ll you, Ram?"

"No; not I. What's the good?" said Ram sadly. "It's all over now."

The rope was made fast, and by its help the men easily reached the great
ledge, Ram coming down soon after with the coiled-up rope about his
shoulder and under one arm.

"Couldn't have got away if I wanted to," he said, laughing frankly in
Archy's face. "I say, I am hungry! Aren't you? Don't I wish I'd got
one of mother's baskets full of good stuff!"

"Where's your mother?" asked Archy.

"Up at the farm."

"And your father?"

"Oh, he went off in the lugger this morning, after they'd tried to run a
cargo. Your cutter was too quick for them though. We tried to get out
to her, but the skipper sent a shot at us, and we came back here, only
you saw us, and run us down."

"Where do you suppose your men are now?" asked Archy.

"Don't know, and if I did, I wouldn't tell," said the boy bluntly. "I
say," he added, after a pause, "I give you a pretty good run last night,
didn't I?"

"You young dog!" growled the master.

"Well, if I hadn't, you'd have found the way in yonder, and I wasn't
going to let you if I could help it."

"Ah, you'll be hung, sir."

"Get out!" cried Ram. "Your skipper wouldn't hang a boy like me. Think
the cutter will be long?" said the boy after a pause, during which all
had been watching the flame which seemed to flow out of the opening far
overhead.

"I don't know; why?" replied Archy.

"Because she'll have to come and take us off. This rope's long enough,
and we shall have to slide down into a boat."

But the cutter was long. For the lugger had escaped to Holland
consequent upon the _White Hawk_ being so short-handed, and it was
toward evening that she came close in to search for the crews, and all
the party descended in safety to the boat, which rowed under in answer
to the signals made by firing pistols.

As to the boats that passed under the archway, they were prisoned till
the next low water.

"Satisfied?" said the lieutenant, after all were on board, and he had
heard the report. "More than satisfied. I was horribly disappointed at
losing the lugger, and I made a hard fight for it, but your news--my
dear boy--my dear Mr Gurr, this is splendid! What a despatch I can
write!"

"It will be the breaking up of the gang, will it not, sir?" asked Archy.

"Yes, my dear boy; and an end to this wretched work. They must promote
me now, and draft you, too, into a good ship. If we can be tog