CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
"No, Master Aleck, not gone, as you may say, right off," replied TomBodger, a few days later, as he adzed and planed and hammered away atthe kittiwake down in front of the natural boat-house. "They'rea-dodging of it, strikes me. King's skippers is artful when they wantsmen. They just got enough of that smuggling lot aboard the sloop tomake the cap'n hungry for more, and, you mark my words, he'll keep awayso as to make the likely ones think they're safe, and then there'll comea night when they'll find they arn't."
"Oh, I don't think so, Tom," said Aleck, opening a fresh packet ofglistening golden-hued copper nails. "I don't believe the press-gangwill come again."
"All right, Master Aleck, you go on thinking they won't, and I'll go onthinking they will, and let's see who's right."
"But what makes you suspicious, Tom?"
"Old sperience, sir," said the man, with a grim smile. "I 'member howwe used to pick 'em up aboard the Hajax--`our Jacks,' as the lads usedto call her. That's just how our old skipper used to work it; and if Iwere Eben Megg and didn't want to go to sea I should give up smugglingand take to an inland job, where he warn't known, and then he'd be safe.Ha! Them's the sort," he said, taking the fresh nails. "No rustingabout them coppery nails."
"No; but uncle says you're to be careful and not use so many, forthey're expensive, and you do seem to like to drive in as many as youcan."
"Now, you lookye here, Master Aleck," said the sailor, solemnly; "acopper nail may mean a man's life. You put in a hiron one and after abit the sea water eats it all away. Soon as the nail's eat away upstarts a plank, in goes the water, and before you knows where you aredown goes your boat and a man's drowned. Copper nail costs a ha'penny,p'raps, and if it's a big 'un, a penny. Well, arn't a man's life worthmore'n that?"
"Of course; but how long shall you be before you've done?"
"Finish this week, sir; and then she'll last for years. You know how itwas; soon as I ripped off that patch we found that a lot of her streaksunder the pitch was rotten, and there was nothing for it but to cut alot away and make a good job of it. Well, sir, we're making a good jobof it, and she'll be like a noo boat when I've done."
"Of course," said Aleck; "and uncle said you were to do it thoroughly."
"And thorough it is," said Tom. "I've took a lot o' time, but there'sbeen every bit to make good. Let's see; this makes a week and threedays I've been coming over reg'lar."
"Yes, Tom," said Aleck, laughing; "and what do you think Ness says?"
"Dunno, Master Aleck," said the sailor, passing his hand, as iflovingly, over the well-smoothed sweet-smelling wood he was putting intothe boat. "Wants some beer?"
"Oh, of course," said Aleck; "but he said he could have mended the boatup in half the time."
"Ah, he would," said Tom, drily. "Done it in two days, maybe, and firsttime she was out in bad weather the sea would undo all his work inquarter the time. Won't do, Master Aleck; boat-building'sboat-building, and it's all the same as ship-building--it means men'slives, and them who scamps work like this ought to be flogged. Our oldchips aboard the Hajax, as I worked with as mate, used to say preciousugly things about bad boat-building, and he'd say what he'd do to him asrisked men's lives by bad work. He taught me, Master Aleck, and I feellike him. I'd rather be paid a score o' shillings for doing afortnight's good work than have it for doing a week's; and I'm going todrive in as many o' these here best copper nails as I thinks'll be goodfor the boat, and you're going to hold my big hammer agen their headswhile I clinch 'em. Then I shall feel as the boat's as safe as handscan make it. And, as I said afore, if I was Eben Megg, I'd drop thesmuggling and go inland for a bit. That there sloop'll come intoharbour some night when she arn't expected; you see if she don't! Theywas fine young men the skipper got the other night, and I say he'll tryfor another haul."
"And I say," cried Aleck, "that if he does send his men he'll bedisappointed, for Eben and the other smugglers will be too foxy to letthemselves be surrounded as the men were at Rockabie the other night."
"Well, Master Aleck, so much the better for them."
