify his accusation before reasonable people. - -"Well, well," said the Squire at last, "I may be wrong. I say no more -about it. But this persecution has gone far enough, and 'tis time it -was stopped, though how to stop it I know no more than the dead." - -"I'll see what I can do, Squire. The Towers is saved, and glad I am of -it. 'Tis to be hoped the wretches will try their tricks no more." - -He mounted and rode away, the Squire having warmly thanked him for his -assistance. The four inmates of the Towers then returned to their beds. - -"You did well, Dick," said the Squire as they parted. "'Twas a good -thought of yours to pull down the posts; without it we might have been -burnt out. We'll hold fast to the old place a while longer, my lad." - -To his wife he related all that had happened, and mentioned what Mr. -Polwhele had said about his suspicion of John Trevanion. - -"I've no proof, that's true; but in my heart I know it; time will show -whether I'm right or wrong." - - - - - CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH - - Sir Bevil Intervenes - - -Soon after breakfast next morning Dick and Sam went down to the shore to -launch their boat for a day's fishing. The post to which it was moored -being close under the cliffs, they did not come in sight of it until -they reached the foot of the winding path. Then Sam, who was walking -ahead, uttered a cry. - -"What is it?" asked Dick, hurrying on. - -"Scrounch it all, look 'ee, Maister Dick!" - -The boat lay on the white sand, but it was a navigable vessel no longer. -It had been sawn across in three places. The old craft, which had -withstood for forty years the battering of innumerable waves and the -more insidious attacks of time, and in which three generations of -Trevanions had sailed upon the deep, would be launched no more. It -would henceforth serve no useful end except as firewood. - -Dick felt first a pang of grief, then a surge of bitter rage. His -enemies could not have chosen a more galling or vindictive means of -wreaking their ill-will. They had dealt with the boat as the smugglers' -craft were dealt with when captured by the revenue officers. Dick saw -in their act a subtle indication of the thoroughness with which they -identified him with the Government men. It said: "You have joined the -revenue officers; very well, we treat you as they treat us." He had no -doubt that the destruction of the boat and the firing of the tool-house -were parts of one scheme. - -"The cowards!" he exclaimed, "to do behind our backs what they durst not -do to our face." - -"'Tis a miserable, dirty deed," agreed Sam. "We must tell of it to the -high powers." - -"Much good that will be!" cried Dick bitterly. "We can't tell who did -it; Sir Bevil will only instruct Petherick, and he is too much of a fool -ever to find out, if he wanted to, which is unlikely. We can do -nothing, Sam." - -"How can we go fishing now?" said Sam gloomily. "'Tis takin' the bread -out of our mouth, that's what it is. They mean us to starve, the -wretches." - -The loss of the boat was indeed a serious blow to the family at the -Towers. The principal source of their food supply was cut off. In the -present state of war between them and the villagers it would be -impossible to borrow a boat, and the only place from which the boys -could now fish the sea was the head of the jetty, where they would come -into awkward contact with the hostile fishermen. - -Dick examined the segments, with a lingering hope that even now old -Reuben, who had so often patched and caulked the boat, might be able to -repair it. But the destroyers had done their work only too well; he -turned away without a word, and gloomily wended his way homeward. - -As he walked towards the house, he saw a horseman riding down the road -towards the village. At a second glance he recognised him as Sir Bevil -Portharvan. When he reached home his father told him that Mr. Polwhele -had ridden over to Portharvan House very early, and informed Sir Bevil -of the night's occurrence. That gentleman had never been on more than -speaking terms with Squire Trevanion; it is not easy for a wealthy man -to be cordial with one who has gone down in the world and yet retains -his pride. Sir Bevil disapproved of the Squire's attitude to his -cousin, which seemed to him the outcome of sheer envy. But he was -sufficiently loyal to his class to be greatly incensed at the criminal -action of which the riding officer told him, and he promised to exert -his influence as a magistrate to prevent any further proceedings of the -same kind. - -He rode to the Towers, learnt the particulars from the Squire's lips, -and, having coldly expressed his sympathy, went on. As he came to the -Dower House it occurred to him to see John Trevanion, whom he had met -often of late, and ask him to use his efforts to put down the -persecution. Trevanion's attitude was admirably correct. He -acknowledged that he was on bad terms with the Squire; deplored the -breach, which was not of his making; and promised to let it be known in -the village that he disapproved of such violent measures as the people -had recently taken. That was as much as he could do. Sir Bevil went -away feeling that John Trevanion was an excellent fellow, and regarding -his own errand even more in the light of a troublesome duty than he had -done before. - -From the Dower House he went straight to the inn, which was the focus of -the village life, and the place from which his views would radiate with -every man who left it after drinking his ale, cider, or brandy. Reining -up at the door, he called Doubledick forth. - -"Good mornin', yer honour," said the innkeeper, rubbing his hands -deferentially as he obeyed the great man's command. - -"Look here, Doubledick," said Sir Bevil bluntly, "I've heard of what -went on at the Towers last night. That sort of thing won't do, you -know; it must be stopped, and you can tell your customers I say so. -Free-trading is all very well, but arson is an ugly word and a hanging -matter; and, egad! if any man is caught playing such low tricks, and -brought before me, he'll get no mercy, I promise you. Make that clear, -will you?" - -"Iss sure, Sir Bevil," replied the innkeeper. "'Twas a cruel deed, the -Squire bein' so cast down and all. I'll tell the folks yer very words, -sir, that I will." - -"That's right. I saw Mr. John Trevanion on the way down, and he agreed -with me, so there will be an eye on the village nearer than mine." - -"Oh, if you seed Maister John, Sir Bevil, 'tis as good as seein' the -Lord High Constable o' the county, I warrant 'ee. Folks think a deal o' -Maister John, they do." - -A keener observer than Sir Bevil might have detected a spice of irony in -Doubledick's remark. But the baronet was satisfied, and after yielding -to the innkeeper's invitation to take a glass to help him on his -homeward journey, he rode off with the comfortable sense of having done -his duty. - -When Dick went to the Parsonage that afternoon for his usual lesson, he -told Mr. Carlyon all that had happened. On the next Sunday the vicar -preached an excellent sermon from the text, "Cursed be he that removeth -his neighbour's landmark," which the women listened to without -understanding, the men going to sleep as usual. - -The loss of the boat caused something like consternation among the -inmates of the Towers. The Squire could not afford to buy a new one; how -was the necessary fishing to be carried on? This problem taxed the wits -of Dick, who lay awake for two nights pondering and puzzling. Then the -thought came to him, why not build a boat? He had never attempted such -a ticklish piece of work, but he was pretty handy with tools, and the -idea of setting his wits against the machinations of the enemy fixed his -resolution. - -He remembered sorrowfully that with the burnt tool-house had perished -his tools and the carpenter's bench at which he had been accustomed to -work. But he could borrow the necessary implements from Petherick, the -sexton, who did all the repairs required at the church and the -Parsonage. There was no lack of timber in the planking of the ruined -portion of the Towers. The most formidable obstacle was his absolute -ignorance of the art of boat-building, but a means of overcoming that -soon suggested itself. - -The Polkerran fishers obtained their boats from St. Ives, fifteen or -sixteen miles away. A tramp of that distance was nothing to a healthy -lad, so, early one morning, taking some bread and cheese in a wallet, -and telling no one of his intention, Dick set off. It was a raw -November day; the road was wet and muddy, and as Dick passed under the -trees along the route his face and neck were bespattered by the -drippings from their bare boughs. But he made light of such ordinary -discomforts of winter; the swinging pace at which he walked set his -blood coursing, and by the time he arrived at St. Ives his whole body -was in a healthy glow. He entered an inn and moistened his dry fare -with a glass of ale, then found his way to the principal boat-builder's -yard, and stood looking on as the workmen sawed and planed and hammered. -The builder had no secret to guard; his yard was open to any one who -cared to visit it. He gave Dick a friendly greeting; the men threw a -glance at him, and went on with their work and their gossip as -unconcernedly as though he were not there. - -Having spent several hours thus, strolling through the town to warm -himself while the men were at dinner, he set off in the afternoon on his -long tramp homeward, going over in his head the details of the -operations he had witnessed. Next day he appeared in the yard at the -same time. The master-builder himself was absent, and there was a shade -of surprise in the men's expression of face as they saw him enter; but, -as before, they paid no attention to him, and showed neither interest -nor curiosity. - -On the third day, however, when he again made his appearance, their -rustic stolidity was penetrated at last. - -"Mornin' to 'ee, sonny," said the foreman builder, a cheerful-looking -veteran of sixty; "you be as regular as church-clock, to be sure." - -Dick smiled and returned the man's greeting. - -"You will know a boat from keel to gunwale," continued the foreman. - -"That's what I've come for," said Dick. - -"Well, now, think o' that!" - -"Didn't I tell 'ee so, gaffer?" remarked one of the men. - -"True, you did, and a clever seein' eye you have got, Ben." - -"And _I_ said 'a was not a common poor man," said another. "That's what -_I_ said, bean't it, Ben?" - -"Iss, fay, they was yer very words." - -"Well, sir," said the foreman, "seein' that these clever fellers have -seed so far into ye, maybe you'll tell what's your hidden purpose in -lookin' at we." - -"I'm learning how to build a boat," replied Dick. - -"Good now! You never thought o' that, Ben, clever as ye be, I warrant -'ee. Well, sonny--sir, I mean--I've been nigh fifty year larnin' to -build a boat, and I bean't done larnin' yet." - -"That's bad news, because I want to build one in a week or two." - -"Well, I won't say but you can make some sort of a tub in the time, but -'twill be a wambly figure o' fun, and be very useful for givin' ye a -sea-bath. Ha! ha!" - -"There's no harm in trying, though," said Dick, good-humouredly. -"Perhaps if you'd let me try my hand I might pick up a notion or two." - -"I don't mind if I do. Just set they thwarts in the splines; that's a -little small job, and we'll see how 'ee do set about it." - -Dick stripped off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to -perform the task given him, the foreman watching him critically the -while. - -"Not so bad," he said when the job was finished. "I won't say but -Maister will cuss when he do see it, but 'tis not so bad for a young -feller; what do 'ee say, my sonnies?" - -The men left their work and inspected Dick's, twisting their necks, -pressing their lips together, and showing other marks of solemn -consideration. They pronounced the work pretty good, and declared they -wouldn't have believed it. - -The foreman gave Dick other little jobs to do, and being more pleased -with the lad's handiness than he had admitted, he took pains to instruct -him. Dick learnt about ribs and splines; how to steam the ribs and give -the necessary "flare"; the difficulty of getting the planking to "fly" -to a true curve without "shramming"; and many other technical details -which dashed his hope of being able to build a boat in a week. - -"Don't 'ee go and set up for a boat-builder, though," said the foreman -pleasantly. "Maister will werrit if he do think the bread 'll be took -out of his mouth." - -"No fear of that," replied Dick laughing. "I only want to build a boat -for myself, to replace an old one I lost." - -"Well, I will say 'tis a right good notion to build one yerself instead -o' buyin' one, though 'twouldn't do for we if everybody was so handy." - -Dick's journeys to and fro between Polkerran and St. Ives extended over -ten days. His absences greatly puzzled Sam, but Dick gave no -explanation until he felt that he had learned enough to make a start, -and decided to visit the boat-builder's no more. He was not so foolish -as to suppose that he had mastered the trade, but believed he knew -enough to enable him to construct a boat that would serve his simple -purpose. Then one morning he set Sam to collect a number of sound -planks from the floors and wainscoting in the unused rooms at the -Towers, and having borrowed from Petherick the tools necessary to -supplement those that Reuben had, he began his task. - -Day by day for a fortnight the lads worked steadily, using the -dilapidated stables for their workshop. Occasionally the Squire and -Reuben stood by and criticised; old Penwarden, too, looked in and -offered a more or less impracticable suggestion. Once when Dick was at -a loss how to proceed, he trudged to St. Ives to consult the foreman. - -"What, Maister, has she sunk a'ready?" said the man with twinkling eyes, -as Dick entered. - -He obtained the information he desired, and within a few days afterwards -the boat was finished. Nobody at the Towers, except her makers, believed -that she would float. How to get her down to the water was at first a -baffling problem. She was too heavy and cumbersome to be carried down -the cliff-path by the boys, and they would not seek assistance from the -villagers. It was Mr. Carlyon that solved the difficulty. He suggested -that the boat should be conveyed on a farmer's wagon to a dell about -four miles northward, where a stream flowed into the sea. This was done -early one morning, the farmer, a friend of the Vicar's, being bound to -secrecy. They launched the boat on the stream, and Sam gave a whoop of -delight on seeing that she rode fairly upright. With a couple of spare -sculls from their nook on the Beal, they pulled her out to sea, and Dick -was pardonably proud of his handiwork when she proved quite seaworthy, -if somewhat lumbering. - -"She's not very pretty, but she's strong," he said to Sam, "and that is -all we need trouble about." - -During the weeks in which Dick had been thus occupied, no further -annoyance was suffered from the villagers. Sir Bevil's warning had -apparently taken effect. Penwarden reported that two more serious -checks had been given to the smugglers. Once they had been interrupted -in the act of running a cargo at Lunnan Cove, some miles to the south, -and a hundred tubs had been seized by Mr. Mildmay. A few days later, -the cutter had gone in chase of a lugger in a stiff gale, and the -seamanship of the smugglers being at least equal to that of the King's -men, the quarry had escaped. But her crew, not daring to run the cargo -while the revenue officers were on the alert, had sunk the tubs, which -were always carried ready slung to meet such an emergency, in five -fathoms of water beyond St. Cuby's Cove. In their hurry, however, the -work was not done so carefully as usual, with the result that one of the -tubs was chafed off the sinking rope, drifted about, and next morning -was descried by Penwarden from the cliff. He informed Mr. Mildmay. The -shallow water along the shore was systematically searched, and the whole -cargo was hooked up by means of "creeps," as the grapnels were called. -Rumour, reaching the Towers by way of the Parsonage, said that on both -these occasions Tonkin was the freighter, so that his loss by the -successive failures was probably not far short of L300. - -Tidings came, also, by the local carrier, of renewed activity on the -part of the _Aimable Vertu_ in the Channel. A revenue cruiser had -fought an action with her off the Lizard, and was worsted, her commander -being wounded, and the vessel only escaping by running in shore to -shallow water, where the privateer could not follow. The authorities, -already deeply incensed by the escape of Delarousse from Plymouth, were -furious at this recurrence of his depredations, and had offered a high -price for information of his movements, and a still higher reward to any -officer who should capture him. - -For a few days Dick laid up his new boat, when fishing was done, in the -mouth of the little stream on which he had launched it, tramping back -with Sam over the four miles to the Towers. But this became irksome, -and he tried to think of some means of keeping the craft nearer home -without running the risk of its destruction by the smugglers. After a -good deal of anxious consideration he hit upon the idea of building a -shed for it on the beach at the foot of the cliff. - -"Jown me if I see the good o' 't," said Sam, when Dick explained his -plan. "They'll break into the shed, or fire it, if they want to, and -we'll lose our boat and our labour too." - -"But I've thought of a way of preventing that, Sam. They won't -interfere with it in daylight: 'tis only the night we need fear. Well, -we'll make 'em give us warning of any trick they play." - -"I don't see how, unless they be born fools." - -"They're not fools: far from it: but they might be a trifle sharper in -the wits, perhaps. If it comes to scheming, I think we can beat 'em, -Sam. We'll build the shed close under the house. Now listen. We'll -make the door to open outwards, and tie a strand of sewing thread to the -bottom, running it through hooks along the wall and out at the back of -the shed. There we'll tie it to a fishing-line, and round a pulley up -to the cliff-top, taking care to keep it off the rock by making it run -through notches in sticks of wood. At the top we'll have another -pulley, and at the foot of the house wall another, and so carry it into -my bedroom. There we'll fasten it to a weight--a poker will do; which -we'll sling up beside the window. We'll put a tea-tray underneath it, -d' you see? so that if the shed door is pulled open the thread will -break, the poker will fall, and make such a clatter that we are bound to -hear it all over the house." - -Sam broke into laughter. - -"Ha! ha! it do mind me of the old 'ooman and little crooked sixpence," -he cried. "Do 'ee mind, Maister Dick? 'Cat began to kill the rat, rat -began to gnaw the rope,' and so on till th' old 'ooman got home at last. -My life, 'tis a noble notion! What a headpiece you have got, to be -sure! But, scrounch it all, won't they see the line?" - -"I don't think so. 'Tis so much the colour of the rock that it will -escape notice." - -"True. But s'pose we do hear a clatter-bang. That won't stop 'em from -hauling out the boat, and we couldn' get down the cliff in time to save -her." - -"I'd thought of that. We'll fix up a booby-trap over the door." - -"Never heerd o't. What be a booby-trap?" - -"'Tis a thing that Mr. Carlyon told me of, a trick he used to play when -he was a young fellow at college. You fix above the doorway something -that will tumble down when the door is opened, and come plump on the -head of any one entering. That will stagger them, and while they are -recovering their wits we shall have time to run down. You may be sure -they'll run away before we get to them, for if we recognize them they'll -have Sir Bevil to reckon with." - -"Ha! ha!" laughed Sam. "That 'ud be a funny sight to see. We'll do it, -Maister Dick, and 'tis my wish I bean't too sleepy to tumble up when -they tries their tricks." - -It was a full day's work, from daybreak to long past sunset, to erect -the shed from materials carefully prepared beforehand. Dick felt the -necessity of completing the apparatus before another day dawned, lest -their proceedings should be spied from a passing boat and reported in -the village before they were ready. He obtained permission from his -father to remain out, telling him frankly what his purpose was, but -without giving details, and toiled on, by the light of a screened -lantern, until the whole contrivance wis finished. The booby-trap -consisted of a pail nicely balanced on a bar running across the shed, -and filled with water deeply coloured with indigo. It was connected by -a thread with a loose board in the floor beneath, so that a trespasser -stepping across the threshold would snap the thread, cause the pail to -turn on its axis, and receive its contents on his head. - -"The parson used flour, he told me," said Dick, "but 'tis too good to -waste on those rascals." - -"Ay, and a dousin' will make 'em cuss more," said Sam. "Oh, 'twill -grieve me tarrible if I be asleep!" - -Three days passed. Apparently the shed had not been discovered by the -villagers. The boys tested their invention and found it successful. -They took the boat out each morning, and restored it to its place when -the day's fishing was done, fastening the door from the inside, -connecting it with the booby-trap, and leaving the shed by a small door, -just large enough to crawl through, at the back. - -On the third evening Mr. Carlyon came to the Towers to join the -Trevanions in a game of whist, as he did frequently during the winter -months. It was a still, clear night, with a touch of frost in the air; -but the cold did not penetrate to the Squire's room, where a blazing -wood fire threw a rosy radiance on the panelled walls, and woke smiling -reflections in the glasses and decanters that stood on a table near that -at which the party of four were absorbed in their game. The house was -quiet; Reuben and Sam had retired to rest, for the Vicar would need no -attendance when he mounted his cob to ride home. - -The Squire was in the act of shuffling the pack, when suddenly the -silence of the house was shattered by a tremendous crash in one of the -rooms above. Mrs. Trevanion pressed her hand to her side; the Squire -missed his cast, and let the cards fall to the floor; Mr. Carlyon put -down the glass which he had just raised to his lips, so hastily that the -fluid spilled on the baize. Dick sprang up. - -"'Tis the alarm!" he cried. "They are at my shed!" - -He dashed out of the room, to meet Sam in shirt and breeches tumbling -down the stairs. Dick seized a cutlass hanging on the wall, Sam the -parson's riding-whip, and throwing open the door they sallied out into -the night. - -"It dinged me out of a lovely dream," said Sam. "Dash my buttons, 'twas -a noble noise." - -They scampered along the cliff to the zigzag path. Meanwhile the Squire -hurriedly explained the matter to the astonished Vicar. - -"Bless my life, I must go too," cried Mr. Carlyon. "The impudence of the -scoundrels! Is this the result of Sir Bevil's intervention? Come -along, Squire; bring your pistols. Man of peace as I am, I will give -you absolution if you wing one of those fellows!" - -The two hastened forth less than a minute after the boys. Both were -active men, in spite of their years, and they scrambled down the path -with no more stumbles than were excusable in elderly gentlemen a little -short in the wind. Before they got to the bottom they saw a boat just -pulling off from the shore, and the boys knee-deep in water, trying to -give a parting salutation with their weapons to the disturbers of the -peace. Sam had the satisfaction of hearing a bellow from the man in the -stern of the boat as the whip-thong slashed his face; but Dick's cutlass -was not long enough for effective use, and in a few seconds the -marauders were out of reach. - -The four met on the beach and hastened up towards the shed. To their -surprise the door was only half open. - -"They must have heard the noise," said Dick. "My window is open. I -daresay they waited to see what it meant, and then heard us coming down, -for when we got to the foot of the path they were beginning to shove the -boat off." - -"The neatest contrivance I ever heard of. I congratulate you on your -ingenuity," said the Vicar heartily. "But we may as well see that the -villains have done no mischief." - -As he spoke he pulled the door fully open, and before Dick could check -him, set his foot on the threshold. Instantly there was a splash; the -worthy man gasped and spluttered, and came out with a spring, shaking -his head like a dog emerging from a bath. - -"God bless my soul!" cried the Squire, looking with amazement at the -dark shower pouring from his friend on to the sand. "What on earth is -this?" - -"Ho! ho!" laughed Sam, prancing with delight, his veneration for the -Church quite eclipsed by his joy at a fellow mortal's misadventure. "I -ha' seed it arter all. Ho! ho!" - -Dick, overwhelmed with dismay, shook Sam by the arm and bade him be -silent. What excuse, what reparation could he make to the venerable -gentleman who had suffered so untoward an accident? - -"I didn't think--I tried to--I'm dreadfully sorry, sir," he stammered. - -"Ha! ha!" came the parson's rolling laugh. "'Pon my life, he's an apt -pupil, Squire. The young dog! Ha! ha!" - -"Explain this--this--" began the Squire angrily. - -"This booby-trap, Squire," cried Mr. Carlyon. "'Tis I am the booby. I -taught Dick, in a reckless burst of confidence, how we young rantipoles -at Oxford used to deal with each other--and our tutors too, I'm bound to -say. I wish I hadn't. But, you young rascal, I told you that we used -flour: what is this horrible stuff?" - -"Only a solution of indigo, sir; it won't do you any harm," replied poor -Dick. - -"Won't do me any harm? Only make me black and blue, eh? Ha! ha! I'm -glad 'tis no worse. But 'tis a thousand pities those ruffians escaped -the shower. Well, well, the rain falls on the just and the unjust, -we're told, and----bless me, Squire, it takes me back forty years, when -we had rigged up a trap for a freshman, and it toppled on the reverend -head of the dean himself. Ha! ha!" - -"Ha! ha!" laughed the Squire, his vexation giving way to his sense of -humour. - -"Ho! ho!" roared Sam. "Drown me if it bean't the----" - -"Shut up!" growled Dick. "Why must you laugh at the Vicar in that -idiotic way?" - -"'Cos he laughs at hisself," said Sam, highly aggrieved. "I wouldn' -laugh at him with his nightgown on in church, not I; but when he be just -like a simple common man, daze me if I can keep it in." - -The two elders were now climbing the path. Dick stayed to retie the -thread, though he did not expect that the marauders, after the alarm -they had had, would make a second attempt that night. Having closed the -door, he accompanied Sam up the cliff, greatly relieved when he heard, -far above, the Vicar's hearty laugh, as he related to the Squire sundry -other pranks and escapades of his younger days. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWELFTH - - Penwarden Disappears - - -As Dick hoped, the scare given to the enemy by his prompt sally from the -Towers proved effectual; no further attempt was made to interfere with -the boat. Rumours of the contrivance for giving an alarm spread among -the villagers, and Mr. Carlyon, without revealing his own misadventure, -took care to explain to Petherick, sexton, beadle, and constable, that -the intruders would have suffered material damage if they had had the -courage to enter the shed. Petherick duly reported this, as the parson -intended, adding on his own account that the young monkeys had invented -an instrument of torture for all who dared to molest them. The parson's -housekeeper discussed with Petherick a strange stain upon her master's -stock, and Petherick himself, despatched one day to the Truro perruquier -with a parcel carefully tied, was amazed when the tradesman, opening it -in his presence, revealed a wig, not iron grey, but mottled blue in -colour. These matters were a topic of conversation in Polkerran for many -a day, and there were some who offered explanations, and some who shook -their heads and looked profoundly wise, but discreetly held their -tongues. The truth was never known outside the Towers, Dick threatening -Sam with excommunication if he breathed a word of it. - -One Wednesday, early in December, the boys set out a little before dawn -to fish. The air was cold and misty; trickles of condensed moisture ran -down their faces and necks, and little pools formed on the rims of their -hats. The exercise of rowing warmed them, and the discomfort, always -less to their seasoned skins than it would have been to a townsman and a -landlubber, was forgotten altogether when the fish rose freely to their -bait. They made a good catch after two hours' work, and turned to row -back in order to carry the fish home in time for early breakfast. - -They had come nearly a mile from shore, and were pulling hard, the wind -blowing off the land against them, when all at once, some distance -astern, there loomed out of the mist a three-masted vessel of -considerable size. - -"Look, Sam," said Dick, "isn't that the same craft we saw following the -smack that night?" - -"'Tis so," replied Sam; "the night Maister John come home-along. I said -he landed from the smack, you mind; you said 'a didn't; and I don't care -who the man is, but I know I be right." - -"Pull away, Sam. We don't want to be seen. It may be the French -privateer we've heard about, and we ought to tell Mr. Mildmay or -Penwarden." - -"True, and there's money if she's catched. Would they gie us a bit o't, -think 'ee?" - -"I daresay. There! She has vanished into the mist again. Do you know -if the cutter is in the harbour, Sam?" - -"She warn't yesterday. Maister Mildmay is busy down coast. I'd liever -old Joe got the money than he." - -They saw no more of the vessel, even from the top of the cliff. Mr. -Trevanion was interested in their news, and agreed that it should -certainly be imparted to Penwarden or Mr. Polwhele, Mr. Mildmay being -absent. - -Dick remembered that the old exciseman had probably been up all night. -He sympathised with him in his arduous duty of watching all through the -long hours of darkness, in fair or foul weather, frost or rain. At dawn -of day Penwarden was accustomed to take a "watch below," as he called -it, until noon, priding himself on requiring no more than four or five -hours' sleep. At noon an old woman from the village came to get his -dinner and tidy up, leaving when her work was done, his other meals -being prepared by himself. Dick decided not to awaken Penwarden until -he had had his sleep out, but to seek Mr. Polwhele, whose house stood on -the cliff half-a-mile on the further side of the village. Dick went -there by a roundabout way, to avoid meeting the fisher-people and their -sour looks. The riding-officer was much surprised at the news he -brought. - -"'Tis a risky thing on the part of Delarousse, if 'tis indeed he," said -Mr. Polwhele; "and why he should come here I can't tell, for Polkerran -is not worth powder and shot." - -"Maybe to arrange for running a cargo," said Dick. - -"I don't think that, for 'tis whispered that the folks here do not deal -with him any longer. I can't think 'tis he, but I will run up my signal -to warn Mr. Mildmay, if he can see it through the mist. Thank 'ee for -the news. Perhaps you will tell Penwarden, and ask him to keep an eye -lifting." - -Dick promised to do so, and returned home. - -Shortly before twelve, the time when Penwarden was usually moving about -again, Dick walked up to the cottage to inform him of the strange -vessel. He knocked at the door, but there was no answer. Thinking that -the old man was lying later than usual after a tiring night's duty, Dick -felt loth to rouse him, and resolved to wait a while, walking up and -down before the cottage, beating himself for warmth's sake. Now and -then he stopped to listen at the door, but there was no sound from -within, nor indeed without, except the booming of the surf, the whistle -of the wind impinging on the cliff edge, and the screams of gulls which -had not yet flown inland to seek their winter sustenance in the -neighbourhood of farms. The mist cleared off, and not a sign of the -vessel was to be seen on the horizon. - -"Old Gammer Oliver is late, too," thought Dick. "Perhaps Joe told her -not to come at her usual time." - -He took a book from his pocket, and read it, still walking up and down. -But he soon tired of this; the hour for the midday meal at the Towers -was drawing on; and he would have returned but for his promise to Mr. -Polwhele. - -"I ought to have hammered hard on the door at once," he said to himself. -"Tired as he must be, he would not mind being disturbed in this case." - -He shut up his book, slipped it into his pocket, and strode briskly -towards the cottage, about thirty paces distant. No smoke was rising -from the chimney; nothing was audible but the wind rustling the leaves -of a laurel bush, and causing the bare tendrils of last year's creeper -to scratch against the wall. The sudden scream of a gull wheeling its -flight above the roof made Dick start and look round uneasily. There -was nothing living, on four feet or on two, in sight. - -He came to the door, and, hesitating no longer, rapped smartly upon it. -Neither voice nor movement answered him. Again he knocked, with greater -energy, calling the old man by name. The perfect silence when his -knuckles ceased their tattoo alarmed him. Joe always locked the door -when he left the cottage by day, and locked and bolted it when he -retired at night. Still, it was a natural act to turn the handle, and -Dick, when he did so, almost laughed, for the door opened, revealing the -dark little passage, on one side of which was the bedroom, on the other -the kitchen and sitting-room in one. Of course, the old fellow had gone -out. - -But as Dick stood on the threshold and his eyes became accustomed to the -dimness within, this comforting reflection gave way to surprise and -apprehension. Half-way down the passage Penwarden's hat lay on the -floor. Near it was a bundle of bulrushes which he had brought back from -a voyage in his sea-going days; it usually stood against the wall -beneath a portrait of Rodney. Beyond, the glass of a case enclosing a -stuffed John-Dory was broken to splinters, which glinted from the stone -floor. The passage presented a strange contrast to its usual neat and -tidy appearance. - -"Joe!" Dick called. - -His voice reverberated; there was no other sound. He entered the passage -and opened the door of the kitchen. It was empty; nothing was in -disorder; a kettle stood on the hob; on the table lay a mug, a knife, -and a plate holding a few crumbs of bread, witnesses to the old man's -supper. Dick turned about, crossed the passage, and halted for a moment -at the bedroom door, seized by the shaking thought that Joe had been -taken ill in the night--was perhaps dead. He called, rapped, and, with -quivering nerves, entered. The blind was down, so that he could -scarcely see; but there was the bed, empty, the bedclothes disturbed. -He pulled up the blind. The cold light of the winter sky flooded the -room, and he saw things that filled him with alarm. A chair was -overturned; fragments of a pipe and a tinder-box lay beside the bed; a -thin hair rug was creased into the shape of billows; on one of the white -deals was a dark red stain. The appearance of both room and passage -pointed to a struggle. The stain was the fresh mark of blood. - -What had become of the old man? Dick felt the answer to his unspoken -question. Excisemen had many enemies; sometimes they lost their lives, -not merely in open fight with the smugglers, but by insidious attack. -Mr. Mildmay had told of ambushes, midnight assaults, torture, brutal -murders. Such incidents were almost unknown in the west country; the -fair fame of Cornishmen had not been sullied as that of the men of Kent -and Sussex had been. But what more likely than that the bitter -ill-feeling rife in the village, which had lately vented itself against -the inmates of the Towers, should now have sought a new victim in -Penwarden? If the smugglers were prepared to go such lengths against -the Trevanions, towards whom their hereditary loyalty had for -generations been akin to the Scottish clansman's devotion to his chief, -they would scarcely be disposed to spare a humble old seaman, to whom -they attributed the heavy losses they had recently suffered. - -These thoughts ran through Dick's mind in a moment. That Penwarden had -suffered violent handling he could not doubt. He must at once report -the disappearance. He hurried from the room, closing the door, and in -the passage met Gammer Oliver, as she was called, the old woman who came -daily from the village. - -"Oh, Maister Trevanion!" she exclaimed, "you did give me a turn." - -"Mr. Penwarden is not here; something has happened to him. You don't -know anything about him?" - -"Do 'ee say it? Lawk-a-deary, and me so late and all! My darter was -took bad this morning, or----" - -"Do you know anything about him?" repeated Dick. - -"Not a mossel, sir. I hain't seed the gaffer since I gied un his dinner -yesterday. Save us all! What a moil and muddle things be in!" - -"Yes, I don't know what has happened. Tidy up, and bring the door-key -to the Towers. I am going now." - -He hastened home, and told the Squire what he had discovered, and what -his suspicions were. Mr. Trevanion, often supine and sluggish in matters -concerning himself, was energetic enough when he heard of wrong or -injustice suffered by others. - -"This is scandalous!" he exclaimed. "Do you go at once and find Mr. -Polwhele, Dick. I will hurry to the parson. Stay, I'll give Sam a note -for Sir Bevil; we must raise a hue and cry after the old man. Where is -Mildmay, I wonder?" - -"Mr. Polwhele was going to signal to him, sir," said Dick. - -"That's right. He must watch the coast. I've heard of the wretches -shipping off to France preventive men who make themselves troublesome. -'Tis ten to one they will serve Penwarden so; that vessel you saw may -have come for that purpose." - -Within a few minutes the three active members of the household had gone -their several ways. Dick hastened for the second time to see the -riding-officer. As he went he came to a resolution. The smugglers, it -was clear, were determined on pursuing their policy of persecution. All -who opposed them, or whom they supposed to be their opponents, would -have to reckon with their remorseless animosity, which might express -itself in open violence or deeds of stealth as necessity demanded. It -was to be war, and, as events were shaping themselves, war between the -village and the Towers. Well, the war should be fought out. The -quarrel had been forced on the Trevanions; they had not willingly -departed from their neutrality; but matters had now gone so far that to -remain neutral was impossible, and Dick resolved to take once for all -the side of the law. He anticipated some difficulty in bringing his -father to adopt the same attitude; but at the present moment the Squire -was so indignant with the smugglers that, even if he was not ready to -throw himself into active opposition to them, he might not forbid Dick -to do so. Feeling that at such a crisis all quiet work at his books was -impossible, Dick determined to beg Mr. Carlyon to release him, and to -devote himself heart and soul to the contest, whether of wits or -weapons. The first object must be the rescue of Joe Penwarden. - -Mr. Polwhele was still at home. - -"This is a new thing, 'pon my life," he said, when Dick had told him his -tidings. "Till now the villains have been only on the defensive; to -take the offensive means there's a new spirit working in 'em. D'you -think, now, that your father is right, and John Trevanion is the man -behind?" - -"I don't want to say what I think, Mr. Polwhele," replied Dick. -"Whether he is or not, we must put a stop to it. I can't do much, but -what I can do I will." - -"I'm glad to hear it. The curious thing is that John Trevanion has but -lately been here. One of the fishers had told him of the strange -vessel, and he came for the same purpose as you, to ask me to signal to -Mr. Mildmay. He said it was scandalous that the Frenchman should be -allowed to cruise at large." - -"Do you think she came to ship Penwarden away, sir? That is my father's -idea." - -"'Tis a notion, now, but not likely, unless John Trevanion came here to -throw me off the scent. You saw no small boat pulling to the ship, did -you?" - -"No, sir." - -"Then I think the Squire is wrong. Now, seemingly, Mr. Mildmay has not -seen my signal, but he must be somewhere off the coast. As soon as 'tis -dark I will show a light with my telescope lantern; that will fetch him; -and if you are ready to join hands with us, I will bring him to the -Towers and we'll hold a council of war. Will the Squire agree to it?" - -"I don't know. I'll ask him, and if you'll meet me at six o'clock on -the bridge yonder, I will tell you what he says." - -When the Squire returned from his visit to the Parsonage, Dick opened -his mind to him. At first Mr. Trevanion shrank from definitely -committing himself to the cause of the revenue officers, but when Dick -pointed out that his position could scarcely be worse than it was, and -that the Trevanion influence might still have some weight with the -better-disposed among the village folk, he consented to the -riding-officer's proposal. - -"The vicar is coming over this evening," he said. "We shall at any rate -have all the wisdom of the parish." - -At half-past six there met in the Squire's room, Mr. Mildmay, the -riding-officer, Mr. Carlyon, and Dick. They drew their chairs to the -fire; the elder men lit their churchwarden pipes, and, with glasses of -steaming toddy at their elbows, proceeded to discuss the situation. - -"I have a note from Sir Bevil," said the Squire. "He is sending to Truro -for assistance. What shape that may take I don't know." - -"The shape of a constable or two, probably," said Mr. Polwhele, "and if -they are no better than Petherick, they won't help us much." - -"Petherick shall cry the village to-morrow," said the Vicar. "Being a -justice as well as parson, I have written out a proclamation, summoning -all good and true men to give information that will lead to the -discovery of Penwarden, dead or alive." - -"I don't believe they'd murder him," said Mr. Mildmay, "or they wouldn't -take the trouble to spirit him away. A crack on the head would be a -much simpler matter." - -"What do you suppose is their object in kidnapping him?" asked the -Vicar. - -"Either to hold him while they run a specially valuable cargo, or to -ship him to France and keep him permanently out of their way. A fool's -trick; for he's bound to be replaced, though we'd find it hard to get a -better man, old as he is." - -"And foolish in another way," added the riding-officer. "They ought to -know that a deed of that kind will only stir up the rest of us. I -wouldn't give much for their chances of running a cargo yet awhile." - -"Nor for shipping him," said Mr. Mildmay. "I'll swear they haven't done -it yet. My boats were up and down the coast all last night. One of -them spied that rascally privateer putting in towards St. Cuby's Cove in -the mist this morning, but she sailed away, and though I gave chase, she -got off. To-night we'll have the boats patrolling for miles; I defy 'em -to slip through us." - -"When did they seize him, d'you suppose?" asked the Squire. - -"In the early morning, I think, Father," said Dick, "before it was -light. The blood stain was quite fresh. They must have hidden him -somewhere; they wouldn't carry him away in the daylight, in case some -one saw them." - -"That wouldn't trouble them, bless you," said Mr. Mildmay. "All -Polkerran and most of the folk around are hand-in-glove with them. They -could count on the silence of everybody but a few ranters and -psalm-singers, who would either be abed and asleep, or going about their -business." - -"I don't agree with you, Mildmay," said the Squire. "They would have to -pass this house on the way to the village, and they know very well that -Dick and young Sam are early birds; they wouldn't risk meeting them. -No; 'twas done in the dark, depend on it." - -"That might be if they took him to the village, but we don't know that," -retorted Mr. Mildmay. "No doubt there are any number of underground -cellars and secret passages in the village: 'twas in some such place -that fellow Delarousse was hidden while the dragoons were searching the -inn, you may be sure. But those are not the only possible -hiding-places. What with nooks, caves, and adits in the abandoned -mines, we might search for a month of Sundays and not find the poor -fellow." - -"But they won't hold him long, surely," said Dick. "What a trouble it -would be to guard him and feed him!" - -"True; they would expect to be able to ship him soon. If they are -planning a run, and find we're too watchful for them, I'll be bound -they'll let him loose before long, and we'll find him one fine morning -back again." - -"Dick speaks of guarding and feeding," said Mr. Carlyon. "May not that -give us a clue? It seems probable, as Mr. Mildmay suggests, that he is -not in the village. If he is elsewhere, somebody must leave the village -to carry food to him, and a vigilant watch would detect the fellow." - -"Bless my life, parson," said Mr. Polwhele, "you don't know these -rascals. They're as wary as otters and as slippery as eels. I'll -warrant they'd slip us in broad daylight, and as to the darkness of -night, why, a regiment of soldiers wouldn't be large enough to net 'em." - -"Well, to be practical," said the Squire. "You, Vicar, as a justice, -can give Mr. Polwhele a warrant of search. You may unearth him in the -village, and I should begin with the inn; Doubledick's name suits him. -With the coast closely watched by Mr. Mildmay's men, the kidnappers -cannot ship him. Sir Bevil will raise the hue and cry in the -neighbourhood inland, and 'tis such a serious matter that I doubt -whether any of the yeomen would connive at it. The name of _habeas -corpus_ would scare them out of their wits. I'm inclined to think with -Mr. Mildmay that the rascals will let him loose in a day or two when -they see what a stir they have made; but of course we must not rely on -that, but do our best to ferret him out." - -"Very well summed up, Squire," said the Vicar. "We cannot do more -to-night; and, as 'tis not late, perhaps you and these gentlemen would -favour me with a rubber. Polwhele trumped my trick last time," he -added, under his breath. - -"With all my heart," cried the Squire. "Dick, bring the cards, and ask -Reuben to fry some pilchards. All work and no play, Mr. Mildmay, you -know----" - -The gentlemen were nothing loth to spend an hour or two in this way. -They had supper at eight; the officers then left to attend to their -nocturnal duties; and as Mr. Carlyon remained to play piquet with the -Squire, Dick went to bed early, resolving to take some independent steps -in the morning. - - - - - CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH - - Cross-Currents - - -Polkerran next day was the stage upon which a series of dramatic -incidents were enacted, pure comedy to the spectators, but with a -possible tragedy behind the scenes. - -At an early hour a mob of boys and girls, with a sprinkling of aged folk -verging on second childhood, followed at the heels of Petherick, the -constable, as he shambled through the streets, stopping at the corners -to ring his bell, shout "Oyez! Oyez!" and mumble the formal words of Mr. -Carlyon's proclamation. He pretended to read them from the sheet of -double foolscap that he held at arm's length before him, but being -perfectly illiterate, he in reality recited them by heart, the Vicar -having devoted two solid hours since dawn in drumming them into the -man's head. His duty thus religiously performed, Petherick repaired to -the tap-room of the Five Pilchards, where he discoursed for a time on -_habeas corpus, felo de se_, and other magical prescriptions, relieving -his dryness so frequently with rum-hot that he was at length overcome -with emotion, and mingled his liquor with his tears. - -Two hours later, Sir Bevil Portharvan rode down with Mr. John Trevanion, -a brother magistrate, and a sheriff's officer from Truro, intending to -harangue the populace and impress them with the majesty and terror of -the law. But finding that no audience gathered about him except the -young and old children aforesaid, a few pallid indoor workmen, and a -number of women accompanied by squalling infants in arms--the -able-bodied men being, curiously enough, otherwise engaged--he abandoned -that part of the programme, and contented himself with solemnly -superintending the affixing to the inn-door of a bill, headed with the -royal arms, which he had ordered overnight to be printed in Truro. - -At noon came Mr. Mildmay, Mr. Polwhele, a posse of excisemen, and a -soldier on furlough, who, with the authority of a warrant signed by the -Vicar, proceeded to make a thorough search of the houses, beginning with -the inn itself. They descended to the cellars, ascended to the lofts; -rummaged in clothes presses; turned down beds; rapped at walls for -hollow sounds indicating secret passages or receptacles; peeped into -horse-troughs, cow-byres, and pigsties; poked in coppers and washtubs; -in short, worked themselves into a fine perspiring heat and the village -folk into an itching frenzy by the conscientious thoroughness of their -inquisition. Some of the men who had been undiscoverable by Sir Bevil -were now energetically employed, in advance of the search party, in -removing bales, kegs, packets, and canisters, so that when Mr. Mildmay -appeared at one end of a street, these interesting objects were -collected at the other; and when this end in turn was visited, the -barefooted carriers of the articles in question slipped back and -replaced them in their former hiding-places. - -While Mr. Mildmay and his assistants, after three hours' unremitting -toil, stood mopping their brows and venting their honest opinion of the -Polkerran folk, John Trevanion rode down the hill. He reined up when he -reached the group, and greeted the discomfited representatives of the -law. - -"How d'ye do, gentlemen?" he cried. "Have you had any success?" - -"Confusion seize 'em, Mr. Trevanion!" replied the lieutenant. "We've -not seen a sign of the old man, nor discovered a single cask or bundle -of contraband. You'd think 'twas the most innocent, duty-paying village -in the three kingdoms." - -"That's most unfortunate. As to the contraband--well, you know, we all -like to get our goods as cheap as we may, I don't disguise it; but old -Penwarden is another story. Have you no notion where he is?" - -"No more than you, Mr. Trevanion," said the riding-officer, throwing a -keen glance on the horseman. - -"Then you must be blank indeed," said Trevanion with an easy laugh. -"'Tis my belief there's a great deal too much fuss made about old Joe's -disappearance. Surely nobody in Polkerran would wish to injure so -ancient an institution. 