therefore had to abandon the attempt. The next thing was to
convey the captured goods to the cutter. This occupied some time, as
there were literally several boatloads of goods, to the value, I fancy,
of a couple of thousand pounds. It must have been vexatious in the
extreme, to any of the smugglers witnessing our proceedings, to see
their property thus carried off before their eyes. It must have made
them vow vengeance against those who captured it, and against us
especially, who, they must have suspected, had given the information
respecting the cave.

Among the articles found in the cavern was a rusty old musket. The old
lieutenant, Mr Mophead, commanding the cutter, was a curiosity. I
should like to describe him. He was very fat and very short, and very
red-faced, which is not surprising, considering the hot suns which had
shone on that face of his, and the vast amount of strong liquor which he
had poured down his throat. Just as the last boatload had been got on
board, Walter and his party appeared, not having seen any smugglers.
Mr Mophead politely invited him on board. As soon as the boats were
hoisted up, and the cutter was once more under way, standing from
harbour, Mr Mophead took the musket in his hand, and, approaching
Walter, said, with great form, "Mr Walter Tregellin, with Captain
Treenail's leave--and I am sure that he will give me leave--I beg to
present to you this weapon, that you may hand it to your respected
father. He may like to possess it, to remind him how the cutter
_Scout_, Lieutenant Mophead commander, was the means of relieving his
property of a nest of smugglers, who would very soon, in my opinion,
have taken possession of it."

Walter took the musket respectfully, though he could not help smiling;
and our salt tutor blew his nose steadily for ten minutes. The same old
musket my father afterwards gave to Harry and me, the discoverers of the
smugglers' cave; and Harry relinquished all his rights in it to me.

It hangs now in my study, not far from the dog-collar--another memento
of those good old times. We got back to our own cove in a very short
time, and we landing, the cutter returned, with her valuable cargo, to
her usual port. Clump, who had remained to take care of the house,
informed us that he had been watching the downs above the cave, and that
he had seen several men pass across the downs, and, running quickly, go
towards the boat harbour often mentioned. They then