“Me, your honour,” said Tom Tully. “I can show you the way.”
“Come to my side, then,” said the lieutenant, leaping ashore. Tom Tully ranged up alongside, and together they hurried over the sand and shingle.
There was no doubt about their being upon the right track, for they stumbled first against a keg, directly after upon a package, then upon another and another, just as the smugglers had thrown them down to race back and defend the lugger; and with these for their guides they made right for the rocks, where, after a little hesitation, Tom Tully led the party through a narrow opening.
“I should know the place, sir,” he said, “for I got a hawful polt o’ the side of the head somewheres about here; and—ah! this here’s right, for there’s another little keg o’ spirits.”
He had kicked against the little vessel, and, to endorse his opinion, he had come upon a small package, which, with the keg, was placed upon a block of rock ready for their return.
But in spite of his recollection of the blows he had received in the struggle amongst the rocks Tom Tully’s guidance was not very good. It was horribly dark, and, but for the scuffling noise they kept hearing in front and beyond the chaos of rocks amongst which they were, the lieutenant would have ordered his men back, and tried some other way, or else, in spite of the risks, have waited while some of his men went back for lights.
There was, however, always the noise in front, and partly by climbing and dragging one another up over the rocks they managed to get nearer and nearer without once hitting upon the narrow and comparatively easy but maze-like track that was the regular way, and which was so familiar to the smuggling party that they ran along it and surmounted the various barriers with the greatest ease.
“Come, come, Tully, are you asleep?” cried the lieutenant impatiently; “push on.”
“That’s just what I am a doing of, your honour,” said the great fellow; “but they seem to have been a moving the rocks, and altering the place since we was here last, and its so plaguy dark, too, I don’t seem to hit it at all.”
“Give way, there, and let another man come to the front,” said the lieutenant.