"Don"t be disappointed," said Aleck, merrily; "but, tell me," he whispered, "has uncle gone to bed?"
"Hours ago, my dear."
"Was he very angry because I hadn"t come back?"
"He didn"t say so, Master Aleck."
"But he asked if I"d come home?"
"Nay, he didn"t."
"He went down into the boat harbour?"
"That he didn"t, Master Aleck."
"Then he went up on the cliff to look out with the gla.s.s?"
"Nay; he"s been writing his eyes out of his head almost, Master Aleck.
Wouldn"t come down to his dinner nor yet to his tea, and I had to take him up something on a tray, or else he wouldn"t ha" eat a mossle. I shall be glad when he"s writ his book."
"Then he didn"t know I hadn"t come?"
"No, I don"t believe he thought about you a bit."
"Hah!" sighed Aleck.
"But what have you been a-doing of, Master Aleck? Not fighting again, have you?"
"You don"t see any marks, do you?"
"Nay, I don"t see no marks; but whatever did make you so late, Master Aleck?"
"Someone broke a hole in the boat, and we had to mend it, that"s all.
Now cut me some bread and ham for Tom Bodger down at the boat-shelter; he"s nearly starved."
The provender was willingly out and carried down, and soon after Aleck lay dreaming over the adventures of the day.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
The next morning one of the first things that saluted Aleck"s eyes on making his way up to the look-out on the cliff, was the sloop-of-war about a couple of miles out, sailing very slowly along, followed at a short distance by the Revenue cutter, and the lad had not been watching five minutes before he became aware of the fact that Ness Dunning"s work in the garden was at a standstill, that individual being laid flat upon his chest watching the vessels" movements through a piece of pipe.
Away to the right on the cliffs, dotted about which lay Eilygugg, there was a white speck here and a blue speck there, and a little more intent gazing proved to the lad that there was another speck upon the edge of the farthest cliff in view.
"Women on the look-out to give warning to the smugglers," thought Aleck, and he hurried back to see if his uncle was down, and if he were not to return to the cliff-top with the gla.s.s.
But the captain was just descending, and his first words were:
"That"s right, my boy; let"s have breakfast. By the way, did you get my paper?"
This started the lad, who was crammed with his news, which he hurriedly made known.
"Humph!" said the old man. "Rather a lively experience for you, my lad; but you must be careful, for I don"t want to have you in trouble over helping smugglers to escape."
"No, uncle, of course not," said Aleck; "but do you think I did wrong?"
"Certainly, my boy. This fellow--ill-conditioned fellow Megg--was fighting against the law. He was doubtless there on some business connected with smuggling, and nearly got caught by the press-gang--an inst.i.tution I do not admire, but those in authority consider it a necessity for the supply of the Navy. Keep away from all these worries, and as much as possible from Rockabie and its young ruffians."
"Yes, uncle; but I really did not seek to be amongst all that business in Rockabie yesterday," pleaded Aleck.
"Of course not, my boy, and you need not look so penitent. The law"s the law, of course, but I"m afraid if I had been appealed to as you were last night I should have done the same, and given the scoundrel a good talking to as I brought him away. There, have no more to do with it, and keep out of sight if there are boats landed, as there most probably will be, to make a search."
"But suppose the officers land and know me again, uncle?"
"There, there, I"m just in the midst of a tiresomely intricate chapter of my book, and don"t want to have my attention taken off."
"No, uncle, of course not; but if the officers and men know me again?"
"Why, let them, my lad. You were doing no harm, and they can do you none. Now let"s finish our breakfast."
"Shall I stay in, uncle?" said Aleck. "Tom Bodger slept down in the boat last night, and I wanted to take him some breakfast."
"Go and take it then, of course."
"And then stay in?"
"No, no; nonsense. Now don"t bother me any more."
"I won"t get into any trouble," Aleck said to himself, as he hurried out, armed with two huge sandwiches and a mug of well-sweetened coffee, with which he got on pretty well going through the garden, hardly spilling a drop, till he was startled by the voice of the gardener, saying, from the other side, in antic.i.p.ation:
"Thankye, Master Aleck. That"s very good of yer."
That startling made the lad half stop, and about a tablespoonful of the hot preparation flew out on to the path. But Aleck paid no attention, not even turning his head, but increasing his pace, with the mug troubling him a good deal in his efforts to preserve the liquid in a state of equilibrium in a rapidly descending and very slippery and uneven rocky path.
"I daresay you"d like it," muttered Aleck, as he hurried on, followed directly after by:
"I"m over here, Master Aleck."
"Thank you for the information, Ness, but they say none are so deaf as those who will not hear."
At the next zigzag of the path he was out of sight and hearing, and a few minutes later close upon the niche devoted to his boat, with the big sandwiches complete, and quite three parts of the coffee in the mug.
"Sorry to have been so long, Tom," he cried, breathlessly, "but here you--"
Aleck was going to say _are_, but he felt that it would not be correct, for Tom was not there, nor anywhere within sight down the narrow waterway in the direction of the sea. He had left tokens of his presence in the shape of tidy touches, for the boat tackle had all been taken out and stowed away in the overhanging cavernous part, and the boat lay ready for any amount of necessary repairs, for, in spite of the sailor"s declaration the previous evening, she had been leaking to such an extent during the night since she had been tied up, that she was one quarter full of water.
"Why, he ought to have stopped to mend the hole properly. Seen the men-o"-war coming, I suppose, and gone back to Rockabie so as not to be found if the sailors come searching here. But how stupid! What am I to do with this coffee and bacon?"