e afternoon of the day on which our
tale opens, a young girl wended her way,--slowly, as if she had no other
object in view than a stroll, and sadly, as if her mind were more
engaged with the thoughts within than with the magnificent prospect of
land and sea without. The girl was:

"Fair, fair, with golden hair,"

and apparently about twenty years of age. She sought out a quiet nook
among the rocks at the top of the cliffs; near to a circular chasm, with
the name of which (at that time) we are not acquainted, but which was
destined ere long to acquire a new name and celebrity from an incident
which shall be related in another part of this story.

Curiously enough, just about the same hour, a young man was seen to wend
his way to the same cliffs, and, from no reason whatever with which we
happened to be acquainted, sought out the same nook! We say "he was
seen," advisedly, for the maid with the golden hair saw him. Any
ordinary observer would have said that she had scarcely raised her eyes
from the ground since sitting down on a niece of flower-studded turf
near the edge of the cliff, and that she certainly had not turned her
head in the direction of the town. Yet she saw him,--however absurd the
statement may appear, we affirm it confidently,--and knew that he was
coming. Other eyes there were that also saw youth--eyes that would have
caused him some degree of annoyance had he known they were upon him--
eyes that he would have rejoiced to tinge with the colours black and
blue! There were thirteen pair of them, belonging to twelve men and a
lieutenant of the navy.

In those days the barbarous custom of impressment into the Royal Navy
was in full operation. England was at war with France. Men were wanted
to fight our battles, and when there was any difficulty in getting men,
press-gangs were sent out to force them into the service. The youth
whom we now introduce to the reader was a sailor, a strapping, handsome
one, too; not, indeed, remarkable for height, being only a little above
the average--five feet, ten inches or thereabouts--but noted for great
depth of chest, breadth of shoulder, and development of muscle;
conspicuous also for the quantity of close, clustering, light-brown
curls down his head, and for the laughing glance of his dark-blue eye.
Not a hero of romance, by any means. No, he was very matter of fact,
and rather given to meditation than mischief.

The officer in charge of the press-gang