In the Kings Name | Page 7

was ransacked from end to end, three more men
being called from the cutter for the purpose. Tubs were turned over,
spare sails and nets dragged about, planks lifted, bunks and lockers
searched, but nothing contraband was found, and all the while the
skipper of the lugger and his crew stood staring stupidly at the efforts
of the king's men.
"Labour in vain, Leigh," said the lieutenant at last. "Into the boat there.
Confound that scoundrel! I wish he was overboard."
The lieutenant did not say what for, but as soon as the men were in the
boat he turned to the skipper:
"Look ye here, my fine fellow, you've had a narrow escape."
"Yes," said the man stolidly, "I thought you'd have hit us."
The lieutenant did not condescend to reply, but climbed over the side
into the cutter's boat, and motioned to Leigh to follow, which he did,
not daring to glance at the passengers.
"Are you quite done, officer?" growled the skipper.
No answer was given, and as the boat reached the side of the cutter the
sails of the lugger were being hoisted, and she began to move quickly
through the water at once.
"Lay her head to the eastward," said the lieutenant sourly; "and look
here, Leigh, don't you rouse me up again for one of your mare's nests,
or it will be the--"
"Worse for you," Hilary supposed, but he did not hear the words, for
the lieutenant was already down below, and the young officer took the
glass and stood watching the lugger rapidly growing distant as the
cutter began to feel the breeze.

A curious turmoil of thought was harassing the young man's brain, for
he felt that he had been a traitor to the king, whose officer he was, and
it seemed to him terrible that he should have broken his faith like this.
But at the same time he felt that he could not have done otherwise, and
he stood watching the lugger, and then started, for yes--no--yes--there
could be no mistake about it, a white handkerchief was being held over
the side, and it was a signal of amity to him.
Quite a couple of hours had passed, and the lugger had for some time
been out of sight round the headland astern, when all at once the
lieutenant came on deck to where his junior was pacing up and down.
"Why, Leigh," he exclaimed, "I did not think of it then; but we ought to
have detained that chasse maree."
"Indeed, sir; why?"
"Ah! of course it would not occur to you, being so young in the service;
but depend upon it that fellow was a Jacobite, who had persuaded those
dirty-looking scoundrels to bring him across from Saint Malo, or some
other French port, and he's going to play spy and work no end of
mischief. We've done wrong, Leigh, we've done wrong."
"Think so, sir?"
"Yes, I'm sure of it. I was so intent on finding smuggled goods that I
didn't think of it at the time. But, there: it's too late now."
"Yes, sir," said Leigh quietly, "it's too late now."
For he knew that by that time the fugitives must be in Shoreham
harbour.
CHAPTER THREE.
THE LIEUTENANT'S BARGAIN.

Three days of cruising up and down on the lookout for suspicious craft,
some of which were boarded, but boarded in vain, for, however
suspicious they might appear at a distance, there was nothing to warrant
their being detained and taken back into port.
Hilary used to laugh to himself at the impudence of their midge of a
cutter firing shots across large merchantmen, bringing them to, and
making them wait while the cutter sent a boat on board for their papers
to be examined.
It gradually fell to his lot to perform this duty, though if it happened to
be a very large vessel Lieutenant Lipscombe would take upon himself
to go on board, especially if he fancied that there would be an invitation
to a well-kept cabin and a glass of wine, or perhaps a dinner, during
which Hilary would be in command, and the cutter would sail on in the
big ship's wake till the lieutenant thought proper to come on board.
The men sang songs and tied one another's pigtails; Hilary Leigh fished
and caught mackerel, bass, pollack, and sometimes a conger eel, and
for a bit of excitement a little of his majesty's powder was blazed away
and a cannonball sent skipping along the surface of the water, but that
was all.
Hilary used sometimes to own to himself that it was no wonder that Mr
Lipscombe, who was a disappointed man, should spend much time in
sleeping, and out of sheer imitation he once or twice took to having a
nap