'Tis a prank, depend upon it, and when the -prankers have achieved their object--you and I can guess what that -is--they'll let him loose as sound as a bell." - -Trevanion's debonair frankness disarmed Mr. Mildmay, to whom he was a -comparative stranger. It seemed ridiculous that the Squire should -harbour such unworthy suspicions of his cousin. - -"By the way," continued Trevanion, "I am glad I met you. I am having a -few friends in on Saturday night--a bit of a randy; that's our name for -it here--and I shall be delighted if you will join us. I haven't seen so -much of you as I should like; this mine I'm starting has kept me busy." - -"I'm much obliged to you," said Mr. Mildmay, "but I fear----" - -"Oh, I know what you would say. But your cutter can spare you for an -hour or two. Not for the world would I hinder your duties; to catch -that villain Delarousse in particular would be worth a good deal to you; -but 'tis dark early; the hour fixed is six; and I won't say a word if -you must leave us before we are ripe." - -"Well, I will come. Thank you." - -"And you too, Mr. Polwhele? The service of your country can spare you -for a little while?" - -"To be sure. I'll come too, Mr. Trevanion; 'twill be like old times, -indeed." - -The riding-officer's assent was much more hearty than Mr. Mildmay's, -which was perhaps a little surprising in view of the suspicions he had -confessed to on the previous day in speaking to Dick. - -"That's right," said Trevanion. "I shall be glad to welcome you. The -hour is six--did I name it? I hope Penwarden will be found by that -time; you'll feel easier, I dare say. Good-bye, then." - -When he had ridden away, Mr. Mildmay dismissed the underlings and went -off to have a meal with the riding-officer. - -"That fellow's too free-and-easy to be the villain the Squire thinks -him," said Mr. Mildmay, as they walked southward out of the village. - -Mr. Polwhele smiled. - -"I'm beginning to think he's the cleverest free-trader the duchy ever -bred," he remarked. - -"My dear fellow!" expostulated the lieutenant. - -"I had my suspicions; this invitation has convinced me," replied Mr. -Polwhele. "Bless my life, to think you are so simple, Mildmay! Don't -you see the game? They've put Penwarden out of the way. What does that -mean? A big run, as sure as I'm alive. But we two are obstacles; they -blink at kidnapping us, but they do better. They invite us to a randy, -and while we are making merry they slip inshore, run their cargo, -liberate Penwarden, and laugh at us for a pair of jackasses." - -"That's nonsense, Polwhele. The cutter will be out, though I'm not on -it. Besides, didn't he say we can leave when we like?" - -"Yes, with the belief that when he has us there, warmth, good liquor, -and pleasant company will prove more attractive than hunting rascals in -the cold." - -"Why did you accept, then?" - -"First, to look after you, Mildmay. Second, to keep my eyes open. -Third, to make Trevanion think I don't suspect him, so that the -smugglers may go forward with their plans. He is playing a deep game, -I'm sure of it." - -"That's detestably unjust, Polwhele," said Mr. Mildmay, with some heat. -"Give a dog a bad name, and----I tell you what. We will both leave at -nine; not a minute later. That's several hours before any run took -place that ever I heard of. Nine it shall be, and call me jackass if the -shore's not as quiet all night as the churchyard." - - -Meanwhile, what had Dick been doing? - -At the hour when Mr. Carlyon was driving the terms of his proclamation -into Petherick's reluctant skull, Dick rose from bed, and taking the key -of Penwarden's cottage, brought to the Towers by Gammer Oliver, went up -the cliff to make a more thorough examination of the premises than he -had made on the previous day. He wished that he had thought of doing so -before, for there had not only been rain in the night which would help -to obliterate any traces that the kidnappers might have left on the -ground, but the neighbourhood had been visited by inquisitive boys, -dairymaids, farm-hands, and idle folk from the village, who tramped -round the cottage, gazed at the door, and peered in at the windows, -leaving innumerable footprints on the soil. - -Dick was puzzled to think how Joe's captors had obtained entrance to the -cottage. It was not by the front door, unless Penwarden had carelessly -left it open; its timbers were sound and the lock unbroken; not by the -chimney, which was too narrow to admit anything larger than a pigeon. -They might have gone through the garden and forced the back door; though -they would surely have tried to effect an entrance quietly, while the -old man lay asleep. - -Arriving at the cottage, Dick unlocked the door, entered, and went -through the passage to the back door, which opened on a tiny garden. -The lock had not been tampered with. Penwarden was very proud of his -garden, devoting many hours a day in the summer, when his duties were -light, to the cultivation of peonies, fuchsias, nasturtiums, and other -flowering plants, together with onions, artichokes, and vegetable -marrows. The flowers were on one side of a narrow path, the vegetables -on the other. There was a small gate in the rear fence. At this time of -year the ground was bare, Penwarden finding nothing to do but a little -rake and spade work. - -A glance at the path apprised Dick that the captive had been carried out -this way. The pebbles were disturbed; parts of the boxwood borders were -trampled down, and over the edge there were prints of heavy boots on the -brown earth. Dick examined the kitchen window. The explanation was at -once clear to him. There were deep scratches on the sill and the -woodwork; the conclusion was irresistible; the kidnappers had climbed -into the kitchen and gained the bedroom before Penwarden was aware of -their presence. That they had carried their victim out by the back door -seemed to show that at any rate they had taken him inland, and not down -to the shore. How the front door came to be unlocked was a puzzling -circumstance, since they had clearly neither entered nor come out that -way. - -Dick went again to the back, and sought to trace the footsteps beyond -the gate; but the grass there was so beaten down by the rain and the -feet of the curious idlers, that the most careful investigation must -prove fruitless. He returned into the cottage, to make a thorough -search of the bedroom. Gammer Oliver had made the bed, straightened the -rug, set the chair on its legs, and washed over the stained plank. It -seemed probable that his instruction to her to tidy up had robbed him of -any chance of making a discovery. But Dick resolved not to err again -through over-haste, and, the small window admitting little light, he -found a candle, lit it, and began to prowl methodically round the room. -For some time his search met with no reward, but all at once, catching a -glint of light reflected from some object on the floor in the angle -between a grandfather's clock and the fireplace, he stooped, and picked -up a large steel button, to which hung by the broken threads a torn -scrap of blue cloth. - -Dick felt a thrill of excitement. Penwarden had not been carried away -unresisting. He knew that already by the signs of struggle formerly -observed. The severed button was an additional proof. No doubt it had -been wrenched off in the fight--from whose coat? Not from Joe's; his -buttons were the regulation brass buttons of the Government service. -Many of the fishers had steel buttons on their winter coats, and one -button was like another. But it occurred to Dick that the particular -garment which had lost this button might not yet have been repaired, and -he wondered whether the Vicar's search-warrant would justify Mr. Mildmay -in demanding that all the blue coats in the village should be spread out -on the beach for examination. The absurdity of the idea struck him at -once. Of course the very garment that was wanted would not appear. But -he thought of a better way--one that would arouse no suspicion, though -it might prove impossible of execution. He would go down into the -village and scrutinise the clothes of all the men he met. The owner of -the lost button was probably one of the most active of the smugglers, -and not an indoor man, so that there was some chance of meeting him in -the street, on the beach, or on the jetty. - -He set off at once. On the way he met Sir Bevil and other horsemen -riding from the Dower House, where John Trevanion had entertained them -after the futile ceremony in the village. The fishers, who were not to -be seen when Sir Bevil was burning to address them, now stood smoking at -the corners, in front of the inn, on the jetty, and elsewhere. They -appeared to be very much amused. Some of them scowled at Dick as he -passed; others laughed and spat; one asked him with an oath what he was -staring at. Dick was seldom in the village now, and the hostility of -the folk's attitude might have made his heart sore had he not been -hardened to it. - -He walked along as unconcernedly as he could, standing for a few moments -to watch some fishers mending nets on the beach, and lingering until -their movements brought the front of their coats into view. Some coats -were brown, some blue; some had steel buttons, others bone. Not one was -lacking. Presently he came to the jetty, where Isaac Tonkin, sitting on -an upturned tub, was superintending some repairs to the seine-net in his -lugger. He wore a blue coat, but his arms were folded, one hand holding -his pipe to his mouth. He threw one glance at Dick, but made no -movement, and thenceforth ignored him. - -Dick strolled up and down. Excitement utterly possessed him; to his -fancy Tonkin was deliberately concealing two out of his four buttons. -The two visible were of steel. What could he do to make the man -unclasp? But it was not necessary to practise any wile. The simplest -causes effected what he desired. - -"Feyther," called Jake Tonkin from the lugger, "fling us a quid o' yer -bacca." - -"'Tis bad for young stummicks," said the father. "Howsomever, here 'ee -be." - -His right arm fell as he sought his pocket: the front of his coat was -revealed; one button was missing. - -It is probable that Dick, but for his long waiting and his excitement, -would not have yielded to impulse. But as Tonkin threw the tobacco into -the lugger, Dick stepped up to him, and, holding out the incriminating -button, said: - -"This is yours, I believe." - -Tonkin stared at him for an instant, blew a cloud from his lips, and -held out his hand for the button as if to examine it. In anticipatory -triumph Dick handed it to him. - -"Did I hear 'ee say as this button do belong to me?" asked the man in a -curiously quiet voice. - -"Yes, I did say so." - -"Well, drown me if I want it," and with a flick between his forefinger -and thumb he sent it skimming through the air. It fell into the sea a -dozen yards away. - -Dick's cheeks flamed with rage at his stupidity in allowing himself to -be outwitted. He had had in his possession the sole piece of evidence -against the kidnappers, and now it was lost on the sandy bottom of the -harbour. Shaken out of his self-control, he said hotly: - -"'Twas you that kidnapped Penwarden. Don't think you will escape. -There'll be an end to this villainy." - -"Go and inform, then, you cussed young slip of a rotted old tree. 'Tis -not the first time, neither, you dirty young whelp." - -A burst of laughter from the lugger brought Dick to his sober senses. -Disdaining to contradict the aspersion, he turned abruptly on his heel, -tingling with fury at his own indiscretion. Jibes and jeers pursued him -as he walked towards the homeward road; these stung him less than the -knowledge that by his own folly he had thrown away a chance of helping -Penwarden. - -Gloomy thoughts kept him company as he toiled up the hill. Nor was he -cheered by the air of malignant triumph manifest on Doubledick's fat -face, when, half-way up the hill, he met the inn-keeper waddling down. -In imagination he heard the gleeful chuckles with which Doubledick would -learn of his discomfiture. After the heroic resolution he had lately -come to, it was a sorry thing to have been worsted in the first -encounter. - -Walking more rapidly on the level road past the Dower House, at a -cursory glance to the left he saw a short, thickset form scramble over -the fence that bounded the premises, and hasten furtively in the -direction of the Towers. The sight struck him with surprise and wrath -at once, for the slinking figure was undoubtedly that of Sam Pollex. -Being himself partially concealed by the hedge, he thought it probable -that Sam had not seen him, so, hurrying along, he turned as soon as -possible into the grounds of the Towers, and came face to face with Sam -as the boy arrived at a little wicket-gate. - -"What do you mean by it?" he demanded angrily, holding the gate so that -Sam could not pass through. - -Sam blushed and dropped his eyes, looking flustered and perturbed. - -"Were you not bidden never to go there again?" Dick continued. "Didn't -I say I'd break your head for you if you disobeyed?" - -"Iss, you did so," said Sam ruefully. "Ah, well, you'm better do it and -get it over." - -"What were you doing there?" said Dick, still holding the gate. - -Sam looked sidelong, shuffled his feet, then, as with a great effort, -replied: - -"I didn' go to sell eggs, nor nawthin' o' that sort. If you must haul it -out of a poor feller, I rambled there to----" - -"Well?" - -"To see maidy Susan; now I've said it." - -"Then you're a silly ass. She's years older than you. What does a maid -of twenty want with a boy of sixteen?" - -"Twenty she is, and sixteen be I, but I've a deal more wisdom in my -noddle than she, arter all. She's a simple soul about pilchurs, and -night-lines, and buildin' boats, and all sorts o' famous things I've -knowed since I wer table-high, and she do have a tarrible thirst for -high knowledge. She've a clever little head-piece, too, for when I wer -tellin' to she how pretty 'tis to see a otter divin' for fish, who -should come up-along but Doubledick----" - -"Did he see you?" interrupted Dick. - -"I wer just agoin' to tell 'ee. No, 'a didn't see me, 'cos I slipped -behind Maidy, she being well growed, and says I, 'That feller is my -'nation enemy,' says I, and afore I knowed wheer I wer, she whisked me -into a little small cupboard place wi' coats and boots hangin' on the -wall, and commanded me, in a feelin' whisper, to bide theer till she -toled me out. Drown me if I didn' hear Doubledick go shailin' past wi' -Maister John, and then there comed a rumblin' through the wall, and I -knowed they two was a-talkin'." - -"Did you hear what they said?" asked Dick eagerly. - -"Iss, I did. I hadn' nawthin' better to do, so I put my ear to the -wall. Iss, I heerd a thing or two." - -"Well, what did you hear? Anything about Penwarden?" - -Sam had gradually pushed open the gate, and was now walking beside Dick. - -"Not a word. I wer so flambustered in bein' poked in that hencoop of a -place, and thinkin' what they'd do to me if so be they catched me, that -'twas all mixed up, and I couldn' tell A from B." - -"But think: you must have heard something clearly. You didn't lose all -your wits, did you?" - -"Well, I did hear Maister John say wind was steady, and 'a hoped 't 'ud -hold fair for business." - -"Yes: what then?" - -"Don't 'ee bustle me; then maybe I'll mind o' more. Iss, I mind -Doubledick said, 'Hee! hee!' says he; 'if it do hold for another -forty-eight hours,' says he;--and be-jowned if I could hear any more o' -that piece of reckonin', my poor heart was a-strummin' so." - -"Confound your poor heart!" cried Dick. "Do pull yourself together. It -may mean salvation to Joe." - -Sam scratched his head. - -"If you'd only been theer instead o' me!" he muttered. "Ah! 'Twas -carriers. Iss: Maister John axed if 'twas settled about carriers. 'A -round score,' says Doubledick, if 't wasn't two; 'good fellers all; no -wamblin', slack-twisted cripple-toes for this job,' says he." - -"What job?" - -"That I can't say. But Zacky Tonkin was in it; iss; gie me a minute for -rec'lection; iss. Doubledick says, 'Zacky be sour as a green apple.' -'Ha! ha!' laughs Maister John, ''a don't like playin' second fiddle,' -says he, which is a passel o' nonsense, 'cos Zacky never played on -fiddle, fust, second, nor last either, all his born days, that I do -know. ''Tis for 'ee to keep un quiet!' says Maister John. 'He hev his -uses, but hain't got a mossel of brains. You've got enough for two, -Doubledick,' says he." - -Dick was becoming impatient. The conversation as reported was not very -enlightening, and surely Doubledick had not visited the Dower House to -discuss such trivialities. But Dick had learnt his lesson; he would not -err again by being over-hasty; so he schooled himself to endure the slow -trickle of information as it oozed from Sam's reluctant memory. - -"Didn't they name Penwarden at all?" he asked. - -"Never heerd un. The only other names I heerd wer Tom Pennycomequick -and Jimmy Nancarrow." - -"Ah! what about them?" - -Sam reflected. - -"Tom Pennycomequick and Jimmy Nancarrow," he repeated, as if the -repetition would recall the connection. "Iss; I mind o't. Says Maister -John, 'Who be on guard to-day?'" - -"'On guard!' Not 'on the watch'?" - -"That's what 'a meant, seemingly, but 'a said 'on guard.' 'Tom -Pennycomequick and Jimmy Nancarrow,' says Doubledick. There was summat -about 'bogeys,' if I could only mind. Iss, fay; I've got un. 'Two,' -says Maister John, 'what for?' 'Hee! hee!' goes Doubledick; ''cos they -was afeard to go alone,' says he. 'Afeard o' their own bogeys,' says -Maister John, and then they both laughed so hearty that daze me if I -didn't bust out too, and had to clap the tail of a coat in my jaws so -they shouldn' hear. 'T'ud ha' been gashly if they found me, and drawed -out o' me how maidy Susan had put me theer, and--well, you bean't -a-hearkenin', so I'll say no more." - -In truth, Dick's ears were closed; his mind was rapidly piecing together -the fragmentary items of information Sam had given him. They had now -reached the Towers; Dick went straight to his bedroom, and sat with his -elbow on the window-sill, looking out over the grey sullen sea, and -striving to bind together these separate strands. The outcome of his -meditation was as follows: - -Something important was to happen within forty-eight hours, and it -depended on the weather. It was now midday on Friday; what was to be -done would be done before midday on Sunday. There had been mention of -carriers--that implied a smuggling run. Penwarden's name had not been -mentioned, but two men had been said to be on guard. Over whom or what? -Not over smuggled goods, for the run had not yet taken place. Not over -the revenue officers, for the phrase would then have been "on the watch" -or something similar. The word "guard" would naturally be used in -connection with a prisoner; that prisoner must be Penwarden: where was -he? The men on guard were afraid; no doubt the place chosen for his -imprisonment was a lonely spot, not in the village, but somewhere remote -from the scene of the impending operations, unless, indeed, it was -intended to ship him to France in the lugger that brought the cargo. In -that case he would probably be in some secure nook near the shore. - -Perplexed, Dick wondered whether he had at last discovered a clue. It -was at least worth while to follow it up. The men whose names had been -mentioned were well known to him. Pennycomequick was a cobbler, -Nancarrow a farmer, whose holding was situated about three miles away on -the moor. To make direct inquiries might awaken suspicion: how could he -discover where they were? An idea struck him. No doubt their guard -would be relieved. Trevanion had been surprised to learn that two were -on duty; the task, then, was usually undertaken by one. Was it possible -to find out if any one left the village secretly during the day? - -Suddenly a simple stratagem occurred to him. He took up an old, worn -pair of boots, ran downstairs, and called Sam. - -"Take these down to Pennycomequick's, and tell him to sole them, and to -put a good iron tip on the heels. If he is not there, ask when he will -be back. Be sure not to forget that, and be as quick as you can." - -"Iss, I woll," said Sam, "for I do have a hankerin' arter dinner." - -He hurried away, and returned when Dick was half through his midday -meal. Dick heard the boy clumping into the house, but did not go to him -at once, being disinclined to enter into explanations with his parents -at this stage. He left the table as soon as he could, and found Sam -busy with dumpling and gravy in the kitchen. - -"Well, Sam?" he said. - -"Mistress commands me not to speak wi' my mouth full," mumbled the boy. -"Now I can tell 'ee," he went on after a few moments. "Pennycomequick -bean't to home. He be gone to Trura to buy leather." - -"When will he be back?" - -"'Them above alone knows,' says the woman when I axed her. 'He said -four, but what Pennycomequick says, and what he do, be as far apart as -from here to nowhere.' If that be all you want to know, Maister Dick, -I'll continny work on this noble pudden." - -Dick was satisfied. He returned to his room, and, about three o'clock, -mounted to the roof of one of the towers from which the house took its -name. With him he carried an excellent spy-glass which remained to the -Squire from his seafaring days. From this lofty eyrie a view could be -obtained for miles around. If the cobbler and the farmer were on guard -together, it was likely that they would be relieved together, and they -could hardly return, the one to the village, the other to his farm on -the moor, without coming at some part of their journey within range of -vision. Dick felt a momentary damping of the spirits when it occurred -to him that Penwarden's place of concealment might be some nook below -the cliffs. In that case the sentries would be changed by boat from the -harbour, and he would see nothing of them. But even in that case the -farmer must ascend the hill and cross the moor, and though he might be -concealed at some portions of his road by trees and bushes, he must at -length cross open country. Behind the parapet Dick could watch unseen, -and he settled himself to wait in patience. - - - - - CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH - - Doubledick on Duty - - -It was a chill, dreary afternoon. The sky weighed upon earth and sea -like a canopy of lead. The wind moaned and sighed about the roof; the -trees seemed to shiver in their nakedness. From over the cliff came the -hollow murmur of the breakers. Northward Penwarden's cottage stood -lonely and forlorn; eastward stretched the dark gloomy waste of -moorland; southward the village huddled in its cleft as if for warmth, a -few thin streamers of smoke flying inland on the wind. Nearer the Dower -House a score of men were engaged in erecting sheds and machinery for -Trevanion's miners, and the sound of their voices came in mournful -cadence to Dick's ears. - -For some time there was scarcely a movement on the face of the country. -Presently a carrier's cart rumbled down the road, stopping at the Dower -House. Through his spy-glass Dick saw Susan's bright face smiling as -she spoke to the carrier, who conveyed into the house boxes, baskets, -and packets of various shapes and sizes. Dick remembered that on the -morrow Trevanion was entertaining a party of friends to celebrate the -reopening of the mines. He was miserably conscious of the contrast -between his cousin's lot and his own. Why, he asked himself, had Fate -dealt so hardly with the Trevanions of the Towers? The cart moved on, -no doubt to the Five Pilchards, where the carrier would refresh himself -before starting on his return journey to Truro. The workmen shouldered -their tools and tramped after it, and when they had disappeared the land -was left in its former immobility. - -At length, as the gloom was deepening with the dusk, Dick descried, some -distance to his left, two figures moving slowly along, one towards him -on the high road, the other away from him, crossing a ploughed field -towards a footpath that led from the road, some distance behind, across -the moor. The sky was so lowering that Dick could not at first, even -through his glass, identify the men. The receding figure dwindled, and -was by-and-by lost to sight; the advancing one increased, and became -recognisable by its crookedness as that of Pennycomequick, the cobbler. -But he bore no bundle of leather. He passed the Towers in the direction -of the village, and soon he too had vanished. - -Dick could not doubt that the other man was the farmer, Jimmy Nancarrow. -The path into which he had struck led to his farm. Where had they come -from? Not far along the high road, otherwise the farmer would have left -it when he reached the path, and have gone the easiest and shortest way -home; unless, indeed, he had remained with the cobbler for company's -sake. Dick smiled at this thought. Pennycomequick was the most crabbed -and crossgrained man in the village; whereas Nancarrow was a hearty, -jovial fellow, not the kind of man to walk an extra half-mile and tramp -over a ploughed field for the pleasure of the cobbler's society. It -seemed more probable that the men had come to the road together from -some adjacent spot, and that the farmer had left it at once. - -Cold and hungry after his hour of watching, Dick was about to descend -into the house when he caught sight of Tonkin's lugger beating up from -northward against the south-west wind, and evidently making for the -harbour. He gazed at her through his glass. Tonkin and three other men -were aboard her. A large fishing-net was heaped on the deck. It was a -strange coincidence that these movements on sea and land should have -been contemporaneous. Dick went down the stairs to the living-room, -then vacant, lay down in front of the fire, and ruminated on what he had -seen, until the warmth sent him to sleep. - -When he awoke, his father was in the room. Dick considered whether he -should speak about the clues which he believed he had discovered, and -decided that, since nothing was as yet certain, he would keep silence -until he had carried his investigation further. To search for the -tracks of the two men, or to follow them up if found, would be -impossible that evening; but this was to be his task as soon as there -was clear daylight on the morrow. - -"Mr. Mildmay is going to the randy at the Dower House to-morrow, I -hear," said the Squire. - -"Is he, sir?" replied Dick, surprised. - -"Yes; I heard it from Mr. Polwhele, who is going too." - -"Mr. Mildmay is almost a stranger, and 'tis rather a dull life for him -between whiles; but Mr. Polwhele knew John Trevanion years ago, did he -not, sir?" - -"Oh! he is going as watch-dog. He suspects that the invitation may be a -trick to get them out of the way while the smugglers run a cargo, and -got Mr. Mildmay to promise to leave promptly at nine. He accompanies him -to see that he is not detained." - -"Nothing has been heard of old Joe, Father?" - -"Nothing at all. I incline to think that we shall soon see him again. -With Mr. Polwhele on the alert, and Mr. Mildmay also, let us hope, there -can be neither run nor shipment, and the rascals will tire of keeping -guard on the old man." - -Again Dick was on the point of disclosing what he knew, but was -restrained by the same feeling that suspicion must become certainty -before any steps were taken. - -Next morning, waking before it was light, he rose and dressed, roused -Sam, and set off with him to investigate the neighbourhood of the spot -where he had first seen Nancarrow and Pennycomequick. The air was crisp -and clear, with the first nip of frost, giving promise of a fine -morning. There had been rain in the night, but a thin film of ice -covered the ruts and pools, and the boys might have been tracked in the -darkness by the slight crackling under their feet as the icy layer gave -way. - -The night was yielding by the time they reached the high-road near the -point where Nancarrow had left it. The farmer's tracks were easily -discoverable in the ploughed field, for, having been filled up by rain, -the prints of his large boots formed a series of white and regular -patches in the frost-besprinkled ground. A covey of snipe rose into the -air from the sedgy border of a pool at the side of the field, and Sam -pointed out a fox with lowered brush slinking along after them beside a -hedge of brambles. - -"We have other foxes to run to earth--two-legged foxes," said Dick, who -had told Sam on the way the occasion and the object of their expedition. -Sam had a quick eye for the tracks of birds and beasts, but when they -had traced the farmer's footprints back to the road, even he was at a -loss. The rain had washed the hard surface of the highway, and -obliterated the tracks of footfarers. - -Finding their examination of the road likely to prove fruitless, they -scrambled through the hedge on the left, and crossed into the rugged and -uneven ground that lay between the road and Penwarden's cottage. There -were no footprints on the path that ran past the cottage, nor on the -coarse grass with which the earth was covered. Returning to the road, -they walked for a quarter of a mile further, until they reached the -footpath which, in the ordinary course of things, the farmer would have -taken. They failed to light upon any more traces. - -"I'll work backwards along the other side under the hedge," said Dick. -"Nancarrow must have crossed the road. You go back to where we saw his -footprints, and I'll keep pace with you. No; we'll change parts; I can -easily find the prints; your eyes are quicker than mine to discover new -ones." - -"That's true," said Sam, gratified by this testimony to his powers. -"Wend along, then, Maister Dick, and holla when you come to 'em." - -In a few minutes Dick called to Sam to halt. The latter bent towards the -road, and scrutinised its hard surface minutely, for several yards in -each direction beyond the point opposite to that where Dick stood. - -"Neither heel nor toe mark do I see," he said at length. "The road be -washed clean." - -He stood erect and gazed about him in a puzzled way. All at once his -eyes became fixed on one portion of the hedge. Stepping towards it, he -stooped and peered among the stiff rime-encrusted leaves. - -"Hoy!" he called. - -"Hush!" said Dick, hastening towards him. "Speak low; there may be some -one about. What have you found?" - -"Look' ee see," replied Sam in a mysterious whisper. - -Dick stooped; there was a patch of foliage less thick than the hedge -around it; some of the leaves had apparently been shaken off, and here -and there twigs were broken. - -"Some man, fox, or other creeping thing hev squeezed hisself through -theer," said Sam. "We'll do the same." - -He thrust his body against the hedge, which yielded to his pressure, and -without much effort he passed through to the other side. - -"Dear life!" he whispered, "here be the line o' fortune. Come through, -Maister." - -Dick followed him. The softer earth on the seaward side of the hedge, -more receptive than the highway, showed distinct traces of the passage -of clumping boots. Some were recent; some appeared to be of slightly -older date. Looking along the ground towards the sea, they saw that the -grass was crushed over a width of two or three feet, though many more -goings and comings were needed to make it a beaten path. - -This was a discovery indeed. - -"We will follow it up," said Dick. - -They set off side by side. Dick was surprised to find how frequently, -and to all appearance erratically, the track wound to right and left. -But after a few moments it became clear that the deviations were not -accidental, but purposeful. The general surface of the ground was very -uneven, here a bump, there a hollow; now a patch of gorse, then a -stretch bare of all but grass. Of these features advantage had been -taken by those whose passing had made the track. They had chosen, not -the easiest route, but that on which they would be least visible from -the direction of the village. Dick noticed that nowhere along the path -were the towers of his home in sight, although a few yards to right or -left they were completely in view. This explained how it was that -Pennycomequick and Nancarrow, if they had come this way from the cliff -to the road, had escaped his observation from the parapet. - -They had followed the track for perhaps half a mile when the ivy-clad -ruins of the chapel above St. Cuby's Well came into view. Instantly -recollections, suspicions, deductions linked themselves in Dick's mind. -Penwarden had mentioned a hiding-place which the smugglers were believed -to have on the shore, but which was seldom used, and had never been -discovered. The old mine, with its abandoned workings, would form an -ideal temporary store for contraband goods. But how was access to it -obtained from the sea? Not by the entrance to the seal cave, for this -was unsuitable in itself for a storehouse, and the work of hoisting the -tubs up the wall and over the ledge would be very laborious. Dick -remembered the transverse gallery which he had passed on his way through -the adit to the well; probably the hiding-place would be found at the -shoreward end of that, though it was strange that the pertinacity of the -revenue officers had never discovered it. Another surprising -circumstance was the choice of the well as the channel for the -conveyance of goods between the shore and the country. The horror and -dread in which it was held by the villagers had seemed genuine; yet, if -his reasoning was correct, the fear of ghosts had not been so potent as -to prevent the smugglers from entering it. Possibly there was another -shaft connecting the hiding-place with the upper ground; but remembering -the strutted adit he had traversed, Dick felt sure that the goods were -brought to the surface by way of the well. The explanation of this -puzzling fact did not occur to him till later. - -As they approached the well the boys proceeded with great caution. - -"I believe they have got Penwarden down there," said Dick. "Somebody is -guarding him; somebody may be watching in the chapel. If we are seen it -will be awkward for us, and perhaps still more for old Joe." - -"Daze it all, we could run to the Towers and tell of all their wicked -doings. But do 'ee think they bean't afeard o' the ghosteses?" - -"They don't appear to be." - -"Dash my simple soul, I see their manin', I do b'lieve. 'Afeard o' -their own bogeys,' says Maister John. They do be the ghosteses their -own selves. To think o' their deceivin' ways, tarrifyin' poor simple -folks like you and me wi' their feignin'!" - -They spoke in whispers, peering ahead, listening for sounds. But there -was nothing to alarm eyes or ears, and they came at length beneath the -shade of the masonry, and stood on the brink of the well. Here there -were clear traces of recent movements--traces which might have escaped -them had they come unsuspectingly, but which were evident to their -prepared perception. The herbage was slightly trodden; the topmost -staple was not so thickly cased with rust as it had been at their last -visit; and the mossy coating of the stonework at the edge was darkened -at two places, about two feet apart, where the hands of men ascending -would have rested for support. - -"We must go down and explore the adits," said Dick. - -"But we couldn't see a hand's length ahead of us," replied Sam, fumbling -in his pocket. "No; there's no candle; have you got one?" - -"No. 'Tis a pity. We had better go back for breakfast and come again -by-and-by. Just take a look round and see that nobody is about." - -Sam left the slight hollow in which the ruins were situated, and mounted -to a spot whence the ground sloping up to Penwarden's cottage, and the -whole expanse southward to the Towers, could be scanned. No one was in -sight, but the boys considered it prudent to return by the road, as they -had come, and made the best of their way back. The hour was still -early; there were neither vehicles nor pedestrians visible; and they -arrived at the Towers considerably excited by their discovery, and with -a healthy appetite for breakfast. - -While they were still engaged in that meal, John Trevanion issued from -the front door of the Dower House. He wore an old shooting-coat and -leggings, and carried a fowling-piece slung over his shoulder. Leaving -his own grounds, he skirted those of the Towers, gained the road, walked -along it for some distance, then struck into the path leading past -Penwarden's cottage in the direction of St. Cuby's Well. He sauntered -easily along, and although he had apparently come out to shoot, he was -not accompanied by a dog, nor did he proceed with that intent -watchfulness which a sportsman usually displays. - -When he arrived on the crest of rising ground beyond which lay the well -at the distance of a quarter-mile, he paused, and looked round in all -directions, as a man might look who is either seeking game or admiring a -landscape. Then he resumed his walk, but at a much brisker pace than -before. On coming within a hundred yards of the ruins, he began with -apparent carelessness to whistle a tune. In a few moments the mass of -ivy hanging before a doorway parted, and a man appeared. Trevanion -threw a swift glance behind him, then advanced, joined the man who was -awaiting him, and vanished with him behind the ivy. - -"All well, Doubledick?" he asked. - -"Iss, well enough, though I shall say 'praise be' with a feelin' heart -when 'tis all over." - -"_You_'re not afraid of bogeys, Doubledick?" - -"Not I. But 'tis lonesome, and never a soul to change a word with." - -"Jake Tonkin did not stay with you, then?" - -"No. 'A would hev if so be I'd axed un; but when his feyther landed me -I seed they two chuckleheads afeard o' their own bogeys--hee! hee! 