cargo they'd helped to land."

"It was the first cargo they ever helped to land for the National
Volunteers," said Sam with a grin.

"The National Volunteers!"

I admit that Sam startled me. I do not suppose that he has any political
convictions. At the age of twenty a man has a few prejudices but no
convictions. If he is a young fellow who goes in for being intellectual
they are prejudices against the party his father belonged to. If--and
this is Sam's case--he is a healthy-minded young man, who enjoys sport,
he takes over his father's opinions as they stand, and regards everybody
who does not accept them as an irredeemable blackguard. The Dean is a
very strong loyalist. He is the chaplain of an Orange Lodge, and has
told me more than once that he hopes to march to battle at the head of
his regiment of Volunteers.

"Smuggling arms for the Nationalists!" I said.

"That's what I did," said Sam, grinning broadly. "But I thought all
the time that I was working for the other side. I didn't know the
Nationalists went in for guns; thought they only talked. In fact, to
tell you the truth, I forgot all about them. Otherwise I wouldn't have
done it At least I mightn't. But I had a great time."

"Of course," I said, "I don't mind. So far as I am concerned personally
I'd rather neither side had any guns. But if your father finds out, Sam,
there'll be a frightful row. He'll disown you."

"The governor knows all about it," said Sam, "and he doesn't mind
one bit. Just wait till you hear the end of the story. You'll be as
surprised as I was."

"I certainly shall," I said, "if the story ends in your father's
approving of your smuggling guns for rebels. He'd call them rebels, you
know."

"Oh," said Sam, "as far as rebellion goes I don't see that there's much
to choose between them. However, that doesn't matter. What happened was
this. I got off with my load about five o'clock, and I had a gorgeous
spin. There wasn't a cart or a thing on the roads, and I just let the
car rip. I touched sixty miles an hour, and hardly ever dropped below
forty. Best run I ever had. Almost the only thing I passed was a motor
lorry, going the same way I was. I didn't think anything of it at the
time, but it turned out to be important afterwards. It was about seven
o'clock when I got out of County Down into Armagh. I began looking out
for the fellow who was to meet me. It wasn't long before I spotted him,
standing at a corner, trying to look as if