e madness to let him go.'

I saw that it was useless to argue longer, so I contented myself with
dropping my pocket-knife on the sand within reach of the prisoner, in
the hope that it might prove to be of some service to him. His guards
were laughing and joking together, and giving little heed to their
charge, but the gauger was keen enough, for I saw his hand close over
it.

I had walked and smoked for an hour or more, when Silas the mate
appeared, and said that the lugger was ready and the horse aboard.
Bidding Murgatroyd farewell, I ventured a few more words in favour of
the gauger, which were received with a frown and an angry shake of the
head. A boat was drawn up on the sand, inside the cave, at the water's
edge. Into this I stepped, as directed, with my sword and pistols, which
had been given back to me, while the crew pushed her off and sprang in
as she glided into deep water.

I could see by the dim light of the single torch which Murgatroyd held
upon the margin, that the roof of the cave sloped sheer down upon us as
we sculled slowly out towards the entrance. So low did it come at last
that there was only a space of a few feet between it and the water, and
we had to bend our heads to avoid the rocks above us. The boatmen gave
two strong strokes, and we shot out from under the overhanging ledge,
and found ourselves in the open with the stars shining murkily above
us, and the moon showing herself dimly and cloudily through a gathering
haze. Right in front of us was a dark blur, which, as we pulled towards
it, took the outline of a large lugger rising and falling with the pulse
of the sea. Her tall thin spars and delicate network of cordage towered
above us as we glided under the counter, while the creaking of blocks
and rattle of ropes showed that she was all ready to glide off upon her
journey. Lightly and daintily she rode upon the waters, like some giant
seafowl, spreading one white pinion after another in preparation for
her flight. The boatmen ran us alongside and steadied the dinghy while I
climbed over the bulwarks on to the deck.

She was a roomy vessel, very broad in the beam, with a graceful curve in
her bows, and masts which were taller than any that I had seen on such
a boat on the Solent. She was decked over in front, but very deep in the
after part, with ropes fixed all round the sides to secure kegs when the
hold should be full. In the midst of this after-deck the mariners had
built a strong s