he's got any feeling in him at all."

"Now, if I propose to take them," thought Hilary, "Lipscombe will say
they sha'n't go. Here he comes, though. I shall catch it for not being
off."

He made a run and dropped down through the damaged hatchway, alighting
amidst the carpenter's tools on the lower deck, ran aft to his cabin,
obtained sword and pistols, and then mounted to the deck to find the
lieutenant angrily addressing Waters and Tully.

For no sooner had Hilary disappeared, and the gunner made out that the
chief officer was coming on deck, than he turned his back, busied
himself about the breeching of one of the guns, and shouting to Tom
Tully:

"Going to send you ashore, matey?"

"No," growled Tully; "what's on?"

"Oh! some wild-goose hunt o' the skipper's. I don't mean to go, and
don't you if you can help it. There won't be a place to get a drop o'
grog. All searching among the rocks."

"Gunner!"

"Yes, your honour."

Billy Waters' pigtail swung round like a pump-handle, as he lumped up
and pulled his forelock to his angry officer.

"How dare you speak like that, sir, on the deck of his majesty's vessel?
How dare you--you mutinous dog, you? Go forward, sir, and you, too,
Tom Tully, and the cutter's crew, under the command of Mr Leigh, and
think yourself lucky if you are not put under punishment."

"Very sorry, sir. Humbly beg pardon, sir," stammered the gunner.

"Silence, sir! Forward! Serve out cutlasses and pistols to the men,
and I'll talk to you afterwards."

Billy Waters chuckled to himself at the success of his scheme, and after
a word or two of command, Hilary's little party, instead of jumping into
the cutter and rowing ashore, dropped down over the side on to the
sands, and went off along the coast to the west.

"What's going to be done first, sir?" said the gunner.

"Well, Waters, I've just been thinking that we ought first to try and
find some traces of the boats."

"Yes, sir; but how? They're fur enough away by now."

"Of course; but if we look along the shore here about the level that the
tide was last night I daresay we shall find some traces of them in the
sands, and that may give us a hint where to search inland, for I'll be
bound to say they were landing cargo somewhere."

"I'll be bound to say you're right, sir," said Waters, slapping his leg.
"Spread out, my lads, and report the first mark of a boat's keel."

They tramped on quite five miles over the sand and