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Updated: June 14, 2025
There was another plosh, but they had proof soon after that the words had been heard, for the hail now came: "Are yer 'live, my lad?" "Ye-es," cried Aleck. "Quite!" and then he could in his excitement hardly control a hysterical laugh at the absurdity of the question and answer. "Thought yer was dead and gone, my lad," came now, in company with a fainter splashing. "Tom Bodger!"
"Some of your catching, Aleck?" "No, sir," put in the maid, eagerly; "that Tom Bodger was over here with it as soon as it was light. He knocked and woke me up. Said Master Aleck forgot it yes'day." "No wonder," said the captain, smiling at his nephew; "enough to knock anything out of your head, eh, Aleck?" "Yes, uncle; one of the fishermen said I was to bring it home." "That's right.
Enquiries at Rockabie proved that the sloop and cutter had both sailed, so a letter had to convey some of the information "a despatch," the young officer called it; and after it was sent he constituted himself guardian of the smugglers' treasure and headed a little expedition, composed of Aleck and Tom Bodger, to examine the land way down into the cave, which they approached by a rope provided by Tom, who said he didn't "keer" about jumping down from that there shelf, because his legs were so stiff.
How it was done was a puzzle, and it drew forth the observations of the cutter's crew, while the midshipman in charge shouted "Bravo!" But somehow or other, by the use of his hands and a peculiar hop, Tom Bodger brought himself up perpendicularly upon the top of the post, steadied himself with his stick, and then held his head aloft. That was enough.
Chuffy sharp-spoken gent as he always was, blest if he didn't say quite soft to me, with the big tears a-standing in his eyes: `It's all over, Bodger, my man, he says, `and you may have the poor boy's boat, for I know if he could speak now he would say, "Give it to poor old Tom."" "Poor old uncle!" said Aleck, huskily. "Then you're cheated again, Tom, and have lost your boat?"
Then the men took their places again, while the officers took theirs, the order was given to cast off, there was a thrust or two given by the coxswain, and the boat glided from the steps, leaving Tom Bodger watching the movements, smiling, and thinking of the past.
This thought produced a very uncomfortable feeling, and Aleck was divided between two forces which pulled different ways. One was to as Tom Bodger called it look out for squalls, the other to sit down quite calm and unconcerned to watch the vessels. "I can't help it if Eben does fancy I'm watching his proceedings; he must feel that I should be longing to know what is going on.
And the Army answers, quite rightly under the circumstances, "We will take money from the devil himself sooner than abandon the work of Salvation." So Bodger pays his conscience-money and gets the absolution that is refused to Bill. In real life Bill would perhaps never know this.
"Tom Bodger's right; the press-gang has landed again, but, instead of going to Rockabie, they've come here." He was as right as Tom Bodger, for at last when he made his way to the edge of the cliff it was to look down on the lanthorns carried by three boats, which were close up to the shingly patch of beach from which the fishing craft put off.
For meanwhile Tom Bodger, stick in hand, had made his way back on to the pier, and just as the boy was going his fastest something followed him faster, in the shape of the wooden-legged sailor's well-aimed cudgel, which spun over the surface of the pier, thrown with all the power of Tom's strong arm, and the next instant it seemed to be tangled up with the boy's legs, when down he went, kicking, yelling, and struggling to get up.
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