of the
cargo."

"You, for example? . . ."

"Yes, I; since you promised to take me on the very next voyage after I
was twelve."

"But that's impossible. This is a straight run, as they call it, and
not a mere matter of sinking the crop."

"And next time," I muttered bitterly, "we shall be at war with England
again, and then it will be the danger of privateers--always one excuse
or another!"

My mother sighed as she looked out of window towards the Isle de Batz.
I had been coaxing her half the morning, and she had promised me to say
nothing.

Well, the result was that I went. My father's lugger carried twelve
hands--I counted myself, of course; and indeed my father did the same
when it came to charging for the crew. Still, twelve was not an
out-of-the-way number, since in these _chasse-marees_ one must lower and
rehoist the big sails at every fresh tack. As it happened, however, we
had a fair wind right across from Roscoff, and made a good landfall of
the Dodman at four in the afternoon, just twenty hours after starting.
This was a trifle too early for us; so we dowsed sail, to escape notice,
and waited for nightfall. As soon as it grew dark, we lowered the two
tub-boats we carried--one on davits and the other inboard--and loaded
them up and started to pull for shore, leaving two men behind on the
lugger. My father steered the first boat, and I the other, keeping
close in his wake--and a proud night that was for me! We had three good
miles between us and shore; but the boats were mere shells and pulled
light even with the tubs in them. So the men took it easy. I reckon
that it was well past midnight before we saw the two lights which the
letter had promised.

After this everything went easily. The beach at Rope Hauen is
steep-to; and with the light breeze there was hardly a ripple on it.
On a rising tide we ran the boats in straight upon the shingle; and in
less than a minute the kegs were being hove out. By the light of the
lantern on the beach I could see the shifting faces of the crowd, and
the troop of horses standing behind, quite quiet, shoulder to shoulder,
shaved from forelock to tail, all smooth and shining with grease. I had
heard of these Cornish horses, and how closely they were clipped; but
these beat all I had ever imagined. I could see no hair on them; and I
saw them quite close; for in the hurry each horse, as his turn came, was
run out alongside the boat; the man who led him stan