evident
that they were quickly and silently replacing the kegs they had been
carrying down hill to where tumbrils were waiting for a load.

The midshipman stood a little way back from the window, seeing nothing,
but drinking all this in, and in imagination grasping the whole scene
which went on for the next quarter of an hour or so, by which time the
last load seemed to have been brought back.

As he listened, he wondered what boat's crew it could be that had
landed, as no arrangement had been made for any help to be sent till he
either signalled from the cliff or went down to the cove at twelve the
next day, where a boat would be about half a mile out, with two men in
her fishing.

He could not understand it; all he could tell for certain was that the
smugglers had been alarmed, and that they would not remove the cargo
that night, for all at once he heard the sharp snap of a great lock
beneath his feet; this was followed by the closing of a door, and
directly after there was the shuffling of feet, and Shackle's voice was
heard in a hoarse whisper,--

"Got the lanthorn, boy?"

"Yes, father."

"Off you go then--all. Scatter!"

"You won't try again to-night?"

"Try? No," said the farmer savagely. "Wish I had some of them here!"

There were retiring steps then, and Archy leaned forward towards the
window, to utter a faint cry of pain, for his head had come in contact
with something, and as he put up his hand he found that the window was
protected by thick iron bars.

He stood listening till not a sound could be heard, and then he drew
back from the window, thinking about his next course, gazing out into
the darkness the while, and wishing he could have stepped out, leaped
down, and fled at once.

"Made our plans badly," he thought to himself. "I can't signal even if
I could find my way to the cliff, and I ought to be able to get back
here at once to seize all this store, and--"

More unpleasant thoughts came back now about how hard it seemed to have
to betray these people.

"Can't help it," he said to himself. "I am a king's officer, and I've
got to do my duty."

Then to keep these thoughts from troubling him, he began to think again
about the cutter.

They never expected that he would get valuable information so soon. He
had been wonderfully fortunate, but what was to be his next course?
Certainly to get back to the ship as soon as possible, but that was not
possible till morning, and he was mi