ke, sir? Oh yes."

"I mean liked his job?"

"Yes, sir; determined on it."

"Humph! Time we had some news of him, eh?"

"Yes, sir; but he may turn up on the cliff at any moment."

"Yes. Men quite ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's right. Of course, well-armed?"

"Yes, sir; you did tell me. Soon as the signal comes, we shall push
off. Awkward bit o' country, sir; six miles' row before you can find a
place to land."

"Very awkward, but they have to find a place to land their spirits, Mr
Gurr, and if we don't soon have something to show we shall be called to
account."

"Very unlucky, sir. Seems to me like going eel-fishing with your bare
hand."

"Worse. You might catch one by accident."

"So shall we yet, sir. These fellows are very cunning, but we shall be
too many for them one of these days."

"Dear me! Dear me!" said the little lieutenant after a few more turns
up and down. "I don't like this at all I don't think I ought to have
let a boy like that go alone. You don't think, Mr Gurr, that they
would dare to injure him if he was so unlucky as to be caught?"

"Well, sir," said the master, hesitating, "smugglers are smugglers."

"Mr Gurr," said the little lieutenant, raising himself up on his toes,
so as to be as high as possible, "will you have the goodness to talk
sense?"

"Certainly, sir."

"Smugglers are smugglers, indeed. What did you suppose I thought they
were? Oysters?"

"Beg pardon, sir; didn't mean any harm."

"Getting very late!" said the little officer after another sweep of the
top of the cliff, especially above where the French lugger landed the
goods. "I shall be obliged to send you on shore, Mr Gurr. You must go
and find him. I'm getting very anxious about Mr Raystoke."

"Start at once, sir?"

"No, wait another half-hour. Very ill-advised thing to do. I cannot
think what you were doing, Mr Gurr, to advise me to do such a thing."

"Me, sir?" said the master, looking astonished.

"Yes. A great pity. I ought not to have listened to you; but in my
anxiety to leave no stone unturned to capture some of these scoundrels,
I was ready to do anything."

"Very true, sir."

"Now, my good fellow, what do you mean by that?"

"It was only an observation, sir."

"Then I must request that you will not make it again. `Very true?' Of
course, what I say is very true. Do you think I should say a thing that
was false?"

"Beg pardon, sir. 'Fraid I picked up some awk'ard ex