reaks straight down and through the roof of a
cave--Ogo Vean, they call it--to the west of Piper's Hole, and this
cave fairly swarmed with seals. The three men would lower themselves by
rope-ladders--I reckon old Leggo had learnt the trick of it in by-gone
days when the Free-traders used the adit--and get down upon a strip of
firm shingle at the inner end of the cave; and there Sam Leggo would
hold the lantern while his father and Phil Cara blazed away. They never
shot more than a brace at a time, because of the difficulty of getting
the bodies up the ladder, for they had to be gone before high-water,
and likewise there was always a danger that the seals might charge 'em
in a herd, bein' angered by the loss of their mates. In this way they
pretty well cleared out the cave--all but one great beauty that old
Leggo had sworn to take alive. For, instead of bein' yellow or
motley-brown like the rest, this fellow was white as milk all over,
besides bein' powerful as any other two. He seemed to know from the
first that the three men didn't mean to shoot him. The lanterns and the
firing never hurried him a bit, and he never threw himself into a rage
over the loss of his relations. He just kept out of reach, looking like
as if he despised the whole business, and refused to quit. He was
cautious, too; wouldn't trust the cave in weather when a boat could
follow him and block up the entrance. On fine nights he had a favourite
rock just outside Ogo Vean--you can see it from the top of the
cliff--and there he'd lie asleep and dare 'em; out of reach, but plain
enough to see, even in the dark, because of his white skin.

"Now, as you may have taken notice, sir, the tide runs out dry to this
rock on the inshore side; but seaward it goes down, even at low
springs, into more'n three fathoms of water, and my gentleman always
took his forty winks on the seaward slope. Half-a-dozen times did Phil
Cara, thinkin' to catch him----"

"I beg your pardon," interrupted Sir Caesar, "'Cara,' did you say?"

"Yes, sir; Philip Cara, father to Eli Tregarthen's wife over to Saaron;
and likewise, o' course, to Eli Tregarthen's wife's sister, that is
lodging at Saaron Farm, having come home from service a while back."

"Eh? From service?" the Lord Proprietor echoed, with quickened
interest. "What sort of service?"

"Why, as to that, sir, I can't say that I can tell you for certain; but
it's somewheres on the mainland, and the young woman seems a very
r