breath
for landing."

"All right, matey," said one of the men; and they rowed steadily, each
stroke of an oar seeming to splash up so much pale liquid fire, while
the boat's stem sent it flashing and sparkling away in an ever-diverging
train.

"Now then, lads, steady," said Billy Waters, who seemed to have suddenly
awakened to the fact that he ought to be more dignified, as became the
officer in command. "We don't want to go for to let everybody ashore
know we're coming."

There was silence then, only broken by the splash of the water from the
oars, and a dismal creaking noise of wood upon wood.

"Shove a bit o' grease agen that there thole-pin o' yours, Tom Tully.
Your oar'll rouse all the smugglers along the coast."

"Ar'n't no grease," growled Tom.

"Then why didn't you get a bit out of a lantern afore you come aboard?"

"'Cause nobody didn't tell me," growled Tom, who ceased rowing and
splashed the space between the thole-pins with a few drops of water,
when the noise ceased.

"Steady, my lads, steady!" said Billy Waters, giving a pull at the
rudder, so as to run the boat more west towards where the cliff rose
high and black against the darkening sky.

"Yer see--" began Tom Tully, and then he stopped.

"Not werry far," said the man pulling behind him.

"Well, what do you see, old Tommy?" said Billy Waters. "Give it woice."

"Yer see," began Tom Tully, "I'm a chap as allus gets bullied as soon as
he opens his mouth."

"Soon as what chap opens his mouth?" said the gunner.

"Why, ar'n't I a-telling of you?--me," growled Tom Tully.

"Well, what's the matter now?" said the gunner.

"Well, I was a-wondering what we was going for ashore."

"Now, just hark at this here chap!" said the gunner indignantly.

"That's what I says," growled Tom Tully; "directly I opens my mouth I
gets a bullying. I allus gets told I'm a-grumbling."

"Well, come now," said the gunner, "speak out will you? What's the
matter?"

"Oh, I don't want to speak out unless you like," said Tom.

"Yes, come, out with it, and don't let's have no mutinous, onderhanded
ways," cried the gunner importantly.

"Well, what I want to know is, what we're a-going for ashore?"

"Now just hark at him," cried the gunner, "grumbling again. Why, ar'n't
we going to look after our young orsifer?"

"Then why didn't we come in the daytime, and not wait until it was
getting so pitch dark as you can't see your hand afore your eyes?"

Billy Wate