don't call it a game at all. What are you doing here?"

"Never you mind what I'm a-doing here. P'raps I'm watching you. I want
to know what your game is."

"I'm playing at no game," cried the boy, speaking rather indignantly.
"Let go of my arm."

"When you've told me what you're a-doing of with them sailor chaps."

"I? I'm doing nothing with them. I've come over in my own boat. I'm
not along with them."

"I know. I've had my eye on yer, my lad. But let's have the truth.
You come over to meet these chaps from the boats lying off there."

"Not I. If you must know, I've come over to fetch some paper for my
uncle."

"And what else, my lad?"

"Nothing else," cried Aleck; "but I don't know what right you have to
question me."

"You soon will, my lad. You say you're not with these folk. Why, I saw
you talking for ever so long to the chaps in the boat that come ashore
to lie there by the harbour wall, and afore it had been there long you
come into port and run your boat close alongside."

"Of course I did, to get up to the steps and land. Look here; what are
you thinking about?"

"Well," said the man, fiercely, "if you want to know over again what you
knew before, I'm just going to tell you, so as to let you see that I'm
not such a fool as you take me for, and also to let you know that I can
see right through you, clever as you think yourself."

"Go on," said Aleck. "Let's have it all then."

"Well, here you are, my lad. I s'pose you know that's a man-o'-war
sloop?"

"Yes, I know that, Eben."

"Yes, I s'pose so, my lad, and you know what she's hanging about this
coast for?"

"I don't for certain," replied Aleck, "but I shouldn't be a bit
surprised if the captain wanted to press a few likely lads, if he could
get hold of them."

"Oh, you wouldn't, wouldn't you? I s'pose not," said the man, in a
sneering tone.

"Why, anybody would guess that."

"P'raps they would and p'raps they wouldn't, my lad; but, of course, you
don't know that there's the little Revenue cutter that's looking out for
any little bit of smuggling going on?"

"Why, what nonsense you're talking, Eben! Of course I knew."

"Yes, of course you did, my lad; and you've got a spy-glass, haven't
you!"

"No; but I use my uncle's."

"That's right; and when them two vessels come into sight 'smorning you
got the glass out to see what they were?"

"Yes; directly."

"And then you went down to your boat-hole and ran over here