A stiff struggle for mastery then took place.  Kinlay was the stronger man, and with his free hand he dealt the sailor a hard blow on the chest.  The sailor staggered and fell across the narrow planks, but still holding Kinlay’s left hand he pulled the pilot smuggler down with him.  The sailor let his hand go free.  Then Kinlay tripped, and, uttering a wild yell, fell headlong into the rushing stream.

The lieutenant, seeing what had happened, loosened his grasp of my collar and hurried over to his men to try to save Carver from the dreadful current.  One of the wooden planks was thrown into the water for him to take hold of, but Carver must have failed in his attempt to reach it.  One of the cutter’s men ran to the mouth of the cave and brought back with him a long rope—­my own climbing rope—­which he had seen lying on the rocks:  this also was too late, for Carver was already carried off by the swift stream, no doubt to be taken over into that gulf where Thora had so nearly lost her life.

There now remained only one other of the smugglers to be captured, and he was ultimately discovered crouching like a terrified dog in a dark corner.  Before the revenue men left, however, they made a careful search of the cavern; but they brought nothing down to the boat excepting the wooden box that Kinlay had been searching in when he was surprised by the arrival of the blue jackets.

When this excitement was over, and the lieutenant had ordered his men to return to their boat, I was wondering what their movements would be in regard to myself.  Would they leave me to climb the cliff and go home, or would they take me round to Stromness?

I was not left long in doubt.  Two of the sailors, still with drawn cutlasses, took me into the bow of the longboat and placed me there beside Tom Kinlay and the other prisoners, and bound me to them with my own rope.  Then the lieutenant took his seat in the stern sheets, his men plied their oars, and we were taken out to the cutter, which lay anchored a few fathoms out from the rocks.

We were all taken aboard of her.  Her white canvas was hoisted and her anchor weighed, and soon we were speeding blithely along in the direction of Stromness, with the St. Magnus towed astern.

Chapter XXXVII.  In Which I Am Put Under Arrest.

When we were well under weigh, and I had done admiring the cutter’s trim fittings and the smartness of her men, I turned to consider the condition of my unfortunate companions.  Two of them were badly wounded, and they were ordered to be taken below to have their wounds dressed, whilst the others were now being placed in irons.  They were bound hand and foot to a gun carriage.

Tom Kinlay, who was beside me under the starboard bulwarks, watched the men with consternation in his face.  He was evidently very much afraid.  I saw him put his hand to his breast as though he felt there for something.  I thought he was searching for some weapon; but whatever it was he did not find it.  He opened his coat and still searched.