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In the shallow water near the beach, we dropped our killick. The men from the beach waded out to us, our own men slipped over the side. The tubs and bales began to pass along the lines of men, to the men in charge of the horses. Only one word was spoken; the word "Hurry." "Hurry," said Marah. "It'll be dawn in a tick." Hurry was the watchword of the crews. The men worked with a will.
"He's got no young sprig to cut his lashings," said Marah. "He'll be well enough." So they left the man to his quiet and passed on with their other prisoners into the inner room. The inner room was much larger than the prison chamber; it was not littered with boxes, but clean and open like a frigate's lower deck.
Some one cried "Sh," and "Still," and in the silence which followed, the "Hoo-hoo" of the owl called again, with a little flourishing note at the end of the call. A man cried out, "Mount and scatter." Some one else cried, "Where's Marah?" and as I lay crouched, some one bent over me and touched me. "Sorry, Jim," said Marah's voice. "I knew you'd try it. You only got your clothes wet.
"Oh, heaven! shall this wrong be permitted?" ejaculated Marah. "Mrs. Rocke, I will not go unless absolutely forced to do so by a decree of the court. I shall get Doctor Williams to make an appeal for me to the Orphans' Court," said Clara, by way of encouraging her friend. "My dear Miss Day, that, I hope, will not be required. Colonel Le Noir acts under a misapprehension of the circumstances.
I wondered what they would do to Mr Cottier; I wondered if ever I should get home again; I wondered whether the coastguards would have sufficient sense to arrest Marah if they saw him on the roads. In wondering like this, the day slowly dragged to an end; and at the end of the day, just before a watery sunset, Marah and the others returned, leading Mr Cottier as their prisoner.
You'll not get another chance." At this the man grovelled on the cave floor, crying out to them to let him live, that he would give them all his money, and so on. "Get up," said Marah; "get up. Try and act like a man, even if you aren't one." The man went on wailing, "What are you going to do to me? what are you going to do to me?" "Spike your guns," said Marah, curtly.
This man was Gabriel Le Noir! Satan burn him forever! This woman was Marah Rocke, God forgive her! I could have divorced the woman, but as I did not dream of ever marrying again, I did not care to drag my shame before a public tribunal. There! You know all! Let the subject sink forever!" said Old Hurricane, wiping great drops of sweat from his laboring brows.
Every wave which struck her lifted her further in, tossing her over on her starboard side. I could see that the tide was now very nearly fully in, and I knew that the lugger would lie there, high and dry, as soon as it ebbed. I made Marah as comfortable as I could, and called to the drunkards to come with me. For answer they jeered and made catcalls, flinging a marline-spike at me.
And it was at the dinner-table that Marah, with the quiet and gentle dignity for which she was distinguished, introduced the younger members of the family to the guest, in these words: "Your ward, Miss Day, Colonel Le Noir."
The gun roared and recoiled; a hole appeared as if by magic in the swelling square foresail of the cutter. "Load with bar-shot and chain," said Marah. "Another like that and we shall rip the whole sail off. Mind your eye. There goes her gun again." This time the shot struck the sea beside us, sending a spout of water over our rail.
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