'tis -your sayin', Maister John. I wouldn't lose my fame wi' the likes o' -they, so when Jake axed should he bide, I answered un bold as brass, I -assure 'ee. Not that I wouldn' ha' been glad o' company, for 'tis a -'nation long time from four o'clock yesterday till midnight to-day." - -"It is, but 'twas right not to change guard too often. The less coming -and going the better, even by sea. Pennycomequick and Nancarrow -returned on the lugger, of course?" - -"Well, no. The sea was choppy, and the wind stiff agen 'em, so they -come this way to save time and squeamishness." - -"Chuckleheads, as you say. I hope they were careful not to be seen." - -"Trust 'em for that. Nanky 'ud go straight to farm, and Penny's crooked -frame 'ud make nobody mispicious." - -"Well, twelve hours will see the end of it. All is planned, and will go -like clockwork. The officers are coming at six; they talk of leaving at -nine, and I shall not hinder them." - -"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick. - -"Tonkin and his crew will do their part. They won't be back in time to -lend a hand here, but we have enough without them. The wind holds; the -cutter will not trouble us; and we can go to church to-morrow and sing -'Te Deum' with some satisfaction." - -"Ay, true, 'twill be summat noble to talk about to-morrer in churchyard -among the tombs." - -"Well, I'll go and bag a brace of woodcock on the moor. I'll look in on -Nancarrow, too; 'tis just as well to be sure he met nobody." - -Trevanion moved to the ancient doorway and pulled aside the screen of -ivy. But he let it fall quickly and stepped back. - -"Look here, Doubledick," he said in a whisper. - -Doubledick went to his side, and peered out through the foliage. Two -figures were approaching the spot, not by the track from the road, but -across the higher ground. Each carried a fowling-piece. - -"Come out shooting, like me," whispered Trevanion. - -"They didn' see 'ee?" said Doubledick anxiously. - -"Not they. If they had seen me they wouldn't have followed. The last -person young Dick would wish to meet would be his cousin." - -Themselves concealed behind the ivy, the two men could watch the -new-comers without the risk of being seen. They expected the boys to -pass by, as nine villagers out of ten would have done, and the -expression on their faces changed when Dick and Sam came directly -towards the ruins, and, what was still more surprising, straight towards -the well. Anger was written on Trevanion's countenance, and alarm on -Doubledick's. The boys stood for a moment at the brink of the well. -Then Dick, telling Sam to follow him immediately, kindled the candle in -his hatband, lowered himself over the edge, and began to descend. - -A muffled curse broke from Doubledick's lips. He reached for Trevanion's -gun, but Trevanion, now smiling, withdrew it, and signed to the -inn-keeper to be silent. They remained where they stood for a minute or -two after Sam had disappeared, then went forward to the well and peered -down into the depths. The shaft was in darkness. It was clear that the -boys had entered the adit. - -There was no one to hear the short dialogue that ensued between the two -men standing close together at the head of the well. Apparently it was -of agreeable tenor, for both smiled, though hardly with amusement. -Doubledick took from his pocket a strip of something soft and black, -removed his hat, and tied to his face a mask of crape. Then, with no -light to guide his footsteps, he made his way downward into the shaft as -the boys had done. When he had entirely disappeared, Trevanion -shouldered his gun, and sauntered towards the road. Crossing this, he -tramped over the moor towards Nancarrow's farm. Rather more than an -hour later he was overtaken on the Truro road by Mr. Carlyon, who was -riding his cob towards the village. - -[Illustration: "THERE WAS NO ONE TO HEAR THE SHORT DIALOGUE THAT ENSUED -AT THE HEAD OF THE WELL."] - -"Fine birds, vicar," said Trevanion, holding up a brace of woodcock and -a moor-hen. "They'll look smaller on my table a few hours hence." - -"Good morning, Mr. Trevanion," said the parson, and rode by. - - - - - CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH - - Across the Pit - - -All unconscious of what was happening behind them, the boys, on reaching -the foot of the well, passed through the open doorway into the narrow -passage. - -"These be rare doings," began Sam; but Dick silenced him. - -"Don't speak, Sam," he whispered. "We don't know who is here, or how -near." - -They passed on their left the passage where Dick had been checked by the -landfall on his first approach from the cave. Moving slowly and with -great caution, stopping every now and then to listen, they uttered never -a word until they arrived at the point where the transverse gallery -struck off to the right. Here they halted. It was necessary to decide -whether to go straight on, and come by-and-by to the seal cave, or to -turn into the passage, which they had never as yet traversed. A moment -sufficed for coming to a decision. The light from Dick's candle showed -that this passage was strutted, like that along which they had already -come. - -"This must be the way," whispered Dick, and low as was his tone, the -words echoed and re-echoed strangely in the narrow gallery. - -They advanced, picking their way still more carefully than before, -peering into the darkness ahead, occasionally turning to look behind -them. The floor of the adit at first sloped slightly downwards, but at -length appeared to become level. The air was close and stuffy. Sam, -following his young master, and seeing the weird shadows cast on the -walls by the smoking flame, was soon in a cold sweat, not so much of -fear as of nervous anticipation. His dread of ghosts had disappeared -with knowledge; but it was knowledge of a negative kind. He knew there -were no ghosts, but his imagination conjured up nameless terrors. More -than once he was tempted to retreat, but he was too apprehensive even to -halt long enough to strike a light and kindle his own candle, and the -sight of Dick's tall form moving steadily on in front of him helped him -to pluck up courage. - -When they had been walking for a few minutes, Sam suddenly hurried -forward and caught Dick by the arm. - -"I heerd summat!" he whispered hoarsely. - -Dick stopped. Far from comfortable himself, the touch of Sam's hand -made him jump, and the thumping of his heart was almost audible. They -listened intently; no sound struck upon their ears. - -"It must have been a falling stone," said Dick. - -"Suppose the roof fell on us, same as it did in the cave!" murmured Sam. - -"'Tis not likely. Don't get jumpy, Sam. Let us go on." - -Again they advanced; a few steps brought them to another adit branching -to the right; but a glance at this revealing no struts, Dick decided not -to change his course until he had thoroughly explored the passage in -which he was. In a few minutes he came to another adit, this time on -the left, and this also he passed by for the same reason, and because it -was narrower than any of those he had hitherto seen. Now the floor -seemed to ascend gradually, and shortly afterwards became much more -uneven. At length he stopped short, and waited until Sam came up with -him. - -"Look at this," he whispered. - -Sam looked, and saw a narrow plank bridge, about seventeen feet long, -spanning a black, yawning chasm. - -"'Tis an old mine shaft," said Dick. "We must cross the bridge." - -"Will it bear us, think 'ee?" said Sam timorously. - -"It will, if it bears smugglers carrying tubs. We must try." - -Dick leant forward and probed the planks with the muzzle of his -fowling-piece. - -"'Tis firm and steady," he said. "I will go first. Don't start until I -get across. The candle will give you more light than it gives me." - -"I don't like to see 'ee do it," said Sam, almost whimpering. "If ye -fall, 'twill be yer grave." - -But Dick had already set his foot on the bridge. He trod warily, moving -almost by inches until he reached the middle. Then he quickened his -pace, and covered the second half in three swift strides. - -"'Tis quite safe," he whispered, turning at the end. - -"Didn' it wamble?" - -"No." - -"Not a little teeny bit?" - -"Come, come, I am heavier than you." - -"Well, I woll." - -He moistened his lips, pressed his hat firmly on his head, then started -forward and crossed the whole bridge at a run. - -"Here I be!" he panted. "Name it all! I'll never do it again." - -"Then I shall leave you behind. My word! 'tis close and stuffy here." - -They went on. In a minute or two the passage widened, and looking -round, they discovered that they were in what appeared to be the -entrance to a huge cavern. Still advancing, they were brought up within -a few yards by a rough and irregular wall, not wholly of granite, like -the wall of the seal cave, but partly of rock, partly of earth. There -were small heaps of soil and stones of different sizes on the uneven -floor, and the wall was not perpendicular, but inclined like the eaves -of a house. - -Dick gazed about him in search of a further opening. There was none. -The way was blocked, just as it had been in the offshoot of the passage -from the seal cave to the well. The general appearance of the place -indicated that at some time or other the upper earth had fallen in. To -make sure that there was not even the smallest orifice in the wall, Dick -moved close along it, carefully examining it by the light of his candle. -When about half-way round, he stopped, and placed his hand on something -that protruded from the wall, which was here earthen. But this -projecting object was neither earth nor rock. In shape it was convex and -regular. He passed his hand over it, brushing off some adhering -particles of soil. - -"Why, Sam," he said wonderingly, "'tis part of a tub." - -"Do 'ee tell o't?" said Sam, moving his palm over the surface. "So -'tis, and be-dazed if there bean't a rope on it." - -He tugged at the rope, and fell backwards, almost upsetting Dick. - -"Rot it all!" he exclaimed. - -"'Tis rotted already," said Dick smiling. "It must have been there a -long time." - -"Cansta pull un out, Maister?" said Sam. "Maybe there's summat inside, -and I do be most tarrible dry." - -"We'll see; but you shan't drink neat spirit, Sam, so you needn't think -it. Lend a hand here." - -Between them the boys soon succeeded in working the tub from the loose -earth in which it was imbedded. It was a small barrel about fourteen -inches in diameter, bound with wooden hoops, exactly similar to those -which the smugglers were wont to use. The broken rope, or "sling -stuff," as it was called, attached to it proved that it had once formed -part of a run cargo. Sam shook it; there was no "glug" of liquor. - -"'Tis spiled, sure enough," he said, "but the hoops bean't broke." - -"Here's another, Sam," said Dick, who had been looking into the hole -left by the removal of the tub. "I can't help thinking we have come to -an old haunt of the smugglers; yes, I understand it now. You know there -was a landslip hundreds of years ago, just beyond the cove. The earth -must have fallen in on a cargo before it could be removed." - -"But why didn' they dig 'em out arterwards? And why be the tub as empty -as a drum?" - -"Yes, 'tis strange they did not dig them out, but the emptiness is easy -to understand. The spirit has run away." - -"Run away! How could it with the tub sound, not a hole in it? Besides, -there bean't no smell, and I don't care who the man is, but if sperits -run out, you can smell 'em anywhere." - -"I suppose----" began Dick, but his answer was suddenly cut short. From -the direction of the passage through which they had come there fell upon -their ears a dull rumbling sound, which reverberated for a few seconds, -then died away into silence. - -The boys stood for a moment in silent bewilderment; then, with a -foreboding of evil, Dick hastened back from the cavern along the -gallery. In a minute the astounding cause of the noise was explained. -The bridge by which they had crossed the shaft was gone. Only the -jagged end of it jutted out from the further brink of the chasm. By the -flickering light of the candle Dick thought he saw a figure moving -backwards through the gallery on the opposite side. He shouted, his -voice coming back to him in a hundred echoes. The figure disappeared, -if indeed it were not an hallucination: Dick's state of horrified -amazement might well predispose him to see visions. He stood on the -brink, bathed in chill and clammy perspiration. He realised to the full -the situation of himself and his companion. They were trapped in the -gallery. Before them was a shaft perhaps hundreds of feet deep; behind, -an impenetrable wall. - -"I said I'd never do it again, and I never will," sobbed Sam. - -"Hoy! hoy!" shouted Dick. - -"Yo-hoy, hoy!" Sam repeated in his rougher tones. - -But there was no reply; only the mocking, receding echoes. - -Dick leant against the wall in dull stupefaction. He had said nothing to -his parents about the expedition; he had expressly charged Sam not to -speak of it to Reuben. His very caution had proved his undoing. So -common was it for him to be all day away from home with Sam that their -absence would scarcely be remarked until night, and then, even if it -caused alarm, no one would dream of looking for them at the well, still -less in one of the passages below. But if Dick's suspicions and -inferences were well founded, at some time during the day or night there -would be smugglers in one or other of the galleries, and they would -surely come within sound of his voice, and not be so base as to refuse -to help him. Then it struck him that perhaps such a cry might merely -terrify them; that they might believe it to be the utterance of the -disembodied spirits that were said to haunt the place. But no; as his -first terrors subsided, and he regained his thinking power, a sudden -light dawned upon him. The ghosts were the invention of the smugglers -themselves! They had taken advantage of ancient tradition and floating -rumour for their own purposes, encouraged the credulity of the many in -order that the few might preserve the secret of their hiding-place. And -then it flashed upon him that his presence near their jealously-guarded -lair had been discovered, and that his return had been deliberately cut -off, so that they might carry out undisturbed the important operation of -which Trevanion and Doubledick had spoken. In that case his -incarceration would be temporary, like Penwarden's. As soon as the run -had been accomplished, he, like the old exciseman, would be liberated, -and the smugglers would gloat over their triumphant strategy. - -"How many candles have you got?" he asked suddenly. - -Sam rummaged in his pocket, and produced five stumps varying in length. - -"They will last about twelve hours," said Dick. "There is no wind here -to make them gutter." - -"But they won't make us a bridge," groaned Sam. - -"Listen to me," said Dick. - -Speaking calmly, he told Sam the conclusions to which he had come. - -"Now, Sam, you see what we have to do. It was about nine o'clock when -we came down the well. It will be twelve hours or more before they -attempt the run. We have twelve hours before us; we must get across the -shaft and dish them--I don't know how, but we must do it." - -"How can we? Rake it all, we shall have no dinner!" - -"Don't talk like that," said Dick sternly. "We want all our wits and -determination. 'Tis mere folly to think about dinner, or groan and moan -because we are hungry. I tell you, young Sam, you must do your best to -help, and be cheerful, or you and I will split." - -"Well, I'll keep my solemn thoughts to myself and spake out nothing but -merry ones, if I can think 'em." - -Dick considered for a few moments; then he took from his pocket a knife -and a long piece of string, knotted the latter about the haft, and stuck -the blade into a lighted candle. This he lowered into the chasm, lying -at full length to make the most of the string. But the flame revealed -no bottom to the shaft. Even had they seen a floor it seemed impossible -to get there, or, getting there, to be in any way profited. At one time, -no doubt, there had been a means of ascending and descending the shaft; -but the very existence of the bridge showed that the machinery had long -since disappeared, and the passage-way by which they had made their -entrance was the only exit. - -"We had better blow out the candle," said Dick. "We don't know how long -we may be here, and you may be glad to eat it before we get out of -this." - -"That I never could; but 'tis wisdom to save it, when we can't see -anything nice to look at, and you can allers meditate better in the -dark." - -They reclined against the wall of the gallery. For a time they were -silent except for sighs that now and then escaped Sam's heaving breast. -After one prolonged expiration Dick asked sharply what he was grunting -about. - -"Don't 'ee laugh, now, if I tell o't," said Sam pleadingly. "My simple -thought was, what would Maidy Susan say if she knowed o' this horrible -place o' torment? 'There shall be weepin' and gnashin' o' teeth,' says -pa'son; 'twill come to that afore long wi' me. There now, 'nation take -it! I said I'd spake merry thoughts. Maybe you could put one into my -mizzy-mazy head, Maister Dick." - -"I'll break it for you if you can't talk sense---- There! Did you hear -that?" - -"'Twas like the whisk of a rabbit's scut among the furze. Hoy! Yo-hoy! -Come and help two poor boys in misery." - -"Hoy! hoy!" shouted Dick. - -The echoes crossed and clashed, but there was no answer. - -Another period of silence. It seemed to last for hours. At length Dick -relit the candle and once more scanned the shaft. Could he jump it? He -measured it with his eye. He had never been to school; jumping as a -sport was unknown to him. In the ordinary course of his outdoor -adventures he had sometimes leapt across a stream or from rock to rock, -but never a space so wide as this. Realising the impossibility of the -feat, he blew out the candle and returned to his place beside Sam. - -"I seed yer thought," said the boy, "but Sir Bevil fox-hunting never -took a gap like that. A hoss med do it, but not a two-legged body." - -Again there was silence. Presently Sam fell asleep, snoring vigorously. -Dick pondered and puzzled; to him sleep was impossible. All at once he -remembered the barrel he had found in the wall of the cave. A faint -hope stirred within him. He wakened Sam, relit the candle, and hurried -back through the passage. - -"What be goin' to do?" asked Sam. - -"To see how many tubs there are," he said. - -"If there be a million they bean't no good wi' all the sperits gone -a-lost," said Sam. "Howsomever, 'twill be summat to do to count 'em, -and keep us from the squitchems." - -They regained the cave. Dick, bending so that the light of the candle -shone full into the hole in the wall, began to scrape away with his -knife the earth that partially concealed the second barrel. Not to be -backward, Sam set to work in the same way a little to the right. The -second tub was soon unearthed, then a third. - -"We must be careful not to disturb the earth above," said Dick, "or we -shall have the rest covered up again. I believe there are a good number -here." - -"All leery," said Sam with a sigh. "But I don't care who the man is, -they bean't leerier nor I.... There's my tongue runnin' to vittals -again; I reckon 'tis because I hain't done growin'." - -After resting a while, they resumed their work. In course of time, they -had a row of ten or twelve barrels standing against the wall. - -"I wish there was something else," said Dick. - -"What yer manin' be 'tis not for me to say," said Sam, "but my feelings -be just the same. Why, dash my bones, here _be_ summat else; a box, -Maister; look at un." - -He drew forth a long flat box, which he shook as he had shaken the -barrels. - -"Ah! 'tis full o' nothing, seemingly. If 'twas only tay, now, or bacca -that we med chaw; but 'tis a'most as light as a feather." - -He prised up the lid of the box with his knife. The wood was thin, and -crumbled away at the touch of the steel. There was something pink -beneath, and the removal of the lid disclosed a quantity of silk, which, -when it was unfolded, proved to be many yards in length. - -"Only think o't!" said Sam. "Don't it feel plum! Oh! what a noble -garment 't'ud make for Maidy Susan!" - -"'Tis much too good for her," said Dick. "It would suit Mother better." - -"True, 'tis fit for queens and other high females, but the Mistress be -gettin' a old ancient person, and 't'ud look more fitty on a nesh young -frame. Ah me! it bean't no good for high or low, this side o' that dark -fearsome hole in the ground." - -"Let us see if there are any more boxes," said Dick. "And let me tell -you, Mother is only forty-five, so mind what you say, Sam." - -"Well, forty-five is more 'n double twenty, can 'ee deny it? When I be -forty-five, I shall be a old aged feller with a beard and a shiny sconce -like Feyther, and he don't care a cuss what raiment he do wear." - -Further search brought to light several boxes like the first, containing -silks of various hue, and laces which even to Dick's inexperience -appeared valuable. The materials seemed to be in as good a condition as -when they left Lyons or Nice, and without doubt represented a -considerable sum of money. But to Dick, as he contemplated them, they -suggested a more immediate and urgent use than the turning into money. -The wood of the barrels appeared to be sound; it had been preserved from -rotting by their spirituous contents. By breaking them up into their -separate staves, he would have at his disposal enough timber to make a -bridge. The staves were two feet long and about five inches broad; ten -or twelve lengths would be required to span the gap, and allow -sufficient grip. The "sling-stuff" round the barrels, as he had already -proved, was too friable to be of any value for lashing, but the silk, -torn into strips, might answer this purpose. - -"Take hold of the end of this," he said to Sam, handing him a length of -the material, "and pull as hard as you can." - -The test proved that the silk was capable of enduring a heavy direct -strain, and if this were so in the piece, it would be still stronger -when wound many times about the wood. - -Dick explained his plan. - -"Drown it all!" cried Sam. "What a tarrible deed o' wickedness! Can -'ee abear to think o' this noble shinin' stuff tore to strents and -lippets?" - -"'Tis a pity, of course, but 'tis more important that we should get over -the gap than that any woman, matron or maid, should flaunt it in fine -array. We'll set to work at once. Time must be getting on. The candle -has nearly gone: that means three hours or so. Light another, Sam." - -Dick tore the silk carefully into even strips, while Sam knocked the -ends off the tubs, and broke the staves apart. Every now and then the -boy paused, heaving a deep sigh. - -"'Tis like a knife goin' through my soul every time I hear the hoosh ye -do make," he said. "There, I says to myself, there goes the sleeve, and -that's the petticoat, and there's this part and that I don't know the -true name of. Ah well, Maidy Susan will never know from me, that's one -comfort. She'd be cryin' her pretty eyes out, that 'a would, if she did -see the deed o' destruction." - -When nine or ten barrels had been broken up, and the floor was strewn -with strips of silk, pink, blue, green, and other colours, Dick began to -arrange the materials for constructing the bridge. It was to be about -twenty feet long, to allow for a sufficient overlapping at each end of -the gap. When he came to consider the actual details of construction he -saw that his first idea, a bridge to cross on foot, was not feasible. -The staves were too narrow to afford a secure foothold, and if placed -side by side, the risk of their breaking apart was very great. He -resolved, therefore, to concentrate his energies on a single pole, -formed by binding three layers of staves together, and by means of this, -work his way across the gap hand over hand, his legs dangling in the -shaft. It would be a ticklish feat; indeed, he was by no means -confident of its possibility; but he had the strongest motives for -making the attempt, as well as a native doggedness that forbade him to -sit idle in the face of difficulty. - -The short staves had little curvature. He laid a number of them end to -end to form a length of twenty-two feet, placing them alternately so -that one had its convex, the other its concave, side to the ground, and -with overlapping ends. These he bound very firmly together. Then he -laid a second set on the first, in such a way that their joins occurred -at different spots. Then he wound the strips of silk as tightly as -possible round this double pole, carrying the windings several inches on -each side of the joints. When four or five feet of the double pole were -finished, he tested its rigidity by endeavouring to snap it across his -knee; but though the thin wood bent slightly, the lashings held firmly, -and he was well satisfied. - -"'Tis very good so far, Sam," he said; "now we must put on a third -layer." - -"'Nation take it, we shall never be done," cried Sam, stretching his -aching body. "I be mortal tired, and hungry!--there now, Maister Dick, -spake yer mind like a simple honest feller, wi'out any tongue-twistin', -and fine deceivin' language. Bean't 'ee most achin' hungry? Now, tell -me true." - -"I own I am, but 'tis no good thinking of it." - -"No more do I want. You've said it. I reckon you be just as famished -as I, if not more, only too proud to own it. Be-jowned if there be any -sech lofty pride in me." - -They proceeded with the work, lashing the third layer firmly to the -other two, and employing, for greater security, the flexible wooden -hoops which had held the barrels together. At last the bridge was -complete. It had been a long and laborious task: neither of the boys -had any idea how many hours it had occupied; they had lighted successive -candle-ends mechanically, without taking count of them. The close air -of the cave was now impregnated with smoke and tallow fumes, and both -longed for a breath of fresh air. - -All this time they had neither seen nor heard any person or thing. -Indeed, they had been so fully occupied, as scarcely to bestow a thought -on what might be going on beyond the gap. It did cross Dick's mind that -the noise made by Sam in breaking the barrels might have been heard; but -it was a considerable distance from the cave to the gap, and the passage -between them was not straight. Nobody could have seen them at work; the -sound, if it travelled beyond the gap, could only be a faint, -indistinguishable murmur then; and the absence of a bridge was an -effectual preventive of interference. It now remained to throw the -suspension bridge across the gap. They carried it through the passage, -stood it on one end, and lowered it over the opening, Sam holding the -bottom end steady while Dick let the structure down by means of a silken -rope. - -"'Tis too crazy a thing to bear a cat's weight," said Sam gloomily, when -it rested in place. - -"I don't believe you. At any rate we can't make anything better. I'll -go first, being the heavier. If I get safe across you can come after. -Hold your end firmly as I go." - -"You don't want me to look at 'ee?" - -"Why not?" - -"Because--because--drown it all!" said the boy, dashing tears from his -eyes. "Do 'ee think I could bear it if I seed 'ee drop into this -everlastin' pit?" - -"You're a good fellow, young Sam; but I shan't drop, please God!" - -He took his boots off, so that he could get a firmer grip if he had to -scramble up the opposite side. Then, while Sam lay flat on the ground -across the end of the pole, Dick swung himself over the shaft, gripping -the bridge with both hands extended above his head. He remained -motionless for a few moments, testing the strength of his support; then, -realising that the quicker he moved the better, since the strain both -upon the pole and his own endurance would be less than if he went -slowly, he began to advance hand over hand, but as smoothly as possible, -towards the other side. As he approached the middle, he saw by the -light of the candle in his hatband that the pole was sagging alarmingly, -and he felt it sway with his every movement. The further end of it was -no longer flat on the floor of the passage, but tilted up at an angle of -30 degrees. Dick shivered as he felt his support apparently slipping -downwards into the shaft. But he did not pause, and in a moment he was -relieved to find that the downward movement ceased. - -Arriving within a foot or two of the wall, he saw that he was some -little distance below the level of the passage, and the free end of the -pole, now almost perpendicular, was swaying terribly. How was he to get -up? There was no projection from the side of the shaft which he could -grasp, and it seemed that at any moment the pole might slip off into the -gulf, carrying him with it. His arms were aching with the unaccustomed -strain; not much longer could they sustain the weight of his body. -Groping with his toes on the sheer face of the shaft, he managed to get -a slight purchase with one foot. In another moment he obtained a little -better grip with the other, though in so doing he had to spread-eagle -himself. Now, with his double purchase on the wall, he was able to -relieve the weight on his hands, and take breath for the final effort. - -The lessening of the strain on the pole reduced the angle of inclination -of its free portion to the floor. Dick worked his way inch by inch -along; then, drawing his body upwards, he swung his leg over the pole, -gripping it firmly with his hands, and in a few moments was able to -reach out and grasp the free portion above the brink and haul himself on -to the floor. - -He flung himself face downward to rest, gasping a murmur of -thankfulness. Sam at the other end, though he had at first closed his -eyes, opened them almost immediately, unable to resist the fascination -of that perilous crossing. He shuddered when he saw the pole bend and -sway under Dick's weight, and pressed his lips hard together so that he -should not cry out as the further end rose higher and higher from the -level. When Dick had safely landed, Sam was too much overcome with -emotion to utter a sound. He rubbed the chill moisture from his face -and waited. - -Presently Dick got up, rekindled the candle, which had been extinguished -when he threw himself down, and called across. - -"Now 'tis your turn, Sam. You will have an easier passage than I. -Drive a couple of staves into the ground and lash the pole to them. -I'll hold it firm on this side, so that it will not sway so much as when -I crossed." - -"No; I can't do it; I'm all of a sweat," said Sam. - -"Come, come! you'll not give in, surely." - -"Iss, I woll, cheerful. Never could I sink my legs into that gashly -hole. It do put me in mind of poor fellers dangling on the drop in -Bodmin jail. No; there bean't meat enough in my inside to give me sperit -for it, and here I'll bide--I don't care who the man is--till you finds -a gangway." - -"But you'll be left in the dark. This is the last candle." - -"You won't make me afeard if you try. Here I be safe; not a soul can -get to me across this hole; and dark or light, I bean't the man for sech -a deed. I be truly sorry to leave 'ee, Maister Dick, but you'd rayther -see me sound in all my members than here a bit, there a bit." - -"Very well. You've lost your nerve, that's clear. Shy over my boots, -will you?" - -Sam lifted one and cast it; but he was apparently too much shaken to -take good aim. The boot fell into the shaft. - -"See now! 'Tis plain!" he said forlornly. "My poor wambling arm! Even -as yer boot fell, so----" - -"Hush!" cried Dick. - -There had been no sound of the boot striking on the bottom. After what -seemed a long time--it was in fact no more than two or three -seconds--from the depths came rumbling reverberations of a splash. The -water must have been nearly two hundred feet below. Both the boys were -silent as they thought of the terrible fate Dick would have met with if -he had fallen. - -"Well, good-bye, Sam!" said Dick at last, rousing himself. "One boot is -no good without the other, so you can keep it. I'll come back for you -as soon as I can." - -"I wish 'ee well, Maister." - -He stood near the brink, with a piteous expression upon his rugged face, -watching Dick's gradually receding form. When a bend in the passage hid -his master and comrade from view, he leant against the wall, and buried -his face in his hands. - - - - - CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH - - A Packet for Rusco - - -During many hours Dick had been solely preoccupied with the problem how -to recross the chasm. Penwarden, the smugglers, even the destroyer of -the bridge, were all forgotten. But now all the circumstances of his -recent misadventure returned with full force to his mind. A run was to -be attempted. The smugglers' hiding-place, which the revenue officers -had sought in vain, must be somewhere near at hand, and the person, -whosoever it was, that had flung the bridge down the shaft--for its fall -could not have been accidental--had done so with the intention of -forestalling interference. - -Dick considered what he had better do. Should he make his way back to -the well, in the hope of being able to climb it secretly and give -warning to the officers? He reflected that it might be too late for -that. Besides, his presence in these underground passages had been -observed by some one early in the morning; that same person might still -be lying in wait for him. As this idea occurred to him, he remembered -that he had left his gun behind in the cave, and for an instant thought -of returning for it; but a slight sound from the other direction made -him hastily extinguish the candle, and advance cautiously along the -passage; perhaps the bridge-destroyer was coming towards him. - -In pitch darkness he stole along, scarcely conscious of the sharp edges -and rough projections of the stone floor on which he trod. In a few -minutes he saw a faint glimmer of reflected light ahead, the source of -which was hidden from him by a bend in the passage. On reaching the -bend, he descried, moving across the end of the gallery along a -transverse one, a procession of men with candles in their hats, -hurrying, at short intervals apart, from the direction of the well. -Clinging to the wall, confident that in the black darkness he was wholly -invisible, he crept forward. By the time he came within a few yards of -the transverse passage, this, too, was in darkness, the last of the line -having passed by. - -He hastened to the corner, and peeped round to the right. The last man -was entering the narrow tunnel, which he had noticed casually as he came -by with Sam. The dimness of the flickering light, and the fact that the -man's back was towards him, prevented him from forming any conclusion as -to the identity of the individual. The light gradually dwindled, until -the opening of the tunnel was quite indistinguishable. - -Waiting for a moment or two, to listen and look along the passage -leading to the well, Dick ventured to creep stealthily in the same -direction as the men, and to penetrate into the tunnel. He had advanced -in this but a few yards, when he was made to beat a hasty retreat by a -faint but growing light at the further end, and the sound of heavy -footsteps approaching. As quickly as possible he tiptoed back in the -darkness, and regained his former station in the side gallery, where he -stood eagerly watching. In a few moments a man crossed from right to -left. His face was blackened; before and behind him hung a tub, exactly -similar to those which Sam had lately broken up. A second man followed -at a short interval, loaded in the same way; then a third, and so on, -until twenty-two had passed. They seemed by their dress to be for the -most part farm-hands, but the light from their candles was too dim to -reveal them clearly. - -The light diminished, the sound of footsteps died away, and Dick, -emerging once more into the passage, saw the end of the procession on -the way to the well. From the other direction there was no sound. Dick -felt an overmastering curiosity to discover how the run was being -worked, and whence the tubs were brought. He hastened to the tunnel, -paused for a little at the entrance, straining his ears for the -slightest sound of men returning, then went on. - -After a few steps he heard a slight creaking from some point ahead. A -glance behind assuring him that there was no present danger in this -direction, he was emboldened to proceed. There was a sudden bend in the -tunnel; at the far end he saw a light; and, hugging the wall as closely -as possible, he crept forward until the scene beyond was clearly in -view. - -He found himself near the entrance to a small oblong chamber, perhaps -twenty feet by sixteen, and scarcely eight feet high. The walls were -shored up by thick balks of wood: the roof was supported by rough beams. -The place was dimly illuminated by two lanterns standing on the top of a -pile of barrels that reached within two feet of the roof. At the far -end a man was working a windlass over a hole in the floor. Two barrels, -slung on ropes, emerged from the depths, were unhooked by the man, and -rolled against the wall on the other side of the chamber. A whiff of -cold salt air struck gratefully on Dick's senses; the smugglers' -mysterious hiding-place was clearly very near the sea. - -Dick was watching the man lower the hooks into the space beneath when he -was startled by the sound of footsteps at no great distance behind him. -Looking back, he saw a glimmer of light. Regress was barred; in a few -moments he would be discovered unless he could find a new place of -concealment. There was no time for hesitation. The back of the man at -the windlass was towards him; the tackle creaked as more tubs ascended. -In the corner of the chamber to the right was the stack of barrels on -which the lanterns stood. There appeared to be just squeezing space -between them and the wall. With his heart in his mouth Dick stole -across to them on tiptoe, and had barely gained their shelter when the -man released the tubs which had just ascended, and added them to those -that were arranged along the opposite wall. - -As Dick was creeping between the barrels and the wall, his foot touched -an obstacle, over which he almost stumbled. Fortunately, having no -boots on, he made no sound. He stood still, panting, in desperate -anxiety. In the urgency of the moment he had made for the first -hiding-place that offered itself, without reflecting that the carriers -were no doubt returning for these very barrels, and their removal must -reveal him without a possibility of escape. A thrill shot through him -as he felt a slight movement in the object at his feet, and he edged -instinctively away from it, wondering what it could be. The light from -the lanterns did not reach the floor; indeed, scarcely illuminated the -space behind, they being closed in that direction. - -He heard the footsteps drawing nearer, and, peeping through a chink -between two barrels, saw, not one, but the whole twenty-two carriers -file into the chamber, which they nearly filled. He suspected that they -had deposited their burdens at the foot of St. Cuby's Well, whence, in -all probability, these were being hoisted to the surface by means of the -windlass, which he remembered having seen near the door when he first -approached it from the seal cave. - -The man at the windlass had raised only a few barrels during their -absence, and these having been slung on the shoulders of the men who had -first entered, they returned to the entrance of the tunnel, waiting for -their comrades in turn to receive their loads. - -"Bean't this lot to go, Maister?" said one of the latter, jerking his -head towards the stack behind which Dick was concealed. Dick shivered, -and prepared to dash forth and force his way through the men grouped at -the tunnel, in the hope that their surprise and alarm, and their being -encumbered, would give him time at least to escape instant seizure. To -his relief the man at the windlass replied sharply: - -"No, they bean't. They be for the higher powers; let 'em alone. And -you come and hoist; I be tired." - -The voice was Doubledick's. - -While the tubs were being hoisted, and the waiting men talked quietly -among themselves, Dick had leisure to turn his thoughts towards the -object at his feet. It could hardly be an animal; otherwise it would -long since have betrayed him. He gently moved a foot towards it, and -touched it. Again he detected a slight movement. Passing his -stockinged toes over a few inches of the obstruction, Dick gave a start -as he recognised by the touch a man's boot. It did not move when he -pressed it: clearly it was attached to a leg, the leg to a body--and the -conviction flashed upon him that, bound and gagged at his feet, lay the -lost Joe Penwarden. To assure himself he bent down quickly, and felt -his way upward to the face. His hand encountered the shade over the old -man's sightless eye: it was Joe indeed. - -Penwarden was lying on his back, and Dick very soon discovered that he -was bound hand and foot to a plank, so tightly that only the slightest -movement was possible. His mouth was heavily gagged, but there was no -bandage over his single sound eye. Dick could not see him, and durst not -speak even in the lowest whisper, so near was he to the smugglers. But -if Penwarden was to be liberated he must be definitely assured in some -way that a friend was at work who was himself in danger; otherwise, on -being freed, he might make some sound or movement that would betray them -both. Then it occurred to Dick that, while he was unable to see -Penwarden's features, Penwarden had probably seen his, for the lanterns -shed a faint illumination on the upper part of the space behind the -barrels, to which his head almost reached. This suggested a means of -giving the old man a warning. Raising himself to his full height he -looked downwards and pressed his forefinger to his lips. The sign, if -observed, would, he knew, be effectual. - -Once more he stooped. He drew his knife from his pocket, opened it -without clicking, and silently cut the rope binding the prisoner's feet. -Then, working upward, always with the same slow care, he severed in turn -the ropes that strapped his knees and elbows to the plank, those binding -his wrists, and finally the gag over his mouth. This last probably gave -the old man the most discomfort, and might have been removed first, but -the use of his limbs was of more urgent importance just now than his -voice. - -By the time that this was done the last of the carriers had received his -load, and the creaking or the windlass had ceased. - -"That's all," said Doubledick. "Now get 'ee up-along to well, and lend -a hand in the hoisting." - -"Be we to wait for 'ee, Maister, when the tubs be all up?" asked a man. - -"No, no. You'll do best to carr' the tubs off as quick as may be. I'll -go straight home-along. To-morrer mornin', after church, if ye like ye -can come down-along to inn, where there'll be a nibleykin of rum-hot -ready for every man of 'ee." - -The carriers tramped into the tunnel, and the sound of their footsteps -died away. - -A voice came up into the chamber from below. - -"Iss," said Doubledick in reply. "Stand by while I let down the passel. -Belike ye know enough English to understand that." - -Dick fancied that he heard a low chuckle from below, and a foreign voice -say, "All right." - -Doubledick had already begun to clear away the barrels at the end of the -stack nearest to the windlass. It was plain that what he had got to do -was a secret between himself and the men below; the tub-carriers were -ignorant of it. Dick moved silently to the other end of the stack, the -place where he had entered, and gazed round to watch the innkeeper's -proceedings. Even now, though there appeared to be no danger of -detection, the upper part of his face remained covered with a mask. He -had removed the lanterns, and placed them on the floor; several of the -top row of barrels had been lifted down. His object, without doubt, was -to drag Penwarden forth, and lower him by means of the windlass to the -men waiting beneath. Dick felt sure that these were the French crew of -the lugger that had brought the cargo, and that the "parcel" they were -expecting was the old exciseman, whom they were to carry to France. - -The innkeeper's pre-occupation was Dick's opportunity. In another second -or two the cutting of the prisoner's bonds must be discovered. As -Doubledick was rolling a barrel towards the wall, Dick, moving silently -on his almost bare feet, rushed like a whirlwind on the man. Doubledick -at that moment made a half-turn, as if some instinct warned him of -danger, but he was too late to prevent Dick from getting a suffocating -grip round his neck. He gasped, groaned, struggled frantically to free -himself. Both fell to the floor, knocking over one of the lanterns, and -rolling perilously near the open trapdoor. Dick never let go his grip -on the inn-keeper's throat, for it was necessary to prevent the men -below from suspecting that anything was amiss. - -[Illustration: "DICK RUSHED LIKE A WHIRLWIND ON THE MAN."] - -Meanwhile Penwarden had scrambled painfully to his feet, and limped -towards the scene of the struggle. His limbs, cramped and numbed by his -bonds, were as yet almost powerless. But seeing Doubledick's legs for -an instant disentangled from those of his assailant, the old man -suddenly threw himself across them, pinning Doubledick to the floor, and -so putting an end to his struggles. Dick raised himself, keeping his -hands on the man's throat. The heaving and writhing ceased. - -While Dick still held him down, Penwarden hobbled behind the barrels, -carrying a lantern, found the gag that had been used on himself, and -brought it back to turn it to account with Doubledick. His own hands -were still too much numbed to tie an effective knot, but he held the gag -between Doubledick's teeth while Dick made it fast. - -All this time there had come through the hole in the floor the murmur of -voices. Without relaxing his grip, Dick leant over and peered down. He -was just able to see that a boat lay beneath; the hole was vertically -above the sea. - -"Ah, mon Dieu!" cried one of the boat's crew, perceiving Dick's head, -"ven come ze--ze packet?" - -Dick withdrew. - -"Answer," he said to Penwarden. - -The old man tried to speak, but could give utterance only to a hoarse -whisper. Whereupon Dick, in a voice intended to be an imitation of -Doubledick's, replied: - -"In a minute." - -His imitation was so entirely unsuccessful that he durst not say more. - -The Frenchman's question had suggested a means of dealing with -Doubledick. In attacking him, Dick had no definite plan in his mind for -subsequent action. He was concerned only to prevent Penwarden from -being lowered through the trapdoor. But now that Doubledick was in his -power, it struck him that it would be simple justice to serve him as he -had intended to serve Penwarden. He whispered the suggestion to the old -man, who received it with a low chuckle. - -"But they fellers down below will know un," he murmured. - -"Will they? They are French; Doubledick has never been to France. They -won't remove the gag, probably, until they are well out to sea, and if I -know them, they won't put back and run the risk of meeting the cutter, -even if they do discover their mistake." - -"Ze packet, ze packet!" came the impatient cry from below. - -No more time was lost. The cords that had bound Penwarden were useless, -but there was plenty of sling-stuff on the tubs, and in a few seconds -enough was slipped off for the purpose. Both Dick and the exciseman -were used to handling rope, and though the latter's fingers were still -somewhat numb, he was able to lend some feeble assistance to Dick in -securing Doubledick to the plank. At the end of this there was a hook. -They attached this to the rope over the windlass, and prepared to lower -the innkeeper to the hands waiting below. - -At the last moment Penwarden slipped off the crepe mask that still -covered Doubledick's face. - -"Look 'ee, Maister Dick," he said hoarsely. "You can swear to the -feller, so can I. You be goin' to Rusco, you miserable sinner, and if -so be you ever come back, I'll swear an information against 'ee for -unlawful detainin' of one o' the King's lieges, and Maister Dick will -kiss the Book and bear testimony. Good-bye to 'ee, and may the Lord ha' -mercy on yer soul." - -They let the frenzied man down through the trapdoor, and heard guffaws -of laughter from the Frenchmen as they received their expected packet. -The boat pulled off towards a lugger that lay a few cables' lengths from -the cliff. The prisoner was hauled up the side; the men climbed on -board and hoisted the boat in; and in a few minutes the lugger -disappeared into the darkness. - -It was not the time to enter upon explanations on either side. -Penwarden was eager to follow up the tub-carriers, Dick to release Sam. -When the exciseman heard of the boy's situation, he yielded with a sigh, -and considered with Dick a means of bringing Sam across the shaft. They -were not long in deciding that the best plan would be to make use of the -quantities of rope at hand, and form a running tackle by which the boy -might be drawn over. This was soon done, and taking one of the -lanterns, they hastened back to the scene. - -"Hoy, Maister, be that thee?" cried Sam out of the darkness when he saw -the approaching light. - -"Yes, and Mr. Penwarden is with me. We are coming to bring you away." - -"Praise and glory be! I did think I'd never see daylight again. Have -'ee got a true and proper bridge?" - -"You'll see. Run back to the cave and bring two staves and our guns." - -They waited at the brink of the shaft until Sam reappeared. - -"Now drive the staves into the floor," cried Dick. - -"I can't. It be hard stone." - -"Well then, go back to the cave again and bring some of those big pieces -of rock on the floor." - -Sam went obediently. Instructed by Dick, he arranged a number of the -rocks, four or five feet deep, to form a sort of platform. - -"Now knot this rope to the staves," said Dick, flinging it across. "Put -it behind the rocks, and pile more rocks on top to hold it down." - -While this was being done, he made the other end of the double rope fast -to a large boulder near the head of the shaft. - -"Now, Sam, all you have to do is to clasp the rope and let yourself -down. We will do the rest." - -"Be it firm and steady?" asked the boy anxiously. - -Dick hauled on the rope; it was held firm by the rocks. - -"There, you see 'tis quite safe. All you want is a little courage; it -will not take half a minute to get you across." - -"I'll send summat fust to prove it," said Sam. - -He withdrew a few paces into the passage, and returned, carrying a long, -flat box. This he hitched to the rope. - -"Haul away, Maister Dick, and let me see wi' my own eyes." - -The box was drawn to the further side in a few moments. - -"Now are you satisfied?" asked Dick. - -"Iss, fay; and I've some more boxes that had better go fust." - -Four boxes and the two guns were hauled across before Sam consented to -venture himself, and then only because he feared he could carry no more -when he got to the other side. - -"'T'ud be a sin," he said, "to leave all these silks and satins behind." - -"How do you know the boxes contain silks and satins?" - -"'Cos I opened 'em and felt 'em in the dark. 