The news spread respecting our exceptionally good fortune; and as soon as the two men had helped to haul the boat right up beyond the reach of the tide, as the grapnel was gone, they ran up to the miners’ village and came trooping back with the rest, armed with baskets, dishes, and in some cases only bare-handed, to receive their portions of our big haul.
They gave us a cheer, and soon afterwards we parted, Bob Chowne to sleep at the smuggler’s cottage, while I went back to the Bay.
I woke at daylight next morning, and not feeling disposed to sleep, I dressed and started off for the Gap to rouse up Bigley and Bob and propose a bathe; but as I came in sight of the Gap mouth I found Bigley already astir and just going down to the boat.
I shouted and ran down to him waving my towel, to which he answered by waving another, showing that he had risen with a similar idea to my own.
“I thought I would have a bathe, and do some business too,” he said; and then, in answer to my inquiring look, “Try and get up the grapnel,” he added.
“Oh!” I exclaimed; “but why didn’t you rouse up Bob?”
“Rouse up Bob!” he said gruffly. “Go and try and rouse up that block of stone!”
“What! Have you tried?” I said.
“Tried! I’ve shaken him, and punched him, and done everything I could but drenched him, and that would be a pity. He don’t want to get up; so let him lie. Here, help me run the boat down.”
I laid hold of one side, we balanced her on an even keel, and as it was down a steep slope we soon ran her into the water, jumped aboard, and began paddling out down the narrow part that formed the bed of the river on the seaward side of the pebble ridge.