es,
he stowed his long knife away, and then struck off for the shore with
might and main.

Here Mary ran into the water to meet him, shivering as she was with
fright and cold, and stretched out both hands to him as he waded forth;
and he took them and clasped them, quite as if he needed help. Lord
Keppel stood afar off, recovering his breath, and scarcely dared to look
askance at the execrable sea.

"How cold you are!" Robin Lyth exclaimed. "You must not stay a moment.
No talking, if you please--though I love your voice so. You are not
safe yet. You can not get back round the point. See the waves dashing
up against it! You must climb the cliff, and that is no easy job for a
lady, in the best of weather. In a couple of hours the tide will be
over the whole of this beach a fathom deep. There is no boat nearer than
Filey; and a boat could scarcely live over that bar. You must climb the
cliff, and begin at once, before you get any colder."

"Then is my poor pony to be drowned, after all? If he is, he had better
have been drowned at once."

The smuggler looked at her with a smile, which meant, "Your gratitude
is about the same as his;" but he answered, to assure her, though by no
means sure himself:

"There is time enough for him; he shall not be drowned. But you must be
got out of danger first. When you are off my mind, I will fetch up pony.
Now you must follow me step by step, carefully and steadily. I would
carry you up if I could; but even a giant could scarcely do that, in a
stiff gale of wind, and with the crag so wet."

Mary looked up with a shiver of dismay. She was brave and nimble
generally, but now so wet and cold, and the steep cliff looked so
slippery, that she said: "It is useless; I can never get up there.
Captain Lyth, save yourself, and leave me."

"That would be a pretty thing to do!" he replied; "and where should I be
afterward? I am not at the end of my devices yet. I have got a very snug
little crane up there. It was here we ran our last lot, and beat the
brave lieutenant so. But unluckily I have no cave just here. None of my
lads are about here now, or we would make short work of it. But I could
hoist you very well, if you would let me."

"I would never think of such a thing. To come up like a keg! Captain
Lyth, you must know that I never would be so disgraced."

"Well, I was afraid that you might take it so, though I can not see why
it should be any harm. We often hoist the last man so."