'Twas like strokin' a cat's -back, wi'out no fear o' scratches. You'll be sure and not let me drop -into the pit, Maister?" - -"Yes. Come along; I want my supper." - -"Be-jowned, and so do I. Here I come." - -He grasped the rope, let himself gently down, and was hauled to the -other side. - -"Oh, Maister Penwarden," he cried as he landed, "I be 'nation glad to -see 'ee safe and sound. Wheer have 'ee been all this time? You have -gied us all a terrible deal o' trouble." - -Penwarden growled. - -"Never mind about that, Sam," said Dick. "Our trouble is well repaid, -and we had better get home as soon as we can." - -"True. If you go first and turn the lantern so's it do gie me a light, -I'll be able to carr' these boxes wi'out tumblin' and breakin' my head. -So for home-along." - -On the homeward way Dick related his adventure. The old man said nothing -until he heard of the discovery of lace and silks. - -"Ah!" said he, "and these boxes that young Sam be carr'in' on his head -are filled with silks and laces, I s'pose." - -"Iss, fay," cried Sam exultantly, "and noble gowns and pinnies they will -make, to be sure." - -"Well," said Penwarden, "then I seize 'em in the King's name." - -"Rake it all!" exclaimed Sam. "Did the King buy 'em? Did he bury 'em? -Did he find 'em? No, the King be a good man, but 'a never did no -free-tradin' in his life, I reckon, and we won't part with 'em, will we, -Maister Dick?" - -"I know my duty," said Penwarden, "and seized they be. Resist at yer -peril." - -"Daze me if I don't wish ye'd been carr'd to France," cried Sam. "Arter -what we've been through for 'ee, too!" - -A wordy war ensued that lasted until they reached the door of the -Towers, where the boxes were deposited for the night. It required a -peremptory command from Mr. Polwhele next day to induce Penwarden to -relinquish his claim on them, the old man then being more than ever -convinced that the world was a strange mix-up. - - - - - CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH - - Petherick makes a Discovery - - -About an hour before Doubledick was embarked for Roscoff, a group of men -employed by Mr. Polwhele as his assistants stood on the bridge spanning -the stream that flowed through the village. It was freezing, and they -stamped and swung their arms to keep themselves warm. - -"'A said he would jine us by half-past nine o'clock," said one. - -"Well, church-clock has tolled the half-hour, and 'tis gashly cold. -What shall us do, neighbours?" asked a second. - -"Go home-along, say I," a third answered. "He be a true man of his -word. Half-past nine, 'a said; half-past nine 'a meant, and if he -bean't here 'tis a plain token he bean't a-comin'!" - -"I tell 'ee what, neighbours," said the man who had first spoken. -"We'll gie un five minutes' law, as near as we can guess it by trampin' -forth and back; then we'll wend up-along to Dower House and axe un for -orders. I'll be sworn he be fillin' up his inside wi' high meat and -noble drink." - -"Ay, and maybe figgy pudden or squab-pie," said another, licking his -lips. "Do 'ee think, now, we bein' pore men all, they'd gie us a croust -and a nibleykin, like the rich gaffer and Lazarus?" - -"Jown me if we don't go straight as a line and see. Hey! step out, -souls all." - -They hurried into the village and up the hill, arriving at the Dower -House about ten minutes to ten. The house was brightly lit, and from -within came sounds of laughter. - -"Sech merry doings bean't for we poor souls," remarked one of the men -despondently. - -"True, neighbour Pollard, we bean't all portigal sons," said another. - -"You be a bufflehead, sure enough. The portigal son in the Book comed -home-along a beggar in rags, arter swallerin' pigs' wash." - -"Ah well, I must ha' been thinkin' o' some other holy man." - -"True; Lazarus was the man. Rap at the door, neighbours, and make a -goodish noise, or ye won't be heerd through this yer racket." - -Susan came to the door in answer to the knock. - -"Please, ma'am, we be come," began Pollard, and then found it necessary -to swallow. - -"Well I never! What be come for?" - -"For Maister Polwhele, wishin' 'ee no harm. 'A said he'd jine us when -clock said half-past nine, and we'll be obleeged to 'ee if you'll say as -we be come for orders." - -"Why, bless me, Mr. Polwhele went away when clock strook nine, and as -sober as a jedge." - -"Well, souls, 'tis 'nation hard to traipse up that hill for nothing at -all. We med as well go home-along and get to our beds. We be sorry to -bring 'ee out, ma'am, such a bitter cold night, but 'twas to be." - -"I wish 'ee well, poor souls," said Susan. - -"A nesh young female," remarked one of the men, as they departed. - -"She'd as lief as not ha' gied us some grog if I warn't sech a humble -feller of my inches. Hey! theer's a deal lost in this world by modest -men like we." - -They shambled dolefully down the hill. Half-way down they were met by -the boatswain and six seamen from the cutter. - -"Ahoy! mates," cried the boatswain, "have ye seen or heard anything of -Mr. Mildmay?" - -"Neither heerd a cuss nor seed the tip o's nose." - -"Ah well, then. I thought you might have, coming along by Mr. -Trevanion's house." - -"Ha' ye seed or heerd anything o' Maister Polwhele, now?" - -"Neither bowsprit nor whistle. No doubt he's with our officer, dancing -a hornpipe, or whatever they do at fine gentlemen's parties." - -"No, he bean't at Dower House. We've been to call for un. 'A told us -he'd jine us on bridge when church-clock strook half-past nine." - -"That's curious, because Mr. Mildmay told us the same thing, putting the -cutter instead of the bridge. Isn't Mr. Mildmay up there, then?" - -"That we don't know. It didn't come into our heads to axe for he." - -"Well, we'd better go up and put the question. Step out, messmates." - -Mr. Polwhele's men returned with them, in the hope that the bold sailors -would ask for the grog, which their modesty had missed. The door was -again opened by Susan. - -"Now, my dear," said the boatswain, "we won't keep you in the cold. -Just answer a little question. Is Mr. Mildmay aboard?" - -"Dear life! First Mr. Polwhele, now Mr. Mildmay. No, sailorman, they -both wented out together, a minute arter clock strook nine." - -"Bless your pretty face! Well, messmates, we've had our cruise for -nothing, unless this lovely lass will give us something to drink her -health in." - -"Here's Maister!" cried Susan, stepping aside hastily as John Trevanion -came to the door. - -"Well, my men, what's this?" he asked genially. - -"Please yer honour," began Pollard. - -"Avast there!" cried the boatswain. "Mr. Mildmay was to come aboard by -three bells, sir, and seeing he was late, we made bold to come up here -for orders." - -"Please yer honour," said Pollard, "Maister Polwhele telled we the same, -only 'twas nine and a half bells wi' him." - -"Well, my men, you're too late. They both left here at nine. But come -in: 'tis a cold night, and you won't be the worse of something warm. -Susan, bring a full jug and tumblers. No one shall leave the Dower -House to-night without drinking success to the mines." - -The men tramped in, voluble with thanks. Susan served them each with a -tumbler hot, and they left a few minutes later, with a high opinion of -Mr. Trevanion's hospitality, and the comfortable feeling that they had -not made their journey for nothing. - -Sunday morning broke bright, frosty, and clear, the sun shining with a -brilliance that belied the cold. About half an hour before church time, -as Mr. Carlyon was conning over his sermon for the day, there entered to -him the pluralist of the parish, Timothy Petherick, constable, sexton, -beadle, and bell-ringer. There was a scowl of annoyance upon his face. - -"Well, Petherick, what is it?" said the Vicar, looking up. - -"Yer reverence," said the man, "hain't I telled 'ee times wi'out number -that the bats and owls do make a roostin' place o' holy church-tower?" - -"I believe you have." - -"Well, yer reverence, it didn' oughter be," said Petherick, smiting his -fist. "They heathen animals didn' oughter take up their habitation in -sech a Christian place. 'Like owl in desert,' says the Book, not 'like -owl in church-tower.'" - -"Clear 'em out, and be hanged to 'em," said the parson. "Yet, after -all, they don't do any harm." - -"No harm! Dash my bones, yer reverence--God forgi'e me for usin' -Saturday words of a Sunday--they do do harm. Do 'ee think I can strike -a true Christian note out o' the bell? No, not I; 'tis all clodgy, like -the spache of a man that's rum-ripe, and all because some owl or -airy-mouse hev made his nest on the clapper, scrounch un." - -"Well, go up the ladder and brush it off." - -"Theer 'tis, now. What's happened o' the ladder, I'd like to know? -Theer bean't no ladder. 'Twas theer yester morn, but not a mossel o' -ladder be theer to-day. 'Tis bewitched, sure enough; some pixy or -nuggy, or little old man, hev sperited un away in the night, for I -squinnied up-along and down-along, and never got a sight o't." - -"Well, time is getting on. Do your best, Petherick. Someone has -borrowed the ladder, no doubt, and will bring it back to-morrow. You -should lock the tower door, and then this sort of thing couldn't -happen." - -Petherick retired, a man with a grievance. Entering the tower, he pulled -at the bell-rope with a scornful air, and, indeed, the sound given out -was little like the clear note that ordinarily summoned the Polkerran -folk to worship. - -They were on the whole good church-goers. At least half the population -were regular attendants, some of the other half being Methodists, who -preferred going to "meeting." The principal smugglers were sound -churchmen to a man, and repeated the responses after the Commandments -with great fervour, especially after the eighth, when they glared -reproachfully at Mr. Polwhele in his pew by the chancel steps. - -In spite of the strangely muffled bell, there was an unusually large -congregation on this Sunday morning. The villagers, as their custom -was, assembled in the churchyard, waiting until the Squire and his -family had passed into the church before they should follow to their -seats. Much animation was observable among them this morning, and when -Dick walked up the centre path with his parents, he guessed that many of -them were discussing the successful run of the previous night, and a -smaller number the supposed deportation of Joe Penwarden. There was no -sign of perturbation among them, whence he inferred that the -disappearance of Doubledick was not yet known. It was not uncommon for -the innkeeper, after a run, to absent himself for a day or two, so that, -even if it were known that he had not yet returned to the inn, they -would feel neither surprise nor alarm. Nor was the failure of their -plot against Penwarden suspected. He had not spent the night in his -cottage. Dick had insisted that the old man should sleep at the Towers, -in order that he might have a good supper, and that Mrs. Trevanion might -bathe and anoint his chafed wrists and ankles. - -The Squire's large curtained pew was on the north side of the chancel, -Mr. Polwhele's next. Opposite, and facing it, was John Trevanion's. -The master of the Dower House looked particularly fresh and cheerful -when he strode up the aisle to his place. He smiled a greeting to one or -two families with whom he was acquainted, carefully avoiding his -relatives. - -The village folk clattered in; the band in the gallery above the door -tuned up their instruments; the toneless bell ceased to ring, and Mr. -Carlyon having made his solemn entry, the service began. - -The Vicar had just come to the end of the second lesson when, through a -postern leading from the tower, came Petherick with a face full of news. -He hastened to the reading desk, touched Mr. Carlyon on the sleeve, and -said in a church whisper: - -"Please, yer reverence----" - -"Not now, Petherick," the Vicar whispered back. "Go to your seat." - -"I bean't in fault, and say it I woll," said the man. Then in a low -tone, which, in the breathless silence of the congregation, penetrated -to the remotest corner of the gallery, he added: - -"Maister Mildmay and riding-officer was in belfry, tied round the middle -to bell." - -"God bless my soul!" murmured the astonished Vicar unconsciously. "This -is unseemly," he said sternly: "'tis brawling. Go to your place, -Petherick." - -The beadle marched to his seat under the pulpit with the air of one who -had spoken his mind and scorned rebuke. Those of the congregation who -had been in the secret tittered when he made his announcement; the -larger number, who were vaguely aware that something had happened to the -officers, but did not know its nature, gazed at one another with -startled looks, which speedily changed to smiles. The occupants of the -Squire's pew alone preserved their composure. Mr. Carlyon's stern look -silenced the giggles and whispers of the frivolous, and the service -proceeded. - -The hymn had been sung, the Vicar was in the midst of the prayer for the -King's Majesty, and had just recited the words "our most gracious -sovereign Lord King George," when a man quietly entered from the outer -porch, and stood within the church beneath the gallery. The heads of -the congregation were bent forward, so that his presence was unnoticed. -The prayer came to an end; everybody said "Amen," but one voice rose -above all the rest. It was that of the new-comer. Tonkin, in his pew a -few paces down the aisle, started and turned his head like one -thunderstruck. A bruise was noticeable on his right cheek. All held -their breath as Joe Penwarden marched steadily down the aisle to his -seat near the riding-officer's. As he passed the Vicar, he raised his -hand to the salute, then knelt quietly at his place, where the coloured -sunbeam, streaming in through the south window, lit up his -weather-beaten face. - -That dramatic scene in the church was talked of in Polkerran for many a -long year. A deep hush had fallen upon the whole congregation; even the -most fractious and fidgety children felt awed, by they scarcely knew -what. Consternation held the smugglers rigid in their seats. John -Trevanion's face turned sea-green, and the smile by which he tried to -conceal from the congregation the mingled emotions--surprise, rage, even -fear--that possessed him, did but reveal them the more clearly to two -pair of eyes in the Squire's pew. - -Meanwhile the Vicar had turned over a few leaves of his prayer-book. -Now, in a peculiarly solemn tone, he began to read the thanksgiving "For -peace and deliverance from our enemies." The words rolled through the -church: "We yield Thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from -these great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compassed"; and at -the close Penwarden's voice was again uplifted in a loud and prolonged -"Amen." - -Mr. Carlyon was a man of tact. He knew very well that his people would -be on tenter-hooks until they could discuss these strange incidents. It -was no time to preach to them. A sermon was not an essential part of -the service. Accordingly he finished the order for morning prayer and -gave the Blessing without ascending into the pulpit. The congregation -streamed forth. Tonkin and his friends in a knot hurried down to the -inn, followed closely by the tub-carriers of the previous night, whom -Doubledick had invited to meet him there. John Trevanion came out -alone, and walked rapidly homeward, without a word or a look to anyone. -The rest went their several ways, except the Squire and his family, and -Penwarden, whom Mr. Carlyon invited to the Parsonage. There they found -Mr. Mildmay and the riding-officer sitting in the sunlight at an open -window, sipping toddy and taking snuff, thoughtfully brought to them by -the housekeeper. - -"Upon my word," said the Vicar, on beholding their wrathful -countenances, "if I had not so lately taken off my surplice I fear I -should laugh. What is the meaning of it, gentlemen?" - -It is regrettable, but the truth must be told. The two officers, Mrs. -Trevanion not having entered the room, let forth a flood of language -such as certainly had never before been heard within those walls. - -"Come, come," said the Vicar, "remember my cloth. I will change my -coat, and then ask you to tell me calmly, as befits the day, all that -has happened." - -"Your cousin, Squire----" began Mr. Mildmay, on the Vicar's departure, -but he choked. - -"Is a consummate scoundrel, sir," said Mr. Polwhele for him. - -"He hoodwinked us," said the lieutenant. - -"He trapped us," cried the riding-officer. - -"Calmly, gentlemen," said the Vicar, re-entering. "Now, Mildmay." - -"He invited us to his house----" - -"And laughed and joked," put in Mr. Polwhele. - -"And made himself deuced pleasant," said Mr. Mildmay. - -"One would think they were parson and clerk," said the Vicar under his -breath. - -The hint was taken, and Mr. Mildmay was able to speak a few sentences -without interruption. - -"Well, we left together, Polwhele and I, at nine o'clock, as we -intended. 'Twas pitch dark. We had quitted the grounds but half a -minute, and were walking along by that stone hedge near the mine-shaft, -when we fell headlong over a rope stretched across the road. Before we -could get to our feet, hang me if a crowd of ruffians didn't fling -themselves upon us and well-nigh choke the breath out of our bodies. I -hit out----" - -"So did I," said Mr. Polwhele, his feelings overcoming him. - -"So did Polwhele. I barked my knuckles." - -"So did I," said Mr. Polwhele. - -"So did Polwhele; but we might have been fighting air for all the good -we did. The rascals held us down while they gagged and roped us----" - -"And never a word said," put in the riding-officer. - -"No, confound it all! 'Twas too dark to tell black from white. All the -scoundrels were masked, and didn't breathe a word we could identify 'em -by. They roped us so that we couldn't move hand or foot, and carried us -we didn't know where----" - -"Except that it was over plaguey rough ground. I was jarred and jolted -till I felt as if all my joints were loose." - -"So was I," said Mr. Mildmay. "I knew no more till I found myself being -hauled up a ladder, and then, confusion seize them! they lashed me to -the bell----" - -"Mildmay on one side, I on t'other, the same rope going all round." - -"And there they left us all night. I didn't get a wink of sleep----" - -"Nor I----" - -"Till the morning, and as soon as I dropped oft, that dunderhead -Petherick must pull the bell-rope, and I felt a great thwack in the -small of my back, and woke in a desperate fright. There was a second -thump, and then it stopped, and we had peace for a few minutes." - -"That was when Petherick was telling me that I really must clear the -tower of owls and bats," said the Vicar. - -"Bats!" cried Mr. Polwhele. "They were whisking me in the face all -night." - -"And the owls were tu-whooing like fog-horns," said Mr. Mildmay. "Then -the thumping began again, and I was jarred till I thought I should die. -Then there came a horrible noise of fiddles and serpents and clarinets -from below, and yowling and growling, and soon after Petherick's head -appeared through the hatch, and he had the impudence to laugh in our -faces. When he had done cackling, he loosed us, and we crawled down the -ladder more dead than alive, and here we are." - -[Illustration: "PETHERICK'S HEAD APPEARED THROUGH THE HATCH."] - -"And I lay my life 'twas John Trevanion's plot," cried Mr. Polwhele -hotly. "Never has such a scandalous outrage been known in Cornwall -before. The Judas came to the door and bade us good-night, and said he -was sorry we must go, but duty must be done--the detestable hypocrite." - -"There was certainly more art in it than the village folks are capable -of," said the Vicar. "By----dear me! I am forgetting myself, but it -brings back to me the pranks we played at Oxford. I remember----but -there, that's best told on a week-day. You'll find it hard to prove -anything against John Trevanion, my friends." - -"That's the cunning of the villain," said Mr. Mildmay. "But I'll keep a -lynx-eye on him for the future, and my gentleman will overreach himself -one of these days. No doubt he made a fine haul last night." - -"He did so," said Penwarden, who had remained in the background. "The -carriers made five trips betwixt the cave and the well, and though I -couldn' see 'em, I reckon they ran summat nigh two-hundred tubs." - -"Bless my soul, where do you spring from, Joe?" cried the -riding-officer. - -"Ah, sir, there be no spring left in my aged frame. I bean't what I was -in my young days, when I served wi' Lord Admiral Rodney. But I'm not -dead yet, thanks to Maister Dick, and I'll be on duty to-morrer, sir, -same as ever." - -"Come, Joe," said the Vicar, "we must hear all about it. I own I almost -forgot where I was when I saw you tramp up the aisle just now." - -"The Squire's lady did say I wasn't to get up, Pa'son, but when I woked -and found 'em all gone-along to church, I couldn't bide wi'out goin' up -to the House of the Lord like holy David, and givin' my humble and -hearty thanks to the Almighty." - -He related how, at dead of night, he had been hauled from his bed by -half-a-dozen masked figures, carried to the well, let down in a basket, -and taken to the place where Dick had found him. - -"'Twas that 'nation rascal Doubledick at the bottom of it," he said. -"When I laid there flat on a plank, wi' a blanket atween my teeth, and a -gashly ache in every inch o' my body, I could ha' borne it all like a -holy martyr, but for the villain's tormentin' mouth-speech. 'A tried -his best to change his tone o' voice, but I knowed un through it all. -'You be agoin' on yer travels,' says he. ''Tis uncommon spry in 'ee at -yer time o' life, wonderful brave in a old aged feller. And ye'll lay -yer bones in a furrin grave, wheer ye'll bide till Judgment Day, and -when the trump wakes 'ee and they axe 'ee what be doin' in a strange -heathen land, ye'll have to tell, 'twas because ye couldn't keep yer -tongue from evil speakin', nor yer hands from pickin' and stealin'. Ah! -'tis a sorrerful sight to see a old ancient like 'ee goin' the way to -everlastin' bonfire for sech ungodly deeds.' So 'a went on a-rantin' -and ravin' till I come nigh bustin' wi' the rage inside me. But I -reckon he sings another tune now. 'Tis he hev gone on his travels, and -he dussn't show his face here no more, for 'twill be transportation if -he do." - -It was Dick's turn to recount the steps of his discovery, and he learnt -from Penwarden the explanation of the only point that still puzzled him: -why he had found the front door of the cottage unlocked. Penwarden said -that one of the kidnappers had opened the door to keep a look-out. The -presumption was that, after locking the back door behind his comrades -when the deed was done, he had merely closed the front door, probably -because he was in haste to rejoin them. - -While Dick told his story, the Vicar was turning over the yellow leaves -of an old leather-bound manuscript book. - -"Ah! I have it," he exclaimed at length. "This is the diary of William -Hammond, vicar of this parish eighty years ago--material for my poor -starveling history, Trevanion. You have seen his name on the tablet in -church. Listen. 'To-day I read the burial service for seven men of -this parish, to wit, Anthony Hallah, Francis Hocking, John Tregurtha, -John Maddein, Richard Kelynack, Paul Tonkin, Thomas Rowe, who 'tis -supposed were overwhelmed in the late landslip beyond St. Cuby's Cove. -Their bodies have not been recovered, but I yielded to the entreaties of -their families that I would recite the solemn office of the Church, that -their souls might rest in peace.' Do you see the story in this? The -poor fellows were smothered while running a cargo into the cave which -Dick found blocked up. Naturally the place was shunned by the -smugglers, and I daresay it was years before a new generation made for -themselves the hiding-place Dick has discovered. No doubt it is in the -part of the cliff that bulges over the sea. They must have hollowed out -the chamber, and pierced a hole in its floor, and you might have -searched for ever, Mr. Mildmay, without perceiving from below the -trapdoor with which it was concealed. No doubt, as Dick suggests, they -have traded on the superstitions of the people in regard to the ghost at -the well, and the fact that they seldom needed to use the hiding-place -has helped them to preserve their secret. This will be a terrible blow -to the smuggling hereabouts, and 'tis an extraordinary thing that it -should be due to Dick, whose intervention has been brought about so -strangely." - -"Confound it, Dick, you ought to be in my place," said Mr. Mildmay with -a rueful look. "Here have I been dashing about in the cutter, and -Polwhele riding up and down, and all the fuss and fury not half so -effective as your quiet use of your wits. 'Tis a dash to one's proper -pride." - -"There was a great deal of luck about it, sir," said Dick. "If Sam -hadn't overheard the conversation between John Trevanion and Doubledick, -we might have puzzled our wits for years without getting at the truth." - -"Ah!" said Mr. Carlyon with a chuckle, "and there's a lady in the case -as usual. I understand that Sam takes a brotherly interest in Mr. -Trevanion's maidservant--a very good girl, behaves well in church, and -seems most attentive to my sermons. Upon my word, Squire, we owe -something to John Trevanion after all." - -"Humph!" grunted the Squire. "What does the Book say, Vicar? 'The -wicked diggeth a pit, and falleth into it himself.' That is true in the -case of Doubledick, at any rate." - -"And he's no loss to us," said Mr. Polwhele. "Without a doubt he hid -that ruffian Delarousse. I suppose they'll now be hob-a-nob together in -Roscoff. What's that at the window?" - -He sprang up and put his head out. - -"Do 'ee feel better now, sir?" asked Petherick, sympathetically. - -"What are you doing there, Petherick?" asked the Vicar, recognising his -voice. - -"I wer just a-comin' along to tell 'ee wheer I found ladder, yer -reverence. 'Twas in the ditch over beyond the linney, and be-jowned if -I wouldn' give a silver sixpence, poor as I be, to know who 'twas carr'd -un theer. We must clear out these owls and airy-mouses, to be sure." - -"Well, set about it to-morrow," said the Vicar, closing the window. - -"I'll be bound the fellow has heard all that we've said," cried Mr. -Polwhele. - -"Then you may be sure it will be all over the parish to-morrow," said -Mr. Carlyon. - - - - - CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH - - A High Dive - - -The failure of their carefully-laid plan afflicted the smugglers with a -numbness of dismay and stupefaction, and robbed them of all power to -appreciate the success of the trick played on the revenue officers. -Tonkin bitterly reproached himself for leaving the shipment of Penwarden -to Doubledick and undertaking the seizure of John Trevanion's guests. -Moreover, honest and simple-minded as he was, a tiny seed of suspicion -was beginning to germinate in his mind. Before John Trevanion came -home, the freighting had been done by Tonkin on a modest scale in -co-operation with Delarousse. Now, however, John Trevanion had taken -the lead. For some reason, which none knew, and only Doubledick -suspected, he had thrown over Delarousse, and did business with a rival -and enemy of his in Roscoff. Having more capital than Tonkin, whose -recent losses had indeed been crippling, he could buy more largely and -employ more men, so that Tonkin found himself in a position of galling -subordination. As Trevanion had said to Doubledick, the big man did not -care to play second fiddle. He was beginning to wonder whether the -jovial master of the Dower House was quite so good a friend as he -seemed. - -The escape of Penwarden was a blow, the more crushing because so -mysterious. After church on Sunday, Tonkin and his fellows foregathered -with the tub-carriers in the Five Pilchards, where Mrs. Doubledick -attended to them in her husband's absence. The young farm labourers had -been in complete ignorance of the presence of Penwarden behind the -stacked barrels. His projected deportation was the secret of Tonkin and -a few trusty friends, who knew better than to run the risk of being -betrayed by an informer. They were still anxious to guard their secret, -and being unable to discuss the matter freely in the presence of the -carriers, they made themselves so unpleasant that the latter presently -betook themselves in dudgeon to the Three Jolly Mariners. But even when -the important people had the taproom of the Five Pilchards to -themselves, they were at a loss. In Doubledick's absence no light could -be thrown on the mystery. - -"Do 'ee know wheer yer man be, Mistress?" asked Tonkin of the gaunt -woman behind the bar. - -"I do not," she replied, "but 'a will come home-along in a day or two, -to be sure. He loves his home, does Doubledick." - -"Well, you ought to know, if anybody." - -"Hey, my sonnies," said a voice at the door, and Petherick entered. "I -be come to jine ye in yer laughter and merrymakin'." - -"Then you be come the wrong road," said Tonkin gloomily. "We be -downcast and dismal." - -"Ay, mumchanced and mumblechopped," added Nathan Pendry. - -"You do surprise me! Never did I see anything that tickled my ribs so -much as they two King's servants lashed to the holy bell. I don't care -who the man is, 'twas a merry notion. But good now! I know what yer -dark thoughts be. 'T'ud make angels weep and wail, so 'twould. To -think that Cuby's ghost will walk never more!" - -"Oh, Cuby's ghost be jowned! If ye do know anything, tell it out -without hawkin' and spettin', constable," said Tonkin. - -"Well, neighbour Doubledick be a lost soul this day, that's sartin," -said Petherick. - -"My Billy be dead!" shrieked Mrs. Doubledick, sinking into a chair and -rocking herself to and fro. - -"No, no, Mistress," said Petherick. "It bean't gone so far as that. -Dry yer eyes, woman. He bean't a corp, 's far 's I do know, but never -will ye see un again, no, never." - -"Name it all, constable, don't spin it out so long," said Nathan Pendry. -"Put the 'ooman out of her misery." - -"Well, I will. Neighbour Doubledick be this day in Rusco." - -"Dear life!" exclaimed Mrs. Doubledick. - -"How do 'ee know that, constable?" asked Tonkin. - -"I heerd it all wi' my own ears. Seems as if Joe Penwarden was to go, -but the voyage wer too much for his old aged stummick, so he and young -Trevanion sent neighbour Doubledick instead." - -He then repeated what he had overheard at the window of the Parsonage, -his audience listening in wrath and amazement. - -"So ye see," he concluded, "he dussn't show his face hereabouts again, -for they two will swear to him afore Sir Bevil, and neither might nor -power can save un. Seems to me as ye've met your match in young -Squire." - -This opened the floodgates of rage, and the room rang with execrations -and threats of vengeance. At last Tonkin declared that he would sail to -Roscoff next day, hear Doubledick's version of the matter, and learn -whether the innkeeper himself admitted the impossibility of returning -from his exile. Meanwhile he bound all those present not to disclose -their knowledge of what had happened. He felt that the ignominious -failure of the scheme would make them all a laughing-stock, which was -especially to be avoided now that a score of miners had been imported -into the village by John Trevanion. The men loyally kept the secret, -even Petherick restraining his gossiping tongue, for he had a wholesome -fear of Tonkin. - -Next morning, therefore, Tonkin sailed away in his own lugger, beating -out against a stiff breeze. An hour or two later, Mr. Mildmay paid a -visit in the cutter to the scene of the night's events, seized the tubs -still left in the smugglers' den, broke up the windlass, and blocked up -the tunnel leading to the well. - -Next afternoon Dick and Sam launched their boat, and sailed out to fish -at some distance from the point of the Beal. Meeting them on the cliff, -Penwarden advised them to keep their eye on the weather. The sky was -threatening, and the boat, while safe enough on a calm sea, had not -proved her capacity to ride out a storm. - -Sam appeared to be in low spirits. Usually talkative, he had scarcely -spoken to Dick on the way from the house, and had indeed not been -visible since breakfast time. - -"What's the matter, Sam?" said Dick, as he sat at the tiller, noticing -the boy's gloomy face as he rowed to assist the sail. - -"Nawthin'," replied Sam curtly. - -"But there is. Your face is as long as a fiddle. Something must have -upset you. What is it?" - -"Well, if I must tell, I will. My poor heart be broke." - -"That's bad. What broke it?" - -"The Mistress." - -"My mother! What has she done?" - -"'Tis not what she does, but what she says. Oh! 'tis terrible hard for -poor folks in this world." - -"I agree with you. We are all pretty poor at the Towers." - -"That's why I feel it. Some poor folks can have noble raiment, others -can't, and drown me if I can see the why and wherefore." - -"Don't talk rubbish." - -"'Tis not rubbish. Hevn't Mistress got a fine new sealskin coat? -Didn't she wear it to church yesterday? Didn't she look like a queen, -and make all the women's eyes open as wide as saucers? And there was -Maidy Susan, poor young thing, lookin' as plain as a sparrer beside -her." - -"Well, you wouldn't expect to see a servant-maid as fine as the Squire's -wife." - -"Iss, I would so, when her might be. I showed they silks and satins to -Mistress, and telled her I had broughted 'em for Maidy Susan. 'No, -indeed,' says she; 'quite unsuitable for a girl in her station o' life.' -'Why for, please 'm?' says I. 'Because I say so,' says she; 'I never -heerd o' sech a thing.' Be-jowned if I can see why. Pretty things be -fitty for pretty females, and I don't care who the man is, Maidy Susan -would look as fine in 'em as Mistress do in her noble sealskin." - -"Fine feathers don't make fine birds, they say," remarked Dick with a -smile. - -"No, nor fine coats don't make old women young and pretty. They only -make 'em look fatter." - -"Sam, don't be impudent." - -"Bean't impedence, leastways, not meant for sech, as you know well. It -be truth," insisted Sam. "Can 'ee deny it? I axe 'ee, bean't Susan a -pretty maid?" - -"She is, I own." - -"Well, then, there you are." - -This appeared to Sam a clinching argument. Dick laughed. - -"I'll speak to Mother," he said. "Perhaps she will let Susan have a -little silk for high days and holidays. But you know the story of the -jackdaw that dressed up as a peacock and was pecked to death by the -peacocks it went amongst?" - -"Never heerd o't, and I don't believe it. Peacocks be sech silly -mortals. Howsomever, if ye'll speak to Mistress I'll say no more, for -she'll do whatever you tell her." - -By this time they were far out in the bay. They cast their lines -overboard, and caught one or two flat fish; but sport being very slow, -and the wind increasing in force, after about an hour they decided to -return. - -Another boat, meanwhile, had put out for the same purpose. It contained -Jake Tonkin and Ike Pendry. The two boats passed within a few yards of -each other. - -"Afeard of a capful o' wind," said Jake with a sneer to his companion, -loud enough to be heard on the other boat. - -"Ay, they'll 'eave up afore they get ashore," rejoined Pendry. - -Dick paid no attention to them. Running in behind the Beal, which -sheltered him from the wind, he found the sea in Trevanion Bay so calm -that he began to wonder whether he had not been over-hasty in putting -back. They landed, moored the boat, and carried their meagre catch to -the Towers. - -"They may jeer," said Dick, as he steadied himself against the wind, -which on the cliff-top blew with the force of half a gale, "but they'll -run in themselves pretty soon, you'll see." - -Having handed the fish to Reuben, they left the house again, and made -their way along the Beal, somewhat curious to see how the two -fisher-lads were faring. Jake's boat, an old tub, as crazy as that of -Dick's which had been destroyed, was tossing and rolling in a way that -must have rendered fishing a very uncomfortable occupation. - -"They're a couple of jackasses," said Dick. "The wind is getting up -every minute. Look at that! That gust nearly capsized them." - -"I reckon they be showing off," said Sam. "Ah! they're putting back -arter all, and 'twas time." - -The boat's head was turned for home. Dick and Sam walked to the end of -the promontory, whence the sea on both sides was in full view. - -"'Twill be a noble sight to see 'em cross the reef," said Sam. - -"Oh, they won't try that," said Dick. "The tide is too low. You can -see the rocks every now and again through the breakers. They will make -for the fairway." - -The wind was now blowing with terrific force, the gusts smiting the -boys, exposed as they were, like the fists of some unseen gigantic -boxer. They kept their feet with difficulty. Sam's hat was whirled -away, and rolled and bounded along the Beal at the speed of a hare. The -surface of the sea was broken by innumerable little white ridges, and at -intervals one of these was seen to be the crest of a huge wave, which -reared itself, and before it fell was torn into shreds of spindrift. - -Jake Tonkin's boat ran clear of the headland towards the harbour, and, -having got what he apparently considered to be sufficient sea-room, he -hoisted his lug-sail, and steered direct for the fairway. It seemed to -the two watchers on the Beal that the wind had been maliciously awaiting -this opportunity of mischief. A more than usually fierce gust ripped -the sail loose; the boat staggered, spun round, and drifted broadside to -the sea. The two lads in her seized their oars, and after great -exertion brought her head once more towards the shore. But in a few -moments one of them started baling, then resumed the oars, only to ship -them almost instantly afterwards and bale out again. - -When the sail was carried away, the boat was about a third of a mile -from the spot on which Dick and Sam stood. Her progress towards the -harbour had been extraordinarily slow, though the wind was behind her. -Dick guessed that she had sprung a leak, and when the baling became -continuous, he realised the extreme peril of her occupants. Every -moment she was in danger of being swamped. He watched with excitement, -not unmixed with anxiety. She drew gradually nearer, but with a sluggish -heaviness of movement that bespoke her water-logged condition. Another -twenty or thirty yards would bring her within the shelter of the reef, -in which case the danger of being swamped would be over, unless the leak -gained upon the lad energetically baling. - -A shout from the left drew Dick's attention towards the jetty. The -lads' plight had been perceived, and a large boat, manned by a crew of -four, was pulling off to their assistance. If they could hold their own -for five more minutes they would be taken off. But just as Dick, thus -calculating the chances, turned from this momentary glance shorewards to -watch the labouring boat again, a great wave broke over her, she -disappeared, and the lads with her. - -A quick look round, then Dick dropped to the ground, unlaced his boots, -drew them off, and flung off his coat. - -"Go to our den, Sam," he cried, "and fling over the two barrels we use -for chairs." - -"You be never going to----" - -But Sam's protest was unheeded and almost unheard. Dick was clambering -down the steep face of the cliff. The fisher-lads could not swim; -scarcely a man in Polkerran was more skilled than they; and it was plain -that unless assistance came to them at once they must be drowned, for -the boat, pulling out against wind and wave, could not reach them in -time. - -Thirty feet above the sea, and almost exactly over the spot where the -boat had capsized, there was a narrow ledge. As a swimmer Dick was -self-taught. He usually plunged into the sea from a rock a few feet -above the surface; the dive he now prepared to take was at least five -times as great as he had ever attempted before. Fortunately the fairway -was clear of rocks, although the waves beat roughly against the almost -perpendicular cliff. A momentary hesitation, then Dick dived off. He -took the water cleanly, but, somewhat dazed by the violence of the -shock, he went far deeper than a practised diver would have done. To -himself, as to Sam, gazing at him horror-stricken from above, it seemed -a terribly long time before he shot up to the surface. - -But he emerged at last. Shaking the water from his eyes, he looked -round for signs of the fisher-lads. Within twelve yards of him he saw -the boat, bottom upwards, and a boy clinging to the rudder. A gust of -wind whipped the spindrift into Dick's eyes; for some moments he could -see nothing more. But then, five or six yards away, between the boat and -the cliff, he caught sight of an arm rising from the sea, only to -disappear instantly. He struck out for the spot. In a few seconds a -dark mass surged up almost beside him. Another stroke or two enabled -him to get a grip upon it before it could sink again. Fortunately both -for the drowning lad and his rescuer, the former was by this time -unconscious. In the rough sea that tumbled about him Dick could scarcely -have fought against the struggles of a frantic man. In a trice he -turned the lad face upward, and, firmly grasping his collar with one -hand, swam on his back with his legs and one free arm. Surely he could -hold out until the boat came up! He heard the shouts of the men and the -splash of the oars; it could not be far away. - -There was a danger that he might be swept by the waves against the -frowning cliff, and knocked senseless. To avoid this, he struck out -furiously towards the middle of the fairway, where the empty barrels -thrown down by Sam were floating. In a calm sea his strength might -easily have endured the fatigue of supporting a dead weight, but he knew -that he was being conquered by the tumbling waves, and the blinding, -choking spray that swept over him, it seemed without intermission. -Again and again he felt that he could never regain his breath. The -struggle to do so weakened him far more than the muscular