en the strangers come down to the beach and push off in a boat, seemed
to settle the question. We had still to wait for a crew. Uncle Boz
sent up to the house for his tools, and an old carpenter in the village
lent a hand, and they, with Bambo, worked away to get the boat ready for
sea. We, meantime, hunted among the rocks along the shore for any
traces of the missing ones, not without a feeling of fear and dread that
we might discover some; then we searched the cliffs, and every cave and
cranny we could think of. Poor Aunt Deborah came down, when at length
her fears had been aroused, to ascertain what had become of her little
darling. I never saw her so grieved and agitated before. I was afraid
that she would blame Jack; but not a word against him did she utter. On
the contrary, she could only say, "Poor, poor fellow! I know that he
would die sooner than let the sweet angel be injured; and if she has
gone, so has he." Before I heard her say that I had not realised what
might have happened, and I burst into tears. While we were waiting, in
the hopes that some of the men for whom Uncle Boz had sent might be
found, one of the specks in the distance, which we knew to be boats, was
seen approaching. Slowly she drew nearer and nearer the shore. We
watched her anxiously. She might bring us some information. At length
she was seen to be a fishing-boat. We hurried down to the beach, as
with a light breeze she came skimming in over the calm sea. The first
person who jumped out of her was Bill Cockle.

"Have you seen Jack? Have you seen Katty Brand?" I eagerly cried out.

Bill pulled off his hat, scratched his head, and with a look of
astonishment, turning round his head as if some one had hit him,
exclaimed, "No! Why, what's happened?"

We told him. On which giving a slap on his thigh, and a hitch to his
waistband, with a forcible expression, which I need not repeat, he
exclaimed, "The villains! That's what we saw, then. We couldn't make
it out. Well, I didn't--"

"What was it you saw? What happened? Say, say!" we all exclaimed in
one breath.

Cockle's explanation was somewhat long, and sorely tried our patience.
He and his mates had hauled in about half of one of their long nets,
when a large lugger, they had not before seen, passed them, very nearly
running them down. She stood close in, and exchanged signals with the
shore. A boat in a little time was seen to come off with several people
in her