t still they used this way
of ascent for their ungodly traffic; and over the ruin of the cliff they
had drove a new path for to carry up their kegs.

"It was a cloudy night in March, with scud and a fitful moon, and there
was a sloop in the offing, and under the shore a loaded boat that had
just pulled in with muffled rowlocks. Out of this Dark Dignum was the
first to sling hisself a brace of rundlets; and my grandfather followed
with two more. They made softly for the cliff path--began the ascent--was
half-way up.

"Whiz!--a stone of chalk went by them with a skirl, and slapped into the
rubble below.

"'Some more of St. Dunstan's gravel!' cried Dignum, pantin' out a
reckless laugh under his load; and on they went again.

"Hwish!--a bigger lump came like a thunderbolt, and the wind of it took
the bloody smuggler's hat and sent it swooping into the darkness like a
bird.

"'Thunder!' said Dignum; 'the cliff's breaking away!'

"The words was hardly out of his mouth, when there flew such a volley of
chalk stones as made my grandfather, though none had touched him, fall
upon the path where he stood, and begin to gabble out what he could call
to mind of the prayers for the dying. He was in the midst of it, when he
heard a scream come from his companion as froze the very marrow in his
bones. He looked up, thinkin' his hour had come.

"My God! What a sight he saw! The moon had shone out of a sudden, and the
light of it struck down on Dignum's face, and that was the colour of
dirty parchment. And he looked higher, and give a sort of sob.

"For there, stickin' out of the cliff side, was half the body of
Exciseman Jones, with its arms stretched abroad, _and it was clawin' out
lumps of chalk and hurling them down at Dignum_!

"And even as he took this in through his terror, a great ball of white
came hurtling, and went full on to the man's face with a splash--and he
were spun down into the deep night below, a nameless thing."

The old creature came to a stop, his eyes glinting with a febrile
excitement.

"And so," I said, "Exciseman Jones was true to his word?"

The tension of memory was giving--the spring slowly uncoiling itself.

"Ay," he said doubtfully. "The cliff had flaked away by degrees to his
very grave. They found his skelington stickin' out of the chalk."

"His _skeleton?"_ said I, with the emphasis of disappointment.

"The first, sir, the first. Ay, his was the first. There've been a many
exposed since