hand--with the utmost glee and good-humour.

In a few minutes Maggot and his son went out and hastened to the old
shaft, where they found the boatsmen still hard at work with pick and
shovel clearing away the rubbish.

"You haven't found a bunch o' copper yet, I dessay?" said Maggot with a
grin.

"No, not yet, but we shan't be long," replied Eben Trezise with a
knowing smile.

"It's warm work," observed Maggot, as he looked down the hole, and saw
that what the boatsman said was true, and that they would not be long of
reaching the spot where the liquor had been concealed.

Trezise admitted that it _was_ warm work, and paused to wipe his heated
brow.

"I wish we had a drop o' water here," he said, looking up.

"Ha!" exclaimed Maggot; "not much chance o' findin' water in _that_
hole, I do think--no, nor brandy nuther."

"Not so sure o' that," said Trezise, resuming his work.

"Now, et _is_ a shame to let 'ee die here for want of a drop o' water,"
said Maggot in a compassionate tone; "I'll send my booy hum for some."

The boatsmen thanked him, and Zackey was ordered off to fetch a jug of
water; but his father's voice arrested him before he had gone a hundred
yards.

"Hold on a bit, my son.--P'raps," he said, turning to Trezise, "you'd
come up hum with me and have a dish o' tay? Missus have got it all
ready."

The invitation appeared to gratify the boatsmen, who smiled and winked
at each other, as though they thought themselves very clever fellows to
have discovered the whereabouts of a hidden treasure, and to be
refreshed in the midst of their toil by one whom they knew to be a noted
smuggler, and whom they strongly suspected of being concerned in the job
they were at that time endeavouring to frustrate. Throwing down their
tools they laughingly accepted the invitation, and clambered out of the
shaft.

"Now's your time," whispered Maggot with a nod to his hopeful son, and
then added aloud--

"Cut away, Zackey booy, an' tell mother to get the tay ready. Run, my
son, let us knaw what thee legs are made of."

"He's a smart lad," observed Trezise, as Zackey gave his father an
intelligent look, and dashed away at the top of his speed.

"Iss, a clever cheeld," assented Maggot.

"Bin down in the mines, I dessay?" said Trezise.

"Iss, oh iss; he do knaw tin," replied Maggot with much gravity.

In a few minutes the two coastguard-men were seated at Mrs Maggot's
well-supplied board, enjoying the most comf