ewhere over yonder on the Welsh
coast till to-night, when they'll be off again."

"That's it," said Bigley. "I'm sure that's it."

"I don't believe it," said Bob sharply. "And if it is true, I'm ashamed
of you both. Here's Sep Duncan taking part with the smugglers, and old
Big hitting the officers in the eye, and bragging about his father. I
shall look out for some fresh mates, that's what I shall do."

"Come and have some tea and dinner first, Bob," I said mockingly.

"Yes, I'll have some food first, for I'm getting hungry. My, what a
game, though! How old Big did run when the lieutenant was going to give
him a pill! Ha, ha, ha!"

We strolled about the shore, and then went into the cottage for a bit,
and that afforded Bob another opportunity for a few sneers about this
being Bigley's home now, addressing him as the master of the house,
bantering him about being stingy with his cider, and finally jumping up
as he saw my father coming down from the mine, and then we all went over
to the Bay to our evening meal.

That night Bigley and I went part of the way home with Bob, and then I
walked part of the way home with Bigley in the calm and solitude of the
summer darkness.

We walked along the cliff path, and were about half-way to the Gap when
Big caught me by the arm and pointed down below, about a quarter of a
mile from the cliff, where, stealing along in the gloom, I caught sight
of the sails of a small vessel, and directly after of those of another
gliding on close at hand. They were so indistinct at first that I could
see but little. Then I could make out that they were both luggers by
their rig, and that one of them had three masts and the other only two.

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.

SUSPICIONS OF DANGER.

Like all bits of excitement the coming of the cutter was followed by a
time of calm. Bigley seemed to have settled down to a regular life at
the cottage, spending part of his days looking out to sea, and the other
part up at the mine, where my father seemed now to give him always a
very warm welcome.

We saw the revenue cutter off the Gap now and then, and we had reason to
believe that the crew had landed and thoroughly examined the caves
again, but we saw nothing of them; it was only from knowing that one
evening the little vessel lay off the shore about a mile to the west of
the Gap, and Bigley went along the shore at next low tide, and said
afterwards that he thought he could make out footpr