Part 60 (1/2)

”Now, then, Captain Duncan,” he said, ”before I go let me tell you that I shall report your conduct at headquarters. I consider that I have been fooled, sir, fooled.”

”I had thought of doing the same by you, sir,” retorted my father coldly; ”but I do not think it worth while to quarrel with an angry disappointed man, nor yet to take further notice of your hasty words.”

”What do you mean, sir? What do you mean?” bl.u.s.tered the lieutenant.

”Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I see! Here's a game!” roared Bob Chowne, dancing about in the exuberance of his delight.

”What do you mean, sir? How dare you!” roared the officer turning upon Bob.

”Why, I know,” cried Bob. ”What a game! Don't you see how it was?”

”Will you say what you mean, you young idiot?” cried the lieutenant.

”Oh, I say, it wasn't me who was the idiot,” cried Bob bluntly. ”Why, you let smuggler Uggleston dodge back in the night. He was here about twelve or one, and he and his men must have been and fetched all the stuff away again, while you and your sailors were miles away in the dark.”

”Sep,” cried my father, as the lieutenant stood staring with wrath, ”was Jonas Uggleston back here in the night?”

”Yes, father,” I replied.

”And you did not tell me?”

”I have had no opportunity, father; and I did not think anything of it.

He was here about one.”

”That's it, then,” cried my father. ”Lieutenant, he has been too sharp for you. I noted that the sand was a good deal trampled. He has been back with his men and cleared out the place in your absence.”

The lieutenant stood staring as if he could not comprehend it all for a minute or two, and then flus.h.i.+ng with rage he stamped about.

”The scoundrel! The hound! The thief!” he roared. ”I'll have him yet, though, and when I do catch him I'll hang him to the yard-arm, like the dog he is.”

”Dog yourself,” cried a fierce voice that we did not recognise, it was so changed; and Bigley struck the lieutenant full in the face with the back of his hand. ”My father is a better man than you.”

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.

THE LUGGER'S RETURN.

The lieutenant staggered back from the effects of the blow. But recovering, he whipped out his sword and made at Bigley, who hesitated for a moment and then dashed up the cliff-side, dodging in and out among the rocks, and he was twenty yards away before the lieutenant had gone ten, and gaining at every leap.

Seeing that he could not catch him, the lieutenant drew a pistol from his belt and would have fired, but my father caught his arm.

”Stop, sir,” he cried; ”he is but a boy.”

By this time the c.o.xswain and four men had leaped ash.o.r.e and run to their leader's side.

”Up and bring him back,” shouted the lieutenant fiercely, and wresting his arm free he fired at Bigley, but where the bullet went n.o.body could say, it certainly did not go very near Bigley, who knew every rock and crevice on the side of the headland, and wound his way in and out, and higher and higher, leaving his pursuers far behind.

”Forward! Quick!” roared the lieutenant; but it did not seem to me that the sailors got on very quickly, for they kept on losing ground, and it was so hopeless an affair at last that they were called off, and descended to follow their officer to the boat.