cutter's men across the bridge, and the smugglers
were finally conquered.

They had yet to be brought over to the outer side of the stream,
however, and this was a work of no small difficulty. A couple of
the sailors walked over the narrow planks, one before and one
behind their prisoner, who made an unsuccessful attempt to break
loose.

Then Carver was brought to the bridge in a similar manner; and he
also attempted to escape by making a spring forward when he reached
the middle of the planks. His captors, however, were ready for him.
The man behind him had held his two hands, and when by main force
he got his right hand free, the sailor held with such a tight grip
to the other that Carver was pulled round and he overbalanced
himself.

A stiff struggle for mastery then took place. Kinlay was the
stronger man, and with his free hand he dealt the sailor a hard
blow on the chest. The sailor staggered and fell across the narrow
planks, but still holding Kinlay's left hand he pulled the pilot
smuggler down with him. The sailor let his hand go free. Then
Kinlay tripped, and, uttering a wild yell, fell headlong into the
rushing stream.

The lieutenant, seeing what had happened, loosened his grasp of my
collar and hurried over to his men to try to save Carver from the
dreadful current. One of the wooden planks was thrown into the
water for him to take hold of, but Carver must have failed in his
attempt to reach it. One of the cutter's men ran to the mouth of
the cave and brought back with him a long rope--my own climbing
rope--which he had seen lying on the rocks: this also was too late,
for Carver was already carried off by the swift stream, no doubt to
be taken over into that gulf where Thora had so nearly lost her
life.

There now remained only one other of the smugglers to be captured,
and he was ultimately discovered crouching like a terrified dog in
a dark corner. Before the revenue men left, however, they made a
careful search of the cavern; but they brought nothing down to the
boat excepting the wooden box that Kinlay had been searching in
when he was surprised by the arrival of the blue jackets.

When this excitement was over, and the lieutenant had ordered his
men to return to their boat, I was wondering what their movements
would be in regard to myself. Would they leave me to climb the
cliff and go home, or would they take me round to Stromness?

I was not left long in doubt. Two of the sailors, still wi