exertion. The -dreadful conviction seized him that he, too, was drowning. But his grip -never relaxed; even when a dazed and helpless feeling came over him, he -kept the lad's collar firmly in his clutch. Then he was dimly conscious -of a quiet restfulness and content; and Sam, in frantic terror above, -saw his movements cease, and felt an agonising certainty that his young -master was lost. - - -When Dick came to himself, he found himself lying in the bottom of -Nathan Pendry's boat, within a few yards of the jetty. The rescuers had -come up in the nick of time. Dick and the lad he had saved were hauled -into the boat together, and the fingers of the former were so tightly -clenched that for some time it was impossible to separate the two. The -overturned craft had drifted within a few yards of the cliff, and the -other boy still clung to it. He was taken aboard, and meanwhile two of -the men used all the means they knew to restore the others to -consciousness. Without waiting to secure the capsized boat, they pulled -with all speed for the jetty, which was thronged with village folk, whom -the news of the accident had brought in hot haste from their houses. - -The dripping lads were taken out and carried to the inn, where Mrs. -Doubledick had made up a roaring fire, and had blankets and hot brandy -awaiting them. Sam, pale as a sheet, forced his way through the crowd -at the door towards his master. - -"Oh, 'tis good to see 'ee safe!" he cried, almost hugging Dick. "Hev -'ee swallered much?" he asked anxiously. - -Dick was too weak to reply. He began to laugh childishly, for within a -few feet of him, swathed in a steaming blanket, sat his old enemy, Jake -Tonkin, even more feeble than himself. - -"'Twas him ye did it for!" cried Sam indignantly. "No one could ha' -blamed 'ee if ye'd let the villain drown." - -Dick shook his head. - -"Now, young Sam Pollex," cried Mrs. Doubledick, "you be off! Maister -Trevanion don't want 'ee kiddlin' and quaddlin' about when he do feel -bad. Just pick up his clothes out o' that plosh o' water and spread 'em -on this chair-back. Then go. We'll send him home-along in a cart or a -wheelbarrow when he's better." - -"Daze me if I go, Mistress!" cried Sam. "Here I bide till Maister be -able to shail along, so I tell 'ee." - -"Let the chiel bide," said Nathan Pendry. "They be like two twains in -everything, mischief and all, and they 'm best not parted." - -"Iss, fay, my brother Ben was twain to me," said Simon Mail, "and 'a -quenched away when they took un from me." - -"Why, dear life now, neighbour Mail," cried Mrs. Doubledick, "bean't it -true, then, that yer brother Ben was shot in the nuddick at some great -battle in Egypt, or other furrin land?" - -"True, he was; but he couldn't ha' been if he hadn't been parted from -I." - -"A-course not, ye chucklehead!" said Mrs. Doubledick. "If ye hadn't -been parted he would ha' been talkin' foolishness along with 'ee now. -Off ye go now, neighbours all. The lads will do better wi'out ye, and -there bean't no need to send over to Redruth for a doctor." - -"I wish 'ee well, Maister Trevanion," said Pendry as he went out. "Us -do hate 'ee like p'ison, that's true; but I don't care who the man is, -'twas a brave deed, and that I'll stand by, so theer!" - -The village folk were somewhat divided in their opinion as to their -future attitude towards the inmates of the Towers. The better sort, of -whom Nathan Pendry may be taken as a representative, were so much struck -by Dick's rescue of Jake, that their feelings underwent a change. They -were not at first very ready to show their altered sentiments openly, -but the leaven was beginning to work. If Dick, who had been so much -persecuted, they argued, had the generosity to risk his life on behalf -of one of those who had most injured him, it was hardly credible that he -should really be the spy and informer he was suspected of being. -Others, however, would not agree that the family was less open to -suspicion, so far as smuggling was concerned, because of a single plucky -act. Their view was supported by John Trevanion, who, having heard of -the incident, took care to drop seeds of depreciation in the ears of -such of the fishers as he encountered here and there. - -The former party received a notable accession on the evening of the -rescue. Isaac Tonkin returned home. The first person he met when he -set foot on the jetty was Nathan Pendry, who told him what had happened -in his absence. Tonkin was so much surprised at the news that he did -not wait to give an account of his discoveries in Roscoff, but hurried -at once to his house, where, as Pendry had told him, Jake had been put -to bed. - -"Be ye feelin' bad, my sonny?" he said with rough tenderness, leaning -over the boy. - -"Not so bad as I did in the water, Feyther," Jake replied. - -"'Tis good to hear, my son. You be safe as a trippet, right enough. -And 'twas young Squire saved 'ee! Well, there's norra man in the whole -parish could ha' done it. I reckon ye gied un a proper word o' thanks?" - -Jack did not reply. - -"Did 'ee hear what I axed 'ee? A-course ye gied young Squire a good -word for 's kindness? Did 'ee, or did 'ee not?" - -"I didn'." - -"Ye didn'! And why not?" - -"Never did it come into my head." - -"Well, it better come into yer head now, and quick, or I'll have to ding -it in. Pull on your clothes, and go up-along this minute to the Towers, -and say as you be tarrible ashamed o' yerself for forgettin' to say -thank 'ee. Get on with 'ee!" - -Jake had to get up there and then, and set off on his errand. He had -not been gone five minutes before his father, who had been walking -restlessly about, suddenly went down into his cellar and brought up a -keg of brandy and a large canister filled with tobacco. Then he rapped -on the wall, and hearing a faint "Hallo!" in answer, he shouted: - -"Be that you, Ike Pendry?" - -"Iss, 'tis I." - -"Come-along in; I want 'ee," - -When the lad entered, Tonkin handed the keg and canister to him, saying: - -"Carr' them things up to Towers for me, my son. Axe for Squire, and tell -un they be a present from Zacky Tonkin, go along now." - -Ten minutes after Ike started with his load, Tonkin, as restless as -ever, banged the table with his great fist, startling his meek little -wife, and cried: - -"Drown me if I don't do it!" - -"What, Zacky, my dear?" - -"Go up-along myself and thank young Squire. Name it all, hain't he saved -our only boy, Betty? A man can't do less than say thank 'ee, I don't -care who he is." - -He thrust on his hat, and set off in haste. At the top of the hill he -overtook Ike, who, laden as he was, had walked slowly. - -"Stir your shanks, Ike," said he. "Here now, I'll take keg; you keep -canister." - -They went on together. At the Dower House they came up with Jake, who -was shambling along, feeling anything but comfortable at the thought of -the impending interview. - -"What, slug-a-stump!" cried his father angrily. "Bean't theer yet?" - -"Seeming not," said Jake. "I be tired." - -"Well, my son, ye'll just step out a bit quicker, or I'll have to take a -loan of the Squire's whip." - -All three now proceeded until they came to the Towers. - -"Be Squire to home, neighbour Pollex?" asked Tonkin of Reuben, who -opened the door. - -"Iss sure; but I reckon he don't want to see 'ee, Zacky Tonkin," replied -the old man. - -"Maybe, but I want to see he, and ye can tell un so." - -Reuben departed. In a minute he returned. - -"Squire says ye're to step in," he said, sourly. "For me, I'd shet the -door in yer face, and well you know why." - -Tonkin and his companions were led to the living room, where sat the -Squire and his wife. - -"Well, Tonkin, what can I do for you?" said the Squire pleasantly. - -"Nawthin' as I know on, Squire, thank 'ee kindly. My respects, my lady." -He turned his hat awkwardly between his hands. "The truth is, Squire," -he went on, "I b'lieve I'm the feyther or an ungrateful young feller. I -be real vexed to think he didn' say a word o' thanks to Maister Dick for -what he done for un, and he hev got to say it now, or I'll leather un. -Med I see young Maister?" - -"Not to-night, Tonkin. I sent him to bed, and there he'll stay." - -"Then maybe ye'll carr' it for me, sir. Now Jake, make yer bob and say -yer say." - -Jake touched his forelock, but stood in lubberly silence. - -"What, can't 'ee find yer tongue? Now, hearken to me, and say what I -say. If you please, Squire----" - -"'If you please, Squire----'" - -"I be truly thankful----" - -"'I be truly thankful----'" - -"As Maister Dick saved me from being drownded." - -"'As Maister Dick saved me from being drownded.'" - -"Purticler as I didn' deserve it." - -"'Purticler as I didn' deserve it.'" - -"Good now! I mean it, sir, and so do he. And I've brought 'ee a keg of -cognac and a tin o' bacca--bought with honest money, Squire; and I axe -'ee to take 'em as a little small offering from a man who's a feyther -like as you be." - -"Thank you, my man," said the Squire, his face kindling with pleasure. -"I appreciate your thanks, and so will Dick: and I shall appreciate your -gift, I assure you. Jake isn't much the worse for his ducking, I can -see." - -"And I hope Maister Dick bean't either," said Tonkin. - -"Not a bit. He'll be as well as ever after a night's rest. Jake should -learn to swim, you know." - -"And I woll, if Maister Dick'll larn me," said Jake suddenly. - -"Well, I don't know about that," said the Squire, with a slight reserve -in his manner. "You see, there has been some feeling lately----" - -"See now, Squire," interrupted Tonkin bluntly, "answer me a plain -question, man to man. Did you, or anybody belongin' to 'ee, ever spy or -inform on we honest free-traders?" - -"That's a question you ought to be ashamed to put to me," said the -Squire warmly. "Do you think a Trevanion would ever do such a thing?" - -"Well, no, I didn' think so till---- Howsomever, I'll say no more o' -that. I axe yer pardon, and I hope ye'll let bygones be bygones, and -that's said honest." - -"With all my heart." The Squire extended his hand to the smuggler, -whose grip made him wince. - -"That's brave and comf'able," said Tonkin. "And now I wish 'ee well, -sir, and you, ma'am, and if so be as Maister Dick 'll larn Jake to swim, -I'll be proud, and so will he." - -The Squire showed the three men out, and they returned home well -satisfied with their interview. Tonkin was soon the centre of a group of -his particular friends in the parlour of the Five Pilchards, to whom, -after announcing that he would believe no more "'nation gammut," as he -put it, about the Squire and his son, proceeded to relate the issue of -his visit to Roscoff. - -"I hain't brought Doubledick back wi' me," he said. "For why? 'Cos he -warn't theer!" - - - - - CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH - - A Bargain with the Revenue - - -About eight o'clock that same evening, while Tonkin was still conversing -with his intimates in the parlour of the Five Pilchards, a horseman rode -up to the house occupied by Mr. Polwhele on the south cliff. His seat -was not that of an accomplished equestrian, and his manner of -dismounting would have given some anxiety to anyone who had a regard for -him. The long cloak he wore, with the collar turned up almost to the -eyes, incommoded his legs, and only by clutching at his patient steed's -mane did he avoid a fall. - -The house stood alone, and its solitary situation was a source of -satisfaction to the traveller. A light within, and a full moon without, -gave him a reasonable assurance that the riding-officer was at home. -Accordingly he hitched the bridle to a hook placed for that purpose in -the wall beside the door, and knocked. Mr. Polwhele was a bachelor, and -it happened that the woman who was housekeeper, cook, and housemaid in -one, had gone into the village, so that he opened the door himself. - -"Well?" he said, peering at the close-wrapped figure that stood on the -threshold. - -"'Tis I, Maister Polwhele," said the man, at the same time turning down -his collar. - -"Doubledick!" exclaimed the astonished officer. "Well, of all the----! -You'd be safer in France, my man." - -"Iss, maybe; but I be come home, and I'd like a word with 'ee, Maister." - -"Well, there's no warrant out for your arrest, so I suppose you----; -yes, come in. I don't understand this at all." - -Doubledick followed the riding-officer into the room where he had been -reading. He carefully shut the door behind him, offered Mr. Polwhele a -pinch of snuff, and took one himself, then sat down rather stiffly. - -Half an hour later he emerged from the house, remounted his horse, and -rode away, not northward in the direction of his home, but eastward -along a bridle path across the moor. In a quarter of an hour, however, -he turned to the left, skirted the village, passing about midway between -it and the church, and continued for some time in the same direction. -Then once more he struck to the left and came by-and-by to the -high-road, at a point between the Towers and the Dower House. He turned -into the drive leading to the latter, but instead of reining up at the -front entrance, he passed round the house to the back, and having again -awkwardly dismounted, he rapped on the kitchen door. - -"Oh, 'tis you, Maister Doubledick," said Susan, when she opened to him. -"Folks said you'd gone away." - -"So I had, my dear; but I be back-along, as you can see wi' yer pretty -eyes. Now tell me, be the Maister to home?" - -"Yes, he be in his room, rayther poorly." - -"And be he alone?" - -"Yes, but 'tis not for long, folks say. We'll have a mistress afore -long, and i hope she be likeable, that I do." - -"Well, now, that's new news, to be sure. And who be the woman?" - -"She bean't 'zackly a woman. 'Tis Sir Bevil's darter, seemingly, and -she be a maid younger nor I, they say." - -"So she be, to be sure. Dear life! And I never heerd o't. Here's a -shillin' for your news, to buy 'ee a fairin'." - -"Thank 'ee, Maister Doubledick, but I shan't need un for a fairin'. I'm -to have a fine gown o' silk, only think o't!" - -"A present from Maister John, I s'pose?" - -"No; 'tis to be from Sam Pollex, that young boy as lives up at Towers. -Didn't 'ee know what a treasure he found?" - -"What was it, my dear?" - -"Why, he and young Squire were rummagin' in some cave yonder--I don't -know 'zackly wheer--and they come upon boxes full o' silks and satins, -all the colours o' the rainbow. Young Sam be goin' to gie me enough for -a gown--a kind young feller, that he is." - -"Well, then, if ye don't mind, my dear, I'll take back that shillin', -seein' as ye're so well purvided, and gie 'ee a groat instead. Bean't -no good to waste money, be it? And now, will 'ee tell yer maister I be -come for a word wi' un?" - -Susan went away with a cloud upon her face. - -"Maister will see 'ee," she said when she returned. "Take yer groat, -Maister Doubledick; some day ye may need it more nor I." - -Doubledick pocketed the coin with a chuckle, and followed her along the -passage to her master's room. - -"This is amazing, Doubledick," cried Trevanion, when the door was shut. -"I never expected to see you again." - -"Hee! hee! Rusco bean't fitty for everyone, Maister John," replied the -innkeeper, with a meaning look. "Ye be took bad, the maidy says." - -"Oh, 'tis nothing but a fit of the dismals. How in the world did you -get away?" - -"It do seem a miracle to 'ee, I s'pose. Why, fust man I seed when they -put me on quay was a old friend o' yourn--leastways, 'a used to be sech. -He be a good friend o' mine, too, 'cos I did un a good turn a while ago. -He don't speak our Christian tongue very well, poor soul, but I made un -understand a mistake had been made wi' me, and he showed his true -friendship by bringing me over to Megavissey. I rid over from there, -and plaguey stiff I be in the jints." - -"But you're in great danger; don't you know that? You made a terrible -bungle of the job, my man." - -"True, but them above had a finger in it. I bean't sorry as I've seed -Rusco, not I. And as to danger, well, Maister John, I'll speak to 'ee -as a friend. The feller I named--no, to be sure, I didn' name un, but -'tis all one--the Frenchy do seem to be mizzy-mazy in his head. He -telled to I of a feller called Robinson, and seemed to have got it in -his furrin noddle that 'twas the same name as Trevanion, or fust cousin -to 't. He axed a tarrible lot of questions about un, wheer he lived, -and what he did wi's days and nights, and seemed to I as if he'd got a -rod in pickle for un. Jown me if I didn' think 'a wanted to make a call -on this Robinson feller, and 'ud be tarrible wisht if 'a didn' find un -to home." - -Doubledick kept his eyes fixed upon Trevanion's face, but if he had -expected to see any sign of uneasiness, he was disappointed. - -"I take no interest in your friend or what he wants," said Trevanion. -"I am more concerned about you, Doubledick. You're not safe here, you -know." - -"That's what I've come to see 'ee about," returned the innkeeper. "But -truly I be a bufflehead; I ought to ha' named un to 'ee, in course I -ought. His name is Delarousse, Maister. And to tell 'ee the truth, -thinkin' he was a bit over coorious in the questions he axed, I telled -un a thing or two as wer a trifle crooked, I did. I telled un how this -Maister Trevanion as he thought was Robinson was often away from home, -and how 'a dwelt in a big house on the cliff called the Towers. He axed -I if the Towers was near the top of a hill, and I telled un 'twas a -goodish bit away, Maister Robinson--Trevanion, I mean--havin' come into -the property. Thinks I to myself, if he comes to Polkerran one fine day -a-caprousin' and makin' a stoor, 't'ud be just as well he went up-along -to Towers and showed his tantrums to the cussed folk theer. What do 'ee -say to that, Maister John?" - -"You are talking a deal of nonsense, Doubledick," was the answer. -"Don't you understand that as soon as 'tis known you are back in the -village you'll be arrested for kidnapping Penwarden?" - -"Oh, ay, that's what they say, is it? But don't 'ee think, now, we -could persuade the officers o' the law to leave me bide?" - -"Quite impossible. Penwarden and my young cousin will swear to you, and -there has been such a stir about the matter that Sir Bevil or the Vicar -will sign the warrant the moment they hear of your arrival." - -"Maybe. But money do make the mare to go, Maister, and seems to I, if -so be you'd help, we med put a clapper on evil-speakin' tongues. -A-course 't 'ud need a pretty big sum to do it proper, but theer, what's -that to 'ee, rollin' in money as you be? And I know well ye'll put yer -hand in pocket to help a poor feller in a quag, purticler as he've done -summat for 'ee, in Polkerran and Rusco both." - -"I'll be hanged if I do," cried Trevanion, at last shaken out of his -composure. "You made a wretched bungle of a simple job, and you'll have -to take the consequences." - -"Good now! I like to hear a man speak fine and brave, but I hev a brave -mouth-speech o' my own." Doubledick's tone was as smooth and -deferential as it had been throughout the conversation, but an onlooker -might now have observed that he was beginning to show his teeth. "Zacky -Tonkin, now," he proceeded: "I reckon he'd be fain to know why -Delarousse warn't no longer the feller to do trade with: that bit o' -knowledge med be worth payin' for. And Sir Bevil: iss sure, his darter -be a nesh young female----" - -"Confound you! What do you mean by that?" cried Trevanion. - -"Ah! little small birds do carr' little small seeds, they do. High -persons like Sir Bevil be mighty purticler when 'tis question o' lawful -matrimony." - -Trevanion, red with anger, rose from his chair and came towards -Doubledick threateningly. - -"Ah! dear life!" continued the innkeeper, unflinchingly, "and there be -Mounseer Delarousse, too, thankful for what I done for him. It did vex -me tarrible to mizzle un; but a word can put that right, and let un know -the true dwellin' o' that coorious feller Robinson. In course his -grudge agen Robinson bean't nothing to I, but he do seem tarrible sour -and rampageous. Howsomever, let every man fight his own battles. Now -I'll go home-along, and I wish 'ee well, Maister." - -He rose, took his hat, and moved towards the door. - -Trevanion looked after him for a moment irresolutely, then stretched his -hand towards the bell-rope. - -"Stay, Doubledick," he said, "you must take a thimbleful before you go." - -"Not for me, Maister," replied the innkeeper, with a virtuous expression -of countenance. - -"Nonsense, man. It won't poison you. You have read me quite wrongly, -my friend. Did ever a man take offence so easily! You've come badly -out of my little test, but I'll overlook it. I've a deal more patience -than you.... Susan, bring the decanter and glasses. Hot, Doubledick?" - -"Well, I don't mind if it be, this chilly night. But 'tis gettin' -latish; it must be only a nibleykin, Maister." - -"Now, Doubledick," said Trevanion, as they sipped their liquor, "I'm not -the man to refuse to help a friend, even if he shows himself only a -fair-weather friend after all." - -"I knowed it," cried Doubledick heartily. "A little small voice inside -telled me ye were only a-tryin' me, and 'ud show yerself in yer natural -true colour at last. Well, Maister, ten pound won't do it; no, King's -servants do hev high notions, be-jowned to 'em. Twenty? I be afeard it -wouldn' go far. 'Tis well to do a thing handsome when 'tis to be done. -Fifty? Iss, a man can do summat wi' fifty. Fifty pound 'll keep a -many tongues quiet, and I'll be dazed if I don't snap my fingers at -justices, sheriffs, hangmen, and constables, if I do hev fifty pound to -my hand." - -Trevanion rose and went to a cabinet in a corner of the room. Unlocking -it, he opened a drawer, standing with his back to Doubledick. There was -a sound of rustling paper. - -"'Tis a monstrous sum," he said, half turning. - -"Ah, 'tis, to be sure," said Doubledick feelingly, "but King's officers -do hev' a tarrible big swaller." - -"Well, here you are," said Trevanion, recrossing the room. "I'm not the -man to refuse a friend." - -"So ye said afore. Thank 'ee. 'Tis atween us two, in course; my mouth -is shet. But there's another thing, Maister. Did 'ee know as old Joe -and young Dick brought a heap o' silks and satins out o' the old mine?" - -"The deuce they did!" cried Trevanion in astonishment. "Where did they -get them from?" - -"That I can't say. But old mine do belong to 'ee, surely." - -"It does. Whatever they have found is my property. How do you know -this, Doubledick?" - -"The little small birds, Maister. Well, I've telled 'ee for yer good." - -"I'll not forget it. Egad, they shall hear from me." - -When Doubledick left the house a few minutes later, he carried the -bundle of crisp white notes snug in his breast-pocket. He said good-bye -very cordially to his host, and, mounting his horse, rode boldly along -the highway and down the hill to the inn. - -Most of the smugglers had returned to their homes, but Tonkin, Nathan -Pendry, and one or two more still remained in the inn-parlour, with -their legs stretched out towards a genial fire, their long churchwarden -pipes filling the room with clouds of smoke. Mrs. Doubledick had gone -to bed. No other visitors were to be expected at this hour, and the -company would let themselves out at their own time. The woman was torn -between hope and fear. Tonkin had learnt in Roscoff that Doubledick had -left with Delarousse; and Mrs. Doubledick was relieved to know that her -husband had escaped the miseries of confinement in a French prison; but -she was troubled lest he should fall into equally rigorous hands at -home. - -Doubledick entered the room quietly. - -"Well, neighbours all," he said behind their backs, "a man's home be the -fittiest place for un, I b'lieve." - -The men sprang up in amazement, grasped his hand, smote him on the back. - -"What did I tell 'ee!" said Tonkin. "Didn' I say neighbour Doubledick -was a clever feller, and 't 'ud take a deal o' cleverness to get over -he?" - -"Ye did, there's no denyin' it," said Simon Mail. "Ah, neighbour -Doubledick, you was born wi' noble intellects." - -"But you be a terrible bold feller," said Pendry. "There'll be a warrant -out for 'ee, and ye'll be carr'd to Trura jail, as sure as I be alive." - -"If 'tis to be, 'tis; and rayther would I be jailed in Cornwall than in -France," replied Doubledick. "But I won't be jailed nowheer, I b'lieve, -and I'll tell 'ee why. Theer was only two as seed me--Joe Penwarden and -the young tom-holla at the Towers. Well, they dussn't swear to me." - -"Why not, neighbour?" said Pendry. - -"Because they been up to jiggery theirselves, hee, hee!" - -"Speak yer meanin' plain, for the sake o' poor simple I," said Mail. - -"Hee, hee! I mind I telled old Joe he'd hev to answer for pickin' and -stealin', and so 'a woll. Do 'ee know, neighbours, they brought out o' -well a noble store o' raiment, purple and fine linen, as pa'son says?" - -"Never!" ejaculated Pendry and Mail together, Tonkin smoking in silence. - -"Iss, 'tis true as Gospel. They brought out silks and satins and who -knows what all, and look 'ee, friends, that be thievin'!" - -"I don't know about that," said Tonkin. - -"But I do know," said Doubledick positively. "We hain't used the well -for ten year, we all do know that. Last time 'twas only 'bacca and -brandy--not a bale o' silk or passel o' lace. Well, then, this stuff -bein' buried in the earth, or we'd ha' found it, I reckon it had been -theer ever since the landfall, hunderds o' years ago, in yer grandfer's -days, Zacky. See then, the true owner o't, arter all this time, be the -owner o' the land, and that's Maister John--would ha' been Squire till -three months ago. Hee, hee! They ha' stole Maister John's proputty." - -"I've heerd tell o' what clever folks call treasure trove," said Mail, -"and that belongs to King Jarge." - -"King Jarge ha' got quite as much as he can do with up-along to Lunnon," -said Doubledick, "and I don't care who the man is, they silks and satins -do belong now to Maister John. Well, do 'ee think they wicked robbers -will hev the impedence to swear agen a honest free-trader like me? -They'll never do it. Maister John will claim the goods and threaten 'em -wi' the law, and that'll be enough to keep their mouths shet, trust me." - -"How did this wonderful bit o' knowledge come to 'ee neighbour, you -bein' away and all?" asked Mail. - -"Ah! little birds, Simon, little small birds," replied Doubledick with a -knowing look. - -"Then maybe you do know another 'mazin' bit o' news," said Pendry. - -"Maybe I do. Tell to me, and then I'll tell 'ee." - -"Why, young Squire this very day did save young Jake from bein' -drownded, didn' he, Zacky?" - -"Iss, fay," said Tonkin, "and I went up-along to-night to say thank 'ee, -as a true Cornishman oughted. And I tell 'ee what, friend, we been all -wrong about Squire informin' and all that. I axed un plain, man to man, -and he telled me I oughter be ashamed to think sech a thing, and I -believe un." - -"But did he deny it?" asked the innkeeper. - -"Well, no, I couldn' go so far as to say that." - -"Ah, Zacky, you be a simple plum-baked feller, to be sure. Ye don't -know the windin's and twistin's o' these high gentry. Plain simple -souls like 'ee don't know what eddication do for a man. That young whelp -of Squire's do go to pa'son and larn all the wisdom and cleverness of -ancient men of old; 'a can twist 'ee round his finger, I b'lieve." - -Tonkin looked troubled. Doubledick had such a reputation for -knowingness that his opinion carried weight. - -"Well, time will show," said Tonkin. "I tell 'ee one thing, that I -won't hev a hand no more in anything agen Squire, not till I do know -sartin-sure. What do 'ee say, Nathan?" - -"Iss, I say the same. Let's be sartin-sure, that's what I say," replied -Pendry. - -Doubledick puffed his scorn of such simple-mindedness. - -"Well, I be tired, neighbours," he said. "Riding a-hoss-back from -Megavissey hev well-nigh scat me in jowds" (by which he meant, broken -him in pieces), "and I yearn for my bed. We'll see what we will see, I -b'lieve." - -The company broke up. The fishers went their way; Doubledick closed the -door behind them, and raked out the fire. Before he ascended to his -bedroom he locked his bundle of banknotes in a strong box which he kept -under the stairs, and might have been heard chuckling gleefully. - -Next morning the inn was early besieged by a crowd of fishers who had -heard of Doubledick's return, and were agog to learn all the -circumstances from his own lips. A little later the newly-imported -miners arrived, and, later still, as the news travelled farther, -farmers, millers, and dairymen flocked into the village. Doubledick -rubbed his hands with glee at the trade he was doing. Except to his -intimates, he explained very little. To the questions of the others he -replied only by nods and winks, and they at last ceased to interrogate -him, remarking one to another that he was a real knowing one; nobody -could get round him; "a wonderful feller, truly, for see how soon he hev -slipped away from France, wheer many a good man hev rotted in prison -since these 'nation wars began." - -There were many who expected that before the day was out Doubledick -would be arrested and carried before Sir Bevil, and a throng of idlers -hung about the inn in anticipation of this exciting event. But no -constable, soldier, or sheriff's officer appeared, and at nightfall the -innkeeper's reputation was higher than ever. - -Two men believed that they knew the reason of the authorities' -forbearance. John Trevanion fondly supposed that the banknotes with -which he had parted had found their way into the pockets of Mr. Mildmay, -Mr. Polwhele, and Joe Penwarden. In those days the bribery of revenue -officers was not infrequent. Tonkin, on the other hand, suspected that -the Squire had persuaded Penwarden not to prosecute, in order to -consolidate the better feeling between the village and the Towers to -which Dick's rescue of Jake had given birth. The actual reason was -known to four men alone: the revenue officers, Penwarden, and Doubledick -himself. - -About midday Sam Pollex came rushing up to the Towers from the village -with the news of Doubledick's return. - -"Nonsense," said Dick; "he wouldn't dare show his face again." - -"Name it all, Maister, didn' I see un with my own eyes?" cried Sam. -"There he be, down-along at his kiddly-wink, more bustious nor ever, or -may I never speak again." - -Dick hastened instantly to the little white cottage on the cliff, where -Penwarden had again taken up his abode. - -"Joe," he cried, bursting in like a whirlwind, "Doubledick is back! -Come with me to the Parsonage; we'll get a warrant for his arrest." - -Penwarden was eating his dinner. He conveyed a piece of fish to his -mouth without showing any sign of surprise. - -"Back, is he?" he said. "Ah, well! Rusco warn't good for his health, -seemingly." - -"It would suit him better than Truro jail. Come along; there's just -time to get to the Parsonage and back before my dinner." - -"Not for a old ancient feller like me." - -"Well, I'll go alone then; but they'll want two witnesses, I believe, -before any justice will commit him." - -"They will, I believe, but I won't be one. No, I couldn' bring myself -to 't." - -"What on earth do you mean?" cried Dick in amazement. "'Tis your duty -to bring the villain to justice." - -"Villain he is, and I'd crack his skull as soon as look at him. But as -to duty--I knows my duty, Maister Dick, and my duty is to let un bide. -Besides, never could I face the stoor of appearin' in a court o' -justice. Theer'd be lawyer fellers in wigs and gowns, axin' me this, -that, and t'other till I wouldn' know whether I pitched on my head or my -heels. But I'd fain fetch un a crack on the nuddick, so as 'a couldn' -stir for a fortnight." - -"Oh, well, of course 'tis your business," said Dick, somewhat offended. -"If you don't prosecute him, I suppose he'll go free. 'Tis no concern -of mine." - -And he returned to the Towers, and told his father that old Joe hadn't -so much spirit as he thought. - -Two hours before, Penwarden had received a visit from Mr. Mildmay and -Mr. Polwhele. When they informed him that Doubledick had returned, he -started up, seized his hat, and declared with great vehemence that he -would go straight along to the Parsonage and get Mr. Carlyon's warrant -for the villain's arrest. The revenue officers had much ado to appease -him, and only when Mr. Mildmay made a strong appeal to his sense of duty -as an old Navy man did he agree to the inactive course proposed. - -"If 'tis a matter of duty to the King, as ye say, sir," he remarked, "I -reckon I do know my duty as well as any man. Hain't I served with Lord -Admiral Rodney? Not a man of us but did what he bid at once, or he'd -ha' knowed what for. Did I ever tell 'ee how the Lord Admiral spoke to -me special one day?" - -"Well now, let me see," said Mr. Mildmay, who had heard the story a -score of times. "Did you ever hear it, Polwhele?" - -"In Jamaica, wasn't it, Joe?" said the riding-officer, who having been -on the coast ten times as long as Mr. Mildmay, had probably heard the -story ten times as often. - -"No, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe, sir. I was cruisin' theer one day when who -should I see beatin' up but Lord Admiral Rodney, convoyin' two handsome -females--ah! as clippin' craft as ever I seed. While I was standin' by, -all of a sudden he put up his helm and steered right across my bows. -'Get out of the way, you cross-eyed son of a sea-cook!' says he, and the -two females laughed like a brook in June. Ah! 'tidn' every common -mariner as could say he'd been spoke to special by sech a fine -man-o'-war as Lord Admiral Rodney." - -"You're right, Joe," said Mr. Mildmay. "No admiral at all, let alone a -great man like Rodney, ever spoke to me, worse luck. Well then, you'll -let matters rest, old fellow, and you won't be sorry for it." - -"But I may crack un over the skull if he gets in my way, I s'pose?" - -"Well, yes, but not too hard; dead men tell no tales, you know." - -"I'll mind o' that, and not gie un a whole broadside. Dear life! What a -mix-up of a world it is, to be sure?" - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH - - The Last Deal - - -For a week or two there was a lull in events. One day the Squire -received a letter from John Trevanion's attorney, demanding that he -should give up the property of his client which had been feloniously -abstracted from the abandoned mine. The Squire swore, a rare occurrence -with him, and sent Dick with the letter to his own lawyer in Truro. Dick -returned with a piece of news that staggered his father. The attorney -had died suddenly a few days before. He was the holder of the mortgage -on the Towers and the Beal; it was almost certain that his executors -would demand payment of the advance. For the first time the Squire was -faced with the absolute loss of his ancestral home. He waited some days -in torturing suspense: then the dread letter came. The amount of a -hundred pounds must be paid within a month. - -The Squire had not even a hundred shillings to spare. In deep distress -of mind he walked to Truro to consult another lawyer, and see whether -the bond could not be renewed or transferred. He applied to a young -solicitor who had recently set up business in the town, and who -undertook to do what he could. The Squire placed in his hands also the -letter he had received from John Trevanion's attorney. - -A correspondence ensued between the two men of law, with great ingenuity -of argument and ample quotation of authorities on both sides. It did -not terminate until the precise question in dispute was no longer of -importance. Meanwhile the Squire retained the silks and satins. - -With the approach of Christmas the vigilance of Penwarden and his -superiors became incessant. At that season there was a great demand all -through the countryside for the wares of the free-traders, and unless -precedent was to fail, many a bale and keg would be landed on the coast -without paying dues to the King's Government. - -One dark night, Tonkin arrived in his lugger at Lunnan Cove, a few miles -south of the village, with a fine cargo freighted jointly by John -Trevanion and himself. Contrary winds having delayed him, he arrived -several hours later than had been arranged, and found that the -tub-carriers, evidently tired of waiting, had gone away. He dropped the -tubs overboard in the usual manner, taking their bearings carefully, and -returned for them on the following night. To his surprise and bitter -rage, when he explored the bottom with his creeps, a strong force of -tub-carriers waiting on the shore, he failed to find a single tub of the -cargo so carefully laid. All had vanished. If he had been on the spot -a few hours earlier, he would have seen them hoisted one by one into the -revenue-boats, and conveyed to official sanctuary at St. Ives. - -The smugglers were furious. Some one must have betrayed them. -Occasionally there were traitors among them, but rarely, for the fate of -an informer, if discovered, was of such a nature as to deter others. -When they returned to the inn to drown their disappointment and talk -over the occurrence, Doubledick shrugged. - -"What about yer fine friends at the Towers now, Zacky?" he said. - -"Good sakes! How could 'em know?" cried the exasperated fisher. - -"Oh, you simple soul! Didn' I see yer Jake a-fishin' along wi' young -Squire only yesterday?" - -"Rabbit it all! Do 'ee mean to say 'tis Jake that split? Why, daze me, -the boy didn' know about it hisself, Doubledick; we kept it so close." - -"Well, I only tell 'ee what I seed. 'T 'ud be hard to b'lieve sech a -miserable dirty thing o' Jake, I own it. In course he never done it, -bein' a Tonkin; 'twas only my little bit o' fun. But I don't care who -the man is, they folks up at Towers hev turned preventives; norra one of -'ee woll make me b'lieve different." - -"Dear life! Won't Maister John be in a gashly passion!" said Simon -Mail. "He had more nor you in it, Zacky, I b'lieve!" - -"Iss, fay, he did. Neighbour Doubledick loses least; 'tis a mercy for -'ee, neighbour." - -"So 'tis, Zacky," said Doubledick. "Ah! I was right to bide quiet a -while arter that journey to France. But name it all, I bean't goin' to -bide quiet for ever; I'll take a share in the next, be-jowned if I -don't, and I hope them above will gie us better luck." - -"Ay, Maister John will be in a rare passion," repeated Simon Mail. "He -be spendin' money so free that 'twill be a blow to him, to be sure." - -"True," said Pendry, "and spendin' for the country, too. Do 'ee think, -now, as Boney will come to these parts, neighbour Tonkin?" - -"I wouldn' think so myself, but you never can tell," replied Tonkin. -"'Tis a little small place, wi' no great riches to tempt un; but that -may be a reason for 't. We've no forts nor cannons nor sojers to defend -us, and Boney may choose the place according; 't 'ud be easier to land -here than at Weymouth, where the King and all his high generals -sometimes be." - -"What I say is, Maister John be a fine feller," said Mail. "'Tidn' -every gentleman as 'ud do what he be doin'. Why, he've had a dozen men -from Trura riggin' up iron shetters to his winders, and a cart come -t'other day wi' firelocks and pikes, and I seed him only yesterday -marchin' his miners up and down in front o' the house, every man of 'em -wi' a terrible weapon o' some sort; and when he shouted, up went -firelock or pike, and seein' the guns all pointin' at me, I run off as -hard as my poor legs 'ud move, for I didn' want to be hurted, not I." - -"Ay, and I seed Petherick goin' up to Dower House wi' a noble bell under -his arm," said Pendry, "and when I axed un about it, 'a telled me 'twas -to rig up in the roof, to gie the word o' warnin' to the whole village -if Boney was spied wi' all his horses and men." - -"And what's more," added Mail, "he hev took three men-servants into -house, purgy fellers they be too, so's to hev a army to lead agen the -enemy. They'll eat a deal o' meat, they will, and sartin sure he'll be -in a passion at losin' money over this crop." - -"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick. "It do make me laugh, neighbours, to -think o' Maister John leadin' a army agen Boney. I'll go up-along -to-morrer and see this practisin' wi' pikes and firelocks; 'twill do me -good, hee! hee! They miners had better turn sojers out and out, for -they'll never get tin or copper enough out o' the earth to pay for their -keep." - -Doubledick strolled up the hill next day, and stood with a look of keen -enjoyment on his face as a score of miners drilled under Trevanion's -direction. At the close of the exercise he accosted Trevanion. - -"'Tis a noble sperit, to be sure, Maister John," he said, "but daze me -if I think yer new sojers and yer iron shetters will keep out Boney and -his thousands and millions. He's a tarrible feller, by all accounts." - -"'Tis every man's duty to defend his country so far as he is able," said -Trevanion coldly, beginning to move away. - -"Iss, sure," said Doubledick, keeping pace with him; "and it must cost -'ee a tidy bit o' money. But I be afeard it bean't much good. Why now, -s'pose 'twas not Boney, but one of his simple generals, or no sojer at -all, but a plain feller like me--or like Delarousse, say. I say, s'pose -Delarousse took it into his head to hev his revenge for the trade he've -a-lost, to wipe off old scores, as ye may say--jown me if he'd be -flustered by a passel o' miners or a shetter or two. Howsomever, 'tis -not for me to say. Ye do know more about the arts o' warfare nor I, I -reckon." - -"Your tongue runs on, Doubledick," said Trevanion with a hollow laugh. -His annoyance was plain to see: the fellow was presuming on the secret -between them. - -"Iss, I be forgettin' what I come to say," said Doubledick. "The folks -at the Towers be at their tricks again, seemingly." - -"If I knew it!" cried Trevanion furiously. "If you catch young Dick, or -that wretched follower of his, spying, I hope you'll take care they -don't do it again. You squared the officers on your own matter; can't -we keep them quiet on the trade?" - -"Ah! that's different. To jail me wouldn' put money in their pockets, -like seizin' a cargo. I'm afeard 't 'ud take more nor the crop's worth -to put 'em quiet on that, Maister. But there now! we allers do hev ups -and downs; maybe the ups will beat the downs in the end." - -That Doubledick's philosophy was well founded was signally demonstrated -a few days later. Though the loss in case of failure was severe, the -profit of a successful run was so high that success once in three times -was accounted satisfactory. To recoup the recent loss another cargo was -freighted in Roscoff, Trevanion, Tonkin, and Doubledick taking equal -shares. The spot selected was the mouth of the little creek four miles -north of the Towers, where Dick had launched his home-made boat. Only a -few men, on whom the confederates placed absolute reliance, were -admitted to the secret. The goods were run ashore in complete safety, -and each of the three freighters pocketed a considerable profit. - -Elated by this success, another run was arranged a few days -subsequently. In this Trevanion had the largest share, Tonkin ranking -next, Doubledick, Pendry, and Mail being involved to the extent of a few -pounds each. The place was changed, a small cove a little nearer the -village on the south side being chosen. Mr. Mildmay had been called to -a spot ten miles distant, and everything promised success. Tonkin's -lugger anchored off the rendezvous, the goods were "rafted" ashore, and -the carriers had all shouldered their burdens, when a dash was made on -them by preventive men aided by a troop of dragoons, and, after a sharp -fight, only one man got away with his tubs. - -John Trevanion never appeared on the scene of operations. He was always -kept well informed as to the time and place of the runs, but it was his -constant policy to remain in the background. On this occasion, when he -learnt of the second failure within a week, he was exasperated beyond -endurance. He rode down to the inn, stormed at the smugglers, and having -learnt that Mr. Mildmay had been summoned away by his own arrangement, -merely as a blind, he declared that either Jake Tonkin or Ike Pendry had -betrayed him to Dick, with whom they now occasionally fished. This -accusation enraged the elder Tonkin, and the two men would have -proceeded from recriminations to blows, if Doubledick had not stepped in -between them. - -A week passed. It was the Wednesday before Christmas Day. There had -been some hesitation among the smugglers, after the last failure, -whether to venture on what was usually the most important run of the -season. At this time they found customers for their wares much further -afield than usual. But the prospect of large profits, and the perpetual -fascination of the trade, overcame their doubts and fears, and early on -this Wednesday morning, before it was light, Tonkin sailed off in the -_Isaac and Jacob_ for Roscoff. Once more he had equal shares with -Trevanion, no others being concerned in the run except as helpers. - -On Wednesday evening, Doubledick left the inn, and walked along the -southward bank of the stream in the direction of the church. He had -left word that he was going to see Petherick about a Christmas dinner -which the Vicar was accustomed to give to the children and young people -of the parish, in a barn upon his glebe. He spent an hour or two with -Petherick in his cottage near the church, received from him the Vicar's -orders for squab-pie (a hotch-potch of mutton, apples, onions and -raisins, with sugar and seasoning), "figgy pudden" (which is Cornish for -plum-pudding), and other delectables of the season, and having arranged -with the sexton the commission to be paid him for passing on an order -which he could have placed with no one else, he drank a parting glass -and started ostensibly for home. It was a fine night, moonless but -clear, with that crisp coldness in the air that exhilarates. Instead of -walking along the road by which he had come, Doubledick struck off to -the left into a lane that would bring him, after a long round, to the -south cliff. There were no houses hereabouts, the church being at least -half a mile from the nearest dwelling. - -When the innkeeper came to the spot where the ground began to rise, he -did not turn to the right, along the path that led to the bridge over -the stream, and was the nearest way home, but trudged directly onward, -puffing a little as he went higher. It was very dark, or he might -perhaps have seen a figure silently stalking him. Every now and again -he stopped to take breath and to glance in the direction of the village. -At these times the shadowy figure dropped down behind a furze bush, and -there waited until Doubledick, with a grunt and sigh, again went on his -way. - -Presently he came to Mr. Polwhele's house on the cliff. He did not pass -it by, nor approach the front door, but stole to the window, where a -light shone through the blind, and gently tapped at it. In a few moments -the door opened. Mr. Polwhele's figure was for an instant silhouetted -against the light from a hanging-lamp in the passage. Doubledick -entered quickly, and the door was shut again. - -The silent form of the second man was motionless and invisible in the -darkness. But when the door was closed, it tip-toed swiftly across the -grass, and if a third person had been in the neighbourhood he might have -seen the head and shoulders of a fisher in strong relief against the -illuminated blind. But there was no spectator. The fisher placed his -ear against the glass, and remained in that posture for several minutes. -Then he withdrew, muttering his disappointment, and posted himself -behind a clump of gorse a few yards away, where he could keep his eye on -the door. - -"Well, Doubledick," said the riding-officer, when he had given his -visitor a chair, "'tis to be, then?" - -"Iss, sir, and a big thing too. Maister Trevanion hev L200 ventured, -and Tonkin the same." - -"And where is it to be this time?" - -"At the creek, sir, same as time afore last. They did so well then that -they couldn' think of a better place, the den bein' broke up." - -"And when?" - -"Thursday night, or ye med say Friday mornin', accordin' to the wind." - -"They mean to run, and not to sink, I suppose?" - -"Iss, sure, sir. Next day bein' Christmas, ye see, they must hev the -stuff carried off at once. I'd axe 'ee, sir, not to lay hands on the -men; seize the tubs, in course, but I don't want 'ee to do any hurt to -the fellers." - -"Well, I'll do what I can; but you know what soldiers are. They've been -itching for months to fight Boney, and they want to keep their hand in, -you know." - -"True, sir. Ah well! the carriers will run fast enough; 'tis only Zacky -Tonkin and the rest I be afeard for; they'll fight, 'tis sartin-sure." - -"You're a thorough-paced scoundrel, you know, Doubledick," said the -riding-officer. "'Pon my word, if it weren't my duty to stop smuggling -by hook or by crook, 'twould give me the greatest pleasure in life to -see you tarred and feathered. I warned you, you remember. You'll be -caught one of these days, mark my words, and the money you're heaping up -won't save you then, my man." - -"Hee! hee!" laughed Doubledick uneasily. "Name it all, was there any -other way to save myself from jail? 