ether. And when my wind returned 'tis very like that I was
trapped into an oath, which is sad enough for me, who am sexton, and so
to say in small orders of the Church of England as by law established.'

By the time I had put down the gun and coaxed the candle again to light,
Ratsey stepped into the cave. He wore a sou'wester, and was dripping with
wet, but seemed glad to see me and shook me by the hand. He was welcome
enough to me also, for he banished the dreadful loneliness, and his
coming was a bit out of my old pleasant life that lay so far away, and
seemed to bring me once more within reach of some that were dearest.

CHAPTER 12

A FUNERAL

How he lies in his rights of a man!
Death has done all death can--_Browning_

We stood for a moment holding one another's hands; then Ratsey spoke.
'John, these two months have changed thee from boy to man. Thou wast a
child when I turned that morning as we went up Hoar Head with the
pack-horses, and looked back on thee and Elzevir below, and Maskew lying
on the ground. 'Twas a sorry business, and has broken up the finest gang
that ever ran a cargo, besides driving thee and Elzevir to hide in caves
and dens of the earth. Thou shouldst have come with us that morn; not
have stayed behind. The work was too rough for boys: the skipper should
have piped the reefing-hands.'

It was true enough, or seemed to me true then, for I felt much cast down;
but only said, 'Nay, Master Ratsey, where Master Block stays, there I
must stay too, and where he goes I follow.'

Then I sat down upon the bed in the corner, feeling my leg began to ache;
and the storm, which had lulled for a few minutes, came up again all the
fiercer with wilder gusts and showers of spray and rain driving into the
cave from seaward. So I was scarce sat down when in came a roaring blast,
filling even our corner with cold, wet air, that quenched the weakling
candle flame.

'God save us, what a night!' Ratsey cried.

'God save poor souls at sea,' said I.

'Amen to that,' says he, 'and would that every Amen I have said had come
as truly from my heart. There will be sea enough on Moonfleet Beach this
night to lift a schooner to the top of it, and launch her down into the
fields behind. I had as lief be in the Mohune vault as in this fearsome
place, and liefer too, if half the tales men tell are true of faces that
may meet one here. For God's sake let us light a fire, for I caught sight
of a store of driftwo