The Lost Middy Part 39

"Well done, Master Aleck!" shouted the gardener.

"Silence, sir," said the captain, sternly. "Go on, Aleck."

"I've no more to say, uncle," replied the lad, "only that I'm not going to lead people to take and press men by force for sailors. Besides, the lieutenant does not need showing--he has been to the men's cottages, and taken some of them."

"To be sure," said the officer, good-humouredly; "and I don't want to be hard on you. It is not the thing to ask a gentleman to do. But please understand, sir, that I am not seeking for men to press now, but to find my brother officer who is missing. Can you help me in that?"

"I'm afraid I can't," said Aleck, frankly; "but I will do all I can."

"Thank you; that's right," said the officer. "Come, Captain Lawrence, we are making some progress after all."

"I'm glad of it, sir," replied the captain; "but, tell me, you pressed some men last night?"

"Yes, we got seven st.u.r.dy fellows to the boats, in spite of a vigorous resistance."

"Seven?" said the captain. "Well, surely that must be quite as many as we have living in the little cl.u.s.ter of cliff cottages! Of course there are their wives and children!"

"Yes," said the lieutenant, drily; "we learned to our cost that they had wives, and strapping daughters too."

"Then how can it be possible that your brother officer can be here?

There is no one to keep him a prisoner."

"Well, it doesn't seem likely," said the officer, in a disappointed tone. "Unless," he added, "these viragoes of women are keeping him, out of spite."

"There's not the slightest probability of that," said the captain. "I'm afraid, sir, that you will find an accident has befallen him."

The lieutenant shook his head, and then turned to Aleck.

"You have a boat and a wonderfully retired nook where you keep her!

Where is it--down below here?"

"Your men came to the mouth of it last time you were here."

"What, last night?"

"No, no; a fortnight ago."

"Ah, yes, I remember. You mean that narrow split in the rock; but surely no boat could go in there?"

"Mine goes in, and out too," said Aleck; "and it's nearly as big as yours. But what of that?"

"Is it likely that my brother officer, finding himself left behind, may have hidden himself there?"

"Not a bit likely," said Aleck; "but, let's go and see!"

"By all means," said the captain; and Aleck led them off at once through the sunken garden and down to the slope which led into the chasm.

"My word, what a place!" said the officer, in his admiration.

"Wonderful! And this is your boat-house, eh?" he added, when, followed by his boat's crew, they reached sea level and gazed into the great niche in which the kittiwake was securely moored.

"Not a bad place," said Aleck; "and it's easy enough to get in and out when you know how."

"One moment," said the officer; "here are plenty of cracks and crevices in the sides of this rift or cave, or whatever you call it, where a fellow might hide. Here, my lads, give a good loud hail or two!

Raven--ahoy!"

The hail rang out, the men shouting together, their powerful voices raising up a broadside of echoes as if the shout ran along zigzag to the mouth of the place before the hail pa.s.sed out to sea, while at the first roar a mult.i.tude of sea-birds flung themselves off the shelf and flew up to the surface and away over the cliffs, shrieking and screaming in hundreds to add to the din.

The men shouted again, and as soon as the echoes had died out sent forth a louder roar than ever; but there was no answering cry, and the lieutenant turned disappointed away.

"He is evidently not here," he said. "Forward, my lads, back up to the house. We're on the wrong tack, squire," he continued, speaking to Aleck. "Look here; I'm going back to our boat in the smugglers' cove to coast along each way as close in as we can get for the rocks. He may have gone off a rock into deep water during one of the scuffles and then swum to some nook or cavern, out of which he can't get on account of deep water."

"That seems likely," said Aleck. "Like me to come and show you some of the caves?"

"Smugglers' caves?"

"Oh, no; little places where you couldn't row in, but where anyone might hide."

"Ah, that's better," said the officer. "You'll do that?"

"Of course I will," said Aleck; and after a short visit to the house Aleck led the boat's crew and their leader across the cliff and down the rough descent, feeling greatly relieved on finding that there was not a fisherman's wife in sight, for he was pretty certain that his appearance in company with their enemies might prove to be a very uncomfortable thing.

In due time the beach was reached, and the keepers of the sloop's boat backed in to allow the officer and crew to get aboard, after which there was an order or two given, and then they rowed out a short distance and, keeping in as close as possible, visited cave and crevice for about half a mile, landing wherever it was possible, sometimes climbing over weed-hung slimy rocks, sometimes wading, and then returning to continue the search in the opposite direction far past the entrance to the Den, before rowing back after an exhaustive search.

The officer gave the word to stop as the entrance to Aleck's boat haven was reached, and, under guidance, rowed and poled up till he could land.

"Thank you for all you've done, youngster," said the lieutenant; "it has been a barren search, but I shall give up for to-day. Maybe I shall look you up again. Meantime I hope you'll keep your ears open, and if you can pick up anything worth having hoist a white tablecloth or sheet on your boat's mast on the top of the cliff, if it's by day, and if it's night, burn one of the blue lights I'll leave with you. Neither of these things will be fighting against your neighbours the smugglers, but only helping us to find our midshipman and making more friends than you know. You'll do this for us?"

"Of course," said Aleck, eagerly.

"Hand out three of those blue lights, c.o.xswain! Next time we come, squire, I'll bring you a rocket or two. There; thankye, and good day!"

"Good day," said Aleck; "but can you make your way out?"

"My lads will, never fear," said the lieutenant, and Aleck stood with the blue lights in his hand, watching the boat till it pa.s.sed round one of the angles and was out of sight, when he turned round, to find that he was not alone.

"You here, Tom?" he said to the sailor, who was standing in the shadow of the boat haven, close up to the dark rocks.

"Me it is, sir."

"What is it--any news?"

"Me, sir? No; on'y what I got when I come across to see what was going on about the press-gang coming here. Say, Master Aleck, I told yer so."

"Yes, Tom, you told me so," replied the lad, warmly. "There, I'm f.a.gged out; let's get up to the house. I want some dinner. You want some too, don't you?"

"Oh, I dunno, sir! I had my braxfus."

"So did I, Tom, hours and hours ago. What time is it?"