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"You, Sep, let me try and get up over you. Bob Chowne, you had better stand by him to strengthen him. I'm heavy. Reach down, Bigley, and give me your hand." My father was active enough, and with our help scrambled up on to the top of the rock, where he gave one glance at the speck Bigley pointed out, and then uttered an impatient ejaculation. "Come down," he said. "You're quite right, my lad.
Darker and darker, with the faint star in the Gap quite gone now, and all around us the hissing waste of waters upon which our frail shell of a boat was tossed! It was so black now that we could hardly see each other's faces, and in a doleful silence we toiled on till all at once there was a sobbing cry from Bob Chowne, who fell forward over his oar.
As we drew near the Bay Bob Chowne grew more fidgety and despondent, but we tried to cheer him up by making appointments to go fishing and exploring the shore; but my first intent was to run over to the Gap, and see what was going on there.
Only going to rip it off, man. What a fuss you do make about your boy!" "But tell me, Chowne," cried my father, "is he badly hurt?" "Badly hurt? No. A few ribs broken seemingly. I'll soon bandage him up."
"Sep," said poor Bigley, drawing me closer to him, with his great strong hand, and gazing at me with a terribly pathetic look in his eyes. "Sep, tell poor father not to take on about it. We couldn't help it. An accident. Tell him it was an accident, will you?" I could not answer him, and I turned to Bob Chowne, who was standing with his fingers now thrust into his ears. "Bob!" I cried.
"That first place," I said decisively. "Yes," said Bob Chowne; "that's the hole." "So I felt certain," said my father; and Bigley stood aside looking on, with his forehead full of wrinkles. Another minute and the lieutenant was out with his men, the officer furious with rage. "Captain Duncan, are you in league with these smuggling dogs, or are you not?"
"I remember coming round here after we left the boat." Bigley and I looked at each other, but we said nothing, only followed my father and Bob Chowne as they went round to the other side of the pile of rock, and there lay the sea before us with the tide racing in, and sweeping over the rocks, but no boat. "It's very strange," said my father; "we must have left it in one of these places."
The cottages were restored as quickly as was possible, and every day the traces of the French attack grew less visible; but still my father did not get quite well. Bob Chowne was over with us a great deal, and I believe he did both Bigley and me a vast deal of good from being so cantankerous.
We stopped at last panting, and all looking horror-stricken in each other's faces. It was a calm enough day, but down there among the rocks the tide rushed in with such fierce power and so rapidly that we were being deluged by every wave which broke, while at intervals the greater waves threatened to be soon big enough to sweep us away. "Don't stop looking," cried Bob Chowne frantically.
"Oh, I only say what a difference there is between Bob Chowne now and Bob Chowne when he lay down in the bottom of the boat last night, and howled when old Big made him get up and row." "You want me to hit you, Sep Duncan?" "No," I said. "Because I shall if you talk to me like that. Old Big didn't make me. I was cold and " "Frightened," I said. "No, I wasn't frightened, sneak."
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