'Tis a risk, I own it; it do gie me -the creeps in the night sometimes when I think o't. And be-jowned, sir, -when you gie me the L50 for this job, I'll pack up my traps and go into -other parts wi' my wife, and spend my old age in peace and quietness, if -she'll let me. Ye won't stop me, sir?" - -"Not I. 'Tis dirty work, and I'd rather fight the trade fair and -square, 'pon my word I would." - -"'Tis the last time, then, for me. And now I must be traipsin' -home-along." - -Mr. Polwhele accompanied him to the door. On the step Doubledick turned -and said in low tones, his words, however, being distinct in the clear -night air: - -"Ye'll mind and not take Zacky, sir? I hain't no fancy for -blood-money." - -"I'll do what I can. Good-night." - -He stood for a moment or two watching the innkeeper's receding form, -then turned to re-enter the house. But it happened that, in the very -act of turning, he caught sight of a dark figure slinking away from a -furze bush in Doubledick's wake. He slipped into the house, turned out -the lamps in the passage and the room, and in a quarter of a minute came -out again, the darkness completely veiling his movements. With swift -steps he followed the two figures down the slope, drawing near to the -second of them under cover of the bushes. Having assured himself that -Doubledick was being deliberately shadowed, he bent low, rapidly made a -circuit, and concealed himself behind a clump which the stealthy pursuer -must pass. As the man came abreast of him, wholly engrossed in keeping -the innkeeper in view, Polwhele suddenly sprang out, caught his victim -by the throat so that he could utter no more than the faintest gurgle, -and bore him to the ground. Then, whipping out his pistol, he -whispered: - -"If you make a sound I will shoot you. Get up and come with me." - -Keeping a firm hand on the fallen man's collar, he lugged him to his -feet, marched him back to the house, and thrust him through the still -open door, which he bolted behind him. - -"So 'tis you, Jake Tonkin," he said, as he relit the lamp. - -"Iss, 'tis I. Let me go, Maister. Doubledick said 'twas I that split, -the villain! Let me go. Scrounch me if the two-faced wretch don't -suffer for this!" - -"I'm afraid I can't let you go yet, my son," said the riding-officer. -"Now 'tis no good kicking or shouting. Remain quiet, and in a day or -two you shall go, safe and sound. If you give trouble I shall have to -deal with you as your folk dealt with Penwarden." - -Jake sullenly submitted. Mr. Polwhele gave him supper, then locked him -into a room where the window was heavily barred. - -"I am sick of this," he thought, as he returned to his own room. "'Tis -well Doubledick is going, or, by George, there would be murder." - -Next morning Sam Pollex, going down to the village to buy some raisins -for a plum-pudding, overtook Susan Berry, John Trevanion's housemaid. -"Aw, Ma'am, ye do look wisht, sure enough," said Sam, remarking the -gloomy aspect of Maidy Susan's usually merry face. - -"And so I be, Sam," she replied, "I wish I were to-home, I do." - -"Now that be cruel to we, daze me if it bean't. Why do 'ee wish sech a -cruel thing, Ma'am?" - -"Why, to-morrer be Christmas Eve, and there'll be no ashton fagot, and -no egg-hot, like us have to-home." - -"What be they, Maidy?" - -"Don't 'ee know that? Why, the fagot be made of ash-sticks tied about -wi' nine twigs, and on Christmas Eve 'tis dragged to the Squire's hearth -and set ablaze; and then we do dance and jump for cakes, and dive for -apples in a tub o' water. Oh, 'tis sech fun, you can't think! And then -we drink egg-hot----" - -"What's that, if it be so pleasin'?" - -"Why, silly chiel, 'tis cider and eggs and spice, made as hot as 'ee can -drink it." - -"Aw, I know what that is. Mess is what we do name it, and as for fagot, -we do call that mock, only it bean't sticks, but a mighty block o' wood. -Squire don't hev it now, since he hev been so poor. But why don't 'ee -axe yer maister if ye can do as ye do to-home?" - -"I don't know what be come to Maister. He be all hippety-like--looks as -grave as a church owl, and him goin' to be married, too. Pa'son be -goin' to pray for un fust time o' Sunday." - -"Well, marriage be a fearsome thing, I s'pose. I seed a weddin' up-along -at church once, and theer was a little Noah's flood o' tears. I don't -think I'll ever be married." - -"You be only a chiel yet. But there now, 'tis ever since Maister -brought they great lubbers into house, and gied 'em guns and swords and -I don't know what all. Seems he be afeard o' summat. Do 'ee think that -monster Boney will come and eat the poor childer here, Sam?" - -"Not he. He dussn't do it. Don't 'ee be afeard, now, Maidy dear. I'll -look out for un, and if I do see un I'll ring our bell so powerful loud -that all the brave men in the country will run to defend 'ee." - -"We've got a bell, too." - -"Not sech a banger as ours, I warrant 'ee. I do wish Squire were rich; -then we'd hev the mock, and a great big figgy pudden, not a little small -one wi' half a pound o' figs in it; and Squire would axe 'ee and all the -country to come and join us, and ye'd come in yer fine new gown that I'm -goin' to gie ye. But theer, 'tis not to be, and 'twill only make us -wisht to think o't." - -"Look 'ee see, Sam: what a throng o' folk! Whatever is the matter?" - -They had come within sight of the village green, where a crowd of men, -women, and children were talking excitedly. - -"What be all this stoor, Ike?" asked Sam of the young fisher. - -"Why, Jake Tonkin can't be found nowhere. He wented up-along yestere'en -to wood to get some mistletoe, and never come back." - -"Never come back?" - -"No. His mother be in a tarrible state, Zacky bein' away and all." - -"Sure 'a didn' go wi' Zacky to Rusco?" - -"Now that's foolish. Didn' I say 'a wented for mistletoe yestere'en, -and Zacky sailed off in mornin'.' - -"So 'a did, to be sure. Here's riding-officer; let us tell him." - -Mr. Polwhele rode up into the midst of the crowd. - -"Well, neighbours, what's to do?" he cried. - -"Jake Tonkin be gone a-lost, Maister," shouted a score of voices in -answer. - -"Lost, is he? He's big enough to take care of himself, surely. Isn't -he with his father?" - -"No, Maister," piped a small boy. "Zacky Tonkin be----" - -"Wisht yer clatter!" cried the child's mother, catching him by the arm -and shaking him. - -"Who saw him last?" asked the riding-officer. - -"Who seed un last?" repeated several voices. "Here be Un Tonkin; she'll -tell to we." - -"'A wented last night to get mistletoe, sir," said Mrs. Tonkin, with a -pale, anxious face. "Never hev he stayed out all night afore, and I be -afeard something bad hev come to un." - -"Oh, dear no! I can't imagine anything of the kind," said the officer, -cheerily. "Don't be down-hearted. He'll come home-along by-and-by as -large as life. I'll ride to the wood and look about, and tell my men to -search too. The young rascal! Up to some mischief, you may be sure. Go -home, my good woman, and don't distress yourself, and you folks, instead -of standing gossiping here, go and hunt. Christmas Day is coming, you -know, and we must have Jake back in time for the parson's dinner." - -But the day closed without the discovery of any trace of the missing -lad, and some of Mrs. Tonkin's kind neighbours were already condoling -with her on the loss of her only son, and assuring her that Zacky would -be in a terrible way when he came home. - -Mr. Mildmay and the riding-officer supped together before setting out, -the one by sea, the other by land, for the scene of the expected run. - -"Would to heaven we had never come to terms with Doubledick!" said Mr. -Polwhele. "Never again for me, Mildmay. Set a thief to catch a thief, -they say, but I don't know how you feel: I feel myself a mean rascal, -old stager as I am at the game." - -"Honestly, I agree with you, and having Jake Tonkin mewed up here -complicates things desperately. The moment he is let loose he'll tell -his father, and if I know the man, Doubledick's life won't be worth a -snap of the finger." - -"Well, I warned him. I couldn't foresee that Jake would come upon him -in that accidental way. Scheme as we will, Mildmay, there's a Power that -overrules us all." - -"The best thing we can do now is to warn Doubledick. We've gone into -partnership with the fellow, and we can't in honour keep silence. Give -him a chance to escape." - -"You're right. I'll call at the inn as I ride down, and tell him we -have Jake locked up here. That will give him about twelve hours' -grace--time to clear away bag and baggage." - -When the lieutenant went aboard his cutter, Mr. Polwhele entered the -inn. - -"Where's Doubledick?" he asked of the inn-keeper's wife. - -"He be gone along to Trura, Maister," she replied, in her usual vinegary -manner. - -"What for?" - -"Well, I don't know as it be any business o' yourn, but 'tis to buy some -figs for the pa'son's dinner." - -"Oh, well, if he comes back, tell him I want to see him first thing in -the morning, will you?" - -"He hain't done nawthin' agen the law." - -"I'm glad of that. Don't forget my message." - -Mr. Polwhele left, firmly convinced that Doubledick had become -suspicious and already beat a retreat. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST - - The Attack on the Towers - - -That night the Towers was heavy with an atmosphere of gloom. The Squire -had remained the whole evening sunk in his chair, not reading, or -smoking, speechless, his head bent upon his breast. He had heard from -his lawyer that all efforts to transfer the mortgage had as yet proved -fruitless: nobody wanted a bond on barren land. The next day but one -was Christmas, and the Squire brooded on the melancholy thought that it -would be the last Christmas he would spend in his old home. Occasionally -he glanced at the motto inscribed above the lintel of the door: - - Trevanion, whate'er thy Fortune be, - Hold fast the Rock by the Western Sea. - -What a mockery the old legend seemed! He had held fast; now he felt as -though some inexorable power were unclenching his nerveless fingers. -And the bitterness of his mood was intensified by the foreboding that -the old house, and his last rood of land, would go, as all the rest had -gone, into the hands of the man who had disgraced his name, and who bore -him implacable enmity. - -Dick went to bed early, sick at heart, unable to endure the mute misery -upon his parents' faces. He meant to rise before it was light, for a -purpose which, he sadly felt, he might never accomplish again. It had -been his custom for several years to carry to the Parsonage on Christmas -Eve a basket of fish of his own catching, as a present to his good -friend the Vicar. It was a poor gift, but he had not the means to offer -anything better, and Mr. Carlyon was always pleased with it, regarding -the spirit in which the simple offering was made. - -About an hour before dawn he wakened Sam, and after nibbling a crust, -the two boys set off. Experience had taught them that this was the best -time to fish at so late a season of the year. The air was damp and raw, -with scarcely any wind, and as they issued from the house they shivered, -and buttoned their coats high about their necks. - -"We must go to the Beal for some tackle, Sam," said Dick. "That will -warm us before we go down to the boat." - -"Iss. I wish it were to-morrer. Pa'son's dinner will be summat to -cheer a poor feller up, these wisht and dismal times. Do 'a think, now, -Maister Dick, as we'll ever hev a real Christmas randy up at Towers, -same as they do hev at Portharvan?" - -"I'm afraid not, Sam. I'm afraid we shan't spend another Christmas at -the Towers." - -"Well, then, you and I had better go for sojers or sailors. I'm afeard -I bean't high enough for a sojer. But sailors get prize-money, old Joe -says, and I'd like that, 'cos then I could buy a thing or two for Maidy -Susan--and Mistress, too: I wouldn' forget she. Maybe I'd get killed, -fightin' the French, but dear life! it wouldn' matter much: we hain't -got many friends. I don't s'pose Maidy Susan 'ud fall more 'n two -tears, or maybe three." - -"None at all, I should think," said Dick. - -"Oh, I don't think so bad o' she as that. When I seed her yesterday she -said she wished I could go to Dower House to-night. Maister John be -goin' to a randy at Portharvan; he'll kiss his young 'ooman under the -mistletoe, I reckon." - -"And Susan wants you to go to the Dower House and kiss her, I suppose?" - -"Now that's too bad, Maister. We bean't neither of us so forward as -that. Maidy said she'd like me to go up-along and gie un some o' my -merry talk, but jown me if my tongue 'ud run merry wi' things so bad up -to home." - -"You couldn't go: Father would never allow it. You'll have to be -satisfied with the Vicar's nuts and candy, Sam." - -They came to their den at the end of the Beal, and remained there for -some little time arranging their tackle in the wan glimmer preceding the -dawn. Then they emerged, and climbed up beside the big boulder to take -a look at the sea, over which a thin mist hung. - -"Isn't that the _Isaac and Jacob_?" said Dick, pointing to a vessel -tacking to make the fairway between the cliff and the reef. - -"Iss, sure. Tonkin be come home wi'out a cargo, seemin'ly, unless he -hev run it a'ready." - -They watched the lugger creeping slowly toward the harbour. The tide -was on the ebb, and there was not enough depth of water upon the reef to -allow the vessel to head straight for the jetty. As she crept into the -fairway Dick was struck with the unusual appearance of her deck. -Amidships it was almost clear except for two or three men; but, herded -under the low bulwarks on the weather side, out of sight from the -harbour, were a score or more of men whom he recognised by slight -indications in their dress to be foreigners. Almost instinctively Dick -slipped behind the boulder, pulling Sam with him. - -"That's very curious," he whispered, standing so that he could see -without being seen. - -On the lee side of the vessel, he noticed arms, legs, and here and there -a red-capped head protruding from beneath tarpaulins, thrown with -apparent carelessness on the deck. Two or three heads also appeared in -the hatchway, suggesting that other men were on the companion below. -But what struck Dick most of all was the fact that although Nathan -Pendry held the tiller, there lolled against the bulwarks near him a -stranger whose hat and coat were manifestly Cornish, but whose lower -garments were as unmistakably of foreign cut. He was a short, stout -man, and he held a pistol, which was pointed at the helmsman. - -Dick was so much fascinated and wonderstruck by this extraordinary -spectacle that for a few moments he neither spoke nor stirred. - -"Be it Boney at last?" whispered Sam, his eyes wide with alarm. - -"No, no: Boney would bring thousands. But I can't make it out. We'll -run home, Sam, and tell Father." - -Creeping round the boulder, and dipping their heads as long as there was -any chance of being observed from the lugger, they set off at a -breakneck run for the Towers. Dick dashed up to the Squire's room, and -knocked at the door. - -"Come in," said the Squire. He was awake--had indeed lain sleepless -almost all night, thinking miserably of his affairs. - -"Father," said Dick, entering, "Tonkin's lugger has just put in with a -gang of Frenchmen on board. Pendry is at the helm; there's a fellow -standing over him with a pistol. I didn't see Tonkin." - -"What on earth does that mean?" cried the Squire, starting up. "Get me -my boots, Dick; I'll pull on some clothes, and go up on the roof to take -a look at them." - -In a few minutes the Squire, Dick, and Sam were behind the parapet of -the principal tower, the Squire with his telescope in his hand. Lofty -as their perch was, the jetty and the lower part of the village were not -in sight, being concealed by the contour of the hill. But they could -see the upper houses and the cliffs beyond; the church tower and the red -roof of the Parsonage away to the left; and almost every yard of ground -between the hilltop and the Towers. - -"Shall I ring bell, Maister?" asked Sam. - -"No; wait a little. We don't want to make ourselves a laughing-stock. -There's nothing in Polkerran to make it worth any Frenchman's while -to--Ha! I see it all. 'Tis a trick of Mildmay's, the sly dog. Do you -see, Dick? He has disguised himself and his men as Frenchmen, and -pounced on Tonkin's lugger with a fine crop aboard. Ha! ha! The neatest -feat I ever heard of." - -"I'm rather doubtful about that, sir," said Dick. "The faces I saw -weren't Cornish." - -"It would be a poor disguise if they were. You may be sure I'm right, -and we shall have Mildmay coming up to breakfast by-and-by with a fine -tale of tubs. I slept badly, Dick; I'll return to my bed for an hour or -two." - -Dick remained with Sam on the roof. He was not at all convinced that -his father was right. It was difficult to conceive what object a band -of Frenchmen could have in attacking so small a village, yet he felt -sure that they were Frenchmen, and that their visit was not an ordinary -smuggling affair. After a long look through his spy-glass he said to -Sam: - -"There's no smoke, no sound of firing---no noise at all. We can't see -anything here, Sam; let us take a run to the Beal again." - -But at that moment he saw a man rise over the crest of the hill; -immediately behind him came others. They were armed with muskets and -cutlasses, and advanced rapidly and in a manner that suggested a -definite goal. - -"Off to the turret and pull the bell, Sam!" cried Dick. He rushed -downstairs to his father's room again. - -"Thirty or forty armed men are marching from the village, sir," he said. -"I think they're coming to attack us." - -"Bless my soul, what fools they must be!" said the Squire with a -mirthless laugh. "There's nothing here worth firing a shot for. Ah! -there's the bell. We'll see if 'tis more effective than last time we -rang it. And we'll give them a warm reception, my boy, by George we -will! Go and bring Reuben to me." - -So crowded was the next hour, and so conflicting were the accounts given -subsequently, in all honesty, by actors in the drama, that the writing -of a clear and coherent narrative is a matter of some difficulty. Mr. -Carlyon diligently questioned everyone who could throw a light on the -separate incidents, and out of this material compiled a long chapter for -his history of the parish. But the prolixity of his style, and his -habit of interrupting his narrative with classical parallels and -references to abstruse authors, render his book quite unsuitable to the -present age, and make it necessary to treat his manuscript as the modern -historian treats his sources. - - -When the _Isaac and Jacob_ was moored alongside the jetty, the -tarpaulins that covered the deck were thrown aside, the men whom they -had concealed sprang to their feet, and, joined by others who swarmed up -the companion way, rushed ashore behind their leader, Jean Delarousse of -Roscoff. There were but two or three of the Polkerran folk visible. A -large number of the fishers were five or six miles away, having affairs -of their own to attend to. The majority of the population were still -abed. A dozen miners, due for the day shift in an hour's time, were -breakfasting. Only the smoke rising into the air from the chimneys of -their cottages gave sign of life. - -The few men who were out and about fled incontinently to their homes at -sight of the fifty determined Frenchmen, armed with muskets, cutlasses, -and pistols, advancing across the few yards of open space that separated -the jetty from the nearest houses. It was evident that the invaders had -prearranged their operations. Twelve of their number separated from the -main body and went off hastily in couples, three to the right, three to -the left, until they reached the last dwelling in either direction. -Then doubling up the hills to right and left, they posted themselves -around the village in a half circle, at intervals of about a hundred -yards. Their object manifestly was to prevent any villager from -breaking through, and carrying news of the raid into the country beyond. -The Dower House and the Towers were naturally not included in the -cordon. - -While this movement was being carried out, Delarousse led the rest of -his force straight to the Five Pilchards. The door was already open; -the miners usually paid an early visit to the inn before they started -for their work. Delarousse on entering was confronted by an elderly -woman of shrewish aspect, who stood like a dragon behind the shining -taps. - -"Ze Towers, vere Trevanion live--it is zat big house on ze cliff?" he -asked. - -Mrs. Doubledick nodded. Fright bereft her of speech. - -"Vere is Doubledick?" asked the Frenchman. - -The answer was a shake of the head; whereupon Delarousse, ejaculating -"Ah, bah!" returned to his followers, who were collected about the -entrance, and led all but six of them up the hill. Like a prudent -general, he took care to secure his communications. - -Though he presumed that Mrs. Doubledick's shake of the head signified -ignorance of her husband's whereabouts, in this he was in error. -Doubledick had returned home late at night, unaware of the impending -crisis in his affairs. His wife gave him Mr. Polwhele's message, and he -anticipated a very pleasant interview with the riding-officer on his -return from circumventing the smugglers. Rising early, he happened to -see from his bedroom window the crowd of Frenchmen swarming from the -lugger, and without waiting to finish dressing, he ran down to the -taproom, pulled up a trap-door behind the bar, and descended into the -capacious cellar beneath, having strictly charged his wife not to reveal -his whereabouts. He was shaking with fear, rather of possible -consequences which his imagination foresaw than of immediate bodily -harm. Delarousse could scarcely fail to discover before long that -Doubledick had given him misleading information, and he was a man whose -wrath it was not wise to face. - -Between thirty and forty Frenchmen, strong, hardy fellows, marched -rapidly up the hill behind their leader, whose agility was remarkable in -one so corpulent. They had just risen upon the crest when the clang of -a bell struck upon their ears. - -"En avant, mes gars!" cried Delarousse. "Courez, a toutes jambes!" - -And being on fairly level ground, they broke into a double. - - -The Squire, being now convinced that the Towers, as the most conspicuous -dwelling-house in the neighbourhood, was the object of the Frenchmen's -raid, displayed none of that indecision and vacillation which so often -beset him in the matters of every-day life. He was now keen, alert, and -ready, as became a man who had served in the King's navy. He smiled -grimly as he saw the Frenchmen hasting towards him, as yet half a mile -away. "A pack of fools!" he thought; "but 'tis hard that I should be -molested when on the brink of ruin." - -In a few sharp, decisive words he bade Dick and Reuben close and bolt -the doors and shutters, and haul against the former such heavy articles -of furniture as they could move in the few minutes at their disposal. -Meanwhile he himself collected several old muskets that were at hand, -with powder and slugs, in some cases relics of ancient trophies of arms -treasured by the family. If he could hold the enemy at bay even for a -short time, their project would be ruined, for the alarm bell and the -sound of shots would arouse the whole countryside, and unless the -invaders were supported by other vessels, they must soon retire to the -lugger. At the first glance he had seen that they were not French -regular soldiers, and concluded that their landing was not the foretaste -of a general invasion, but merely a chance filibustering raid. - -In the turret Sam was pulling the bell-rope with short, quick jerks. -His brain was in a whirl. The advance of the Frenchmen was hidden from -him, but looking out of the narrow window in the opposite direction, he -spied, less than a minute after the first clang, Joe Penwarden hurrying -along towards the Towers as fast as his old legs would carry him. -Running to the opposite side of the chamber, where a door admitted to -the house, he yelled down the stairs: - -"Maister, here be old Joe a-comin'. Let un in by the back door." - -"Run, Dick," said the Squire, "you're quickest. An addition to the -garrison is welcome." - -Dick flew to the back door, whither Sam had summoned Penwarden through -the turret window. During these few seconds the strokes of the bell were -very irregular, but they did not cease. - -"What is it, Maister Dick?" said the old man, as Dick closed and -barricaded the door behind him. - -"A gang of Frenchmen are running to attack us. They landed from -Tonkin's lugger about ten minutes ago. Go to Father, Joe; he's in the -front room over the porch. I'm going to the roof to see what they are -doing." - -He leapt up the stairs three at a time, and emerged on the leads of the -tower, whence, sheltered by the parapet, he could observe the enemy in -safety. They were now within two or three hundred yards of the house. -Dick was surprised that there was no sign of pursuers from the village. -Now that the feeling between his family and the people was less acute, -he had expected that the bell would already have summoned a concourse of -fishers, miners, and men of all occupations. He was surprised, too, -that the alarm was not echoed by the new bell which had recently been -rigged up in the Dower House. Surely at such a moment personal feuds -might well be forgotten, and private enemies unite to beat off a public -foe. But between the Towers and the hill not a man was to be seen -except the advancing Frenchmen. At the Dower House there was no sign of -life or movement, a strange circumstance that set him wondering. Why -was not John Trevanion alarmed at a French raid? Was it possible that -he knew of it beforehand, approved it, had even arranged it? Having -failed in some of his schemes hitherto, had he now joined hands with -alien filibusters to deal his cousin a crowning stroke? - -As his eyes ranged round, Dick suddenly caught sight of a large vessel -looming in the mist in a straight line with the head of the Beal. Its -shape was very indistinct and blurred, but there was a certain -familiarity in its aspect, and a sudden conviction flashed upon Dick -that it was the same vessel as he had seen twice before in unusual and -mysterious circumstances. Surely it must be the notorious privateer, -the _Aimable Vertu_, owned by Jean Delarousse. Why it should have come -to an insignificant place like Polkerran, when it might have gained rich -prizes on the high seas, was a question that puzzled him greatly, unless -Trevanion had made an alliance with the Frenchman. - -The Squire's dispositions to meet the threatening attack were as good as -could be devised, having regard to the short breathing-space allowed -him, and to the nature of his situation. A large rambling building like -the Towers could not be held for any length of time by a slender -garrison of five. There were half-a-dozen points at which it could be -assaulted simultaneously--the front door facing the village, the back -door facing the sea, the stable-yard, the offices, the rooms and -passages in the ruined portion. But the principal tower, flanking the -porch, was in passable repair, and it was there that the Squire had -determined to make a final stand. It contained two or three rooms -approached by a stone staircase springing from near the front door. -Mrs. Trevanion was sent by her husband to the topmost room. He posted -himself, with Reuben and Penwarden, in the room over the porch, where -the window-shutters had been loopholed, no doubt by some former owner of -the Towers, though the Squire had never given the matter a thought. -Dick he sent to the back of the house, instructing him to call Sam to -his help if he saw fit. - -"Neither for fire nor battle does the bell summon aid," he said -bitterly. "Sam may as well save his energies." - -His final instruction was that if the Frenchmen broke in, as seemed only -too probable, they should all retreat to the tower, the entrance to -which from the staircase was protected by a heavy, iron-studded oaken -door. Believing that the invaders' object was loot and not slaughter, -he scarcely anticipated personal damage, but supposed that the garrison -would be allowed to remain in the tower unmolested while the rest of the -house was sacked. - -Delarousse, panting a little from his exertions, was as much alive to -the risks and perils of his enterprise as the Squire could be. Success -or failure hung upon minutes. But he had not earned his reputation as a -daring and resourceful privateer undeservedly. His object was a very -simple one. It was not bloodshed or rapine, but merely the seizure of -the man who had grievously wronged him--John Trevanion, or, as he had -known him in Roscoff, Robinson. Doubledick, to feed his private malice, -had declared that John Trevanion lived in the Towers--the largest house -upon the cliff. The Frenchman's little knowledge of the country had -been gained solely by observation from the sea, and by the faint -glimpses he had obtained on that dark and rainy night when he evaded the -pursuit of the dragoons. He remembered that the house at whose door he -had seen his enemy was nearer the top of the hill than the Towers; but -he had no reason to doubt Doubledick's statement that the latter was now -the residence of John Trevanion, and no one had told him that there were -other Trevanions who had no dealings with John. It was therefore his -whole-hearted belief that the Towers sheltered his bitterest foe which -inspired his attack upon a man who had never injured him. - -Utterly possessed by his purpose, he wasted no time in a vain summons to -surrender. The bell was still clanging overhead. He had taken -precautions to prevent interference from the village, where the absence -of so many men on the scene of the expected run favoured his design. -But he was not to know but that the summons might draw armed men from -every corner of the neighbourhood beyond the village, and his blow must -be struck at once. Accordingly he made straight for the porch, and -finding, as he had expected, that the door was fast closed, he put his -pistol to the lock, and with one shot shattered it to splinters. But -the door was held also by bolts and crossbars resting in staples, and -further secured by a sideboard placed against it by Dick and Reuben, so -that the breaking of the lock availed him nothing. Brought thus to a -check, he stood for a few moments within the porch among his men to -consider his next step. - -Meanwhile the Squire at the last moment had hurried to the top of the -tower, with a double object: to observe the movements of the enemy more -clearly than was possible through the loophole of a shuttered window, -and to scan the surrounding country for any sign of assistance. No one -was at present in sight. The air was heavy; the wind was off shore; and -in all probability the sound of the bell had not even reached -Nancarrow's farm, the nearest house except the Parsonage, much less Sir -Bevil Portharvan's place, two miles farther away. - -He had given instructions before leaving Penwarden that the French were -not to be fired on until they opened hostilities. With his wife in the -building, he was determined not to draw upon himself by any premature -act the reprisals of so formidable a gang of desperadoes. Now that the -Frenchmen were within the porch, they were immune from musket fire, and -he began to wonder whether his prohibition was not a mistake. As soon, -however, as he heard the report of Delarousse's pistol, with a rapidity -that might have surprised those who had only known him of late years, -the Squire seized a large block of loose stone that formed part of the -half-ruined parapet, and toppled it over on to the roof of the porch -below. It fell upon the tiles with a tremendous crash, scattering -fragments in all directions, and bounded off on to the gravel path. -Though none of the Frenchmen was struck by the stone itself, or even by -the splinters of the tiles, it was sufficiently alarming to drive them -from the porch, and they scurried instantly into the open. Two muskets -flashed upon them from the loopholes above; one man was hit by a slug, -and hopped away on one leg, assisted by his comrades. At the same -moment the bell ceased to clang. Hearing the shots, Sam rushed down the -stairs to take his part in the fray. The whole body of Frenchmen had -now withdrawn out of range, and the Squire saw the little stout man, -their leader, carefully scanning the building, with the object, no -doubt, of finding a weak spot to attack. Only two minutes had elapsed -since the enemy made the first move. - -Alarmed at the sudden silence of the bell, from which he concluded that -its clanging had achieved its object, Delarousse despatched one of his -men to the high ground northward to report the approach of any armed -force. Meanwhile he himself made a rapid circuit of the Towers, -keeping, if not out of range, at least beyond easy-hitting distance. -The back entrance seemed to him a vulnerable point, and the more -promising, because it was not commanded by the tower, but only by the -small window at which Dick was stationed. His ill-success at the front -door made him resolute to go the shortest way to work at the back. He -sent half-a-dozen men across the open stable-yard into the half-ruined -stable to haul down one of the stout balks of wood that supported the -roof, for use as a battering-ram. This movement was concealed from Dick -by the angle of the building. - -While his men were gone about this errand, Delarousse, impatient of the -loss of time, took it into his head to summon the garrison to surrender. -He trotted back to the front of the building, set his legs apart, and, -lifting his eyes to the top of the tower, shouted a loud "Hola!" The -Squire showed his head above the parapet, but did not reply. - -"Hola!" repeated the Frenchman. "Trevanion! Render Trevanion; zen I -go." - -"A trick!" thought the Squire. "He thinks I'm worth a ransom!" - -"Trevanion!" cried Delarousse again. "Ze ozers I not touch." - -"I'll see what they say," shouted the Squire. "Anything to gain time," -he thought. - -Going to the door opening on the staircase he called for Dick. - -"This fellow wants me, Dick," he said. "Goodness knows why! I suppose -he imagines some rich imbecile will buy me back. If I surrender myself, -he promises to spare the rest. Just run and see what your mother says: -my old bones don't take kindly to those stairs." - -Before Dick returned Delarousse lost patience and shouted for an answer. -The Squire kept out of sight. - -"Mother says you must not think of it for a moment," said Dick, running -up again. "I knew she would." - -"To tell the truth, so did I," replied his father. "But we have gained -two or three minutes. Now to decline as civilly as possible--though he -might at least Mounseer me, I think." - -As soon as his head reappeared above the parapet, Delarousse shouted: - -"Eh bien! You render Jean Trevanion?" - -Father and son looked at each other. Dick's face expressed surprise -mingled with relief; a strange smile sat upon the Squire's countenance. - -"We give up nobody," he called down firmly. "Do your worst." - -Dick thrilled with filial pride. It was a lesson in chivalry that he -never forgot. A word from his father, he could not doubt, would have -sent the Frenchmen in hot haste to the Dower House; but that word the -Squire could not speak, even though John Trevanion was his worst enemy. - -Delarousse spat out an oath, shook his fist at the impassive gentleman -above him, and toddled off to the back, disappearing behind the -outhouses. - -"We'll see what the rascal is after now," said the Squire quickly, and -followed Dick down the stairs. - -For a minute or two the further proceedings of the assailants were -hidden from view. Then the watchers saw, coming round the corner from -the stables, four men bearing a stout twelve-foot post. Delarousse, -immediately behind, urged them on with voluble utterance and vigorous -play of hands. - -"A battering-ram!" said the Squire. "I think, Dick, 'tis time to give -them a warning." - -Dick lifted his musket and fired through a loophole upon the men rushing -forward. There was a cry from below; the effect of the shot could not -be seen through the smoke; it was answered by a score of bullets -pattering on the shutters. The Squire placed his musket to a second -loophole. It was impossible to take aim; he fired at random; and -another sharp cry seemed to tell that his slug had gone home. A babel -of shouts arose. Peeping through the loopholes they saw that one of the -four men bearing the post lay on the ground; he had let fall his end of -the battering-ram. At the same moment there came the distant crackle of -a fusillade. The sound goaded Delarousse to fury. He rushed forward to -lift the dropped end of the post. But just as he was stooping, there -was a loud shout from his left. He turned his head, without rising from -the ground, and what he saw, in common with the spectators above, was -three men half pushing, half dragging a fourth towards the leader of the -party. Delarousse remained in his stooping posture, as though -transfixed with amazement, while a man might count four. Then, -springing to his feet, he rushed headlong towards the approaching group, -drawing a pistol as he ran. - -[Illustration: "DELAROUSSE RUSHED HEADLONG TOWARDS THE APPROACHING -GROUP."] - -Up to that moment the fourth man had been passive in the hands of the -three; but as soon as he caught sight of Delarousse leaping towards him, -he jerked himself violently from the grasp of his captors, felled first -one, then a second, with sledgehammer blows from right and left, and, -slipping from the hands of the third, dashed with extraordinary speed -along by the stable wall in the direction of the village. In ten -seconds he was out of sight, and the whole band of Frenchmen, yelling -fiercely, some discharging their pistols, turned their backs upon the -Towers and doubled after the fugitive. - -Dick darted from the room, and up the stairs to the roof, Sam hard upon -his heels, the Squire following at a pace that belied his melancholy -allusion to his old bones. Penwarden also, hearing Sam's jubilant shout -at the raising of the siege, left his post at the front, and clambered -up after the others, muttering "Dear life! what a mix-up the world is!" -Leaning over the parapet, the four watched the strangest chase that ever -was seen. The fugitive came to the wicket-gate leading out of the -grounds, and took it with a flying leap, with the crowd of Frenchmen in -full cry behind him. Some, like Delarousse himself, bore a burden of -flesh and forty years; others were younger and slimmer, and these, -impelled by the furious cries of their leader, leapt the gate in turn, -the last of them catching his foot in the top and coming sprawling to -the ground. - -Their quarry, crossing a strip of land that still belonged to the -Squire, came to the fence recently erected around the grounds of the -Dower House. It was six feet high, a formidable obstacle to a man of his -bulk and years. He clutched the top of it, heaved himself up, rolled -across it sideways, and disappeared on the other side, wrenching the -tail of his coat from the hands of the foremost Frenchman. In a trice -the pursuer scrambled up after him, threw himself over, and also -disappeared. Of the other members of his party, some scaled the -obstacle with more or less facility; others, baulked by it, ran to right -and left to find a path. Delarousse, whose stature and build forbade -any athletic feat, yet disdained to leave the direct course, and called -to two of his men to hoist him up. For an instant he sat swaying on the -top of the fence; then he too dropped like a falling sack. Of all the -thirty odd Frenchmen there were now only two or three to be seen. - -But in a minute or two the hunt again came fully into view from the -lofty tower. The fugitive sped along with amazing swiftness, making a -straight line for the Dower House. Behind him, strung at intervals over -two fields, poured the impetuous Frenchmen. One or two were close at -his heels; the rest followed, each according to his ability. - -"They've catched un!" cried Sam, his eyes dilated with excitement. "No, -be-jowned if they have. Got away! Yoick! Yo-hoy! Now then, Frenchy! -Ah, I thought ye'd do it, now you've smashed yerself. No, he's up again! -Halloo!" - -The side door of the Dower House stood half-open. The fugitive drew -nearer and nearer to it; the pursuers seemed to make still more violent -exertions to overtake him before he reached it. A few yards more! Ah! -he was inside: the door was closing. But before it was quite shut, the -first pursuer flung himself forward and thrust his musket within. To -close the door was now impossible. For a few seconds the Frenchman -appeared to be engaged in a fierce trial of strength with the persons -inside. Two or three of his companions joined him; they threw -themselves together upon the door; it yielded; and they dashed into the -house. