ters into the air.

'Warm work, Captain, eh?' said old Silas, rubbing his hands. 'Zounds,
they shoot better in the dark than ever they did in the light. There
have been more shots fired at this lugger than she could carry wore she
loaded with them. And yet they never so much as knocked the paint off
her before. There they go again!'

A fresh discharge burst from the man-of-war, but this time they had lost
all trace of us, and were firing by guess.

'That is their last bark, sir,' said Dicon.

'No fear. They'll blaze away for the rest of the day,' growled another
of the smugglers. 'Why, Lor' bless ye, it's good exercise for the crew,
and the 'munition is the King's, so it don't cost nobody a groat.'

'It's well the breeze freshened,' said Long John. 'I heard the creak o'
davits just after the first discharge. She was lowering her boats, or
I'm a Dutchman.'

'The petter for you if you vas, you seven-foot stock-fish,' cried my
enemy the cooper, whose aspect was not improved by a great strip of
plaster over his eye. 'You might have learned something petter than to
pull on a rope, or to swab decks like a vrouw all your life.'

'I'll set you adrift in one of your own barrels, you skin of lard,' said
the seaman. 'How often are we to trounce you before we knock the sauce
out of you?'

'The fog lifts a little towards the land,' Silas remarked. 'Methinks I
see the loom of St. Austin's Point. It rises there upon the starboard
bow.'

'There it is, sure enough, sir!' cried one of the seamen, pointing to a
dark cape which cut into the mist.

'Steer for the three-fathom creek then,' said the mate. 'When we are on
the other side of the point, Captain Clarke, we shall be able to land
your horse and yourself. You will then be within a few hours' ride of
your destination.'

I led the old seaman aside, and having thanked him for the kindness
which he had shown me, I spoke to him of the gauger, and implored him to
use his influence to save the man.

'It rests with Captain Venables,' said he gloomily. 'If we let him go
what becomes of our cave?'

'Is there no way of insuring his silence?' I asked. 'Well, we might ship
him to the Plantations,' said the mate. 'We could take him to the Texel
with us, and get Captain Donders or some other to give him a lift across
the western ocean.'

'Do so,' said I, 'and I shall take care that King Monmouth shall hear of
the help which ye have given his messenger.'

'Well, we shall be there