Cutlass and Cudgel Part 65

"You'll stop aside me, Mr Raystoke, and try and guide."

"Yes, sir."

"You understand, bo's'n, down with the first who tries to escape up the hole here."

"Ay, ay."

"Then, now, forward!" cried Gurr; and, closely followed by Archy and his men, he descended into the old quarry, and then stood listening at the top of the slope, before preparing to advance into the enemy-peopled darkness right ahead.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

Archy felt his heart throb as he led the way down the slope, every step of which seemed so familiar that he advanced without hesitation, the knowledge of how many st.u.r.dy men he had at his back keeping away the natural shrinking which under other circ.u.mstances he might have felt.

"Halt!" said the master suddenly, and then in a whisper to his guide, "Strikes me as they'll have the best of it if they should fight, my lad."

"Not much," replied Archy; "it's as dark for them as it is for us, so that they can't take us at a disadvantage. Call on them to surrender again."

"Ay, to be sure," cried the master; and once more he summoned the smugglers to give in.

There was not a sound to suggest that his orders were heard.

"Don't know what to do, my lad," whispered the master again. "If we go forward, we're leaving the way open for the enemy to attack the watch at the entrance, and we don't want that. Are you sure they're here?"

"I feel certain of it," said Archy in the same low tone. "They must be, but they're hiding, so as to try to escape, or else to take us at a disadvantage."

"Well," said Gurr, "let them. So long as they come out and fight fair, I don't care what they do. Here, four of you stop here; d.i.c.k, take command. We'll go forward and turn the enemy, and try to take them in the rear. Stand fast if they come at you; no pistols, but use your cutla.s.ses. We shall come up to you at the least sound, to help."

The men uttered a low, "Ay, ay, sir," speaking as if they were oppressed by the darkness, and the master whispered.

"Now, my lad," he said, "try and give us the shape of the place like."

Archy obeyed, and explained where the smugglers' stores lay, and the pile of little kegs, if they had not been moved, the place where he had slept, and the positions of the huge pillars and heaps of broken stones.

"And you was shut up here all that time, and didn't go mad!" said Gurr.

"Well, you are a wonder! Tell you what, my lad, I should just like to make sure that those brandy kegs are still here, and then I think we'll be off, and come back with lights. There's no one here but ourselves.

Place isn't big enough for any one to be hiding without our hearing them?"

"Plenty, Mr Gurr," said Archy firmly; "and I am sure they are here; but it is impossible to search without lights. They may be hiding behind the pillars or piles of stone. Have lights got as soon as possible, and then we can come and make them prisoners."

All this was said in a hurried whisper, as the two stood together in front of their men, and in absolute darkness, for they had advanced into the place far enough for the faint light which filtered down from the trap-door to be completely lost.

"Yes; but I'd like to be able to tell the skipper that we have got something in the way of a prize for the men. Can you lead us to it, my lad?"

"But you couldn't take it away."

"Well, we might carry one keg aboard, as a sample. Now then, where will it be from here?"

"Give me your hand, and I'll lead you right to it."

"There you are. Take care how you go. Can you keep close behind us, my lads? Better join hands. Now then, are you ready?"

"Ay, ay," came in a low murmur; and, grasping the master's hand, Archy led on, fully believing that the smugglers were still there, but feeling that they would keep in hiding, and try to escape when they were gone.

"Say, my lad," whispered the master, "I pity you--I do from my soul.

Think of you being shut up all alone in a place like this! Hah! Look out!"

The order was needless, for the smugglers gave every one warning to do that.

One moment the King's men were advancing cautiously through the darkness, the next, without a sound to warn them, there was a rush; blows fell thick and fast, cudgel striking head, cutla.s.s, shoulder, anything that opposed the advance; and in less time than it takes to describe the encounter, the sailors were beaten down or aside, and the party of four, who were warned of what to expect by the noise in their front, advanced to the help of their friends, but only to be beaten down or aside by the gang which rushed at them.

"Stop them, d.i.c.k. Down with them!" shouted the master, as soon as he could get on his feet. "Hi, d.i.c.k! Pa.s.s the word to the bo's'n to look out. Here, Mr Raystoke! Hi, bo's'n, down with that trap and make it fast. Mr Raystoke, I say, where are you? Which way is it? Who's this?"

"No, no, sir," cried one of them; "it's on'y me."

"Mr Gurr! Here!" cried Archy. "Where are you?"

"At last. Where were you, then?"

"On the stones, half stunned," cried Archy. "Here, all get together and follow me."

"What are you going to do?"

"Make for the trap-door--sharp! They're fighting there."

"Oh, dear, who'd have thought it was this way!" grumbled the master.

"Talk about blind man's buff! Sure you're going right, lad? Shall I fire a pistol to make a flash?"

"No; I know."

"Hah!" cried Gurr, as an echoing bang ran through the great cavern.

"Bravo, bo's'n!"

The bang was followed by a heavy rattling sound perfectly familiar to Archy, as he hurried the master along to the foot of the slope.

"Are you all there?" cried Archy.

"Yes,"--"No,"--"No," came from different directions.

"Then keep up this way, and be ready for another rush."

"Ay," cried the master loudly; "and I warn you fellows now, I'd have treated you easy; but if you will have it, the word's war, and a volley of bullets next time you come on."

"No, no, don't fire! You'll hit our own men," whispered Archy, as he reached the top of the slope. "Ah! Who's this?" he cried, as he nearly fell over a prostrate figure.

"Steady, my lad, steady!"

"Steady it is," said another voice.