Cutlass and Cudgel Part 29

"Well, seen anything suspicious?"

"No, sir," said d.i.c.k, "on'y my fingers is a itchin'."

"Scratch them then."

"Nay, you don't understand," grumbled d.i.c.k. "I mean to have a turn at that chap, Master Gurr, sir. I feel as if I had him for 'bout quarter hour I could knock something out of him."

"Nonsense! Come along. Now, my lads, forward!"

Jemmy Dadd's countenance changed from its vacant aspect to one full of cunning, as the party from the cutter moved off, but it became dull and semi-idiotic again, for Gurr turned sharply round.

"Here, my lad, where's your master?"

"Eh?"

"I say, where's your master?"

"Aren't in; mebbe he's out in the fields."

Gurr turned away impatiently again, and signing to his men to follow, they all began to tramp up the steep track leading toward the Hoze, with the rabbits scuttling away among the furze, and showing their white cottony tails for a moment as they darted down into their holes.

d.i.c.k followed last, shaking his head, and looking very much dissatisfied, or kept on looking back at Jemmy, who stood like a statue, resting his chin upon the shaft of his pitchfork, watching him go away.

"I dunno," muttered d.i.c.k, "and a man can't be sure. There was nowt to see and nowt to hear, and of course one couldn't smell it, but seems to me as that ugly-looking fisherman chap knows where our Mr Raystoke is.

Yah, I hates half-bred uns! If a man's a labourer, let him be a labourer; and if he's a fisherman, let him be a fisherman. Man can't be two things, and it looks queer."

An argument which did not have much force when self-applied, for d.i.c.k suddenly recollected that he was very skilful with the scissors, and knew that he was the regular barber of the crew, and as this came to his mind he took off his cap and gave his head a vicious scratch.

"Never mind the rabbits, lads," cried Gurr angrily; "we want to find Mr Raystoke."

The men closed up together, and mastered their desire to go hunting, to make a change from the salt beef and pork fare, and soon after they came suddenly upon Sir Risdon and his lady, the latter, who looked weak and ill, leaning on her husband's arm.

Gurr saluted, and stated his business, while the baronet, who had turned sallower and more careworn than his lot drew a breath full of relief.

"One of your ship boys?" he said.

"A lad, looking like a common sailor, and wearing a red cap."

"No," said Sir Risdon. "I have seen no one answering to the description here."

"Beg pardon, sir, but can you, as a gentleman, a.s.sure me that he is not here?"

"Certainly," said Sir Risdon. "You have seen no one?" he continued, turning to Lady Graeme.

The lady shook her head.

"That's enough, sir; but may I ask you, if you do see or hear anything of such a lad, you will send a messenger off to the cutter?"

"It is hardly right to enlist me in the search for one of your deserters," said Sir Risdon coldly.

"Yes, sir, but he is not a deserter; and the fact is, we are afraid the lad has run alongside o' the smugglers, and come to grief."

"Surely!" cried Sir Risdon excitedly. "No, no,--you must be mistaken.

A boyish prank. No one about here would injure a boy."

"Humph!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Gurr, looking at the baronet searchingly. "Glad you think so well of 'em, sir. But I suppose you'll grant that the people about here would not be above a bit of smuggling?"

Sir Risdon was silent.

"And would run a cargo of brandy or silk?"

"I suppose there is a good deal of smuggling on the coast," said Sir Risdon coldly, as he thought of his vault.

"Yes sir, there is, and it will go hard with the people who are caught having any dealings with the smugglers."

Lady Graeme looked ghastly.

"What would you say, sir, if I were to order my men, in the king's name, to search your place?"

Sir Risdon dared not trust himself to speak, but darted an agonised glance at his wife.

"However, sir, I'm not on that sort of business now," continued Gurr sternly. "Want to find that boy. Good day. Now, my lads."

The men marched off, and Sir Risdon stood watching them.

"Ah, Risdon," and Lady Graeme, "how could you let yourself be dragged into these dreadful deeds!"

"Don't blame me," he said sadly. "I loathe the whole business, but when I saw my wife and child suffering almost from want of the very necessaries of life, and the temptation came in the shape of presents from that man, I could not resist--I was too weak. I listened to his insidious persuasion, and tried to make myself believe that I was guiltless, as I owned no fealty to King George. But I am justly punished, and never again will I allow myself to be made an accessory to these lawless deeds."

"But tell me," she whispered, "have they any of their goods secreted there now?"

"I do not know."

"You do not know?"

"No. The only way in which I could allow myself to act was to keep myself in complete ignorance of the going and coming of these people. I might suspect, but I would never satisfy myself by watching; and I can say now honestly, I do not know whether they have still goods lying there or have taken them away."

"But Celia--keep it from her."

"Of course."

"And about the missing boy. Surely, Risdon, they would not--"

Lady Graeme did not finish, but gave her husband a piercing look.

"Don't ask me," he said sadly. "Many of the men engaged in the smuggling are desperate wretches, and if they feared betrayal they would not scruple, I'm afraid, to strike down any one in the way of their escape."

Lady Graeme shuddered, and they went together into the house, just as Celia came across the wood at the back, in company with the dog.