Tom Tully seemed a bit rea.s.sured, and tightening his belt a little, he kept step with the others, as Hilary led the way right across country, so as to come out of the wood suddenly after a curve, just in front of the entrance to the narrow bridge over the moat.

Hilary managed well, and his men following him in single file, he led them so that, apparently unseen by the occupants of the old hall, they were at last gathered together in the clump of trees, waiting the order to advance.

The moat, as Hilary knew, was too deep to think of wading, and there was the old bridge quite clear, temptingly offering itself as a way to the front of the old house; but this tempting appearance rather repelled the young officer. He was no coward, but he was good leader enough to shrink from subjecting his men to unnecessary risk.

The smugglers would be, under the present circ.u.mstances, as desperate as rats in a corner; and as they would certainly expect an attack through his escape, and the events of the past night, it was not likely that they would have neglected to protect the one entrance to their stronghold.

"I say, wot are we awaiting for?" growled Tom Tully.

"Hold your noise!" said Waters; "don't you see the orsifer as leads you thinks there's a trap?"

"Wheer? I don't see no trap. Wot sorter trap?" growled Tom Tully.

"Will yer be quiet, Tommy!" whispered the gunner. "What a chap you are!"

"Yes, ar'n't I?" said the big sailor, taking his messmate's remark as a compliment; and settling himself tailor-fashion upon the ground, he waited until the reconnaissance was over.

For Hilary was scanning the front of the old house most carefully.

There was the room in which he had been imprisoned, with the window still open, and the thin white cord swinging gently in the air. There was Adela's room, open-windowed too, and there also was the room where he had seen Sir Henry busy writing, with his child at his knee.

Where were they now? he asked himself, and his heart felt a sudden throb as he thought of the possibility of their being still in the house and in danger.

But he cast the thought away directly, feeling sure that Sir Henry, a proscribed political offender, would not, for his own and his child's sake, run the slightest risk of being taken.

"But suppose he trusts to me, and thinks that I care too much for them to betray their hiding-place?"

His brow turned damp at the thought, and for a moment, as he saw in imagination his old companion Adela looking reproachfully at him for having sent her father to the block, he felt that at all costs he must take the men back.

Then came reaction.

"No," he thought, "I gave Sir Henry fair warning that I must do my duty, and that if we encountered again I should have to arrest him in the king's name. He tried to tempt me to join his party, but I refused, and told him I had my duty to do. He must, I am sure he must, have made his escape, and I shall lead on my men."

He hesitated a moment, and then thought that he was come there to capture smugglers, not political offenders, and that after all he would find a way out of his difficulty; but colouring the next moment, he felt that he must do his duty at all hazards; and he turned to Waters.

"I can see no trace of anything wrong, gunner," he said, "but I feel that those rascals have laid a trap for us. They'll open fire directly we attempt to cross that bridge."

"Then let me and Tom Tully and some one else try it first," said the gunner in reply.

"No, no, Waters; that would never do," said Hilary. "If anyone goes first it must be I. Look all along the bottom windows. Can you see any gun barrels?"

"Not ne'er a one, sir," replied the gunner; "and I ar'n't seen anything but two or three pigeons and an old lame hen since we've come."

"Then they must be lying in wait," said Hilary. "Never mind, it must be done. Here, I shall rush over first with Tom Tully. Then, if all's right, you bring the rest of the men. If I go down, why, you must see if you can do anything to take the place; and if you cannot, you must take the men back."

"Hadn't we better all rush it together, sir?"

"No; certainly not."

"Then hadn't I best go first, sir? I ar'n't so much consequence as you."

"No, Waters, I must go first. I can't send my men to risks I daren't attempt myself. Now then, are you ready, Tully?"

"Ay, ay, sir."

"Let me go first, sir," pleaded the gunner.

"Silence, sir," cried Hilary. "Now, Tully--off."

Cutla.s.s in hand and closely followed by the elephantine seaman, Hilary ran from his place of concealment across the open s.p.a.ce to the bridge, and then without a moment's hesitation he bounded across it, and on to the rough, ill-tended patch of gra.s.s.

To his intense surprise and delight he got over in safety, and then pausing he held up his sword, and with a cheer Billy Waters raced across with the rest of the men.

"Now, quick, Waters, take half the lads and secure the back--no, take four. Two of you keep the bridge. We must capture them all to a man."

Not a shot was fired. There was no answering cheer. All was as silent as if there had never been a soul there for years, and after carefully scanning the window Hilary went up to the front door and battered it loudly with his sword-hilt.

This knocking he had to repeat twice over before he heard steps, and then a couple of rusty bolts were pushed back, the door was dragged open, and a very venerable old lady stood peering wonderingly in their faces as she screened her eyes with her hand.

"Ye'd better not come in," she said in a loud, harsh voice. "The place is harnted, and it isn't safe."

"Where's Allstone?" cried Hilary as he led his men into the desolate-looking hall.

"Hey?"

"I say where's Allstone, the scoundrel?" shouted Hilary.

"I'm very sorry, but I can't hear a word you say, young man. I've been stone-deaf ever sin' I came to take care o' this house five year ago.

It's a terrifying damp place."

"Where are the men?" shouted Hilary with his lips to her ear.

"Men? No, no; I ar'n't feared o' your men," said the old lady. "They won't hurt a poor old crittur like me."

"There, spread out and search the place," said Hilary. "She's as deaf as a post. Whistle for help whoever finds the rascals."

Detaining four men Hilary made his way to the kitchen, and then to the pa.s.sage by the vault-door and the chapel, to find all wide open; and upon a light being obtained Hilary was about to descend, but, fearing a trap, he left two of his men on guard and went down into the vault, to find it empty. There was some old rubbish and the nets, but that was all. Short as had been the time the smugglers had cleared the place.

He went into the chapel and to Sir Henry and Adela's rooms, to find the old furniture there, but that was all; and at the end of a good half-hour's search the party of sailors stood together in the hall, with the deaf old woman staring at them and they staring at each other, waiting their officer's commands.

"Ar'n't there not going to be no fight?" growled Tom Tully.

Evidently not; and after another search Hilary would have felt ready to declare that there had not been a soul there for months, and that he had dreamed about his escape, if the white cord had not still hung from the window.

Further investigation proving to be vain, for they could get nothing out of the deaf old woman, and a short excursion in the neighbourhood producing nothing but shakes of the head, Hilary had to lead his men back to the sh.o.r.e, where they arrived at last, regularly tired out and their commander dispirited. All the same, though, he could not help feeling glad at heart as he signalled to the cutter for a boat, that Sir Henry and his daughter were safe from seizure, for had he been bound to take them prisoners he felt as if he could have known no peace.

But Hilary had no time to give to such thoughts as these, for a boat was coming from the cutter, and in a very short time he knew that he would have to face the lieutenant and give his account of the unsuccessful nature of his quest; and as he thought of this he began to ask himself whether the injuries his commander had received at different times had not something to do with the eccentricity and awkwardness of his behaviour.

Hilary was still thinking this when he climbed to the deck of the cutter and saluted his officer with the customary "Come on board."