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND - - John Trevanion in the Toils - - -With the aid of imagination's magic boots we skip now from the Towers to -the village, and see what was happening there. - -The _Isaac and Jacob_ lay alongside the jetty, in charge of half-a-dozen -Frenchmen who lolled lazily about the deck. Nathan Pendry, who had -steered the vessel into harbour, reclined, the picture of scowling -discontent, against the bulwarks. Below, in the dark, reeking hold, -trussed like fowls, lay Isaac Tonkin, Simon Mail, and two more of the -most respected smugglers of Polkerran. - -It appeared from Tonkin's story, told many a time in after years to the -breathless company in the parlour of the Three Jolly Mariners, that on -arriving in Roscoff to purchase his Christmas cargo, he had been sought -out by Jean Delarousse, whose customer he had formerly been. The -Frenchman did not complain of Tonkin's desertion, nor did he seek a -renewal of their trade relations; his sole object was to persuade the -Cornishman, by means of a heavy bribe, to deliver John Trevanion into -his hands. Tonkin had his grievance against Trevanion. He felt sore at -having had to play second fiddle to the younger man in recent smuggling -transactions. But being an honest fellow, and loyal in grain, he -rejected Delarousse's offer with indignant scorn, and refused to believe -what he understood of the tale poured into his ears in broken English, -of a long course of deceit and fraud by which, as Delarousse alleged, -Trevanion had enriched himself at his partner's expense. The Frenchman -had appeared to take his refusal in good part, and Tonkin, having -freighted his lugger, put to sea on his return voyage, intending to run -his cargo at the creek in the small hours of Friday morning as arranged. - -The _Aimable Vertu_, Delarousse's privateering craft, lay in Roscoff -harbour. Tonkin was only a mile or two at sea, when he noticed that the -privateer was coming up astern. This circumstance at first gave him no -concern; Delarousse was doubtless setting forth on one of his forays. -But soon he began to suspect, from the course held by the larger vessel, -that he was being chased, or at least dogged. The _Isaac and Jacob_ was -a very swift vessel, and, laden though she was, her master hoped to be -able to maintain his lead until nightfall, and then to escape under -cover of the darkness. But he was not long in discovering that his -lugger was no match in speed for the privateer. The short dusk of the -December evening was closing down upon the sea when the _Aimable Vertu_ -came within range. The lugger's armament consisted of one small -carronade; the Frenchman had a broadside, which at a single discharge -would have shattered the lesser craft to splinters. When, therefore, -Tonkin was hailed and bidden to heave-to, he chose the sensible, indeed -the only practicable, course, and obeyed. Delarousse and a boarding -party took possession of the lugger; in spite of vigorous protests, -Tonkin and his crew were bound and laid by the board, and, room having -been made for them in the hold by the removal of several tubs, they were -carried below. The two vessels then in company continued on their -course for the English coast. - -Favoured by the light mist that hung over the Channel during the night, -the privateer escaped discovery by any English cruisers or -revenue-cutters that might have been in the neighbourhood. When, -however, she approached the rugged Cornish coast, the mist became a -danger, and Delarousse had Tonkin fetched from below, and ordered him to -pilot the vessels into Polkerran harbour. This the humiliated mariner -flatly refused to do, persisting in his refusal in spite of the -entreaties, curses, and menaces of his captor. He was carried back by -ungentle hands to his noisome lair, and Pendry, a man of less backbone, -proved to be more amenable to the Frenchman's commands. Under his -skilful pilotage, the lugger safely made the harbour, the privateer -standing some distance out at sea, to watch events. - -Now Tonkin, as has already been said, was a man of enormous strength, -and as the pages of this history have shown, of great courage and -resolution also. Nor was he lacking in prudence or common-sense; -witness his ready surrender of the lugger when refusal would have meant -his being blown out of the water. The same common-sense restrained him -from struggling against impossible odds, both when he was trussed up, -and afterwards when the vessel was manned by fifty or sixty well-armed -Frenchmen. But so soon as he felt the lugger lightly graze the jetty, -and knew by the rush of hurrying feet on deck that the great majority of -his captors had gone ashore, he began to strain at his bonds. The -Frenchmen had done their work of trussing capably enough, and, in the -case of ninety-nine men out of a hundred, no doubt there would have been -no danger of its being undone. But Tonkin's muscles were hard as iron; -he had the strength of a horse. After a few minutes' straining, the -rope about his wrists gave way; to release his legs was then easy. -Delarousse having gone through his pockets before trussing him, he was -without a knife, and had to loosen with his hands the ropes wherewith -his comrades were tied. As soon as the first man was liberated, he set -to work on the bonds of another, and within a few minutes after Tonkin -had released himself, all the men were free. - -Until the lugger reached the harbour, a number of the Frenchmen had -clustered on the companion, and at its foot. When the time came for -them to dash ashore, they scrambled in hot haste through the hatchway on -to the deck, not thinking to batten down the hatch. As soon, therefore, -as Tonkin was free, he rapidly planned how to escape from the hold with -his men, when they had recovered the full use of their partially numbed -limbs. He first felt about in the darkness for articles that would -serve as effective weapons, and discovered a marlinspike, the hammer he -used for driving spigots into the tubs, and several balks of timber that -were employed for preventing the tubs from rolling. Each man armed -himself. Long experience of smuggling had taught them to move quickly -without noise, and, led by Tonkin, whose agility seemed in no wise -lessened by his bulk, they swarmed swiftly through the hatchway. - -The men left in charge of the vessel were leaning over the bulwarks, -smoking, and envying their comrades at the inn, who, finding that the -villagers showed no disposition to interfere with them, had seized the -opportunity to refresh themselves at the expense of the innkeeper. -Before the idle spectators on the deck could turn and form up to meet -the rush, Tonkin and his men were upon them. A few swift, sharp strokes -of the fishers' nondescript weapons, and the Frenchmen were lying -senseless on the deck. - -Without the loss of a moment the Cornishmen leapt the bulwarks and -scampered along the jetty. They were half-way to the inn before the -careless sentinels in the parlour heard their footsteps and ran out to -see what was happening. Forming in front of the door, they brought -their muskets to the shoulder and delivered a scattered volley; but -surprise, haste, and strong liquor combined to spoil their aim, and none -of the fishers was hit except Simon Mail, who dropped his spike with a -yell and sat down on the cobbles, _hors de combat_. The Frenchmen had -no time either to reload or to retreat. The fishers, burly men all, -charged straight at them and struck four to the ground, the other two -taking to their heels and starting to run up the hill towards their -leader. But as if by magic the neighbourhood of the inn was suddenly -alive with figures. The fishermen and miners, who had remained hitherto -cowering in their cottages, rushed out the moment they could do so -safely. The fugitives were caught and held; a fierce crowd surrounded -the others; and in a few minutes all six, bruised and battered, lay in a -row against the inn wall. - -Meanwhile Tonkin had dashed into the inn, pulled up the trap-door -leading to the cellar, and descended into the depths. Doubledick, whom -the sound of shots had caused to shake like a jelly, heard the heavy -clump of the fisher's boots, and shrank behind a large tun in a corner -of the cellar. Unaware of his presence, Tonkin hastened to the opposite -corner, where, in a cunningly contrived recess, lay a store of firearms -and ammunition, kept there for use against the King's officers when -required. It was now to be turned to a more legitimate purpose. Tonkin -seized as many muskets as he could carry, and hurried with them up the -ladder, sending down for more those of his men who were not occupied -with the Frenchmen. By the time these latter were secured, arms had -been served out to the fishers who had escaped from the lugger, and to -the most likely of the others. Then a compact body of thirty well-armed -men followed Tonkin up the hill. - - -In order to trace clearly the course of events in that crowded hour of -Polkerran's history, it becomes necessary to glance at what had happened -at the Dower House. - -John Trevanion had become so accustomed to the smuggling operations, and -it was so much a part of his policy to keep himself in the background in -these matters, that it did not occur to him to rise early in order to -learn what luck had attended the run which he had expected to take place -at the creek, during the night or in the small hours of that morning. -Having a perfectly easy conscience, and the comfortable expectation that -he would be richer by two hundred pounds when he awoke, he slept as -placidly as a child, and did not become aware that anything unusual was -occurring until a repeated rapping at the door by Susan Berry, startled -out of her wits, at length penetrated his slumbering intelligence. - -"All right," he called drowsily. "What's the time?" - -"I don't know, sir," cried poor Susan through the door. "Please, sir, -there be a passel o' men firing shots at the Towers." - -"Nonsense!" said Trevanion. - -"'Tis gospel truth, sir. There be hundreds o' men shoutin' and -hollerin', and Cook be fainted dead away in kitchen." - -"Fling cold water on her, Susan. There's nothing to be afraid of. -They're shooting rabbits, I've no doubt." - -Trevanion's thought was that the smugglers had been checkmated at the -creek, and then, in their fury, had attacked the Towers, believing that -their discomfiture was due to an alliance between the Squire and the -revenue officers. His chagrin at the loss of his expected profits was -not so profound as his delight in the thought that the enmity he had so -carefully fostered was bearing such rich fruit. Far be it from him to -interfere. But being now effectually awakened, he bade Susan to return -to the kitchen, dressed quickly, and went to an upper window whence he -could see something of what was going on. The Towers was, however, too -far away, and the air too misty, for him to observe the operations so -closely as he would have liked, and, curiosity and malicious pleasure -overcoming his prudence, he determined to set forth and watch from a -more convenient standpoint the mischief which he hoped was afoot. But -wishing not to attract attention, he forbade his household to leave the -premises, issued by the back door, and slunk round the inside of one of -his high fences. - -He had advanced about half-way to the Towers when he was startled to -hear shots behind him, from the direction of the village. The sound -brought him to a sudden halt, and a sickening misgiving seized him. Had -the firing begun in the village, there is little doubt that he would -have at once suspected the attack of which he had long been secretly in -dread. But the fact that the Towers was being assaulted, so soon after -the run was to have taken place, had thrown him off his guard. Now, in -a flash, he remembered what Doubledick had said about his interview with -Delarousse, and the misleading information given to the Frenchman. At -the time, and since, he had been somewhat sceptical of the innkeeper's -veracity, but he began to think that his statement had, after all, been -true. At any rate, it was the Towers that was in danger; the Dower -House was at present safe; and after a brief pause of hesitation, he -turned about and hurried back in the direction of his own house. - -But he had scarcely taken half-a-dozen steps when, from behind a bush -close by, there rose a red-capped figure, and Trevanion looked straight -at the muzzle of a firelock. He stopped, and before he could collect -his wits, two other figures joined the first. "C'est lui!" cried one of -the Frenchmen. They were three of the sentries whom Delarousse had -placed around the village, and were hastening to rejoin their leader in -advance of the band now dashing up the hill. Trevanion was so much -taken aback as to be incapable of resistance. All that he did when the -men roughly seized him was to protest that a mistake had been made. -"Ah! ah!" said one of his captors. "On ne s'en trompe pas; pas de -tout." The other two each took one of Trevanion's arms, and marched him -at a great pace through a gate in the fence towards the Towers, the -third man bringing up the rear. What happened when Trevanion and -Delarousse came face to face has already been related. - -Maidy Susan, when Trevanion had left the house, showed herself strangely -callous to the sad plight of Cook. Convinced that the Corsican Ogre had -at last effected his long-threatened landing, she wondered in her simple -soul why her master had not ordered the alarm bell to be rung, and the -men servants to seize their arms and sally forth to defend their -country. She peeped in at the kitchen, saw that Cook had recovered -sufficiently to fan herself and scream, and then ran upstairs to watch -what was going on. Only a minute or two afterwards, Trevanion broke -from his captors and fled, the yelling Frenchmen in full cry behind. - -"'Tis he! 'Tis Boney!" cried Susan. - -She clutched at the casement frame for support, then suddenly flew -downstairs like a young deer. It was she who held the door open, she -who was forced back by the onrush of the infuriated Frenchmen. She -crouched behind the door until the last of them, Delarousse himself, -passed, then sped to the top of the house and began frantically to pull -the bell-rope. Meanwhile the men whom Trevanion had been at such pains -to drill had fled towards the village, and fallen into the hands of -Delarousse's sentries. - -Trevanion darted along the passage and up the stairs like a fox seeking -cover from the hounds. He flung himself into his room, slammed and -bolted the door, caught up a pistol, and stood, panting from haste and -terror, in the middle of the floor. He heard the loud and rapid tramp -of his pursuers drawing near. - -"Keep out, or I'll shoot you!" he cried. - -The Frenchmen laughed him to scorn. He was one; they were many. They -set their shoulders to the door; the timbers cracked, gave way; a bullet -whizzed harmlessly over their heads; and bursting into the room, they -seized their victim and dragged him out and down the stairs again. -Delarousse met them at the foot. Gasping for breath, he ordered some of -his men to bind Trevanion's arms behind his back and take him down to -the lugger, others to set fire to the house. - -"Ah! scelerat!" he bellowed. "Tu es a moi!" - -Scarcely had the words left his lips when one of his band, who had been -wounded by a shot from the Towers, hurried in with the news that a party -of men were in pursuit of them. Confiding Trevanion to the charge of -four of his most trusty followers, Delarousse collected the rest, and -led them to the front of the house, which the newcomers were said to be -approaching. At the end of the drive, where it branched from the road, -was Tonkin with his company of fishermen and miners. - -Tonkin had led his men up the hill with more haste than discretion. -When they reached the top they were blown, and for some minutes had to -moderate their pace. They could not see from the road what was -happening behind the fences, and had come midway between the Dower House -and the Towers, at the same time as Trevanion arrived abreast of them in -the opposite direction. But the spectators on the tower had seen them. -The moment Trevanion entered his door, the Squire, with Dick, Sam, and -Penwarden, hurried down the stairs. - -"Hang it, Dick, they're Frenchmen!" cried the Squire, his fighting blood -roused. "We must clear the rascals out." - -On reaching the ground he dispatched Sam to tell Tonkin that the -Frenchmen were now going in the other direction, and hurried on with the -others, intending to join the fishers at the Dower House. He arrived in -time to see Tonkin's men fire a volley at the Frenchmen at the windows. -Little damage was done; Delarousse did not return the fire. He had -achieved the object of his raid, and had no desire to enter into useless -hostilities. Having taken stock of the enemy, he withdrew his men into -the house, which was already filling with pungent smoke. - -Tonkin halted his men for a moment in order to recover breath. It -looked as if he would have to take the house by storm, a difficult task -in the face of odds. But he was a man of bulldog courage, if no -tactician. Smarting with the indignity he had suffered, and without -stopping to think that Delarousse might have no designs except against -Trevanion, he ordered his men to reload, and prepared to lead them to -the attack. - -Delarousse, however, had taken advantage of the momentary lull to -withdraw his men through a long window in the wall of the house facing -the village. The result was that when Tonkin, after so much delay as was -necessary for his men to regain their breath and prime their muskets, -led them at the charge up to the house and broke through the door, he -found the house deserted, and the enemy in full retreat down the hill. -He rushed after them, eager to overtake them before they reached the -village. Some of his men had noticed that the house was on fire, but in -their excitement none stayed to extinguish the flames, nor even to warn -or assist the person who was still ringing the bell. - -By this time the Squire, with Dick and Penwarden, skirting the grounds -of the house, had joined Tonkin's party, and was hurrying with them down -the hill. The Frenchmen had more than a hundred yards start, and on the -descent proved to be as fleet of foot as their pursuers. On reaching -the first of the houses, Delarousse was met by the rest of his cordon, -who, now that the matter had come to a fight, saw that they could employ -themselves more usefully than in keeping guard. Now the Frenchmen -turned at bay, and checked the pursuit with a scattered volley. - -"Empty your muskets, then charge the ruffians!" shouted the Squire, -taking command as of right. - -The Cornishmen responded with a cheer. A shower of slugs flew through -the air, but the Frenchmen having scattered, and many of them being -protected by the angles of houses on the winding road, only one or two -were hit. There was no time for either party to reload. The pursuers -dashed forward, wielding cutlasses, and their muskets as clubs. The -pursued stood to meet the charge; there were a few moments of -hand-to-hand conflict; Tonkin's burly figure was conspicuous in the -thickest of the fray, wielding his musket like a flail; but the numbers -of the Frenchmen prevailed, and the Squire recalled the men, to re-form -them and charge again. From this point there was a straggling fight -down the hill to the neighbourhood of the inn. The Squire, with Dick, -Penwarden, and Tonkin close about him, led a series of rushes against -the retreating enemy, whose numbers were always sufficient to give them -check. - -On coming to the inn, which was within a short distance of the jetty, -Delarousse saw with alarm that his escape had been cut off. This was -not due to any prevision on Tonkin's part. He had been too eager to -follow up the Frenchmen to consider ultimate contingencies. But his -defect as a tactician was supplied by a man whom no one had hitherto -suspected of any capacity in that direction, and who enjoyed henceforth, -to the day of his death, a very exalted reputation in Polkerran on the -strength of this one achievement. - -Pennycomequick, the cobbler, perceiving that the Frenchmen on the lugger -were apparently stunned, hastily got together a little party of men and -boys, boarded the vessel, clapped the Frenchmen under hatches, and then -punted out some distance from the jetty, towing the boats that had lain -drawn up on the little beach. No one as yet knew that the Frenchmen had -not sailed all the way from Roscoff in the lugger; the _Aimable Vertu_ -in the offing was concealed by the mist that still shrouded the sea. -Finding himself thus cut off from communication with his vessel, -Delarousse, who had released the men trussed up by Tonkin, with ready -resource flung himself into the inn, and ordered his company to reload -and occupy the windows. The Squire, now as keen as when he had been a -young lieutenant, saw instantly that, the superiority in force being -with the Frenchmen, the possession of the inn gave them an additional -advantage which would render an attack hazardous to the last degree. He -called a halt, to consider the next move. - -At this moment the clatter of a horse's hoofs was heard from round the -corner leading to the hill, and Mr. Carlyon rode down. - -"What's all this, Trevanion?" he cried. - -"A pack of rascally Frenchmen have raided the place, Vicar," answered -the Squire, "and are now holding the inn." - -"Bless my life! What impudent scoundrels!" - -He dismounted, nimbly for a man of his years. - -"Give me a gun," he cried. "Here, you--I forget your name--get on my -horse and ride to Truro as fast as you can and bring all the able-bodied -men and any old soldiers you can find there. You, Benjamin Pound, go -round to Doubledick's stables, take a horse, ride to Portharvan, and ask -Sir Bevil from me to call out the yeomanry." - -"Please, yer reverence, I can't ride a hoss," said the young fisher -addressed. - -"Can't ride! You must, or find someone who can. Off with you, or you -shan't come to my dinner to-morrow. Bless my soul! Raiding on the day -before Christmas! Can't we turn 'em out, Trevanion?" - -"Impossible, Vicar, unless we're prepared to lose half our men. And -then we'd fail. One man behind a wall is equal to four outside." - -"What did Doubledick mean by letting the villains into the inn? How did -they come here? I don't see any vessel." - -Tonkin was explaining the circumstances when, down the stairs beside the -inn wall, came Doubledick, pale, dishevelled, and covered with dust. -Becoming alarmed for his safety when the inn was invaded by the -Frenchmen, he had made his way out by a secret passage leading up the -slope into a house abutting on the stairway. He came up to the group -silently and unobserved, and listened to Tonkin's explanations and the -further account given by the Squire of the attack on the Towers and the -subsequent pursuit and capture of John Trevanion. Then he pressed -forward to the Vicar's side. - -"Ah! yer reverence," he said with unction, "'tis a judgment, 'tis -indeed. It do cut me to the heart to say so, but Maister John be the -wicked cause of this affliction." - -"What do you mean, Doubledick?" asked the Vicar, with a sidelong glance -at the Squire. - -"Do 'ee mind, sir, that night a while ago when the sojers wer ridin' -about country arter a runaway prisoner? Well, I own 'a was for a little -small time in my inn; I'd never seed un afore, and didn' know he wer a -runaway till 'twas too late to gie un up." (Doubledick, it will be -observed, was not over-scrupulous as to his facts.) "While he was here, -Maister John came down from Dower House and seed un, and they hollered -at each other in the French lingo till my ears wer drummin'. Ah! 'twas -then I first had my mispicions o' Maister John." - -"Cut your story short, man," said Mr. Carlyon impatiently. - -"Well, then, yer reverence, when I went over to France, the Frenchy -telled me as how Maister John, Robinson by name, wer his partner for ten -year, and robbed him right and left. Ah! he was a clever rogue, too, -keepin' in the background so as our Polkerran men shouldn' see un when -they wented over to--to sell fish. And Delarousse swore to me, 'a did, -that he'd take vengeance on him, and now he be come to do it, sure -enough. If I may make so bold, I'd say let the Frenchy take Maister -John and leave us in peace. I don't want to see my inn riddled wi' -shots and crumbled about my ears." - -"Iss, and so say I," cried Tonkin. "Delarousse telled me the self-same -story, but I didn' believe un; no, I couldn' believe as Maister John -were sech a 'nation rogue. I must believe it, now Doubledick hev telled -us all. Let un go, sir, and be-jowned to un." - -Fierce cries of approval broke from the crowd, but the Squire held up -his hand for silence. - -"Let me have a word, neighbours," he said. "We're Cornishmen, every man -of us, and good subjects of King George. We can't allow a French -raiding party to arrest a man on English soil, whatever his character -may be. 'Tis flat treason; what do you say, Vicar?" - -"I agree with you. As a magistrate, neighbours, I say we must do our -duty." - -"I won't go agen Squire and pa'son," cried Tonkin. "I stand up for King -Jarge." - -"King Jarge for ever!" shouted the crowd. - -"Well, then," said the Vicar, "we'll hold our ground here until the -yeomanry come up, and then we'll storm the inn. God save the King!" - -At this moment Dick pushed his way through the crowd. - -"The privateer is under weigh, sir," he cried, "and standing in for the -harbour." - -All eyes were turned towards the sea. The _Aimable Vertu_, which had -been lying off the headland, almost concealed by the mist, was steering -for the fairway, evidently with the intention of coming to the -assistance of the landing-party. - -"Where's Mr. Mildmay?" cried the Squire. "'Tis for him to capture that -rascally privateer." - -Doubledick looked conscious; Tonkin and his fishers exchanged glances, -and thought of the cargo in the hold of the _Isaac and Jacob_. - -"We can do it, sir," cried Dick suddenly. "She must pass beneath that -big rock at the head of the Beal. It doesn't stand steady, and a good -push would hurl it over into the fairway. Let the vessel come in, and -then block up the channel; she'd be caught then." - -"A capital notion," said the Vicar. "Off with you, Dick; take two or -three men with you. Have a care not to throw yourself over too." - -Dick hurried off with a few of the younger men. When they arrived at the -landward end of the Beal, the privateer was slowly threading her course -through the fairway towards the jetty, a man in the chains sounding -busily. She crept in, and had come within a hundred yards of the jetty -when Dick and his companions reached the boulder. They heard the rattle -of her anchor; she swung broadside to the village, and the spectators on -shore saw a formidable row of guns grinning from her portholes. Dick -and his companions set their shoulders to the rock. - -The door of the inn meanwhile had opened, and Delarousse appeared, -holding aloft a musket, to which a white cloth was attached as a flag of -truce. - -"I vill speak viz you," he said, pointing to the Squire, whom he -recognised. - -"Shall I parley with the rascal?" asked the Squire of Mr. Carlyon. - -"Yes. We wish to avoid bloodshed, but it must be unconditional -surrender, Trevanion." - -The Squire stepped towards the inn, meeting Delarousse half-way. - -"You speak French, monsieur?" said the latter courteously. - -"Not a word, sir," replied the Squire. - -"Ah! C'est dommage! I speak English, bad, monsieur. I make a -meestake: I demand pardon. I not know ze house vas to you; pardon ze -meestake, monsieur." - -"We'll say no more about that, sir," said the Squire. "I am willing to -believe you had no wish to attack me. But this is an act of war, sir. -You must at once set your prisoner free, and surrender, every one of -you." - -"Ah, no, monsieur," returned the Frenchman with a smile. "I haf to say -your demand is ridicule. I make vun sign: bah! ze shot from my vessel -zey strike ze village all to pieces. Voyez! Ze boats come now for me. -You stop me? No." - -The Squire turned and looked in the direction of Delarousse's -outstretched hand. Two boats had been lowered from the deck of the -privateer, and, filled with men armed to the teeth, were now pulling for -the jetty. It was clear that under the vessel's broadside no attempt to -check this fresh invasion could be successful. - -"You see?" continued the Frenchman, who had watched the expression on -the Squire's face. "I not quarrel viz ze people here; mon Dieu, no! -Zey are my friends; viz zem I haf excellent affairs, zey profit us both. -Ze man zat injure me, I haf him. Vat avantage of resistance? None. Zen -I depart: all is finish vizout--vizout combat sanguinaire." - -"Your proposal----" began the Squire, but at this moment a dull splash -was heard from the direction of the Beal. Dick and his assistants had -displaced the rock, which rolled over the edge, bounded on to the ledge -whence Dick had made his dive, and then plunged almost into the middle -of the fairway. Even at that distance a few feet of it could be seen -projecting above the surface. - -"Sacre nom d'un chien!" cried Delarousse, startled out of his -equanimity. "Vat is zis?" - -"Some of my men have blocked up the fairway with a large rock," replied -the Squire. "It is now impossible for your vessel to clear the -harbour." - -"But zis is perfidy, monsieur!" cried the furious Frenchman. "Ve speak -as parlementaires; zere is arrest of hostilities; ma foi! zis is ze -perfidy of English." - -"Not at all, sir. The men had already gone to do their work; I could -not stop them. You see your position, sir. I advise you to consult -with your men and surrender at discretion." - -They parted. Delarousse, livid with anger, returned to the inn; the -Squire rejoined his party. - -"We have the rascals," said Mr. Carlyon gleefully. - -"I axe yer pardon, sir," said Tonkin, "but don't 'ee think we'd better -let the Frenchies go in peace arter all? They guns 'ud knock the -village to dust, and there's the women and childer to think of." - -"Ah! that's true," said the Vicar, and taking Mr. Trevanion aside, he -began to discuss the matter with him. While they were still earnestly -talking, there was a shout. They broke apart, and turning, saw that -Delarousse had solved the problem in his own way. - -The inn fronted the jetty, but on its southward side a narrow lane ran -between the blind walls of the pilchard fishers' salting-houses. The -further end of this was nearer by a few yards to the sea. Rendered -desperate, the Frenchman saw in the conversation between the two -gentlemen an opportunity for making a dash. He ordered four of his men -to throw open a low window giving on the lane, and to rush John -Trevanion as quickly as possible down to the jetty, while he maintained -his position with the rest at the front windows. Then, as soon as he -was informed that the four men had arrived at the end of the lane, he -gave the word for all to follow. Before the besiegers were aware of -this sudden movement, the Frenchmen had gained a start of more than -fifty yards. - -"After them, my men!" cried the Squire, when he saw them rushing from -behind the wall of the salting-house towards the jetty. - -The whole party poured in pursuit. But by the time they reached the -shoreward end of the jetty, John Trevanion had been lowered into the -first of the privateer's boats. The second had towed back a number of -the craft which Pennycomequick had removed from the shore, the lugger -itself, however, with the cobbler and his helpers aboard, still lying in -the harbour on the inner side of the reef. Into these boats Delarousse -and his men leapt, and pulled off swiftly to the privateer. They had no -sooner left the jetty than a puff of smoke issued from one of the -vessel's portholes; there was a roar, and a round shot crashed into the -planking, smashing several yards of it, and sending up splinters almost -into the eyes of the Squire. - -"'Tis no good, Trevanion," cried the Vicar. "We shall all be slaughtered -if we line up and fire at them. They've got your cousin, and we can't -help it." - -"But they can't get out of the fairway, and there's no water on the -reef," said the Squire. "If only Mildmay were here!" - -He was soon to see that he had not reckoned with the seamanship of Jean -Delarousse. The first of the boats pulled at full speed towards the -fairway, receiving from the deck of the privateer a sounding-line as she -passed. From the second boat Delarousse climbed to the deck of his -vessel. The pilot crew, having sounded and measured the width of the -channel between the fairway and the cliff, signed to their captain that -he might proceed. It seemed to Dick impossible that the vessel should -win through, and he watched with unstinted admiration the Frenchman's -skilful seamanship. Delarousse ordered the anchor to be tripped, and -the vessel moved slowly towards the fairway, close-hauled on the -starboard tack. When she reached the rock, she seemed to graze the -cliff as she passed into the narrow channel; but with Delarousse himself -at the helm she passed safely through. Then, there being a fair wind on -her starboard quarter, Delarousse hauled up his courses, mainsail and -foresail, and threw his foreyard aback. The check on the ship's way -gave him time to take aboard the boat, which had been moored to the -rock, the rest of his crew having already clambered up the side from the -other boats. These were then cast adrift; the foreyard filled, and the -_Aimable Vertu_ stood out to sea. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD - - The Price of Treachery - - -One stride of our magic boots takes us from Polkerran to the creek, five -miles away, where another little drama was being enacted. - -Doubledick's information to Mr. Polwhele was that the _Isaac and Jacob_ -might be expected to arrive at the creek from Roscoff about five o'clock -in the morning. Some little time before that hour, therefore, the -riding-officer took up his position in a hollow a hundred yards beyond -the stream. In order that no suspicion might be engendered in the -village, he had not brought his usual assistants, but was accompanied by -a posse of excisemen from Newquay, and a half-troop of dragoons from -Plymouth. At the same time Mr. Mildmay's cutter anchored in a sheltered -cove northwards, having sailed in precisely the opposite direction on -the previous night, in order to deceive the smugglers. - -Mr. Polwhele had not long posted himself when some thirty strapping -fellows, fishers and farm-hands for the most part, marched down the -sloping ground south of the creek, and congregated at a spot where the -bank was a foot or two above the water, a convenient place for the -debarkation of the lugger's cargo. The murmur of their voices could be -heard by the hidden preventive men across the stream, and Mr. Polwhele -chuckled at the thought of the fine haul he was about to make. The -excisemen with him were old hands, and knew how to keep silence, and the -dragoons, although they hated this revenue work, were too well -disciplined to hazard the failure of the ambuscade. Their horses had -been left tethered half a mile away. - -The minutes passed; five o'clock came, and both parties were on the -alert for any sound from seaward. The wind blew from the north-east, so -that it was not at all surprising that the lugger should be late. But -when six o'clock came they began to be restless. It was tiring and -comfortless, waiting in the misty gloom of a raw December morning. The -sky was pitch dark. Neither party could see the other. The murmurs of -the tub-carriers became louder, and the dragoons muttered and grumbled -under their breath. - -The night was yielding, the outlines of the country were becoming -distinguishable, and yet the lugger did not come. Mr. Polwhele began to -wonder whether he had been fooled, and inwardly promised Doubledick a -bad quarter of an hour if this long vigil in cold and darkness proved -vain. Jimmy Nancarrow, in charge of the tub-carriers, had misgivings of -a chase and capture on the sea. Now that dawn was breaking, he went to -the top of the cliff and looked out into the mist, but never a sign of -the lugger did he see. As he descended to rejoin his men, something -caught his eye among the bare trees in a hollow on the opposite bank. -He crouched behind a gorse bush, and watched for some minutes; then, -instead of continuing on his direct course downward, he crept away at an -angle, taking advantage of every depression and furze-patch that -afforded cover, and so came to his company again. He told them what he -had seen. Consternation seized them; they became suddenly silent, then -whispered anxiously among themselves. - -There could be little doubt that they had been spied by the preventives. -What was to be done? On the one hand they could not depart, leaving -Tonkin unwarned, to fall into the hands of the revenue officers. On the -other hand, they were in no mood or condition to relish a brush with -dragoons, and it was certainly a dragoon's forage-cap that Nancarrow had -descried. The best course seemed to be to wait; perhaps the revenue -officers would grow weary first. - -Another hour passed. Then the tub-carriers saw the nose of the revenue -cutter appear round the corner of the cliff. The game was up. No run -could be made: the lugger would not put in while the cutter was in -sight; and Nancarrow and his men in sullen rage left their posts and set -off to trudge homeward. - -In a moment Mr. Polwhele was hailed by the lieutenant from the cutter. - -"Ahoy there, Mr. Polwhele!" he shouted. - -The riding-officer left his place of concealment, and moved to the edge -of the cliff, within speaking distance of Mr. Mildmay. - -"Tricked again!" he said, angrily. "My word! Doubledick shall suffer -for this." - -At that moment an unusual sound made them both start. It was like the -distant thud of some object falling on the ground. - -"A gun! Bless my life, Polwhele, what's this?" cried the lieutenant. - -"Goodness knows! A ship in distress, maybe. 'Tis no use waiting here -any longer, so I'll ride back and see." - -"I'll come round in the cutter as quickly as I can. She must have run -on the rocks in the mist. The wind wouldn't cast her ashore--I'll come -round in the cutter." - -Mr. Polwhele hastened back to his men. They, too, had heard the shot. - -"Come, my men, that's a big gun," said the riding-officer. "Smugglers -be hanged! Maybe there's rescue work to do. Soldiers, get your horses; -we'll dash to the village and do our duty. You others, march after us; -there may be work for you, yet." - -The men were thankful for the opportunity of movement, and the prospect -of breakfast. The dragoons raced to their steeds, mounted, and were -soon galloping with Mr. Polwhele towards the village. In a few minutes -they overtook the disconsolate tub-carriers. - -"Aha, you black-faced rascals!" cried Mr. Polwhele as he galloped by, -adding jocularly: "Stir your stumps and come and fight Boney." - -"Not if I knows it," muttered Nancarrow, and forthwith struck inland, -followed by the farm-hands. The fishers, being of sterner stuff, and -taking Mr. Polwhele seriously, hastened their step, thinking of their -wives and children in the village, perhaps at the mercy of the Corsican -Ogre. - -Mr. Polwhele and the dragoons had got half-way to Polkerran when they -were met by the Vicar's messenger to Sir Bevil, and reined up. - -"Pa'son sent me to fetch Sir Bevil and yeomanry, sir," said the man. -"The French hev landed." - -"Good heavens! Is it Boney himself?" cried the riding-officer. - -"No, it be Maister Delarousse from Rusco: he've come and catched Maister -John, and hev shet hisself in the inn." - -"Delarousse, begad! Well, my men, there's a thousand pounds offered for -the capture of that rascally Frenchman. Ride on, then; we'll have the -villain!" - -They galloped on, sparks flying from beneath the horses' hoofs. When -they came to the crest of the high ground overlooking the Towers, they -saw smoke and flame rising from the Dower House, and spurred the faster. -In another minute they spied three figures making their way towards the -Towers. The middle one of the three was a plump, red-faced woman in a -print dress, her bonnet askew, her ribbons flying. On the left she was -supported by a sturdy, thick-set lad, on the right by a slim and comely -maid. Each clasped the woman about the waist, their arms crossing, and -thus assisted her slowly over the ground. The dragoons kissed their -hands gallantly to the maid as they flashed by. - -"All safe at the Towers, Sam?" shouted Mr. Polwhele. - -But Sam at that moment was too self-conscious and abashed to reply. - -Meanwhile the whole population of Polkerran was gathered on the shore of -the harbour, watching the privateer fade away into the distance, and -discussing the extraordinary events of the past hour. Doubledick and -Tonkin were the centre of an excited throng, to whom they had to relate -over again the tale of John Trevanion's iniquities. The Squire and Mr. -Carlyon had withdrawn to the inn-parlour, where they sat conversing over -their pipes and glasses of rum shrub. Some of the children had climbed -the hill to witness the Dower House blazing. Nobody thought of making -an attempt to save the place, which indeed would have been impossible. - -"Well," said Petherick, in the midst of the crowd, "'tis the Lord's -doin', and marvellous in our eyes. But now I axe 'ee, Zacky, where be -yer boy Jake?" - -"What d'ye mean, constable?" asked the fisher. - -"Ah! the neighbours hev been too stirred up in their minds to tell 'ee. -No one hain't seed Jake since Wednesday night, and 'tis the question we -all do axe, whether he be in the land o' the livin' or not." - -"Dear name! Do 'ee tell me?" cried Tonkin. "Bean't he with the -carriers?" - -"Seemingly not," said one of the women. "I seed yer missis cryin' her -eyes out yesterday, neighbour Zacky." - -"Maybe he's took away for a sojer or sailor," suggested Doubledick. "He -wented up-along to pluck mistletoe, so 'tis said, and maybe was pounced -on by some rovin' sergeant on dark lonesome moor." - -At this moment a cheer was heard from the direction of the hill, and -then the ringing clatter of horses' hoofs. A boy ran up. - -"Riding-officer and sojers be comin' down hill," he cried. - -Tonkin darted a glance around. The horsemen were approaching at a -walking pace down the steepest part of the descent. It suddenly flashed -upon him that his lugger had a cargo of contraband on board, which it -behoved him to secure before the riding-officer could lay hands on it. -For the moment his anxiety for Jake was eclipsed. - -"Lunnan Cove an hour after sundown," he whispered to Doubledick, then -slipped away, and ran at headlong speed along the jetty. Four of the -fishermen at the same moment set off with him, but instead of going on -the jetty, they hastened at the double along the beach, following its -curve towards the southern end of the reef. - -All this time the lugger had lain within the reef. Pennycomequick, proud -of his achievement, was waiting until, the excitement on shore having -subsided, he could run her in and draw all eyes to himself. - -On reaching the end of the jetty, Tonkin, one of the very few fishermen -who could swim, dived into the water and swam towards his vessel. -Pennycomequick flung him a rope. He heaved himself on board, secured -one of the smaller boats which the Frenchmen had set adrift, and made it -fast by the painter to the stern of the lugger. Then he hauled up the -anchor, and hoisted sail, apparently with the intention of running in to -the jetty. All his movements were deliberate. - -At this moment Mr. Polwhele reached the inn. A hundred voices shouted -that the Frenchman had got away; then catching sight of the lugger, with -a sudden inspiration he galloped across to the jetty, calling on the -dragoons to follow him. - -"Hi, Tonkin!" he shouted, "I want to have a look at your cargo, my man." - -But Tonkin, as if he had not heard the riding-officer's voice, suddenly -put up the helm and stood away towards the reef. It was ebb tide: the -rugged line of rocks was exposed; and as the lugger came within a few -feet of it, a number of men could be seen jumping from rock to rock, -sometimes wading in the pools between them, in the direction of the -vessel. They were too far away for their features or their gait to be -distinguished, but any one counting them would have found that they were -not four, but five. Tonkin sprang into the boat, rowed to the reef and -took the men off, then returned to the lugger. All the men clambered on -board, the boat was made fast, and the vessel sailed across the bay, but -in a few minutes suddenly brought up again. Once more Tonkin entered -the small boat, this time accompanied by another man. He landed him on -the reef, rowed back to the lugger, and while this threaded the fairway -between the fallen rock and the cliff, the man returned to the shore and -disappeared. - -Mr. Polwhele bit his lips with chagrin, observing a snigger on the faces -of the crowd. Then he rode back to the inn, dismounted, and entered, to -learn the details of the recent events from the Squire, and to give in -his turn particulars of his futile errand at the creek. - -A few minutes later Sir Bevil Portharvan rode down at the head of a -troop of yeomanry. He, too, entered the inn, and Doubledick enjoyed a -brief moment of importance when, at Mr. Carlyon's request, he explained -the relations between Delarousse and John Trevanion. Sir Bevil's ruddy -cheeks turned pale with rage and mortification. - -"Thank God!" he murmured. - -"'Tis indeed a mercy," said the Vicar. "I sympathise with you with all -my heart, Sir Bevil." - -"The scoundrel!" cried the baronet. "Trevanion, I beg your pardon. I -have listened to that villain, and had hard thoughts of you. Good -heavens! he was to have married my daughter." - -"Poor girl!" said the Squire. "I knew my cousin, Sir Bevil. I should -have warned you, only----" - -"Only I was a fool, Trevanion. Your warning would have fallen on deaf -ears; my mind was poisoned against you. Forgive me." - -The two men shook hands, and soon afterwards left the inn with Mr. -Carlyon, the riding-officer remaining behind. - -"Doubledick," he said, when alone with the inn-keeper, "you had better -get away. I've got Jake Tonkin locked up in my house--caught him spying -on you the other night. I can't keep him much longer, and as soon as he -is free your life won't be worth a snap, if I know his father." - -The innkeeper shivered. - -"For mercy sake, sir, hold him until to-morrer mornin'! I'll go away -this very night. Hold him, sir, and I'll tell 'ee wheer Zacky do mean -to run the cargo." - -"A traitor to the last!" cried Mr. Polwhele. "'Tis my duty to the King -to listen to you. Well?" - -"'Tis at Lunnan Cove, sir, an hour after sun-down." - -"Ha! That fellow who ran along the reef is making the arrangements, no -doubt. Well, I'll hold the boy till daylight to-morrow, but not an -instant longer. 