‘Then pull off;’ and away we went in the wake of the smugglers. The chase was an exciting one. They had got about twenty yards ahead; but our boat was the swifter, and we soon came up with them. ‘Now we have them,’ I exclaimed, as our other boat came into view, intercepting their course to the island. They were not, however, to be caught so easily. Making a rapid double to the left, our boat was shot far ahead of them before we could turn. I now saw that the advantage did not all lie on our side; for although we had greater speed and greater numbers, on the other hand, the smugglers’ boat was so formed as to twist and turn about with the greatest rapidity, rendering it very difficult for us to come into close quarters with them. Again we came up with them, and again they made a double towards the mainland, leaving us still at a distance.
I now adopted a different mode of operations. Both our boats were between the smugglers and Innismurry, and I directed them to separate about twenty yards, and row close behind the enemy, keeping the latter always in front and between the two boats. This plan was perfectly successful. The smugglers were now compelled to ‘move on’ before us towards the mainland, any attempt to turn aside being prevented by either boat. Their only escape now was landward, and they made a spurt to reach the shore before us, heading directly for the Smugglers’ Pier; but their boat had scarcely touched the gravel, when our men, jumping into the water, surrounded it, and took the occupants in charge ere they had time to land.
I now directed my attention to matters on shore. Mickey was still there, but the constable was nowhere to be seen. A feeble groan from behind the rocks led Mickey to explain.
‘It’s the paler, yer honour,’ said he. ‘He tuk mighty bad after you left.’
‘Has he been to the keg?’ I asked.
‘Faix, and he has, thin; and it didn’t agree with him.’
It evidently did not. The ground beside him bore witness to the fact.
‘Confound the stuff!’ growled one of the boatmen, who had taken the opportunity to follow the paler’s example and have a pull at the keg. He was expectorating at a furious rate and making horrible grimaces.
‘Is it poison?’ feebly groaned the policeman.
‘Poison? Confound it!’ said the boatman; ‘it’s water, and as salt as blazes.’