Then Tom began hammering and clinching the soft copper nails as if heloved his work, and as soon as the sun went down started off to trudgeacross the moor to Rockabie, taking his time over the task and lookingas cheerful at the end as he did at the beginning of the long day.
Aleck had worked pretty hard, too, in the hot sun, and he was so drowsythat night that he was glad enough to see his uncle, wearied out withthe writing, which seemed as if it would never come to an end, begin tonod and doze, and suddenly rise up and say:
"Let's go to bed!"
Aleck hardly knew how he got undressed, but he did afterwards recallgoing to the fully-open window and looking out at the dull night, as hedrank in the soft cool air, which seemed so welcome after a still,sultry day.
Then he was asleep, dreaming of nothing, till about midnight, when hisbrain became active and he fancied that he was back in the darkness bythe unlaunched boat at Rockabie, growing wildly excited as he listenedto the shouting and scuffling up one of the narrow lanes, followed byfiring and what seemed to be either an order or a cry for help.
The next moment the sleeper was wide awake, listening to what wasundoubtedly a shout, and it was followed by another, both far away, butsounding clear on the night air, while from time to time came a dullmurmur as of several voices together.
"They're landing a cargo," thought Aleck, and with his mind full ofluggers lying off the coast, with boats going to and fro to fetch kegs,chests and bales, he hurried on his clothes, dropped from his bedroomwindow, hurried down the garden to the cliff path, and began to climb upthe zigzag.
The landing-place would no doubt be away to the west and below Eilygugg,where the smugglers' fishing-boats lay, and as soon as he was up out ofthe depression on to the level down, Aleck went off at a trot to getright at the edge of the cliff, where, unseen, he calculated upongetting a good view of what was going on by the light of, as heexpected, many lanthorns.
Before he was half way to the edge a thrill ran through him, for a wildshrieking arose, beginning with one voice, and turning to that ofseveral.
"Oh, it's a wreck!" cried the lad, wildly, and he hurried on, hoping toreach the way down to the boats and be of some use before it was toolate.
But as he ran on with throbbing heart and his breath growing short itgradually dawned upon him that the shrieks were those of angry womenraging and storming, and this was soon confirmed, for there was thegruff burr of men's voices in the distance, followed by a shout or two,which sounded like the orders he had heard in his dream.
"Why, it's a fight," he cried, half aloud. "Tom Bodger's right; thepress-gang has landed again, but, instead of going to Rockabie, they'vecome here."
He was as right as Tom Bodger, for at last when he made his way to theedge of the cliff it was to look down on the lanthorns carried by threeboats, which were close up to the shingly patch of beach from which thefishing craft put off.
As far as he could make out in the darkness, badly illumined by thelanthorns, there was a desperate struggle going on in the shallow waterlying between the shingle and the boats.
For the first few moments it seemed to Aleck in his excitement that thepress-gang was being beaten off by the smugglers. Then he was puzzled,for he could hear hoarse shouts and laughter, mingled with shrieks andwhat seemed to be loud abuse in women's voices, followed by splashing inthe water as of struggles going on again and again.
After the last of these encounters the lights began to move outward inobedience to an order given loudly from one of the boats; the regular_dip-dip_ of oars came up, and then there was a rushing sound and a wildpassionate chorus of cries from the shore.
"I know," panted Aleck, with a feeling of angry indignation attackinghim. "They've taken and are carrying off some of the men, and the womenhave been fighting to try and rescue them. Poor things, how horrible,but how brave!"
He had confirmation of hi
s surmises directly after, for there now roseup to his ears a burst of sobbing cries in a woman's voice, followed byconfused eager talk from quite a party, who seemed to be trying tocomfort the weeping woman.
For a few moments there was a pause, during which in the deep silencethere was the regular dip of oars, and the lanthorns gently rose andfell upon the smooth rollers of the tide. Then there was a cry whichwent straight to Aleck's heart, so piteous and wailing were its tones:
"Oh, Eben! Eben! Come back, dear; come back!"
It reached him for whom it was intended, and was answered directly fromone of the boats in words which reached Aleck more clearly perhaps thenthe listeners below him on the shore.
