He was heard this time, and there was a pause in the pulling, the boat still driving through the water with the impulse which had been given her, as if she required no propelling power.

"I say, you ain't a going for to come for to leave a poor lad here to be drowned, are you?"

"That's Smallbones, I'll swear," cried Jemmy Ducks, who was steering the boat, and who immediately shifted the helm.

But Sir Robert Barclay paused; there was too much at stake to run any risk, even to save the life of a fellow-creature.

"You takes time for to think on it, anyhow," cried Smallbones. "You are going for to leave a fellow-Christian stuck like a herring in a fishing-net, are you? You would not like it yourself, anyhow."

"It is Smallbones, sir," repeated Jemmy Ducks, "and I'll vouch for him as a lad that's good and true."

Sir Robert no longer hesitated: "Give way, my lads, and pick him up."

In a few minutes Smallbones was hauled in over the gunwale, and was seated on the stern-sheets opposite to Sir Robert.

"It's a great deal colder out of the water than in, that's sartain,"

observed Smallbones, shivering.

"Give way, my lads, we've no time to stay," cried Sir Robert.

"Take this, Smallbones," said Jemmy.

"Why, so it is, Jemmy Ducks!" replied Smallbones, with astonishment--"why, how did you come here?"

"Sarcumstances," replied Jemmy; "how did you come there?"

"Sarcumstances too, Jemmy," replied Smallbones.

"Keep silence," said Sir Robert, and nothing more was said until the lugger dashed into the cave.

The cargo was landed, and Smallbones, who was very cold, was not sorry to assist. He carried up his load with the rest, and as usual the women came half-way down to receive it.

"Why, who have we here?" said one of the women to whom Smallbones was delivering his load, "why it's Smallbones."

"Yes," replied Smallbones, "it is me; but how came you here, Nancy?"

"That's tellings; but how came you, my lad?" replied Nancy.

"I came by water, any how."

"Well, you are one of us now, you know there's no going back."

"I'm sure I don't want to go back, Nancy; but what is to be done?

nothing unchristian-like, I hope."

"We're all good Christians here, Smallbones; we don't bow down to idols and pay duty to them as other people do."

"Do you fear God, and honour the king?"

"We do; the first as much as the other people, and as for the king, we love him and serve him faithfully."

"Well, then, I suppose that's all right," replied Smallbones; "but where do you live?"

"Come with me, take your load up, and I will show you, for the sooner you are there the better; the boat will be off again in half an hour if I mistake not."

"Off, where?"

"To France, with a message to the king."

"Why, the king's in Holland! we left him there when we sailed!"

"Pooh! nonsense! come along."

When Sir Robert arrived at the cave, he found an old friend anxiously awaiting his arrival; it was Graham, who had been dispatched by the Jacobites to the court of St. Germain, with intelligence of great importance, which was the death of the young Duke of Gloucester, the only surviving son of King William. He had, it was said, died of a malignant fever; but if the reader will call to mind the address of one of the Jesuits on the meeting at Cherbourg, he may have some surmises as to the cause of the duke's decease. As this event rendered the succession uncertain, the hopes of the Jacobites were raised to the highest pitch; the more so as the country was in a state of anxiety and confusion, and King William was absent at the Hague. Graham had, therefore, been dispatched to the exiled James, with the propositions from his friends in England, and to press the necessity of an invasion of the country. As Nancy had supposed, Sir Robert decided upon immediately crossing over to Cherbourg, the crew were allowed a short time to repose and refresh themselves, and once more returned to their laborious employment; Jemmy Ducks satisfied Sir Robert that Smallbones might be trusted and be useful, and Nancy corroborated his assertions.

He was, therefore, allowed to remain in the cave with the women, and Sir Robert and his crew, long before Smallbones' garments were dry, were again crossing the English Channel.

Now it must be observed, that Smallbones was never well off for clothes, and, on this occasion, when he fell overboard, he had nothing on but an old pair of thin linen trousers and a shirt, which, from dint of long washing, from check had turned to a light cerulean blue: what with his struggles at the net and the force used to pull him into the boat, the shirt had more than one-half disappeared--that is to say, one sleeve and the back were wholly gone, and the other sleeve was well prepared to follow its fellow, on the first capful of wind. His trousers also were in almost as bad a state. In hauling him in, when his head was over the gunwale, one of the men had seized him by the seat of his trousers to lift him into the boat, and the consequence was, that the seat of his trousers having been too long sat upon, was also left in his muscular gripe. All these items put together, the reader may infer, that, although Smallbones might appear merely ragged in front, that in his rear he could not be considered as decent, especially as he was the only one of the masculine sex among a body of females. No notice was taken of this by others, nor did Smallbones observe it himself, during the confusion and bustle previous to the departure of the smugglers; but now they were gone, Smallbones perceived his deficiencies, and was very much at a loss what to do, as he was aware that daylight would discover them to others as well as to himself: so he fixed his back up against one of the rocks, and remained idle while the women were busily employed storing away the cargo in the various compartments of the cave.

Nancy, who had not forgotten that he was with them, came up to him.

"Why do you stay there, Smallbones? you must be hungry and cold; come in with me, and I will find you something to eat."

"I can't, Mistress Nancy, I want your advice first. Has any of the men left any of their duds in this here cavern?"

"Duds! men! No, they keep them all on the other side. We have nothing but petticoats here and shimmeys."

"Then what must I do?" exclaimed Smallbones.

"Oh, I see, your shirt is torn off your back. Well, never mind, I'll lend you a shimmey."

"Yes, Mistress Nancy, but it be more worse than that; I an't got no behind to my trousers, they pulled it out when they pulled me into the boat. I sticks to this here rock for decency's sake. What must I do?"

Nancy burst into a laugh. "Do? why, if you can't have men's clothes, you must put on the women's, and then you'll be in the regular uniform of the cave."

"I do suppose that I must, but I can't say that I like the idea much, anyhow," replied Smallbones.

"Why, you don't mean to stick to that rock like a limpet all your life, do you? there's plenty of work for you."

"If so be, I must, I must," replied Smallbones.

"You can't appear before Mistress Alice in that state," replied Nancy.

"She's a lady bred and born, and very particular too, and then there's Miss Lilly, you will turn her as red as a rose if she sees you."

"Well, then, I suppose I must, Mistress Nancy, for I shall catch my death of cold here. I'm all wet and shivery, from being so long in the water, and my back, against the rock, feels just as ice."

"No wonder; I'll run and fetch you something," replied Nancy, who was delighted at the idea of dressing up Smallbones as a woman.

Nancy soon returned with a chemise, a short flannel pet--and a shawl, which she gave to Smallbones, desiring him to take off his wet clothes, and substitute them. She would return to him as soon as he had put them on, and see that they were put tidy and right.