, you pressed
some men last night?"

"Yes, we got seven sturdy fellows to the boats, in spite of a vigorous
resistance."

"Seven?" said the captain. "Well, surely that must be quite as many as
we have living in the little cluster of cliff cottages! Of course there
are their wives and children!"

"Yes," said the lieutenant, drily; "we learned to our cost that they had
wives, and strapping daughters too."

"Then how can it be possible that your brother officer can be here?
There is no one to keep him a prisoner."

"Well, it doesn't seem likely," said the officer, in a disappointed
tone. "Unless," he added, "these viragoes of women are keeping him, out
of spite."

"There's not the slightest probability of that," said the captain. "I'm
afraid, sir, that you will find an accident has befallen him."

The lieutenant shook his head, and then turned to Aleck.

"You have a boat and a wonderfully retired nook where you keep her!
Where is it--down below here?"

"Your men came to the mouth of it last time you were here."

"What, last night?"

"No, no; a fortnight ago."

"Ah, yes, I remember. You mean that narrow split in the rock; but
surely no boat could go in there?"

"Mine goes in, and out too," said Aleck; "and it's nearly as big as
yours. But what of that?"

"Is it likely that my brother officer, finding himself left behind, may
have hidden himself there?"

"Not a bit likely," said Aleck; "but, let's go and see!"

"By all means," said the captain; and Aleck led them off at once through
the sunken garden and down to the slope which led into the chasm.

"My word, what a place!" said the officer, in his admiration.
"Wonderful! And this is your boat-house, eh?" he added, when, followed
by his boat's crew, they reached sea level and gazed into the great
niche in which the kittiwake was securely moored.

"Not a bad place," said Aleck; "and it's easy enough to get in and out
when you know how."

"One moment," said the officer; "here are plenty of cracks and crevices
in the sides of this rift or cave, or whatever you call it, where a
fellow might hide. Here, my lads, give a good loud hail or two!
Raven--ahoy!"

The hail rang out, the men shouting together, their powerful voices
raising up a broadside of echoes as if the shout ran along zigzag to the
mouth of the place before the hail passed out to sea, while at the first
roar a multitude of sea-birds flung themselves off the shelf and flew up
to the