'Tis illegal, and they may _habeas corpus_ me. So take -my warning. What about your wife?" - -"She must bide here a little until I hev found a home for her. Zacky -won't hurt a woman. 'Tis a terrible thing to leave the place I've dwelt -in for thirty year." - -"You've only yourself to blame. I wish you no harm, but take my advice: -live straight for the rest of your days. I shan't see you again." - -He left the inn, and rode up the hill to look for the arrival of the -cutter. The Dower House was still blazing, watched by an immense crowd -of villagers, dragoons, yeomanry, and folk from the neighbouring farms, -who had flocked in when they saw the glare. There was at present no -sign of the cutter, and Mr. Polwhele, tired out by his night's vigil, -rode back to his own house, to hoist on his flagstaff a signal to Mr. -Mildmay, and then to have a meal and rest. - -Unlocking the door of the room in which Jake Tonkin had been confined, -he was amazed and alarmed to see that it was no longer occupied. One of -the iron bars across the window had been wrenched away after patient -work in loosening the sockets, and the prisoner had dropped sixteen feet -to the ground. Mr. Polwhele called up his housekeeper, whom he had -forbidden to disclose Jake's whereabouts on pain of dismissal. - -"You knew nothing of this, Mary?" he asked. - -"No, indeed, sir. I neither heard un nor seed un." - -"Well, say nothing about it. I want you to take a note for me at once -to Doubledick at the inn. Put on your bonnet." - -By the time the woman was ready, Mr. Polwhele had scribbled a brief -note. "J. has escaped: don't wait." - -"Be sure and give it to Doubledick himself," he said. - -"Iss, I woll, sir," said the woman. - -An hour afterwards Mr. Mildmay came up to the house. - -"This is the worst slap in the face we have ever had, Polwhele," he -said. "Why on earth didn't you collar Tonkin?" - -"Why didn't you?" retorted the riding-officer angrily. "The cutter is -for chasing luggers, not my horse." - -"Don't fly out at me. We are both in the same hole. The only pleasant -feature in the whole miserable business is that Trevanion will never -freight another cargo." - -"What do you suppose Delarousse will do with him?" - -"Skin him, I should think. What a pair of numskulls we have been about -that plausible scoundrel!" - -"A good riddance to the Squire, too," said the riding-officer. "But the -property is still his, I suppose." - -"Without doubt. The Dower House will be a heap of ashes, but the land -and the mine are still John Trevanion's, for all they were bought with -money villainously come by. However, the miners haven't brought up -enough metal to buy their candles, and as there is no one to pay their -wages, they'll close down again, certainly. By the way, you still have -young Jake, I suppose?" - -"No, confound it all! He escaped this morning. I fancy he must have -been among those fellows who got along the reef to the lugger." - -"Whew! Doubledick had better make himself scarce, then." - -"Yes; I have sent Mary down with a note for him. I had promised him to -keep Jake till to-morrow morning, in return for a piece of information." - -"What! a run after all?" - -"Yes, Tonkin intends to run at Lunnan Cove to-night. We'll not let him -slip this time." - -"By George, no! I shall enjoy my Christmas better if we've dished that -bold fellow. I'll go back to the cutter and turn in for a spell. -You'll arrange with the dragoons?" - -"I will. They're not in the sweetest of tempers, I assure you, and no -wonder. But I told them to go and get a sleep at the inn, and made 'em -swear to keep sober. Mrs. Doubledick won't give them too much to drink, -however; I threatened her with pains and penalties if she did." - -"Have a thimbleful before you go, Mildmay. We'll drink to success at -Lunnan Cove." - -Mr. Polwhele's housekeeper set out with the firm intention of carrying -the note straight to Doubledick. But the sight of the blazing mansion -was too much for her resolution; so magnificent a spectacle had never -been seen at Polkerran before. When she reached the bridge, instead of -turning to the left towards the inn, she went straight along the road, -intending to watch the fire at close quarters for a little while, and -call on Doubledick on the way back. She had put the note into her -pocket. - -On arriving near the Dower House, she met several acquaintances among -the crowd, and walked with them round to the north side of the blaze, to -avoid the smoke and sparks blown by the north-east wind. The wind had -been increasing in force since the early morning, and blew the women's -skirts about as they stood with their backs to it. - -"Mind yer bonnet, my dear," said one of them to the housekeeper. "Ye -wouldn't like to see it blowed into the bonfire, that I'm sure of." - -"Bonnet-strings be poor useless things in a wind like this," said -another. "I'll tie my handkercher over my head, and I reckon ye'd -better do the same, my dear." - -"Iss, I think," said the housekeeper, drawing her handkerchief from her -pocket. - -With it came a fluttering scrap of paper. She clutched at it, but a -gust of wind caught it, and swept it along into the midst of the glowing -building. - -"Drat it all!" she cried with vexation. - -"'Tis to be hoped 'twas not vallyble, my dear," said one of her friends. - -"If 'tis a love-letter," said another, "and ye can't hold the man to his -promise, 'twill be a gashly misfortune, to be sure, though maybe he's a -poor slack-twisted feller as ye'll be glad to be rid of." - -"No, 'tis not that," said the housekeeper. - -"Well, ye needn't werrit, if 'tis a bill for yer maister's goods. Bills -come over again, 'nation take 'em." - -But the housekeeper gave nothing to the probings of neighbourly -curiosity. Afraid to meet her master lest he should question her, she -remained for several hours in the village, taking care not to return -home until she learnt from a small boy that Mr. Polwhele had been seen -riding inland towards Redruth among the dragoons. - -Doubledick was on tenter-hooks all that day. His customers noticed how -pale he was, and commiserated him on being "took bad" the day before -Christmas. He jumped at the entrance of every new-comer. A great part -of the day he spent in the seclusion of his cellar, gathering together a -few valuables, which he placed along with his hoarded money in two stout -bags. As evening drew on he became more and more restless and -irritable, and gave short answers to his customers, wishing with all his -heart that he could close his door. He dared not leave the village in -daylight, for so many people were about, discussing the incidents of the -morning, that he could hardly have escaped without being seen by some -one. Never in all his smuggling ventures did he long for darkness as he -longed for it to-day. - -About six o'clock a lad ran into the inn with the news that a flare had -been seen towards Lunnan Cove. It was the time when Tonkin had arranged -to make the run, and Doubledick took the flare as a signal from the -riding-officer to Mr. Mildmay on the cutter. The customers poured out -of the inn, in anticipation of more excitement before they retired to -rest. - - -Meanwhile there had been interesting doings at the Towers. When the -Squire, with Tonkin's party, pursued the Frenchmen down the hill, Sam -Pollex slipped away and ran with all his might to the Dower House, where -the alarm bell was clanging, while smoke poured from the lower windows. -He dashed into the house, found the cook in hysterics in the kitchen, -and receiving no answer from her when he demanded where Maidy Susan was, -hunted through all the floors until at last he discovered her in an -attic, tugging frantically at the bell-rope. - -"Oh, maidy," he said, "come wi' me, or you'll be smothered in the -burnin' fiery furnace. Yer maister be took; come, maidy, please." - -He removed the rope from the girl's hands, put his arm about her, and -led her quickly down the stairs. - -"Where be Cook?" she cried, gasping, half suffocated by the rolling -smoke. - -"In kitchen, hollerin' and screamin'," replied Sam. - -"Oh! poor thing, we can't leave her. Come, Sam, quick." - -They ran into the kitchen, and while Susan tried to calm the frenzied -woman, Sam took down her bonnet from its peg, and set it, hind part -before, on her head. Then they lifted her, and led her out into the -open air. - -"Wherever shall we go?" said Susan. "I declare, I've left all my things -behind; I must go back for them." - -"Never in life!" said Sam. "I can't hold this great big female up -wi'out 'ee. You must come home-along wi' me. Mistress will take 'ee -in: she do hev a kind heart." - -Thus it happened that when Dick reached home in company with the Vicar, -Sam met him at the door with a face like the rising sun, and whispered: - -"She've come, Maister Dick!" - -"Who has come?" asked Dick. - -"Maidy Susan, to be sure. Mistress hev right-down took to her, I do -believe. Cook be here, too, and Feyther do look tarrible low in the -sperits, 'cos she told un he'd no more idee than a chiel o' three how to -stir up a figgy pudden." - -When Dick joined his parents, he found them discussing the future of the -two women with Mr. Carlyon. - -"We can't afford to keep them, you know, Vicar," said Mrs. Trevanion. -"The girl seems a pleasant, handy young thing, and I should like her -about the house much better than young Sam; but----" - -"Exactly," said the Vicar. "Well now, 'tis Christmas Eve. Shall we -forget all our troubles, and get our souls in tune for to-morrow? One -thing makes for peace, and that is the disappearance of John Trevanion, -to whom I trace all the unneighbourly feeling between the village and -you." - -Thus the matter was left. After the Vicar had drunk a dish of tea, he -walked back in Dick's company to the Parsonage, his horse having not yet -been returned to him. - -When Mr. Polwhele and the dragoons were seen riding in the direction of -Redruth, they were really proceeding to a sheltered spot on the coast -whence they could watch for the flare which was to signal the approach -of the _Isaac and Jacob_ to Lunnan Cove. Mr. Mildmay's cutter was -lurking behind a headland not far away. As soon as the blue light was -seen, the riding-officer galloped to the spot, and saw, a little -distance out at sea, a dark shape, which from its size he knew to be the -lugger. Igniting another blue light, he was surprised to find that the -vessel was making no effort to escape, nor was there the bustle on board -that might have been expected. There were no tub-carriers in sight; no -doubt, thought he, they had scattered on seeing the flare. He reined up -on the beach, and waited for the cutter to appear. - -In a few minutes he heard Mr. Mildmay hail the lugger, and by the aid of -another light he saw the cutter run alongside, and a rummaging crew -spring aboard the _Isaac and Jacob_, without opposition. Lamps were lit -on deck, and the figures of the lieutenant's men could be seen -descending into the hold. Immediately afterwards there was a burst of -rough laughter, mingled with a volley of curses; the sailors emerged -from the hatchway one by one, and Mr. Mildmay's quarter-deck voice was -heard abusing something or somebody. Then he and his men returned to -the cutter, which headed for the shore, while the lugger set her sails -and stood out towards the harbour. - -"Fooled again, Polwhele!" cried the lieutenant, when he came within -hailing distance. "The hold is empty, and Jake Tonkin, young Pendry, -Pennycomequick, and half a dozen more are grinning their heads off." - -"Confusion seize 'em!" exclaimed Mr. Polwhele. "I see it! That rascal -has betrayed us, in the hope of redeeming himself with Tonkin. Well, we -deserve it for joining in with such a scoundrel. Depend upon it, they've -made their run somewhere else, and are laughing in their sleeves." - -The crestfallen officer dismissed the dragoons, who were chuckling at -his discomfiture, and rode home. - - -When Jake Tonkin escaped from Mr. Polwhele's house, he took the shortest -cut over the cliffs to the harbour, and reached the shore just as the -four men were running to gain the lugger by way of the reef. He joined -them, and on meeting his father told him in a few words about -Doubledick's treachery. Tonkin immediately sent a man back to -countermand the order to await him at Lunnan Cove, and to arrange -secretly with the tub-carriers to assemble at the spot previously -chosen, the creek five miles to the north. He had then run out to sea, -and, taking advantage of the mist, made a circuit that brought him -astern of the cutter, which was then returning to the harbour. He sunk -his cargo near the mouth of the creek, stepped with one man into the -small boat he had taken in tow, and sent the rest out to sea again in -the lugger, instructing them to make for Lunnan Cove at the appointed -time. - -Consequently, at the moment when the officers were condoling with each -other, Tonkin and his man were rowing into the creek, towards a large -body of tub-carriers gathered on the shore. The boat moved very slowly, -and a light thrown on the scene would have revealed, attached to its -stern, a rope on which the first of a line of tubs was bobbing up and -down. When it came within a few yards of the waiting men, half a dozen -of them waded out and drew it high on the beach. The rope was then -hauled in, scarcely a word being spoken, and in less than ten minutes -thirty men, each carrying two tubs slung across his shoulders, were -trudging to their appointed destinations. - -Tonkin was alone. As soon as the men had disappeared, he removed a plug -from the bottom of the boat, and pushed it towards the middle of the -stream, where it sank in eight feet of water. Then he set off with long -strides towards the village. His business was accomplished: now he -could deal with Doubledick. - -A few minutes after the flare had been announced in the inn, Doubledick, -left alone for a moment, let himself down into the cellar. Not even his -wife knew of his design. He slipped on a pair of goloshes, took up two -heavy and cumbersome sacks, slung them over his shoulders, and hurried -through the secret passage, which opened half-way up the narrow-stepped -lane. The night was very dark; there was a blind wall on each side of -the lane; and no one saw the laden man as he crept stealthily up the -steps. Soon he came to a similar passage at right angles to the other, -leading down to the bank of the stream. He turned into this, went more -quickly to the bottom, and then trudged along among the rushes in the -direction of the bridge. - -Coming to that point, he did not ascend by the steps that led to the -road, but passed under the arches and continued his way along the -stream. When he had walked about a quarter of a mile, he paused for a -minute or two to take breath, then laboriously climbed up the steep bank -with the assistance of bushes and saplings, and came panting to the top. -He was now within a few yards of the path that led past the Parsonage -across the moor, and joined the Truro road after a winding course of -nearly a mile. At this hour of the evening he had no doubt that the -Vicar would be in his study, and his small household engaged in -preparations for the morrow. - -Doubledick had gone only a short distance, however, along the path, when -he caught sight of a figure coming in the other direction. Instantly he -stepped on to the grass on the left, and picked his way as carefully as -he could in the darkness over the rough ground and among the furze -bushes. He dared not turn his head. The merest glimpse of a pedestrian -was enough to set him quaking; nor had he the courage now to make his -way back to the path. Having met one person he might meet another. In -his state of panic-fear he saw in every dark bush a man lying in wait -for him, and the thought of tramping for miles over this desolate moor -filled him with terror. There was another way to Truro, by the -high-road running past the Towers to the cross-road from Newquay. In a -few minutes, therefore, he turned again to the left, and struck across -the uneven ground towards a point about midway between the Dower House -and the Towers. Dark as the night was, he would at least see the road -and fare more easily upon it. Passers were rare at this hour, and he -hoped, if he should chance to meet any one, to catch sight of him in -time to slip aside on to the dark moorland. - -As he came to the road, he threw a glance to the left, where the ruins -of the Dower House were smouldering, sparks now and then flying -southward on the wind. The sight awoke no reflections, regrets, -remorse, in his soul. He was obsessed by anxiety for his own safety. - -Dick, having accompanied Mr. Carlyon to the Parsonage, remained there -for an hour or two, talking over the strange events of the day, and then -started homeward along the path that would bring him to the bridge. He -noticed a man, bowed beneath a load, turn aside on to the moor, and -chuckled at the thought that perhaps the smugglers had made their run -after all, and this was one of the tub-carriers conveying his precious -load to an expectant farmer. Well, it was no business of his. He went -on until he came to the road, turned to the right, sniffing as the wind -brought pungent smoke to his nostrils, and when he came opposite to the -Dower House, which the spectators had now deserted, halted for a few -moments to contemplate the empty shell, momentarily lit up as a gust -stirred the embers. It was little more than three months since John -Trevanion entered into possession. How swiftly retribution had -overtaken him for the ill that he had done! In the short space of an -hour his prosperity had vanished like the smoke from his burning house, -and he was gone to pay the penalty, Dick could not doubt, for the fraud -and trickery of years. - -Turning away from the smoking ruins, Dick pursued his homeward way. A -few minutes later he was surprised to see, stepping into the road from -the unfenced moorland, the same figure as he had seen twenty minutes -before going in the contrary direction. The man had come from the -village; why then had he chosen so roundabout a route? His curiosity -thoroughly aroused, Dick hurried on after the lumbering figure, -expecting to overtake it before it reached the Towers. He was struck by -the strange fact that while his own footsteps rang on the hard surface -of the road, he heard nothing of the movements of the man in front, -though the wind was blowing towards him. Fast as he walked, the -distance between them did not appear to lessen. He was convinced now -that the man was a smuggler, hurrying to avoid observation. He -slackened his pace; it was not worth while chasing the man, even to -discover his identity. To-morrow was Christmas; he was going to sell -his burden, so that he might have the wherewithal to make merry on the -festive day. - -The man had just passed the gate leading to the Towers. In less than a -minute Dick would turn into the drive and lose sight of him. But -suddenly there was a dull thud behind, and a glare momentarily lit up -the sky. A portion of the masonry of the Dower House had fallen into -the smouldering mass below, and stirred a fitful flame. Immediately -afterwards he heard a hoarse cry in front, then a sound of scrambling, -of snapping twigs, of heavy footsteps in the field on the other side of -the hedge in the direction of St. Cuby's Well. Dick knew that there was -a gap a few yards beyond the gate; he raced on, forced his way through, -and sprinted after the retreating footsteps. Coming on to higher -ground, he was able to see, in the dim diffused light thrown by the -flickering flames behind, two figures, separated by a short interval, -rushing towards the well. One minute they were visible; the next, where -the ground dipped, they disappeared into pitchy darkness. - -Dick saw that the second figure was steadily gaining on the first. -Leaving the zigzag course that had been traced by the smugglers, and was -now followed by the fugitive, the pursuer ran in a more direct line for -the well. The former, perceiving with the instinct of a hunted animal -that he was being headed off, and could not reach the haven of the -ruined chapel, towards which he was hurrying, without encountering the -other, suddenly swerved to the left in the direction of the cliff. He -was followed instantly by the second man, who now seemed to leap after -him like a wild animal after its prey. In a few moments, just as they -came to the brink of the cliff, the two men closed. Running towards -them at headlong speed, Dick heard a furious cry, a scream of terror, -and saw one of the men lifted from his feet above the head of the other. -But before the captor could summon his strength for the effort of -hurling the captive over the edge of the cliff, Dick flung himself -forward, caught the victim's feet, and tugged him violently back. A -savage oath broke from the other man's lips. He staggered backward, and -attempting to recover his footing, let his burden drop with a dull thud -and a jingling crash to the ground. - -"Tonkin!" cried Dick, "what are you doing?" - -"Out of my way!" shouted the man, throwing himself upon the prostrate -figure, from which there came a piteous squeal for mercy. - -Dick tried to drag the smuggler from his victim, but he might as readily -have moved an oak. - -"Tonkin, I say!" he cried in agitation, "for God's sake get up. Would -you commit murder, like the murderer at the well? Think! Calm -yourself! 'Tis Christmas Eve." - -A terrible scream rent the air. Dick caught Tonkin by the collar and -exerted all his strength to pull him from the fallen body. Finding this -useless, he flung himself on the ground beside him, and tried to loosen -his grip on the man's throat. He was in despair, when he heard a shout -near at hand, and the next moment Penwarden rushed to the spot, carrying -a lantern. - -"'Tis you, Zacky Tonkin!" he cried. "Get on your feet, or I don't care -who the man is, I'll arrest 'ee in the King's name." - -The light of the lantern fell on the distorted face beneath him, and for -the first time Dick saw that the victim was Doubledick. - -"Think of yer wife and boy," said Penwarden. "Shall they lose 'ee for -such as he?" - -Tonkin's first frenzy of rage had spent itself. He slowly rose to his -feet, leaving the innkeeper gasping, half-throttled. - -There was silence for a space. Dick and Penwarden were held spellbound -by the expression upon Tonkin's strong, rugged face. He stood like a -statue, gazing down upon the huddled figure of Doubledick. Then he -turned. - -"You see that man!" he said, in a voice surcharged with emotion. "He -was my friend. I trusted him. He and I hev worked together this many -year, fair and foul, winter and summer. And now I know him for what he -is, a spy, an informer, that takes money for betrayin' his true mates. -Ay, and when things came to nought, he said 'twas my own son that split -on us. Look 'ee see! He carr's his wages wi' un, afeard o' the face of -an honest man. Worm that he is, let him crawl his way to everlastin' -bonfire; but no price o' blood shall he take along, nor no one else -shall touch it for evermore." - -He stooped, wrenched the bags from the rope, which snapped in his mighty -hands like thread, and, lifting each high above his head, hurled it far -out into the sea. Then, turning on his heel, he strode away, and was -swallowed up in the black night. - - - - - CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH - - Peace and Goodwill - - -"A merry Christmas!" cried Dick, going into his parents' bedroom early -in the morning. - -"Thank'ee, my boy," said the Squire. "'Twill be the last Christmas we -shall spend within these walls, so we will be as merry as we can.... -Bless my life! Who is that singing?" - -Through the open door came the sound of a clear young voice: - - "I saw three ships come sailin' in - On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day; - I saw three ships come sailin' in - On Christmas Day in the mornin'." - - -"'Tis Susan, sir, no doubt," replied Dick. - -"Dear me, I had forgotten the maid. Well, 'tis a sweet voice. She is -merry enough, poor soul." - -"A very nice girl," said Mrs. Trevanion. "Listen!" - - "And what was in those ships all three, - On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day? - And what was in those ships----" - - -The singing was interrupted by a rippling peal of laughter. - -"Oh, Sam, you'll be the death o' me!" said Maidy Susan. "If you could -only see the face of 'ee." - -"What be purticler about the face o' me?" asked Sam. - -"Oh, I can't tell 'ee, only it do make me smile. What was ye thinkin' -of?" - -"Why, I was wishin' one o' they ships was Maister's--his ship come home, -as folks do say." - -"Silly boy! 'Twas thousands o' years ago: - - "And what was in those ships all three, - On Christmas Day in the mornin'?" - - -"Well, I never heerd that psalm afore. Troll it over to Pendry afore -church; he've got a wonderful ear, and if ye sing it twice he'll play it -on his fiddle bang through wi'out stoppin'. Maybe Pa'son will command -us to sing it instead of 'Aaron's Beard' or 'Now Isr'el say.'" - -"I can't go to church, Sam. I must stay and help Cook." - -"No; be-jowned if 'ee do. Old Feyther be man enough to help Cook, wi' -sech a little small pudden and all. If we'd only knowed ye were comin' -we'd ha' made it bigger, cost what it might. But you shall have my -share, Maidy, so don't be cast down in yer soul." - -"Bless the boy! Do 'ee think I can't live wi'out pudden?" - -"Well, then, if that be yer mind, I'll eat the pudden, and you hev two -servings o' pig--but not too much apple sauce, Maidy." - -"Good now! You do talk and talk, and there's the boots to clean and the -cloth to lay. We'll never be done. Be off with 'ee." - -The voices ceased. - -"A very nice girl," repeated Mrs. Trevanion with a sigh. "I wish we -could keep her. She would have a good influence on Sam, who is inclined -to be idle." - -Dick smiled. - -"When my ship comes home, my dear," said the Squire. "Upon my word, -'tis cheering to hear a song in the morning, and the sun shining, too. -I think the fire yesterday has burnt some of my melancholy away." - -After breakfast they walked over to the church. The people assembled in -the churchyard bobbed and curtsied as the party from the Towers passed -up the path, and wished them a merry Christmas, a sign of renewed -friendliness which made the Squire glow with pleasure. There was a -large congregation, and everybody expected that the Vicar would preach a -sermon bearing on the events of the previous day. He had indeed looked -out two old discourses, one on the text, "The wages of sin is death," -the other on "The ways of transgressors are hard"; but he replaced them -in his drawer, and selected a third, on the verse, "Peace on earth, -goodwill towards men." - -"I won't spoil the day for them," he said to himself; "but they shall -not get off; they shall have something warming next Sunday." The worthy -man did not foresee that next Sunday the church would be half empty, the -people having concluded that he had found the iniquities of John -Trevanion an unprofitable theme. - -After church the young folks trooped into the barn, where a Christmas -dinner had been spread for them, and the men flocked down to the -village, to spend an hour while their wives prepared the meal. For the -first time in the history of the parish they passed by the open door of -the Five Pilchards and made their way to the Three Jolly Mariners, to -the delight of the innkeeper and the amazement of its few _habitues_. - -In the afternoon someone suggested that they should row out to the -fairway to see the rock which Dick had thrown down. The oldsters, after -their Christmas dinner, were disinclined to move; but Jake Tonkin, Ike -Pendry, and others of the younger generation hailed the opportunity of -stretching their legs, and a procession of boats rowed out to the spot. -The sun, by this time creeping to the west, lit up the face of the cliff -with a ruddy gleam, and a young miner, perched on the top of the rock, -called the attention of the others to the appearance of curious streaks -on the rugged surface of the promontory, where the falling rock had -struck off fragments as it bounded down. - -"They look uncommon like silver," said he. - -"'Tis the deceivin' sun," said Jake Tonkin. "Theer bean't neither silver -nor tin worth delvin' for hereabouts." - -"Maybe, but I be goin' to see," said the miner. "Gie me that boat-hook, -my sonny." - -He got into a boat, and was rowed to the base of the cliff, whence he -climbed with careful step. The others watched him with more interest in -his feat than in the object of it. On reaching one of the longest of -the streaks he hacked at the rock with the hook, then suddenly looked -round, and cried-- - -"Daze me, my sonnies, if it bean't as good silver tin ore as ever I -seed. There's riches here, take my word for't." - -"Be-jowned if I bean't fust to tell Squire," cried Jake Tonkin, -instantly pulling his boat round and making for the shore. The others -followed him, deaf to the entreaties of the miner to come back and take -him off. Half-a-dozen boats raced madly to the beach; a score of youths -sprang out, dashed through the village, up the hill, and along the high -road. One, thinking to gain an advantage over the rest, tried to leap -one of John Trevanion's fences, and fell headlong to the ground, his -competitors shouting with laughter, none attempting to emulate him. - -Jabez Mail, the son of Simon, arrived first at the Towers, but Ike -Pendry, only a yard behind, caught him by the tail of his Sunday coat, -and while the two were wrestling, Jake Tonkin slipped past them and -rushed into the house without knocking. Remembering the situation of -the Squire's room from his last visit, he ran straight to it, followed -by a dozen others, some entering with him, others crowding at the door. - -Within the room sat the Squire and Dick, with the Vicar, Mr. Mildmay, -and Mr. Polwhele, smoking before a huge log fire. They had started up -at the sound of heavy boots clattering along the passage, and stood in -amazement as the young fishers, red and blown with running, clumped in. - -"What do you mean by this?" exclaimed the Squire testily. "D'you think -this is an inn?" - -Jake, the foremost, was at once overcome by his habitual sheepishness, -and stood as though glued to the floor, twisting his hat between his -hands, and grinning vacantly. Ike Pendry thrust him aside. - -"Please, sir, I be come----" he began. - -"Scrounch 'ee, I was fust!" cried Jake, suddenly recovering his speech, -and sticking his elbow into Ike's ribs. - -"Now, now," said Mr. Carlyon severely, "this is very unmannerly -behaviour. What do you mean by it?" - -"Please, yer reverence," said Ike, "theer be great and noble riches -down-along at Beal. We be come with all our legs to tell Squire." - -"I was fust," added Jake. - -"You're a liard," said young Mail, thrusting his way to the front. "I -was fust, only Ike Pendry catched me by the tail o' my coat, which he -couldn' ha' done if 'twere a common day." - -"Well, then, Jabez," said the Vicar, "as you seem to have best command -of your breath, perhaps you will tell us the meaning of these antics." - -"Iss, fay, that I woll," said the lad. "We pulled out to the Beal, to -see wi' our own eyes the rock as Maister Dick tumbled down, and Tim -Solly, the miner, says, says he, 'Be-jowned, my sonnies, if it bean't -the noblest silver tin as ever I seed.' 'Twas the rock, yer reverence, -and genelum all, had strook away the ground as covered it, and theer -'tis, bidin' to be dug out." - -The Squire's face, as he listened to this, flushed and paled by turns. - -"This is most extraordinary," said the Vicar. "I think we had better -all go down to the Beal and see for ourselves." - -"We will," said Mr. Polwhele. "Come along, Squire." - -"'Tis pure fancy," murmured the Squire. "The ore would have been -discovered long ago if it existed. My old mine comes within a few yards -of the Beal." - -"We can but see," said Mr. Mildmay. "Let us go at once, before the sun -is down." - -They hurried forth, the messengers following, Sam being now among them. -As they went, the crowd was increased by many more of the villagers, who -had poured out of their houses when they heard of the stampede. In a -few minutes they reached the Beal, at the spot where the fallen rock had -stood. - -"Hi!" shouted a voice from below; "up or down, I don't care which it be, -but I can't bide here all the cold night." - -"Don't 'ee werrit, my son," said Tonkin, who had joined the throng. -"Fling up a mossel o' that shinin' rock they tell about." - -"Mind yer head, then, my dear, or 'twill hurt 'ee." - -Up came a jagged knob of rock, which Tonkin deftly caught and handed to -the Squire. A breathless silence fell on the crowd as he turned it over -in his trembling hands. He passed it to Mr. Polwhele, and he in turn to -the foreman of Trevanion's mine, who stood by. - -"'Tis tin ore, gentlemen, without doubt," he said, "and, I think, very -rich in metal. You will do well, sir, to bring an assayer to test it." - -His words were received with a joyous shout. Caps were flung into the -air; a hundred lusty throats roared cheers for the Squire. Mr. Carlyon -grasped his old friend's hand. - -"'Hold fast the rock by the western sea!'" he said. "Wonderful! -Wonderful!" - -"Let us keep our heads," said the Squire. "It may be a false hope." - -"Hi!" shouted the miner. "When be I a-comin' up-along?" - -"Never, my son," cried Tonkin. "We can't heave 'ee up wi'out doin' a -deal o' damage to yer mortal frame. Bide quiet, and we'll fetch 'ee in -a boat." - -"I'll never disbelieve in witches again," said the Vicar. "Dick! Where -is the boy? 'Twas an inspiration--upon my word it was." - -Dick was not to be found. He was running like a deer to tell his mother -the great news. Sam followed, hopelessly outstripped, eager to pour the -story into the ears of Maidy Susan. The Squire and his friends returned -more slowly to the house, and the people, giving him a parting cheer, -hurried to the village. - -When a mixed crowd of fishers, farmers, and miners entered the taproom -of the Three Jolly Mariners, they found Joe Penwarden comfortably -settled in the place nearest the fire. As an excise-man, he had never -frequented the smugglers' haunt at the Five Pilchards, but occasionally -dropped in for a glass at the other inn. Observing Tonkin, Pendry, and -a dozen more free-traders among the newcomers, he shook the ashes out of -his church-warden, gulped down his grog, and rose to go. It was against -the rules of the service to consort with smugglers, known or suspected. - -"Bide where ye be, Maister," said Tonkin, heartily. "'Tis peace and -goodwill to-day, and though some may hate 'ee like a toad o' common -days, we'll treat 'ee like a true Christian to-day; what do 'ee say, -neighbours all?" - -"Ay, Maister," said Pendry, "set 'ee down and hark to the noble history -we've got to tell 'ee. 'Tis rum-hot all round--eh, souls?" - -They pressed Penwarden into his chair, and, all speaking together, -poured into his ears the story of the great discovery. - -"Well," he said presently, "'tis the noblest Christmas box as ever man -got in this weary world." - -"Iss, sure," said Petherick, adding in his ecclesiastical manner, "'Tis -'My soul doth magnify' for Squire and parish too, I don't care who the -man is." - -"True," said Penwarden, "and little small fellers like we must gie them -above the credit o't. Theer be doin's in high parts as we cannot make -head or tail of. Squire's cousin comes here, a right-down villain, -a-deceivin' high and low from Sir Bevil himself down to small fry like -'ee." - -"That no man can deny," said Tonkin. - -"And yet," pursued Penwarden, enjoying his unaccustomed _role_ as -oracle,--"and yet, if he hadn' a-come, theer'd 'a been no Frenchy poking -his nose in Polkerran, and no call for Maister Dick to shift a stone -that has held to the same moorings maybe since the beginnin' o' the -world. Ay, the Almighty do say a word sometimes to us miserable worms." - -The old man's solemnity caused a hush to fall on the assembly. For some -moments no one spoke. The room filled with clouds of smoke. Then -Penwarden took his pipe from his mouth, and, in a different tone, said: -"It minds me o' Lord Admiral Rodney." - -"What do mind 'ee of him, Maister?" asked Simon Mail, whose arm was in a -sling. - -"Why, a high person speakin' to a low. Did 'ee never hear how the Lord -Admiral once upon a time spoke special to me?" - -"Never in life, Maister," said Mail. "Spet out the story for the good -of us all." - -"Well, 'twas on Plymouth Hoe. Theer was I, takin' a spell ashore, and -cruisin' about: ah! I had a good figurehead in them gay young days. -Daze me if Lord Admiral Rodney didn' run athwart my course, convoying -two spankin' fine craft in the shape of females. The sight took the -wind out o' my sails, I assure 'ee, and I fell becalmed full in the -fairway, as ye med say. 'Get out o' my way, you cross-eyed son of a -sea-cook,' says the Lord Admiral, and the two handsome females laughed -like waves dancin' in the sun. 'Twas a wonderful honour for a great -man-o'-war like Lord Admiral Rodney to speak to a humble and lowly -feller like me." - -"'Twas a gashly scornful name to call 'ee, I b'lieve," said -Pennycomequick, the village wet-blanket. - -"Ah! but you should ha' heerd what he called the swabbers aboard," -replied Penwarden, lighting another pipe. - - -The result of the assayer's tests was more satisfactory than the most -sanguine had dared to anticipate. The ore was particularly rich in -metal, and the lode appeared to extend through the lower part of the -Beal seaward. A careful examination of the ground explained the reason -why the discovery had not been made earlier. Between the old mine and -the new lode extended several yards of granite, by what is known in -geology as a "fault." - -When the assayer declared that in all probability the tin-bearing -stratum stretched for thousands of yards under the sea, the question to -be debated was whether the Squire should sell the land, or attempt to -work it himself. There was little doubt as to what his decision would -be. His long-vanished ideas of restoring the fortunes of his family -returned with double force, and it scarcely needed the persuasiveness of -Mr. Carlyon and Dick to fix his determination. The ground having been -thoroughly surveyed, his new lawyer in Truro had no difficulty in -negotiating a loan which furnished him with enough capital to start -working. Plant was soon on the spot, miners were engaged, and within a -few months the yield was sufficient to pay the interest on the loan, a -portion of the capital sum, and a contribution towards the increased -expenditure at the Towers. Now that the tide had turned towards -prosperity, the Squire put in hand the repairs long needed there, and -Mrs. Trevanion decided to retain Cook and Maidy Susan in her employment. - -The question of Dick's future came up. Mr. Carlyon urged that he should -continue his studies and go to Oxford; but Dick's inclination was for a -more strenuously active life. He worked for a time as a common miner in -order to learn the details of the trade, visited other mines to widen -his knowledge, and ultimately became his father's manager, in which -capacity he showed a genius for organisation and the control of men. - -Sam Pollex, basking in the continual sunshine of Maidy Susan's smile, -became the Squire's gardener, and was very proud of the results of his -handiwork. He grew a few inches, and by the time he was twenty stood a -little higher than Susan's shoulder. Convinced that he would grow no -more, he asked her to marry him, pointing out that though she was older -in years, he was older in knowledge: that she looked younger than she -was, and he older. They made a match of it, Susan's wedding dress being -fashioned out of a blue silk recovered from the cave. - -A month or two after the day of the great discovery, the Collector at -Plymouth paid a visit to Polkerran, and decided that Penwarden was too -old for his post. This gave deep offence to the old man. "Too old, be -I?" said he; "we'll see about that." The Squire offered him the post of -overseer at his new mine, which he accepted. His indignation at the -slight put upon him in the King's name scarcely diminished with the -lapse of time, and a village tradition asserts that, during the next ten -years, the smuggler who caused the most trouble and annoyance to the -revenue officers was Joe Penwarden, once exciseman. But no one who knew -the old man's strong sense of duty, and had heard him speak of his -service under Admiral Rodney, could ever believe that the actions of his -later life so far belied his principles. - -About six months after John Trevanion's disappearance, a billposter came -from Truro and posted notices on the fences of the desolate grounds of -the Dower House, and Petherick, as village crier, rang his bell and -proclaimed the approaching sale of "all that messuage and tenement," et -cetera. It was already known, through the resumption of business -relations between Tonkin and Delarousse, that the latter had thrown -Trevanion into prison, and lodged a claim against him for the -restitution of large sums of money which he had obtained by a systematic -course of fraud. When the day of the sale came, it was remarked that -none of the neighbouring land-owners put in an appearance except Squire -Trevanion. Sir Bevil Portharvan had, in fact, personally persuaded his -friends to absent themselves, and leave the bidding to the Squire. As -is generally the case with forced sales, the bids were low, and the -estate was knocked down to Mr. Trevanion of the Towers, at a -ridiculously small figure. The proceeds of the sale did not suffice to -clear John Trevanion, who remained in prison until his death of fever a -year later. The Squire told Mr. Carlyon that as soon as Dick set about -seeking a wife, he would rebuild the Dower House. But Dick did not -marry until after his father's death, sixteen years later, and the site -of the Dower House was then a picturesque ruin. - -Doubledick was never again seen in Polkerran, nor was anything directly -heard of him by his former associates. The inn lost all its customers, -who transferred their favours to the Three Jolly Mariners. In three -months, Mrs. Doubledick was on the brink of ruin, and one day she -mounted the carrier's cart, with a few bundles, and departed, no one -knew whither. - -Some few years afterwards, the landlord of a low public-house in the -precinct of Whitefriars, London--a haunt of thieves, coiners, and other -bad characters--was discovered in an alley behind the house, dead, with -a bullet-wound in his temple. He went by the name of Brown, and was -believed to be a West-countryman. It was rumoured that his murderer was -one of a gang whom he had betrayed to the police. No one came forward to -claim relationship with him, and he was buried by the parish. - -For many years rare visitors to the village wondered at a dilapidated -building that stood near the jetty, its windows broken, its door -blistered by the sun, the fragment of a signboard creaking on a rusty -pole whenever the wind blew in from the sea--a mournful symbol of -neglect and decay. If any stranger was curious enough to inquire into -the history of this unpicturesque ruin, he would always find a small boy -ready to conduct him to the house of one of the Tonkins, who related, -with the exactitude of personal knowledge, the lamentable story of -Doubledick the informer. - - - - - BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO. LD., PRINTERS, LONDON AND TONBRIDGE. - - - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - STORIES BY HERBERT STRANG - - UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME - - -"The best of living writers for boys."--_Manchester Guardian_. - -"The majority of writers of boys' books are content to provide their -young friends with mere reading. Herbert Strang offers them -literature."--_Glasgow Herald_. - - -HUMPHREY BOLD: His Chances and Mischances by Land and Sea. A Story of -the Time of Benbow - -"Mr. Strang's work is astonishingly vivid and alive, and he imparts his -varied and wide knowledge with the easy mastery of an -artist."--_Publishers' Circular_. - - -ROB THE RANGER: a Story of the Fight for Canada. - -"A stirring story of the Fight for Canada, bringing into relief the -romantic side of the great struggle, and showing the author's keen -observation, rapid and lucid narration, and clever construction at their -best."--_Educational Times_. - - -ONE OF CLIVE'S HEROES: a Story of the Fight for India. - -"An absorbing story ... The narrative not only thrills, but also weaves -skilfully out of fact and fiction a clear impression of our fierce -struggle for India."--_Athenaeum_. - - -PALM TREE ISLAND: a Story of the South Seas. - -"For desperate daring and resourceful ingenuity Harry Brent and Billy -Bobbin will be hard to beat, and many will be the boy who finds this -story of their trip to the South Seas full of fascination and -interest."--_Army and Navy Gazette_. - - - *PRICE SIX SHILLINGS EACH* - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF DICK TREVANION -*** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39800 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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