"Why, they ar'n't here!" he cried. "Look out!"

Every one did look out, but in vain. They were in a very narrow pa.s.sage between two perpendicular pieces of rock, and they had driven the smugglers back step by step into what they expected to find to be a cavern crammed with treasure; but now that the end was reached they could feel nothing in the dark but the flat face of the rock, and this seemed to slope somewhat over their heads, and that was all.

Billy Waters' surprise had now evaporated along with his alarm, and pushing to the front once more he set himself to work to find how the enemy had eluded them.

They could not have gone through the rock, he argued, and there was no possible way that he could feel by which they had climbed up. Neither was ascent possible by scaling the rock to right or left, unless they had had a ladder, and of that there did not seem to have been any sign.

For a few moments the gunner stood as if nonplussed. Then an idea occurred to him.

Taking a pistol from his belt he quickly drew out the bullet and a portion of the powder before flashing off the other over some which he laid loose upon the rock.

This lit up the place for the moment, but revealed nothing more than they knew before, and that was that they were walled in on either side by rock, and that a huge ma.s.s rose up in front.

"It's a rum 'un," growled Tom Tully; and then again, "It's a rum 'un. I say, Billy Waters, old mate, what's gone o' them chaps?"

The gunner felt ready to believe once more that there was something "no canny" about the affair, but he shook off the feeling, and began searching about once more for some sign or other of his enemies; but he sought in vain, and at last he turned to his companions to ask them what they had better do.

Such a proceeding would, however, be derogatory to his dignity, he thought, so he proceeded to give his opinion on the best course.

"Look here, my lads," he said in a whisper; "it seems to me that we ought to have come on this trip by daylight."

"That ere's what I said," growled Tom Tully.

"All right, Tommy, only don't be so precious proud of it," said the leader. "I says we ought to have come on this trip by daylight."

"As I says afore, that's what I did say," growled Tom Tully again; but this time his superior officer refused to hear him, and continued:

"As we didn't come by daylight, my lads, we ought to have had lanterns."

"Ay, ay," said one of the men.

"So I think," said the gunner; "we'd best go back and get the lanterns, so as to have a good search, or else come back and do the job by daylight."

"Ay, ay," was chorussed by three of the party.

"Yes, it's all very well to say 'Ay, ay,' and talk about lanterns and daylight," growled Tom Tully; "but I don't like going off and leaving one's work half done. I want to have a go at that chap as fetched me a crack with a handspike, and I shan't feel happy till I have; so now then, my lads."

"What's the good o' being obst'nit, Tommy?" said his leader. "No one wants to stop you from giving it to him as. .h.i.t you, only just tell me where he is."

"That ar'n't my job, Billy Waters," cried the big fellow; "that's your job. You leads, and I does the fighting. Show him to me and I'll make him that sore as he shall wish he'd stopped at home."

"Come on, then, and let's get the lanterns, and come back then," said the gunner. "It ar'n't no use to be knocking ourselves about here in the dark. Come on."

He tried to lead the way back as they had come, each man cutla.s.s in hand, and well on the alert in case of attack; but nothing interposed to stop them as they scrambled and clambered over the rocks till they got to the open sh.o.r.e once more, just as, in front of them and out in the pitchy blackness, there was a flash, a report, and then the wall of darkness closed up once more.

"Oh! ah, we're a-coming," said Billy Waters, who, now that the excitement was over, began to feel very sore, while his companions got along very slowly, having a couple of sorely-beaten men to help.

"Anybody make out the ship's lights?"

"I can see one on 'em," growled Tully.

"And where's our boat?" cried the gunner. "Jim Tanner, ahoy!"

"Ahoy!" came in a faint voice from a distance.

"There he is," said Billy Waters. "Come, my lads, look alive, or we shall have the skipper firing away more o' my powder. I wish him and Jack Brown would let my guns alone. Now then, Jim Tanner, where away?"

"Ahoy!" came again in a faint voice, and stumbling on through the darkness, they came at last upon the boatkeeper, tied neck and heels, and lying in the sand.

"Who done this?" cried the gunner.

"I dunno," said the man; "only cast me loose, mates."

This was soon done, the man explaining that a couple of figures suddenly jumped upon him out of the darkness, and bound him before he could stand on his defence.

"Why, you was asleep, that's what you was," cried the gunner angrily.

"Nice job we've made of it. My! ar'n't it dark? Now, then, where's this here boat? Bring them two wounded men along. D'yer hear?"

"Oh, it ar'n't been such a very bad time," growled Tom Tully; "we did have a bit of a fight!"

"Fight? ay! and didn't finish it. Now, then, Tom Tully, where's that boat? Can you see her?"

"Yes; here she is," growled the big sailor; "and blest if some one ar'n't took away the oars; and--yes that they have. No getting off to-night, lads; they've shoved a hole in her bottom."

"What!" cried Billy Waters, groping his way to the boat; and then, in a hoa.r.s.e, angry voice, "and no mistake. She's stove-in!"

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

A FEW IDEAS ON ESCAPE.

Hilary Leigh felt very angry at being shut up in his prison, but the good breakfast with which he had been supplied went some way towards mollifying him, and as he sat upon the window-sill he felt that Sir Henry would much like to win him over to his side.

"And he is not going to do it," he said half aloud.

It was a lovely day, and as he sat there gazing out at the view, he thought he had never seen anything so beautiful before. It was wonderful, too, how a comfortable meal had improved his appreciation of what he saw.

But even then there were drawbacks. A rough and narrow stone seat, upon which you can only sit by holding on tightly to some rusty iron bars, does go against the full enjoyment of a scene, especially if you know that those rusty iron bars prevent you from going any farther.

So before long Hilary grew weary of his irksome position, and, letting himself down, he had a walk along each side of the old chapel, striding out as fast as he could, till he fancied he heard his old playmate outside, when he pounded up to the window again, but only to be disappointed.

This went on hour after hour, but still Adela did not come, and as the afternoon wore on he began to think it extremely cruel and unsympathising.

"She knows I'm shut up here like a bird in a cage, and yet she does not come to say a single word to cheer me."

The side where the window was seemed darkened now, for the sun had got well round to the west, and as he climbed up for another good look out the landscape seemed to wear fresh charms, exciting an intense longing to get out and ramble over the sunshine-flooded hills, or to lie down beneath the shaded trees.

He was accustomed to a prison life, as it were, being shut up so much within a little sloop; but that wooden prison was always on the move, and never seemed to oppress him as did the four dull walls of his present abode.