his hand through
between the bars, overcome now by his rage, and catching Ram by the
collar.

To his astonishment the boy did not flinch, but thrust his own arms
through, placing them about the middy's waist, clenching his hands
behind, and uttering a sharp whistle.

It was a trap, and the midshipman understood it now. The boy had been
baiting him to rouse him to attack, and he was doubly a prisoner now,
held fast against the bars, so that he could not even wrench round his
head as he heard the door behind him opened, while as he opened his
mouth to cry for help, a great rough hand was placed over his eyes,
pressing his head back, a handkerchief was jammed between his teeth, and
as he heard a deep growling voice say, "Hold him tight!" a rope was
drawn about his chest, pinioning his arms to his sides, and another
secured his ankles.

"Now a handkerchief," said the gruff voice. "Fold it wide. Be ready!"

The midshipman gave his head a jerk, but the effort was vain, for the
hand over his eyes gave place to a broad handkerchief, which was tightly
tied behind, and then a fierce voice whispered in his ear,--

"Keep still, or you'll get your weasand slit. D'ye hear?"

But in spite of the threat the lad, frenzied now by rage and excitement,
struggled so hard that a fresh rope was wound round him, and he was
lifted up by two men, and carried away.

By this time there was a strange singing in his ears, a feeling as if
the blood was flooding his eyes, a peculiar, hot, suffocating feeling in
his breast, and then he seemed to go off into a painful, feverish sleep,
for he knew no more.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

Angry, but trembling with dread, Celia had hurried up to her own room,
to try and think what was best to be done. She had secured the door of
the room below to gain time, feeling as she did that, as the young
midshipman knew of the storing of the smuggled goods, he would, the
moment he was free, go back to the cutter, bring help, there would
perhaps be a desperate fight, with men killed, and her father would be
dragged away to prison.

Her first thought was to go to her father, but she shrank from doing
this as her mother would probably be asleep, and in her delicate state
the alarm might seriously affect her.

Having grown learned in the ways of the smugglers, from their having on
several occasions made use of the great vault without asking
permission--at times when Sir Risdon was away from home--Celia had s