"Why,
you let smuggler Uggleston dodge back in the night. He was here about
twelve or one, and he and his men must have been and fetched all the
stuff away again, while you and your sailors were miles away in the
dark."

"Sep," cried my father, as the lieutenant stood staring with wrath, "was
Jonas Uggleston back here in the night?"

"Yes, father," I replied.

"And you did not tell me?"

"I have had no opportunity, father; and I did not think anything of it.
He was here about one."

"That's it, then," cried my father. "Lieutenant, he has been too sharp
for you. I noted that the sand was a good deal trampled. He has been
back with his men and cleared out the place in your absence."

The lieutenant stood staring as if he could not comprehend it all for a
minute or two, and then flushing with rage he stamped about.

"The scoundrel! The hound! The thief!" he roared. "I'll have him yet,
though, and when I do catch him I'll hang him to the yard-arm, like the
dog he is."

"Dog yourself," cried a fierce voice that we did not recognise, it was
so changed; and Bigley struck the lieutenant full in the face with the
back of his hand. "My father is a better man than you."

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.

THE LUGGER'S RETURN.

The lieutenant staggered back from the effects of the blow. But
recovering, he whipped out his sword and made at Bigley, who hesitated
for a moment and then dashed up the cliff-side, dodging in and out among
the rocks, and he was twenty yards away before the lieutenant had gone
ten, and gaining at every leap.

Seeing that he could not catch him, the lieutenant drew a pistol from
his belt and would have fired, but my father caught his arm.

"Stop, sir," he cried; "he is but a boy."

By this time the coxswain and four men had leaped ashore and run to
their leader's side.

"Up and bring him back," shouted the lieutenant fiercely, and wresting
his arm free he fired at Bigley, but where the bullet went nobody could
say, it certainly did not go very near Bigley, who knew every rock and
crevice on the side of the headland, and wound his way in and out, and
higher and higher, leaving his pursuers far behind.

"Forward! Quick!" roared the lieutenant; but it did not seem to me that
the sailors got on very quickly, for they kept on losing ground, and it
was so hopeless an affair at last that they were called off, and
descended to follow their officer to the boat.

He did not come near us where we