seal, lest it bring discredit
upon my mission.'

'Sir,' cried the gauger, raising himself upon his elbow, 'I do hereby
arrest you on the charge of being a traitor, a promoter of treason, a
vagrant, and a masterless man within the meaning of the fourth statute
of the Act. As an officer of the law I call upon you to submit to my
warrant.'

'Brace up his jaw with your scarf, Jim,' said Murgatroyd. 'When Venables
comes he will soon find a way to check his gab. Yes,' he continued,
looking at the back of my papers, 'it is marked, as you say, "From James
the Second of England, known lately as the Duke of Monmouth, to Henry
Duke of Beaufort, President of Wales, by the hand of Captain Micah
Clarke, of Saxon's regiment of Wiltshire foot." Cast off the lashings,
Dicon. So, Captain, you are a free man once more, and I grieve that we
should have unwittingly harmed you. We are good Lutherans to a man, and
would rather speed you than hinder you on this mission.'

'Could we not indeed help him on his way!' said the mate Silas. 'For
myself, I don't fear a wet jacket or a tarry hand for the cause, and
I doubt not ye are all of my way of thinking. Now with this breeze we
could run up to Bristol and drop the Captain by morning, which would
save him from being snapped up by any land-sharks on the road.'

'Aye, aye,' cried Long John. 'The King's horse are out beyond Weston,
but he could give them the slip if he had the _Maria_ under him.'

'Well,' said Murgatroyd, 'we could get back by three long tacks.
Venables will need a day or so to get his goods ashore. If we are to
sail back in company we shall have time on our hands. How would the plan
suit you, Captain?'

'My horse!' I objected.

'It need not stop us. I can rig up a handy horse-stall with my spare
spars and the grating. The wind has died down. The lugger could be
brought to Dead Man's Edge, and the horse led down to it. Run up to
Daddy's, Jim; and you, Silas, see to the boat. Here is some cold junk
and biscuit--seaman's fare, Captain--and a glass o' the real Jamaica to
wash it down an' thy stomach be not too dainty for rough living.'

I seated myself on a barrel by the fire, and stretched my limbs, which
were cramped and stiffened by their confinement, while one of the seamen
bathed the cut on my head with a wet kerchief, and another laid out some
food on a case in front of me. The rest of the gang had trooped away to
the mouth of the cave to prepare the lugger, save only t