"What"s your name?"
"The _Glad Tidings_, of Looe, and thither bound. Who be you?"
"Water-guard. Is that you speaking, Mr. Pengelly?"
"Ay, sure. Anything the matter?"
"Seen such a thing as the body of a young chimney-sweep on your way down? Age, ten or thereabouts. There"s one missing."
"You don"t say so! Drowned?"
His wife having put about, Mr. Pengelly obligingly hauled a sheet or two to windward, and brought the _Glad Tidings_ almost to a standstill, allowing the boat to come close alongside.
"Drowned?" he asked again.
"Worse than that," said the officer"s voice (and it sounded dreadfully close); "there"s been murder committed, and the child was in the house at the time. The belief is, he"s been made away with."
"Save us all! Murder? Whereto?"
"On the Barbican--an old Jew there, called Rodriguez. Who"s that you"ve got at the helm?"
"Missus."
"Never knew ye was married."
"Nor did I, till this mornin"."
"Eh? Wish ye luck, I"m sure; and you, ma"am, likewise!"
"Thank ye, Mr. Tucker," answered the lady. "The same to you and many of "em--which by that I don"t mean wives."
"Good Lord, is that _you_, Sally? Well, I"m jiggered! And I owe you ninepence for that last pair of flatfish you sold me!"
"Tenpence," said Mrs. Pengelly. "But I can trust a gentleman.
Where d"ye say this here murder was committed?"
"Barbican."
"I don"t wonder at anything happening there. They"re a stinking lot.
Why don"t ye s"arch the shipping there and in Cattewater?"
"We"ve been s"arching all day. And now the constables are off towards Stoke--it seems a child answering all particulars was seen in that direction this morning."
"That don"t look like being made away with."
"In a case like this," answered Mr. Tucker sagely, "as often as not there"s wheels within wheels. Well, I won"t detain ye. Good-night, friends!"
"Good-night!"
I heard the creak of thole-pins as the rowers gave way, and the wash of oars as the boat shot off into the dark. Mr. Pengelly sent me a low whistle and I crept forth.
"Hear what they said?" he asked.
"They--they didn"t give much trouble."
"Depends what you call trouble." He seemed slightly hurt in his feelings, and added, with asperity and obvious truth, "Carry it off how you will, a honeymoon"s a honeymoon, and a man doesn"t expect to be interrupted with questions about a sweep"s apprentice."
"Stand by!" cautioned the voice aft, low and firm as before.
"By the sound of it they"ve stopped rowing."
"If they come on us again, we"re done for. That Tucker"s a fool, but I noticed one or two of the men muttering together."
"Sounds as if they were putting about. Can the boy swim?" asked Mrs.
Pengelly anxiously.
"I"ll bet he can"t."
"But I can," said I. "If you"ll put the helm down, ma"am, and hold in, I think she"ll almost fetch Penlee Point. I don"t want to get you into trouble."
We all listened. And sure enough the sound of oars was approaching again out of the darkness.
"Mr. Pengelly can lower me overside," I urged, "as soon as we"re near sh.o.r.e. It"s safest in every way."
"So best," she answered shortly, and again put the _Glad Tidings_ about. I began to pluck off my clothes.
The boat was evidently watching us: for, dark as the evening had grown, almost as soon as our helm went down the sound of oars ceased astern--to begin again a few seconds later, but more gently, as if someone had given the order for silence. O.P. peered under the slack of the mainsail.
"There she is!" he muttered. "Tucker will be trying to force her alongside under our lee." He picked up and uncoiled a spare rope.
"You"d best take hold o" this and let me slip ye over the starboard side, forra"d there, as she goes about. Bain"t afeard, hey?"
"I"m not afraid of anything but being caught, sir."
"Sarah will take her in close: there"s plenty water."
"O.P.," said the voice aft.
"My angel."
"Tell "en he"s a good boy, and I wouldn" mind having one like him."
"You"re a good boy," said O.P., and covered the remainder of the message with a discreet cough. "Seems to me Tucker"s holdin" off a bit," he added, peering again under the sail. "Wonder what his game is?"
But I was already stripped, and already the high land loomed over us.
Down went the helm again, and "Now"s your time," muttered O.P. as we scrambled forward to cast off sheets. Amid the flapping of her head sails as she hung for a moment or two in stays, I slipped overside and took the water easily while the black ma.s.s of her stern swung slowly round and covered me from view of the boat. Then, as the tall side began to gather way and slip by me, I cast a glance towards land and dived.
I came to the surface warily and trod water whilst I spied for the boat, which--as I reckoned--must be more than a gunshot distant.
The sound of oars guided me, and I dived again in a terror. For she had not turned about to follow the ketch, but was heading almost directly towards me, as if to cut me off from the sh.o.r.e.
My small body was almost bursting when I rose for air and another look. The boat had not altered her course, and I gasped with a new hope. What if, after all, she were not pursuing me? I let my legs sink and trod water. No: I had not been spied. She was pointing straight for the sh.o.r.e. But what should take a long-boat, manned (as I made out) by a dark crowd of rowers and pa.s.sengers, at this hour to this deserted spot? Why was she not putting-in for Cawsand, around the point? And did she carry the water-guard? Was this Tucker"s boat after all, or another?