the
sea.

Passing through the entrance, which must have been dug with great labour
through the solid rock, we came out into a lofty and roomy cave, lit
up by a fire at one end, and by several torches. By their smoky yellow
glare I could see that the roof was, at least, fifty feet above us, and
was hung by long lime-crystals, which sparkled and gleamed with great
brightness. The floor of the cave was formed of fine sand, as soft and
velvety as a Wilton carpet, sloping down in a way which showed that the
cave must at its mouth open upon the sea, which was confirmed by the
booming and splashing of the waves, and by the fresh salt air which
filled the whole cavern. No water could be seen, however, as a sharp
turn cut off our view of the outlet.

In this rock-girt space, which may have been sixty paces long and
thirty across, there were gathered great piles of casks, kegs and cases;
muskets, cutlasses, staves, cudgels, and straw were littered about upon
the floor. At one end a high wood fire blazed merrily, casting strange
shadows along the walls, and sparkling like a thousand diamonds among
the crystals on the roof. The smoke was carried away through a great
cleft in the rocks. Seated on boxes, or stretched on the sand round the
fire, there were seven or eight more of the band, who sprang to their
feet and ran eagerly towards us as we entered.

Have ye got him?' they cried. 'Did he indeed come? Had he attendants?'

'He is here, and he is alone,' the Captain answered. 'Our hawser fetched
him off his horse as neatly as ever a gull was netted by a cragsman.
What have ye done in our absence, Silas!'

'We have the packs ready for carriage,' said the man addressed, a
sturdy, weather-beaten seaman of middle age. 'The silk and lace are done
in these squares covered over with sacking. The one I have marked "yarn"
and the other "jute"--a thousand of Mechlin to a hundred of the shiny.
They will sling over a mule's back. Brandy, schnapps, Schiedam, and
Hamburg Goldwasser are all set out in due order. The 'baccy is in the
flat cases over by the Black Drop there. A plaguey job we had carrying
it all out, but here it is ship-shape at last, and the lugger floats
like a skimming dish, with scarce ballast enough to stand up to a
five-knot breeze.'

'Any signs of the _Fairy Queen_?' asked the smuggler.

'None. Long John is down at the water's edge looking out for her
flash-light. This wind should bring her up if she has rounded
Combe