d the gunner walked down to where the waves beat
upon the shingle just as the regular plash-plash of the oars told of the
coming of the boat from the cutter with the boatswain in command, that
worthy leaping ashore, followed by half a dozen men.

"What's on?" he cried. "Have you found Muster Leigh?"

"No."

"What did you signal for?"

"Boat. Ourn's stove-in, and we've got knocked about awful."

"What! by the smugglers?"

"Ay, my lad. They beat us off."

"Then, now there's reinforcements, let's go and carry all afore us."

"It's all very fine for you, coming fresh and ready, to talk," said the
gunner; "but it ar'n't no use, my lad--we're reg'lar beat out. They got
away somehow, and you want daylight to find 'em."

"Then you may go up the side of the cutter first, my lad, that's all
I've got to say," said the boatswain. "You don't catch me facing the
skipper to-night."

It was a close pack to get all the men on board, but it was successfully
accomplished, the stove-in boat taken in tow, and the side of the cutter
reached at last, where, as the boatswain had vaguely hinted, there was a
storm. Billy Waters was threatened with arrest, and he was abused for
an hour for his clumsy management of the expedition.

"A child would have managed it better, sir," cried the lieutenant; "but
never was officer in his majesty's service worse served than I am. Not
one subordinate have I on whom I can depend; I might just as well get a
draught of boys from the guardship, and if it was not for the men and
the marines I don't know what I should do. Pipe down."

The men were piped down, glad enough to get something to eat, and then
to crawl to their hammocks, out of which they rolled in the morning
seeming little the worse for their engagement, the injured men being
bruised pretty severely, though they would not own to their hurts, being
too eager, as they put it, to go and pay their debts.

For quite early the cutter began to sail in pretty close to the shore,
the carpenter busy the while in getting a fresh plank in the bottom of
the stove-in boat, having it ready by the time the lieutenant mustered
his men and told them off into the boats, leaving the boatswain in
command of the cutter and leading the expedition himself.

The men fancied once or twice that they could see people on the cliffs
watching their movements, but they could not be sure, and as the boats
grated on the shingle the rocks looked as desolate and de