"All right, lass. Cheer up!"
The order had its effect, for a cheer given heartily in women's voiceswas the result; but the lad's thoughts were active.
"Cheer up!" he said to himself. "How can the woman be cheerful with herhusband dragged away like that?"
The lights in the boats gradually grew more distant, while Aleck laythinking what he had better do, for the low eager murmur of voices downbelow raised a feeling of commiseration in his breast, which made himfeel disposed to go down and try to say a few words of comfort to thebereaved women, who had evidently been trying hard to save theirhusbands. But he felt that he would only be able to act in a poorbungling way and that the smugglers' people might look upon him as anintruder and a spy. For though the Den was so short a distance fromEilygugg, there had been very little intercourse, and that merely attimes when the help of the captain was sought in connection with someinjury or disease.
"They would likely enough turn on and begin fiercely at me," he thought."I can do no good;" and he lay still, wanting to get away, but afraidto stir lest he should be heard.
"They'll go soon," he thought; and he waited patiently, watching thelights gradually getting fainter and fainter as their distance from theshore increased.
But the poor women seemed to have seated themselves just beyond reach ofthe lapping waves, which kept on breaking regularly in the little cove,and they, too, were watching the boat-lights till the last gleam haddied away and all was darkness as far as they could see.
Then a low sobbing was heard, half drowned at times by many voicesraised in angry protest, and mingled with threats.
This went on and on, rising, falling, and quite dying out at times, butonly to break out again, having a strange effect upon Aleck, who wouldhave given anything to get away unnoticed; but every now and then thesilence was so perfect that he felt confident of being heard if he madethe slightest movement, and consequently lay still.
"They'd be sure to look upon me as an intruder," he muttered, "and beready to resent my being here."
At last though the silence was broken by the trampling of feet amongstthe loose shingle, accompanied by a low murmured conversation, which wascontinued up the gap and died out finally high up towards the cottages,leaving the way for the listener clear.
Aleck took advantage of this, and, sad at heart, he was going slowlyback towards the Den, when suddenly became aware of steps coming fromthe direction of the smugglers' scattered patch of cottages.
Whoever it was had approached so near and had come upon him so suddenlythat he obeyed his first impulse, which was to say, sharply:
"Who's that?"
"Eh? That you, Master Aleck?"
"Yes, it is I, Ness. What are you doing out here at this time ofnight?"
"Mornin', arn't it, sir? Same as you, I s'pose. Who was to stop in bedwith press-gangs coming and dragging folkses off to sea?"
"Then you heard them?"
"Heerd 'em, yes, sir! I was that feared o' being took myself that I gotinto hiding."
"You were not fighting, then?"
"Me? Fight? Not me! I lay low and listened."
"The press-gang landed and surprised the smugglers, then?"
"Yes, sir, and they've nabbed Eben Megg and six of his mates. Did yerhear the women giving it to the sailors?"
"I heard something of it."
"They was fighting savage like to save their men, and the sailor chapswas glad enough to get back to their boats; but they took Eben Megg andhalf a dozen more along with 'em."
"You seem to know all about it, Ness," said Aleck, suspiciously.
"Me, Master Aleck? Well, you see, being such near neighbours like Ican't help hearing a deal. But it's bad work smuggling, and I keep asclear of the folk as I can. Going home to bed?"
"Yes."
"That's right, sir. Best place, too, of a night. But how did you knowthe press-gang was coming?"
"I didn't know they were coming."
"But you were theer?" said the old gardener, suspiciously.
"I was there?" said Aleck, "because the noise woke me, coming through myopen window."
"Oh!" said the gardener. "I see."
The next minute their ways diverged, and Aleck soon after climbed up tohis bedroom window, to drop off into a sleep disturbed by fights withpress-gangs and smugglers all mixed up into a strange confusion, fromwhich he was glad to awaken and find that he had hardly time to getdressed before his uncle would be down.
The Lost Middy: Being the Secret of the Smugglers' Gap Page 18
