d him for a time, he lay there enjoying the soft
salt breeze that blew gently upon his cheeks, and listening with delight
to the murmurous plash of the waves.

As he gazed out to sea, where all was exceedingly dark, his heart gave a
great leap, for not a couple of miles away, as he judged, a vessel was
lying, and there was something in the position of the lights that made
him feel certain it was the _Kestrel_.

He would not believe it at first, but told himself it was his fancy--the
suggestion of that which he fondly wished; but as he shaded his eyes and
watched he became more and more certain that it was his ship, and in his
elation it was all he could do not to utter a joyous shout by way of a
hail.

He checked himself, however, in the mad idea, and lay thinking. There
was the old _Kestrel_, and the idea of getting back to his stuffy
quarters and the ill-temper of Lieutenant Lipscombe seemed delightful;
but he knew that the greatest caution was needed, or he would fail in
his attempt.

Then, again, he thought it impossible that it could be the _Kestrel_,
for the smugglers would never have the hardihood to run a cargo just
under the very nose of a king's ship; but directly afterwards he was
obliged to own that it was by these very acts of daring that they were
able to carry on with such success; and the more he gazed out at those
lights, the more certain he felt that they belonged to his vessel.

"Yes," he thought, "it's the old lass sure enough, and the lads will be
as glad as can be to see me back. I know they will. Oh, if I could
only signal to them and bring a boat's crew ashore."

He lay thinking, and then, with beating heart, began to crawl cautiously
along close to the edge of the cliff till he was abreast of the
lanterns, which, as he had half suspected, lay in a depression, with a
high bank of rush and bushes between them and the sea. There was no one
with them, and all was very silent.

Where were the smugglers, then?

That was soon solved; for on crawling a little farther he found his
hands go down suddenly where the cliff made a rapid slope, and as he lay
upon his chest he could hear the hum of voices, the trampling of feet
upon the shingle, and though he could hardly distinguish moving figures,
his imagination supplied the rest; and, as plainly as if he could see it
all, there, he knew, was a large lugger ashore and a party of men
landing her cargo, carrying it up the beach and among the rocks