Part 7 (2/2)
”Connived or assisted at the escape of the poachers I had shut up inthe arrival of the constables to convey theinald You must be under a mistake,” I exclaimed ”I have in no way assisted any poachers to escape I merely yesterday, with your permission, visited the boy Mark Riddle He had been captured with two persons much older than himself, and he was, I believe, led astray by them”
”You, or somebody else, left theed to cut away a bar in the strong room and effect their escape Here are the instru off Do you recognise the the knife and file and saw to Mark, that heout soed the thehtless, to say the least of it, and a very suspicious circuinald
”Have they not been retaken?” I inquired, anxious to knohat had become of my friend Mark
”No, there is but little chance of that,” he answered, in a tone of vexation ”Now, let ives no reason for your visit”
Without claiave a clear account of all I had heard on the previous evening Sir Reginald appeared much interested, and his manner became more friendly than at first
”I a Riddle to escape,” he said at last, after taking notes of all I told him ”Now return home, and keep your own counsel”
I confess that I was secretly very glad Mark had made his escape I hoped that he would return to his father, and keep in hiding till the affair had blown over, and also give up poaching for the future I wanted as soon as possible to go and see the old sailor, and learn what had becothe Hall, went directly home My father complimented me more than I deserved on the way I had conducted theunintentionally assisted Mark and the other poachers to o are taken, you will deservedly have the credit of the affair, and Sir Reginald will, I hope, feel bound to assist you as you desire,” he observed
I had to wait till the next day to go over and see old Roger I almost expected to find that Mark had returned home, and was concealed in the house; but none of his fa about hi rooiven him, and of which they had heard by some means or other They would not believe that I had had no intention, when I lent hiet out I took care to return home at an early hour, as I had no wish to encounter Ned Burden or the other men on the way I waited soiven I was very sure the baronet would take the necessary steps for capturing the s tiale sprung up, the sky was clouded over, and as there was noon which I had heard the so arrived I should have been wise to have gone to bed at the regular hour, as if I had had nothing to do in the matter Instead of that, as soon as Ned was asleep I slipped on my clothes and went out by the back door, which I carefully closed behind e, and could see to a distance, I turned lers had planned to attack in order to draw off the coastguard-o was to be run In a few ht burst forth fro darkness, and rapidly increase until it assue bonfire I then knew that the outlaws had carried out the first part of their plan, as I concluded they would the second It seemed to me that the whole farer to see the fire, I ran towards the far nearer, the hum of human voices showed me that a nued in throater over the stacks, others in pulling down the burning one As I got up to theether with those belonging to the farate There were, I remarked, none of the revenue-men present, by which I concluded that they had not been draay frolers expected they would be
Precautions having been taken in tiuish the flames, the fire didn't communicate to the other ricks; and, as far as I could see, even a portion of the first was saved
It would have been better for ain; but I was curious to know if the ”Saucy Bess” had succeeded in running her cargo, or whether Sir Reginald had acted on the inforuard-lers and capture thehbourhood of the burning rick, I hurried away towards the spot at which I had heard Ned Burden and his co on for twenty minutes or so when I heard a pistol-shot fired; it was succeeded by two or three others
Thisforward
I doubled ood, and I knew the way
All the tile person After soof cutlasses, so it seeglers were having a desperate fight, the latter endeavouring to defend their property, and the former to capture it Which would succeed in their object seeh as yet I could see nothing This I was eager to do, forgetting that bullets flying about were no respecters of persons
At last I reached the top of a cliff overlooking the bay, whence I could see a lugger, which I guessed to be the ”Saucy Bess,” with her sails loose, a short distance from the shore, and two or three boats near her; while on the sands were a nuues arising fro
That the revenue-men had the best of it, I had no doubt It appeared to o, and so to rescue their comrades That this was the case I had little doubt, when I saw the lugger's head turned seawards, and presently she disappeared in the glooinald had acted on the inforiven him, and that he would find it had been correct I was at last about to return ho fro round, saw three ht it better to keep out of their way, and began to run But they must have seen me, and at once made chase I could easily have kept ahead, but unfortunately stepping into a deep rut, I stuain the ster?” cried one of thenised by the voice to be Ned Burden
”I ca forward,” I answered
”Not the first tiry voice ”We knoho you are Soave inforht, and putting two or three things together no one will doubt that it was you Shall we heave him over the cliffs, or what shall we do with hi with us, at all events,” said one of the other ht, he deserves to be knocked on the head”
”Spoilt our plans indeed he has,” said Burden; and he presently detailed to his co at the old barn, and how, not supposing that I had heard anything of io
I could not deny this, and I saw that it would be useless to attempt to defend myself My captors, without more ado, proceeded to tie my arms behind my back, and to bind a handkerchief over ster,” said Burden, ”if you shout out or utter a e'll send a bullet through your head”
Froht he was very likely to do this I did not tell him that I kneho he was, as I was sure that this would only make matters worse for me I did not, however, believe that they really meant to kill uess Two of the the road, without wasting another word on me They walked very fast indeed
Had they not supported ht they would stop I tried to ascertain in what direction they were leading th they made e fro, but the spot was sheltered, and sometimes it blew on one cheek and sometimes on the other I could hear the roar of the waves, by which I knew that I could be at no great distance frohtly by the arm, the others withdrew to a distance to consult as to how they should proceed After a time they came back, and we continued our etting very tired, and would gladly have again sat down When I cohed at h to rest yourself, youngster,” said one of thes are no worse with you”