e King's name--surrender!"

His words went rolling and echoing through the place, but there was no
reply.

"Once more, my lads, to save bloodshed, will you surrender?"

No reply.

"Very well. It's your fault, my lads, and very onsensible. Bo's'n,
it's a big place, and I shall want all my men. You're all right here;
with one you ought to be able to hold this."

"And the prisoner?"

"No; we'll take him with us. Here, lash his hands behind him, and tie
his legs together. We'll lay him down to have a nap somewhere yonder
down below. That's right," he continued, as a man produced a piece of
line, and firmly secured the boy, who was lowered down to one of the men
who had descended, laid on the stones in a corner at the bottom; and
then, after giving the word to be ready, Gurr braced himself up.

"You'll stop aside me, Mr Raystoke, and try and guide."

"Yes, sir."

"You understand, bo's'n, down with the first who tries to escape up the
hole here."

"Ay, ay."

"Then, now, forward!" cried Gurr; and, closely followed by Archy and his
men, he descended into the old quarry, and then stood listening at the
top of the slope, before preparing to advance into the enemy-peopled
darkness right ahead.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

Archy felt his heart throb as he led the way down the slope, every step
of which seemed so familiar that he advanced without hesitation, the
knowledge of how many sturdy men he had at his back keeping away the
natural shrinking which under other circumstances he might have felt.

"Halt!" said the master suddenly, and then in a whisper to his guide,
"Strikes me as they'll have the best of it if they should fight, my
lad."

"Not much," replied Archy; "it's as dark for them as it is for us, so
that they can't take us at a disadvantage. Call on them to surrender
again."

"Ay, to be sure," cried the master; and once more he summoned the
smugglers to give in.

There was not a sound to suggest that his orders were heard.

"Don't know what to do, my lad," whispered the master again. "If we go
forward, we're leaving the way open for the enemy to attack the watch at
the entrance, and we don't want that. Are you sure they're here?"

"I feel certain of it," said Archy in the same low tone. "They must be,
but they're hiding, so as to try to escape, or else to take us at a
disadvantage."

"Well," said Gurr, "let them. So long as they come out and fight fair,
I don't care what they do. Here