The great muscular fellow dropped at once, seating himself upon the slope and digging his heels into the loose screes to keep from sliding down.
“There y’are,” he growled.
“Now, then,” said Aleck, “what do you want to say?”
“Only about you coming along here to-day. You warn’t trying to spy out nowt, was yer?”
“No,” cried Aleck; “of course I wasn’t. I’ve known for long enough that you people at Eilygugg do a lot of smuggling. I’ve stood with the captain, my uncle, of a night and seen you signal with a lanthorn, and then after a bit seen a light shown out at sea.”
“You’ve seen that, youngster?”
“Lots of times; and the boats going and coming and the lights showing up against the cliff. Of course we know what goes on, but my uncle doesn’t care to interfere, and I’ve never tried to find out where you hide the smuggled goods; but I shouldn’t be long finding out if I tried.”
“Hum!” growled the man, gazing up searchingly. “P’raps you’re right, youngster, p’raps you arn’t; but there is a deal o’ smuggling goes on along this coast.”
“Especially about here,” said Aleck, with a smile.
“Well, what’s the harm, eh? A man must live, and if one didn’t do it another would.”