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Bob jumped out of the hole like a shot and turned upon Bigley angrily: "You just see if I'm going to stop down there and be smothered with water. Yah! Get out, you ugly old smuggler." As he spoke he flung Bigley's great shoe with a good aim down by his feet, and splashed him completely all over.

The path was no use to us, it was too smooth and plain and safe, so we went down to the very edge of the precipice, and looked over at the beautiful clear sea, hundreds of feet below, and made plans to go prawning in the rock pools, crabbing when the tide was out, and to get Bigley's father to lend us the boat and trammel net, to set some calm night and catch all we could.

He caught hold of the stout line, stood in Bigley's place, and hauled till his wrists ached. "Here, come and pull, Sep," he cried; and I joined him and hauled, but in vain. Then we changed the position of the boat, and dragged and jerked in one direction and then in another.

Bigley's face cleared in a moment, and with a couple of splashes he was at Bob's side with one hand extended, and the other upon his school-fellow's shoulder. "It's all right," he said quickly. "Shake hands, and let's get the fish. There, I'll go for the prawn net and a basket." He ran splashing out of the water, and up over the boulders towards the cottage, leaving me and Bob together.

Bigley's manner changed directly, his face flushed and he set his teeth as he raised his head boldly. "He called my father a dog and a thief," cried Bigley fiercely, "and and I don't want to offend you, Captain Duncan, but I couldn't stand by and hear him without doing something." "And you did do something, my lad," said my father, holding out his hand "a very risky something.

Bigley's mouth was opened to speak, but Bob was so energetic and fierce that it remained like a round O, and the great fellow looked so comical that I burst out into a fit of laughter which set Bob laughing too, and this made Big stare at us both in a puzzled way; but by degrees he caught the mood of the moment and laughed too, and the cloud that overhung our expedition drifted away.

"It was Bigley's doing, father," I exclaimed. "He found it out." "My lad," said my father huskily, "you have saved me, for I could only have sold my property at a terrible loss." "And you will come back with us, father," I said. "Come back, my boy? Of course.

All in good time we got to the Gap Valley, where there was our Sam waiting with the donkey-cart to take mine and Bigley's boxes, and Bob Chowne went on to Ripplemouth, after promising to join us next day for a grand hunt over the new place.

I crept after a time to Bigley's place in answer to a sign from him, for we had grown very silent; and as he resigned his oar to me and I went on pulling, while he crept aft to sit in the stern, it seemed as if it had all at once grown dark above us.

As he spoke a wave came in, broke and deluged us, and I don't know what my words would have been if Bob Chowne had not wailed out: "Nobody sha'n't say I didn't stick to my mate. I sha'n't go. I won't go. Sep Duncan may if he likes, but I shall stop." He caught frantically at poor Bigley's collar as he spoke, set his teeth, and then closed his eyes. "No, no!