“‘That,’ said I, ‘is private and confidential.’

“‘Oh,’ said he, ’there are no outsiders here, we are all sworn friends of Dick’s, every mother’s son of us.’

“‘Then,’ said I, ’Dick is off the Cove in the schooner Nancy, of Brest,’”

“Holloa, Willis,” cried Jack, “there was a fib!”

“Well, I told you to look out for something of that sort when I began.”

“‘What!’ cried the landlord, ‘Dick in a schooner off the Irish coast?’

“‘Yes,’ said I; ’and aboard that schooner there is as tight a cargo of brandy and tobacco as ever you set eyes upon.’

“Here the landlord pricked up his ears, and the rest of the company began to listen attentively.  The fellow that sat next me coolly told me that both he and Dick had been lagged for horse-stealing, and had subsequently broken out of prison and escaped.  He further told me that most of the gentlemen present had been all, one way or another, mixed up with Dick’s doings; from which I concluded they were a rare parcel of scamps, and resolved, within myself, to try and bag the whole squad.  They were all stout fellows enough, most of them seamen.  I thought they might be able to ‘do the State some service,’ and determined to convert them into honest men, if I could.’

“‘Dick cannot come ashore,’ said I; ’some one of his old pals here has peached, and there is a warrant out against him.’

“This information threw the assembly into a state of violent commotion.  They rose up, and swore terrible vengeance against the head of the unfortunate culprit when they caught him.  The oaths rather alarmed me at first, for they were of a most ferocious stamp.

“‘Yes,’ continued I, ’Dick is aboard the schooner, but, as there are two or three warrants out against him, he does not care about coming ashore; so said he to me, ’We want a lugger and a few hands to run the cargo ashore; and if you look in at the ‘Molly,’ and see my old pal, Dan, perhaps you will find some lads there willing to give us a turn.  The captain said, if the thing was done clean off, he would stand something handsome.”

“‘Just the thing for us!’ shouted half a dozen voices.

“‘But the lugger?’ said I.

“’Oh, Phil Doolan, at the Cove, has a craft that has landed as many cargoes as there are planks in her hull.  Besides, he has stowage for a fleet of East Indiamen.’

“’Well, gentlemen,” said I, ’the chaplain, One-eyed Dick, and myself, will be at Phil Doolan’s to-morrow at midnight; do you agree to meet us there?’

“This question was answered by a universal ‘Yes;’ and by way of clenching the affair, I ordered a couple of gallons of the stiffest potheen in the house.  This was received with three cheers, and before I left the ‘Molly’ every man-jack of them had disappeared under the table.  Dan himself, however, kept tolerably sober, and promised, on account of his friendship for One-eyed Dick, to have the whole kit safe at Phil Doolan’s by twelve o’clock next night, and with this assurance I made my exit from the premises, and steered for the ‘George and Dragon.’