nd confusion thrice confounded; no man could tell where he
was, and the grappling boats reeled to and fro.

"Club your muskets, and at 'em!" cried the lieutenant, mad with rage,
as the gunwale of his boat swung over. "Their blood be upon their own
heads; draw your hangers, and at 'em!"

He never spoke another word, but furiously leaping at the smuggler
chief, fell back into his own boat, and died, without a syllable,
without a groan. The roar of a gun and the smoke of powder mingled with
the watery hubbub, and hushed in a moment all the oaths of conflict.

The revenue men drew back and sheathed their cutlasses, and laid down
their guns; some looked with terror at one another, and some at their
dead commander. His body lay across the heel of the mast, which had been
unstepped at his order; and a heavy drip of blood was weltering into a
ring upon the floor.

For several moments no one spoke, nor moved, nor listened carefully;
but the fall of the poor lieutenant's death-drops, like the ticking of
a clock, went on. Until an old tar, who had seen a sight of battles,
crooked his legs across a thwart, and propped up the limp head upon his
doubled knee.

"Dead as a door-nail," he muttered, after laying his ear to the lips,
and one hand on the too impetuous heart, "Who takes command? This is a
hanging job, I'm thinking."

There was nobody to take command, not even a petty officer. The command
fell to the readiest mind, as it must in such catastrophes. "Jem, you do
it," whispered two or three; and being so elected, he was clear.

"Lay her broadside on to the mouth of the cave. Not a man stirs out
without killing me," old Jem shouted; and to hear a plain voice was
sudden relief to most of them. In the wavering dimness they laid the
pinnace across the narrow entrance, while the smugglers huddled all
together in their boat. "Burn two blue-lights," cried old Jem; and it
was done.

"I'm not going to speechify to any cursed murderers," the old sailor
said, with a sense of authority which made him use mild language; "but
take heed of one thing, I'll blow you all to pieces with this here
four-pounder, without you strikes peremptory."

The brilliance of the blue-lights filled the cavern, throwing out
everybody's attitude and features, especially those of the dead
lieutenant. "A fine job you have made of it this time!" said Jem.

They were beaten, they surrendered, they could scarcely even speak to
assert their own innocence of