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After I had given him some better idea of the place where the specimen had been found, he decided that we would not go round by the cliff path, and past Jonas Uggleston's cottage, but take a short cut over the high moorland ground at the back of the bay, and so on to the Gap, where we could descend just where we lads had blown down the rock.

"We'm bit puzzled, Mas' Sep Duncan, what your father bought that place for?" "It's all for bounce," said Bob Chowne, "so as to be Bigley Uggleston's landlord. Look out, Big, or Sep 'll send you and your father packing, and you'll have to take the lugger somewhere else." "I don't care," said Bigley. "It don't matter to me."

But when the tide was up this pebble ridge formed a bar, over which there was just room for Uggleston's lugger to pass at high-water; and there it was now in the little river, kept from turning down on its side by a couple of props, while the water rippled about its keel.

But this time, provided with rope, and, by Bigley Uggleston's forethought, with the iron bar, the ascent seemed easy, and we set about it at once. Big soon found a place on the shoulder of our little mountain where blocks of a ton-weight and less lay around, some of them so weakened and overhanging that they looked as if a touch would send them thundering down into the gorge.

"Will the cutter come back, father?" I said. "I daresay it will, to see if Uggleston's lugger returns; but I don't think the lugger will, and certainly Uggleston will not dare to return here to live for some time to come." "Then what's to become of Bigley?" cried Bob Chowne. "His father must settle that, my lad." "But till he does, father?" I said. "Will he stay here?" "Certainly, my boy. Why not?

Just as I feared, the questions came as he put on his glasses and examined the fragment more closely. "Where did you get this, Sep?" he said "on the beach?" "No, father, up on this side of the Gap." "Whereabouts?" "About three hundred yards from Uggleston's cottage, and half-way up the slope, where the rocks stand up so big on the top." "Hah! Yes, I know the place.

Bob Chowne's lips parted to say that he could not stop; but he had not the heart to speak the words, and we went back to the beach, to enter upon an adventure that proved rather startling to us all, and had a sequel that was more startling, and perhaps more unpleasant still. "We're going to take the boat again, Mrs Bonnet," said my father, as we passed Uggleston's cottage.

"Tell me how, father, and I will," I said eagerly. "I know you will, my boy," he replied, "and I'm going to treat you now as I would a counsellor. This is a very unfortunate business, my boy." "What, our seeing the smugglers last night?" He nodded. "Did you think, then, like I did, that it was Jonas Uggleston's boat?" "I did, my boy." "But it was not, father." "No, my boy; but "

"How did I know?" he said. "Think when you didn't come back a man was going to bed and forget you all?" "Well, I hardly thought that, Sam," I said. "Because I didn't, and I went right over to the mine and asked, and you weren't there, and then I went to Uggleston's and heerd you'd gone out in the boat, and that's how I know'd, Mast' Sep, sir."

He was not alone, for old Binnacle Bill, as we called him, was behind, carrying the oars and the mast with the little sail twisted round, so as to put them in Uggleston's lean-to shed.