, which seemed to rise out of the water where it was disturbed.
This light, where the water was wreathing and swaying softly, was of a
delicious, transparent blue, and by degrees, as he gazed in awe and
wonder, a low archway could be made out spanning a considerable space,
but beautifully indistinct, festooned as it was by filaments and ribands
of seaweed and wrack, all apparently of a jetty black, seen through
water of a wondrous blue. But the whole archway was in motion, as it
seemed, and constantly changing its shape, while the sea growth swayed
and curved and undulated, and at times lay out straight, as if swept by
some swift current.

"Is it always like this?" said Aleck, in a whisper, though he could not
have explained why he spoke in such awe-stricken tones.

"Oh, no, my lad; it's a deal darker than that when the tide's high."

"Tide--high?" said Aleck, in a startled voice. "Does the water ever
fill the cavern? No, no, of course not," he said, hastily. "I can see
it never comes up to those stacks of bales and things."

"That's right," said the smuggler.

"And the tide lays the mouth quite open?"

"Not very often," said the smuggler. "Just at certain tides."

"But I must have seen the mouth from outside sometimes."

"Like enough; my lad, but I don't s'pose you were ever there when a boat
could come in."

"Then a boat could come in?"

"Yes," said the smuggler, meaningly, "it could come in then. Want to
know exactly?" he added, with a laugh.

"No, I don't know that I do," said Aleck, shortly. "Now, then, I didn't
come to see how beautiful the place looked. I want to see and talk to
that poor fellow you've got shut up here."

"Um!" grunted the smuggler. "I don't know about `poor fellow.' He has
been better off, I daresay, than I was while they kept me a prisoner.
Better fed and all. Nothing the matter, only he couldn't get out."

"But why did you make a prisoner of him?"

"I didn't," said the smuggler, contemptuously; "it was the silly women."

"What for?"

"They got the silly idea in their heads that they could make the
press-gang officer exchange--give the pressed men back--if they held on
to the lad."

"But you'll set him free at once?" said Aleck, quickly.

"I don't know, my lad," was the reply. "It's rather a mess, I'm afraid,
taking a King's officer like that; and it seems to me it will be a worse
one to let him go."

"Oh, but you must let him go. The punishment will be very